follow up dog question

[sesa70]

Hi everyone :)

Thank you for all your help with my previos dog food questions. I ultimately decided to go with the Taste of the Wild pacific stream/salmon formula. I wasn't sure if he had allergies to just corn/soy/wheat or chicken as well, so I figured I would just cut it all out and when I get his coat looking good again I can try introducing chicken again.

So, I have been doing a somewhat gradual transition. He gets 1.5 cups of dog food twice a day, so I started with half cup of ToTW and 1 cup old food (Nutro max puppy). He was doing fine and I went up to 1c ToTW and half nutro.

Well, now he has really gross runny poop :(

We were gone all day on Tuesday and had him at a doggy day care (which, unfortunately, crated him for a while. I did not know this going in) and he was extremely stressed for most of the day. The diarreah started late Tuesday night. He woke me up around 2 am whining to go outside, and pooped several times (maybe 4-6?) on Tuesday. The frequency has slowed down to maybe 2-3 times a day (normal for him is 1-2) but it is still very runny and gross.

At first I wondered if it was just the stress of being at the doggy day care, but its now Thursday and he still has diarreah. I am starting to wonder if its the food.

What should I do? Keep trying? I am almost out of the old stuff and I hate to buy another bag of it. What could be causing his stomach upset?

Thanks everyone :)

[greenmagick]

To be honest many people dont mix grain free and grain inclusive together as they feel it can cause issues.

Food changes can cause stomach upset....are you feeding the same amount?  Grain free is more nutritionally dense and less is needed...too much can also cause stomach upset.

If it were me, I would probably fast or do a bland diet for a day and then start with plain TOTW and some probiotics...maybe a bit of pumpkin to help firm the poop up as well.

[sesa70]

Originally Posted by greenmagick 

To be honest many people dont mix grain free and grain inclusive together as they feel it can cause issues.

Food changes can cause stomach upset....are you feeding the same amount?  Grain free is more nutritionally dense and less is needed...too much can also cause stomach upset.

If it were me, I would probably fast or do a bland diet for a day and then start with plain TOTW and some probiotics...maybe a bit of pumpkin to help firm the poop up as well.

I am feeding the same amount; the ToTW website says for puppies under 1 to feed 3 cups per day for my dogs weight, which would be the same quantity as the current food.

I may try to fast him for a day and just go straight for the ToTW then. As for pumpkin, is the canned stuff from the grocery good enough?

[greenmagick]

canned is fine...just make sure its pure pumpkin and not pie filling;)  And make it just like a spoonful or less....too much pumpkin causes loose stools (though is great for constipation!)

and keep in mind, the guidelines for amounts to feed are just that, guidelines.  It is more important to watch your pup and go by what they need.  I would be shocked if he really needs the same amount of totw as he did nutro, unless he is hitting a growth spurt or something.  I know danes on the same food and are similar size and some eat 4 cups a day and some 8 or 9!

[stardogs]

Stress can certainly cause tummy upset, even without a food change in the mix.  My old girl used to get stress colitis after boarding, so we always kept certain drugs on hand to remedy the situation, otherwise it was a vet trip after each boarding stay longer than 4.5 days.

[Ola_]

I agree with a fast.  I've found that with my dogs if they have a tummy upset and I keep feeding them, things take a lot longer to settle down in their gut than if they've had a break from food.  It's kind of like a fresh start, it seems, lets their tummy focus on healing instead of trying to process food at the same time.

Make sure he is drinking water though as with runny poop or diarrhea they can get dehydrated.

[sesa70]

Thank you~! The folks in this forum have been a great help to me with our new pup. I really appreciate everyone's time and responses~!

So, for a fast, would you think just 24 hours?

[Ola_]

Yup, I just skip what I would feed in a 24 hr period.  Pumpkin was suggested above and I sometimes do that during the fast - about a teaspoon's worth a couple of times per day, don't give too much or it has the opposite effect. ;)