# Please help me with this food issue!!



## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

Okay...

When Bella (now 2) was a pup I tried Solid Gold on her and got nothing but pudding puddle poop. I then decided to try Purina One. It worked like a charm. I even posted a while back about how the "bad" food works well. 

Now I have Tanis (8 weeks old) and I started the whole research thing all over again thinking I would try to get both dogs on a good food. When the breeder and I first talked she told me she fed TOTW and some raw. So I thought that I would work on seeing if I could switch Bella and then both dogs would be on a decent food. I switched her before he got home and she did great. THEN I learned about the calcium ratio in TOTW and thought that maybe I should find something else. I figured I would feed him Blue Buffalo but would mix the TOTW and Blue Buffalo so he would have a good transistion. 

When I picked up Tanis the breeder said she had been feeding Diamond Naturals LBP so I figure that I would just have to get new food. Ugh. So he gets home and has terrible poops. Bad diarhea, pudding poops. Two fecal floats later it is determined that its the food giving him issues. No signs of trouble in the actual poop. 

We then switch to rice and chicken to get his little tummy stable. He did well. I started to add the Diamond Naturals to the rice and chicken hoping that his body would recognize the food he is used to and start to get better. No luck. Pudding poops again. 

I call the lady at the holistic store that I visit and she said she has Wellness Simple and that that might help his little belly and than later I can switch to a different Wellness. I am going to speak to her after work today. I have talked with her before and she knows her stuff. 

So now, here I am, stressing about this food issue. I cant go on much longer with this. I need him to get his tummy stable and I need to find a decent food for him. Part of me says that I should just go back to Purina cause its less money and works fine and fixed Bellas problem when she was a pup. 

Money is not the issue but I am so dang stressed over what to feed him. I am not a food fanatic. Just trying to do the best for my dogs but I mean...this is crazy. I dont worry this much about what my kids eat! I also personally dont believe that there is anything wrong with Purina. It worked for me before and works for others. 

So I'm just not sure what to do. Go back to old faithful or keep on trucking looking for something "better". 

Does anyone have any advice? Anything that worked for you if you had this problem before? 

I'm at a loss. I guess my biggest fear is that I will keep trying new foods over and over until he gets sick from having so much diarhea. He's just a baby and I worry that this will take a toll on him. I just need to find an affordable food for him that will be easy on his belly. 

Thanks in advance.


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## PupItUp (Jun 18, 2009)

I had a similar issue, I tried so many foods and could never firm up my girl's poop. I tried, Purina One, Blue Buffalo, California Natural, Wellness, and plain old chicken and rice and nothing worked. I stressed out about it for 2 months and finally started looking for something grain free. I found Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison to be low enough in Protein and Calcium for a large breed pup(Most grain free I found was WAY to high in calcium). Her tummy was so messed up I did not even bother to transition her food over, I got home and her dinner was 100% Natural Balance, the next morning she was firm and perfect and has been ever since. You might want to try something grain free. Some might tell you that the Sweet Potato and Venison is a little low in protein which it think it is, that is why I add a little EVO Red Meat to her diet to add a little more protein.

Good Luck!


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

The first day Denali came home with me she got switched cold turkey to Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison. Her poops were perfect and it's good food. 
It is low in protein and my girl didn't have any tummy issues so I switched to something with more protein and eventually just switched to Raw which is treating her well.
Purina is just terrible but that's JMO.


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## Jacobysma (Jun 17, 2009)

I had the exact same issues with Jacoby and what finally worked for him was California Naturals Puppy food (he did well on real chicken and rice but dh said way too expensive for a pup). My two older dogs are just now completing their first bag of TOTW and I am going to be switching again (older male started having ear infections when I starting transitioning from BG(before grain) to TOTW sooo I just purchased today the NB Sweet Pot. & Vens. which is grain free but also egg free (the diff between BG & TOTW). Fingers crossed







Good luck. I also agree it is frustrating. We also used Merrick Puppy Plate which he liked and his poop was ok.


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## alaman (May 3, 2006)

You can always feed a spoonful of yogurt twice a day. It really helps with the soft poop and helps turn it to regular poop


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

Thanks everyone. We started to try the Wellness Simple and the poops are just water now. No form or substance. Just blows out like a faucet. I just dont know what to do. I guess its back to chicken and rice until we can find a food that wont do this. We'll keep working on it.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Make sure that you give it a couple of days to get his system used to it. I would try mixing in a tbs. of yogurt to help. Sometimes it takes a little while for them to adjust.


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## pashasmom (Aug 5, 2009)

seems to me you should stick to what works for his digestive track!


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

I'm sure it sounds like I have tried tons of different foods. Mostly I just buy them. The poop issue started when he got home and it wasnt long before we had to go to chicken and rice. That helped. Added some kibble and it went south again. Figured that while it was already a mess I would try the Wellness but that made it watery. I'm not going to change kibble right now but will reduce the amount we add to the rice. 

3 cups per day for a 13 pound pup. Is that too much? 

Have the yogurt to try as well. Thanks everyone.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

What protein is in the Wellness Simple? Go back to the bland diet until the poops get better. And don't give yoghurt until the digestive track is settled. It can cause more problems.


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowWhat protein is in the Wellness Simple? Go back to the bland diet until the poops get better. And don't give yoghurt until the digestive track is settled. It can cause more problems.


Its lamb and rice. The first ingredient is rice. 

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_lamb.html

This is a link to the food. I was told it would be good on upset tummys cause its "simple". So far, its not working. Its worse. But I only started him on it Monday night so I dont know when to say enough is enough if it comes to that. My breeder says I should stay consistent to see if any changes come about. I agree but this watery poop has me worried.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I would start over again. If you want to keep trying the Simple Solutions then fine but if it were me I would return that (I think they have a guarantee?) and maybe try a chicken based food since you said he did well on the bland diet with chicken. Put him back on the bland diet and introduce the kibble slowly, starting with a 1/3 of a cup and working up to the full amount gradually. 

If you are still having problems then I would consider trying a probiotic (not yoghurt, a real probiotic) and/or digestive enzymes and see if that helps.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

And to add to Ruth - I think you need to fast if there's "faucet poop" to rest the GI tract, then start back with the bland diet and then slowly add in a kibble.
I'd probably throw in some Slippery Elm or Phytomucil as well


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Yes, I agree with Barb. You can give slippery elm 3 times a day, in between meals.


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

Okay, heres the latest update. I went back to chicken and rice. Didnt fast but after two meals without that kibble his poops are looking good. Formed and scoopable. No more diarhea. Sooo, I'm going to stick to chicken and rice for now. I have probiotics to add but will do so in small amounts. In a few days I will start to add kibble as a treat for training and potty and stuff and see how it goes. Baby steps...


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I would take him or his poop to the vet. He could have coccidia, giardia or worms. 

I wouldn't do the actual rice or anything binding-substance wise- with a puppy due to worries of creating other GI problems. I think their GI problems have to be approached differently than an adult's. 

I have been monitoring puppy poop since May-it can be crazy what comes out of them!


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

Thanks. Its getting better off that kibble. Much better. He has had two fecal floats in less that two weeks and its all fine. I specifically asked for coccida and giardia to be tested. So far so good. Off the Wellness Simple, on chicken and rice and he now has regular poop. I think I was going to fast. Right now I am just watching and monitoring and seeing what works for him and what doesnt. But I am so excited that he had normal poop! Since when does poop make me happy???


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