Puppy Eating 2x/Day but Pooping 3-4x/Day

ckiggins · 10-07-2009, 08:18 AM

Is this a sign of low quality food (we are feeding Iams Puppy with Probiotics)? Our girl eats around 6am (poops soon after and then again about 1/2 hour later) and around 5pm (usually two poops in the evening too, after eating - about an hour apart).

The stools are solid and well formed - I just assumed that 2 meals would equal two poops!

MiaBella Farm · 10-07-2009, 09:09 AM

First, how old is the puppy?

If under 6 months, the puppy should be eating 3x a day. Check the ingredients in your puppy food...if corn or any corn product is within the first 3 listed, you should switch the food.

Bikhi Akhbar · 10-07-2009, 10:29 AM

little Bikhi eats 1/2 cup of TOTW twice a day. 9 in the morning and 9 at night and she poos at least 4 times a day. she's 15 lbs, 9 months.

ckiggins · 10-07-2009, 10:37 AM

She is 10 weeks old today. The person we got her from (not a breeder - she has two beagles and they had a litter) said that they had been feeding them 2x a day at 8 weeks, so we have continued on that schedule since we got her.

She had a bout of loose stools about 10 days ago - we switched her to chicken & rice and have just started her back on full dry kibble within the last day or so, as it is all cleared up!

I have probably been underfeeding her a bit since restarting on dry kibble, as I figured overfeeding could be part of the problem.

The Iams bag says to feed a 5# pup that is 6-11 weeks old 1.25 - 1.5 cups per day. That seems like a lot to me - I just don't want the loose stools to come back! Right now she is on about 3/4-1 cup per day.

Reina · 10-07-2009, 10:49 AM

Don't worry. Unless the poops start getting mushy or loose again, I would not worry. My pup would eat twice a day, and poo 4-5 times - twice in the morning, once at supper and once at night before she went to sleep. As she has gotten older, it has decreased to twice a day.

I would try feeding a higher quality food though; I don't think Iams is very good...

ckiggins · 10-07-2009, 11:49 AM

That is exactly the schedule she is on, I think:

6am: Eat, poo 15 minutes later
7am: Poo again
5pm: Eat, poo 15 minutes later
7-8pm: Poo again

The woman we got her from was feeding them Iams so that's what we stayed with. Once this bag is nearing empty we will likely switch her over gradually to something else. Is Royal Canin a good option? I thought Iams was a good food - it must be all marketing!

Ayanla · 10-07-2009, 12:48 PM

Well, just from a comparison standpoint, my Poodle/Maltese mix that weighs just over 7lbs only eats 1/2 a cup a day of Evo Red Meat. There's a calculator at the top of this subforum in one of the stickies that might help you narrow down how much to feed.

Generally the more nutritionally dense the food, the less they need to eat of it and the more they digest. The more they digest, the less they have to poop out. Of course, your dog's digestive system is always going to play a role. Just like some people poop once a day and some go two or three, dogs will vary in the number of times they go. If there's no diarrhea, and no constipation, I wouldn't stress the number of times.

Oh, and just to throw more confusion into the mix, my vet recommended my pups go to twice daily feeds at 16 weeks. For Odo, that worked and we never had a problem. For Kira, we got yellow bile vomiting from having a stomach that was too empty. We went back to three times a day for her for a few more weeks and gradually phased out the afternoon meal, and have had no problems since.

And yes, before someone says it, I'm aware that Evo is not a recommended food for puppies. I am comfortable with my food decision after weighing various research and options.

Reina · 10-07-2009, 03:11 PM

I don't like Royal Canin that much... Its not the best kind of dog food out there, and quite expensive. I believe they also use a lot of fillers in it, like corn.

I suggest going to this site : http://www.dogfoodproject.com and educating yourself about dog foods. Dog food companies are all for the money, and will make their food look good, just look at the pedigree comercials. Going to this site will help you with your feeding decisions. Also, be aware your pup might not like the healthier foods because the poor quality food is like junk food, and often covered in tasty fat. I'm sure almost every child would choose a meal of junk food over vegi's.

Some better foods: Solid Gold, Innova, Wellness, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, and Orijen.