I was under the impression that

Bellasmom · 10-17-2008, 07:35 AM

the higher the quality of food you fed your dog the less they pooped. Well sence I have been feeding Bella and Bug TOTW it seems like they poop all day long! It makes it nuts for potty training Bug. We get there most of the time but there are more accidents than when I had them on Chicken Soup. The bm's were much more predictable then. Is it due to TOTW being grain free? They arn't having loose stools just alot of them and alot of bulk. Sorry if there is to much gross info here. LOL

ioreks_mom · 10-17-2008, 08:09 AM

i heard that too much protein is not good for puppies. i had iorek on evo for a while and it was a bad scene!! he pooped less, but it was very loose! then i find out that too much protein is not good for growing joints. but that could be only for larger dogs? i don't know. i could even be wrong about that! we also tried orijen before we tried evo and had the same problem...well, we always have the same problem... (i mentioned the evo and orijen because they are both grain-free which means way higher protein, i don't know what TOTW is, sorry)

he is eating eagle pack holistic select duck and oatmeal now and is having normal poops (for now...), but about 3-4 a day. he is 8 1/2 months. i think that puppies poop more anyway...

sorry if this was not helpful at all!

Bellasmom · 10-17-2008, 08:33 AM

TOTW is Taste Of The Wild. Sorry. They are on All Life Stages brand. I'm just really getting frustrated. Bug has already had 3 bm's this morning and she has been up 2 hours. Shes my littlest. She just turned 3 months. Bella is 5 1/2 months and she has had 1 this morning so far.

oops just went outside. Bug had diahrea.

Equestiana · 10-17-2008, 09:12 AM

It doesnt sound like they've been on the food long, did you do a gradual switch?

Some dogs just dont do well on certain foods but you have to try the food for at least a couple months before really knowing. You've got to let them get used to it. My dogs get the runs anytime I switch food, it usually clears up within 2 months. Depends on the dog

ioreks_mom · 10-17-2008, 09:37 AM

thank you, i don't think that i can get that food around here so i guess that is why i didn't know what it was.

i have had that opposite problem, iorek does really well on food right away but then ends up getting loose stools after about 1-1 1/2 months. we switched to canidae after the evo and his poops were formed and good for at least a month after. it was all the new formula so i can't blame it on that. we are now feeding duck and oatmeal to avoid barley (a possible cause of concern) and it has been great right from the start and we are hoping that it stays good. i can't let iorek have loose stools for a month or 2. he stops eating the food and he also has to have a bath for his back end (he is a samoyed so there is A LOT of fur there!) at least 2 times a day when it gets bad...i can't let him suffer like that to see if the food will work out...

my next step is raw...only if the duck and oatmeal doesn't work out...

Bellasmom, i hope that your puppies' tummies settle soon. i know what it is like!

RonE · 10-17-2008, 11:52 AM

Higher quality foods usually means less quantity for each meal, in order to meet the nutritional and caloric requirements of the dog. Are you feeding less than you did?

Usually this mean less output from the other end.

GasGuzz · 10-17-2008, 12:18 PM

I feed Uber on TOTW Venison because of the meat content, but he cannot be on it 100% - it’s too rich (the same result from Evo). He’s fine and doing well now, with 4 parts Natural Balance Ultra Premium : 1 part TOTW.

Bellasmom · 10-17-2008, 01:09 PM

I'm feeding within the guidelines for their weight and age limits. Maybe it is just to rich for them.

RawFedDogs · 10-17-2008, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellasmom

I'm feeding within the guidelines for their weight and age limits. Maybe it is just to rich for them.

"Too rich" means "too much nutrition". If the food you are feeding is "too rich", you must feed a good deal less of it. Don't pay attention to the guidlines on the bag. They almost always recommend feeding too much. It means higher sales if you feed your dogs more.

Switch him slowly from his old food over 4 or 5 weeks and understand that you will need considerably less of the "rich" food.

GasGuzz · 10-17-2008, 01:55 PM

The bag feeding instruction are certainly overkill, so you’ll use/buy more (pet food is a business). Just watch the dog’s eating habits, you’ll find out his intake soon enough. I haven’t compared the bag, but I’ll bet it’s a good +40% portions. Even on wt/age, every dog is different.

Sunshyne · 10-17-2008, 05:18 PM

Chloe started on Solid Gold and pooped a ton! I switched to Merrick (gradually over two weeks) and she had the runs, then loose then not firm but better bowel movements, and pooped a lot! Next was EVO and she's done GREAT on it. Way less poop, firm and no issues.

She does also get Nature's Variety chicken medallions in the am, kibble is her pm meal. I know you are not supposed to do it that way, but it works for her. She poops 2 or 3 times a day, depends on the day!

c-parrish · 10-18-2008, 11:21 PM

Another thought is that when a dog's digestive tract is upset, it doesn't process the food as efficiently as it should. When my dog has diarrhea or an upset stomach for whatever reason, she has twice as much stool produced as on a normal day. What I'll often find is that her system got a little overloaded with food that just got shoved out the door without being processed. If I follow a bout of diarrhea with a smaller than normal meal, her system seems to stabilize and return to normal.

So, from my experience, I would recommend decreasing their intake until their BMs seem to firm up, maintain that level for a little while and monitor weight/condition. Increase intake slowly as necessary to maintain a healthy weight. Just remember that when BMs are firm and less frequent, the food is being utilized efficiently. Pushing through too much food can counter that efficiency.

Bellasmom · 10-19-2008, 08:15 AM

Thanks C-parrish. What you said makes sence. I actually stopped all solid food for 24 hours and have given only a little bit back at a time per meal. They are getting much less than normal and I have gone back to Chicken Soup. Bug had a solid stool last night and this morning.

They had been on Taste Of The Wild for almost 2 weeks and they were having solid stools but ALL the time until the last 2 days when the loose stools started. They just never had regular bm's on it. I don't know if I will go back to it.

Thanks to everyone for all your help. I really appreciate it. If I am missing anything or you have any other tid bits to offer please do so. I am all ears.

poodleholic · 10-20-2008, 04:56 AM

My dogs are on EVO. They eat twice a day and they poop twice a day. Poops are firm and formed, and if left on the ground, soon disintegrate into dust.

AkiraleShiba · 10-20-2008, 05:43 AM

For us it took some time for Akira to get used to his new Orijen kibble, it took about 2 months to get totally normal. Now his poops are firm and small, and he only poops twice a day !