puppy food problems

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

My 4 month old pitbull puppy is eating Wellness large breed puppy food. She is probably about 25 pounds and is eating two cups of food twice a day. The problem is her stools tend to be loose, and I think it's because she is eating too much food at once, as in volume. I work, so I can't split it into three meals a day. I'm also having a hard time keeping her in good body condition, she keeps looking a little thin, so I keep upping her food intake to keep up with her growth. I know it's a good idea to keep large breed puppies a little on the thin side for controlled growth, but I'm wondering if the Wellness food is just too low-calorie for her and that's why she has to eat such massive amounts of it. Should I switch her food to something else? Raw or homemade is out of the question at the moment, I'm just too busy.

[greenmagick]

I would suggest switching her to a higher calorie grain free food. Stools definitely will get loose if they eat too much volume wise

[Oubliette8]

I would probably also switch her. Although I would NOT recommend grain free for a puppy that young, particularly a large breed, unless the food is specifically labeled for large breed puppies. Many grain frees actually specifically recommend against feeding to puppies- EVO and CORE are both not labeled for puppies and the companies discourage it. The only grain free labeled for large breed puppies I can think off of the top of my head is Orijen, which is an excellent company and food if you can find it.

What about using an all life stages food? A pit bull is not really a giant breed, most aren't even that large, so large breed specific food is not really a necessity. Although they are large enough that I would forgo grain free as mentioned above. Canidae makes a great ALS food, as does Holistic Selects (the Chicken formula). A straight adult formula of a high quality food could work too- many large breed breeders do this instead of puppy food.

[greenmagick]

oops, yes about EVO and CORE. Not until 12 months. Sorry, I dont tend to think of pits as large dogs There are others out there though that are fine...Orijen is probably the best top of the line food. It is pricey however. Taste of the Wild is another appropriate grain free food....however its calorie content is similar to Wellness...though with it being grain free you dont have the grain fillers so that may help.

Also, loose poops can also be a sign the food just isnt agreeing with her. Wellness has flaxseed in it which is a common allergen for dogs.

[rainbowmoon]

My pitbull/st bernard puppy went through almost the same thing at around 4mo. (looking too skinny) I am pretty sure she was eating the Wellness food too..she did have worms when we got her at 2 mo but we quickly remedied that and I think she was just growing soooo super fast. (she is now 61lbs and not looking super skinny anymore, though she is lean.)

We changed her food as she was throwing it up alot (she would eat too fast and too much) she is eating Innova large breed puppy food now (dry and wet) and is doing well. We usually feed her once in the AM and she snacks on the leftover dry food throughout the day. She eats about 3-4 cups of food a day I'd say.

here's some info on Innova
http://www.innovapet.com/product_line.asp?id=1259

[SophieAnn]

Some thoughts...

You can split up her meals without being home during the day. Our dog gets 4 meals, 1 cup each. 1st meal is given by my husband between 6-7am before he leaves for work, 2nd meal by me around 8am before I leave for work, 3rd meal as soon as I get home from work at 5pm, 4th meal is later evening between 9-10pm (don't leave it this late if you're still working on house training). That's what works for us. Or, you could split it to morning, after work, later evening.

If splitting up her meals doesn't work, I would consider switching foods. Look at the main protein sources of the food she's having now, and switch it up. If there's a food sensitivity then it's usually to the protein source. One protein source that is less-allergenic is salmon, so look for a "sensitive-tummy" diet or a salmon-based one. If you do think it is a sensitivity you would have to do a full elimination diet to know for sure - kibble only, no treats, no table scraps. But, consider first whether or not treats might be the thing upsetting her tummy before switching foods. Or consider if there is anything non-food that she might be getting into (eating grass, etc.).

I had a dog will a pretty serious tummy sensitivity (soft stools for a looong time) and it was very well managed by switching to a low-allergen food (salmon-based) and reintroducing hypoallergenic dog treats when saw consistent improvement on a strict kibble-only diet.

The thing is, your puppy is 4 months... and I was advised by my vet and breeder that keeping a dog on the same food for at least the first 6 months can help prevent food allergies. I'm not sure what research this was based on, as I trust both of them fully so didn't even question (and it was no problem for me to follow the advice). So that might be worth considering/looking into.