# Soft stool multiple times per day - food switch?



## telavivgsd (Jul 6, 2016)

When we got our puppy at 9 weeks, we started him on Royal Canin GSD puppy food (fell for the gimmick). Our vet really approved of this food, but she carries it at our office so I understand where her bread is buttered.

A couple weeks ago as our second bag of RC ran out, we decided to switch to Now! Fresh lrge breed puppy by petcurean. Here's the ingredients:

De-boned turkey, whole dried egg, potatoes, peas, potato flour, natural flavour, tapioca, flaxseed, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), apples, de-boned salmon, de-boned duck, sweet potatoes, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea fibre, alfalfa, carrots, pumpkin, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, papayas, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, squash, pomegranate, dried chicory root, dried kelp, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, algae extract, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, beta-carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc methionine complex, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, manganous oxide, selenium yeast), DL-methionine, L-lysine, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, yeast extract, New Zealand green mussels, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, marigold, L-carnitine, dried rosemary, green tea extract, peppermint, parsley, rosehips, zedoary, dandelion, chamomile, ginger, tumeric, fennel, juniper berries, licorice, cardamom, cloves.

Since we made the switch, I've noticed that our pup (now almost 5mo) has been pooping multiple times a day, 4 to 6 times rather than the 2 to 3 times a day on RC.
In the morning, he has one large firm poop, then a minute later has a large very soft poop (not watery diarrhea, but you can't pick it up off the ground fully if that makes sense). Then sometimes within that same first morning walk he'll poop 1 or even two more times, small soft, and then a few more soft poops during the day, with one larger one at some point. He always had the occasional soft stool but not like this. Oh and it stinks - like bad.

At this point, I don't see how he's even absorbing any of the food we're giving him, but I haven't noticed a weight loss, though he's thin (can feel all ribs, spine, and hips, with an indentation behind the last rib), and his coat is still shiny. I don't think we're overfeeding because we're on the lower end of the feeding guidelines, and he's a bit finicky. 

I'm calling the vet about maybe checking for worms today, but since this really started when we switched foods, I think it's related to that. We did switch him over too quickly, but it's been a couple weeks, and I don't want to hurt his growth. The vet will probably recommend going back to RC (again, sponsored), but I was thinking about switching him to Farmina Ancient Grains Puppy. 

Ingredients: 
Deboned chicken, dehydrated chicken (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dehydrated egg product, herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), dehydrated herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), herring & salmon oil blend (preserved with mixed tocopherols), fiber vegetable of peas, dried carrots, sun-cured alfalfa meal, chicory root extract, fructooligosaccharide, yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), dehydrated pomegranate, dehydrated apple, dehydrated spinach, psyllium seed husk, dehydrated blackcurrant berry, dehydrated sweet orange, dehydrated blueberry, salt, brewers dried yeast, turmeric, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, beta-carotene, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, DL-methionine, taurine, L-carnitine, aloe vera gel concentrate, green tea extract, rosemary extract.

Does anyone have any input on this - does it sound like just the food? He's not lethargic (like the opposite), and his health seems ok. Does the farmina food seem like a good switch? I think it's the best option available to us - no Orijen or TOTW unfortunately, and RAW is cost prohibitive here. Is this going to hurt his health/growth in the long run?


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Our dog did not do so well on kibble in general, we tried so many brands, very good ones too! Oddly the RC breed specific GSD puppy food was a food she could tolerate much better than the super natural, holistic brands. To keep her diet consistent we would also use the kibble as training treats during her obedience classes. If the vet clears him of parasites and things, then yes the switching of foods could cause the frequent BMs. A food our dog does very well on is The Honest Kitchen brand but I don't know if it is sold in your country. Maybe do a blend, half RC with another of your choice.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Petcuran seems to have put every possible fashionable ingredient in one bag (marketing strategy?). There is a lot of bulk in this food, hence the frequent poops. All dogs need is bone, muscle meat and organ meat and you hardly have to scoop.


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## LittleBear (Apr 1, 2016)

How much is your pup being fed? Any other goodies...ie. treats, cookies, edible chewies etc. Seems a bit much in terms of poop, but I know what you mean...Phoenix is on the Now large breed puppy, sometimes we get a second follow-up poop, a bit softer than the first, total maybe 3 a day. But, I feed him around 5 cups, I'm getting him to fill in a bit before I switch to adult food, Phoenix is 16 months old now. As far as dry kibble goes, I liked this food, just my personal opinion based on first 5 -10 ingredients. The smallest amount of poop with my first GSD and Phoenix happened with Nature's Variety raw (prefrozen) venison or chicken patties, combined with Now dry kibble feeds, but Phoenix lost interest so we're back to straight kibble at the moment. Hope this helps!


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I learned here that if a dog has a firm poop, followed by a runny or soft one, you are feeding too much volume. Try cutting back 1/2 C a day and see how that works. Kibble isn't bad, most dogs eat kibble. I have never used Now fresh but I heard its good.


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## telavivgsd (Jul 6, 2016)

Thanks for all the answers! He's five months, and for his age and weight the feeding guidelines say 3-5 cups. He's been getting about 3/3.5 + about 1 hotdog/ 2 deli slices of chicken each day. We also give him an egg every few days mixed in with less kibble, and sometimes a teaspoon of yogurt or cottage cheese mixed in with the food for enticing him. He also get's gelatin for his ears.

Wolfy dog, I wish we could feed raw so badly, but meat is extremely expensive here (compared to the US especially), so my husband and I don't even eat meat every day (eggs and canned tuna for us :crying: ). He does get marrow bones from the butcher a few times a week, which I pay a ridiculous amount for. 

LuvShepards, I feel that he's really on the thin side, but he's large boned, so it's not like he's got a light frame. He is a finicky eater, so there is often .5 cup left over at the end of the day. I totally agree with you that it does sound like overfeeding, I just don't understand how it could be. Maybe you're right and he's just self regulating and does need less. I will mention it to the vet today and see what he thinks!

Little Bear - I agree with you, I think the first ingredients in this food look great - that's why I switched to it! Maybe they're just not a good fit for him in particular? We don't have Nature's Variety here unfortunately - I wish we did!

Gretchen - That's a creat idea about mixing with the RC. I didn't want to put him back on it fully, but maybe a mixture would do the trick. I wish we could use kibble as treats. That worked for the first couple weeks, then he wised up and found out there's better things out there. He's also not very food driven :frown2:


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