[MountainDogz]

We got out siberian husky pup a little over a week ago. The breeder sent home about 1 lb or so of the food she was feeding which was Eukanuba Large Breed puppy so that I could gradually switch over to the food I was planning to feed which is Wellness Large Breed Puppy. Its not going so well.......I started at about 2/3 of the euk and 1/3 of the well and he seemed to go ok, I did this for about 4 to 5 days I would have liked to do it longer but was running out of the euk. so I took it down to 1/2 euk and 1/2 well and he started to have really loose stool and of course the day after that I was just about out of the euk so I had to feed him mostly wellness which I know didnt help, but I added some boiled hamburger and rice to his food to help his stool get a little more solid. So I guess my question is should I go out and get another bag of eukenuba or just continue wellness or is there a better food that I should feed. I am willing to pay for what ever food is best, but I dont think I can handle raw feeding. I was lookng into a homemade diet...any suggestions?

[nico8]

Personally I'd stick with the Wellness(super5mix?) and at least finish the bag that you have before coming to any conclusions. I wouldn't go out and buy anymore of the Eukanuba either. Your pup's stool is going to be a little off due to the new food and also the change of scenery. My Husk was the same way after I brought her home and started changing up her food, but after about 2 weeks her stomach settled down. Give the whole transition some time and after a few weeks reevaluate, but for now the Wellness looks like a good choice.

[w8ing4rain]

I find that adding a little canned pumpkin to meals when changing foods really helps.

[nico8]

Originally Posted by w8ing4rain

I find that adding a little canned pumpkin to meals when changing foods really helps.

Some very sound advice...I've heard canned pumpkin can really help to settle a dog's stomach.

[Michiyo-Fir]

Just stick to it for a few weeks 3-4. Sometimes that's just how long it takes to transition a dog. If you really have no more Eukanuba that's ok, just feed the Wellness and put up with the loose stool.

If your pup doesn't seem to be tired, no energy, sickly, etc. then feeding Wellness is fine, he's probably just transitioning.

Another thing to note is that a dog needs a lot less of Wellness than Euk. so perhaps you're over feeding. A lot of people make this mistake with high end foods, they overfeed and the dogs end up with very loose stool

[MountainDogz]

ok i will stick with the wellness until its gone and see how he does, ill also try adding some pumpkin in with it to see if that helps. Right now I am feeding 1/2 cup 3 times a day. Is that about right or should i cut back ? He is 9.5 ibs as of Saturday.
Thanks

[Michiyo-Fir]

Hmm I would think you're feeding a bit much but I'm not entirely sure. Maybe just try cutting back a bit? Maybe try 1/3 cup 3 times a day and see if the loose stool gets a bit better?

[brecken]

innova lg breed is puppy is the best food it had no filers or by-products in it. i put lily on it and she loved it plus it is a lot healthier than euk

[Labsnothers]

I would go back to the Eukanuba for a month or 2. Foods with ''better'' ingredients may or may not have better nutrition than the others. Dogs don't know what is in their food and thrive on what many call garbage.

[Michiyo-Fir]

And human babies don't know what's in their food and thrive on mothers that drink and smoke /sarcasm

I agree Innova is a good food but Wellness is on par with Innova so there's really no need to switch to that unless your dog is actually having problems on Wellness. But since she hasn't eaten it for that long, I think you should just stick to it a bit longer.

[MoosMom]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

I would go back to the Eukanuba for a month or 2. Foods with ''better'' ingredients may or may not have better nutrition than the others. Dogs don't know what is in their food and thrive on what many call garbage.

There is no point in going back to the Eukanuba. If you keep going back and forth you will have a bigger problem, the transition had been made. Stick with it. You have picked a good food for your pup. His stool will get better with time. This is very normal. The pumpkin is a great idea. Just make sure it's not the pie filling kind. We look forward to lots of puppy photos!

[bully]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

I would go back to the Eukanuba for a month or 2. Foods with ''better'' ingredients may or may not have better nutrition than the others. Dogs don't know what is in their food and thrive on what many call garbage.

Just disregard the Hill's employee statement mountaindozs..


Your dogs just going through a "detox" period and flushing the by-products and fillers out of it's system.

The Wellness formula is mostly chicken, I might suggest if things do not improve try another meat or fish product. *This is where I always suggest the Acana, Orijen, or Evo lines.*

[Kathyy]

I switched kibbles very slowly and at about 60% new kibble my dogs always went through a period with loose stool. It was so annoying I wouldn't change kibble again for a year. I understand several dog food companies make probiotics especially for switching foods. All that is happening is the gut flora needs to adjust to the new food but the process sure isn't fun.

I wouldn't try to home cook for a puppy if you haven't cooked for a dog before. This kibble thing is already an issue, putting stuff together and worrying about every mineral and vitamin would be too much. Best to enjoy the few short puppy months rather than making up recipes and researching nutrients.

[HORSEandHOUND]

Me personally i'd either buy a small bag of the euk for transition purposes only, or continue cooking the rice mixture to aid in the transition.
For puppies i like to transition to a new food over the course of 4 weeks... sounds to me like your transition was far less than 4 weeks. Their digestive systems are so sensitive, and new that you cant play around with them all willy nilly and get away with it like you could an adult. 3-4 days without proper nutrient absorption on a wee pup can be devastating.

[Labsnothers]

Originally Posted by bully

Just disregard the Hill's employee statement mountaindozs..


Your dogs just going through a "detox" period and flushing the by-products and fillers out of it's system.

The Wellness formula is mostly chicken, I might suggest if things do not improve try another meat or fish product. *This is where I always suggest the Acana, Orijen, or Evo lines.*

One more of your statements with no basis in fact.

[Wlfdg]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

I would go back to the Eukanuba for a month or 2. Foods with ''better'' ingredients may or may not have better nutrition than the others. Dogs don't know what is in their food and thrive on what many call garbage.

Originally Posted by bully

Just disregard the Hill's employee statement mountaindozs..

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

One more of your statements with no basis in fact.

Labsnothers, Are you trying to make yourself feel better that you feed crap to dogs?
Are you a person who eats at McDonald's and feels it's good sound nutrition?

Dogs are CARNIVORES. Corn is terrible to feed to even an herbivore. It makes cows develop an excessive amount of adipose tissue. NEVER A GOOD THING!

What is your deal?

Sorry to the OP.

I would put up with the loose stool. It's just flushing the pipes.

[Labsnothers]

It isn't natural for a dog to have a loose stool. Nor is it tolerable for a dog you have out where you have to clean up the stools all the time. I have fed puppies I was raising for service dog schools Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Iams, Purina 1, science diet, and a couple of obscure brands and never had a loose stool problem.

If you feel good about feeding premium brands, fine. Does it bother you that the majority of dogs do quite well on common brands?

A lot of people see my puppies. I also see many other dogs, pets, working dogs, show dogs, etc. Aside from the thousands of healthy dogs I see in the service dog programs, I seldom know what people are feeding. I can hardly remember anybody bringing up the subject of what a dog is eating in the real world. I don't know whether people are feeding Old Roy or Orijen. I hardly ever see any dogs looking much better or much worse than mine. Hows come I never run into a dog doing poorly on Alpo or great on Blue Buffalo?

[Michiyo-Fir]

But you just said you don't talk about dog food with other owners other than the guide dog schools..so how do you know if their dog is doing good on what food?

I've seen quite a few dogs have hair-loss, itching, allergies, infected ears on foods like Purina, Iams, etc.

How do you know the MAJORITY of all dogs do well on common brands?!?? You've only seen the guide dog school dogs as far as you've said...

Besides, guide dog school feed the common brands because 1. it's cheap, 2. it's convenient. Dogs aren't going to die on it and seem fine right? So of course that's a clear choice on what to feed.

I'll tell you something, almost ALL classical pianists use a brand of piano called Steinway yet most musicians know that Steinway doesn't make nearly as good quality pianos as Bosendorfer. So why does everyone practice and perform on Steinways? Because it's more convenient and cheaper.

Few can afford the Bosendorfer but even the pianists themselves all know Bosendorfer to be a much better piano. But just because all the pianists are using it, does it mean it's the best? Of course not!

Edit: You know now even lots of vets are recommending people stay away from foods like Purina, SD, Iams, etc. And asking owners, especially for dogs with yeasty ears, allergies, stomach troubles, etc. so why are they doing this? Do they have no basis for their argument? They even tell you that the vets recommending Iams/grocery brands aren't as educated in nutrition and if you ask an animal nutritionist they will not recommend grocery brands.

[DobManiac]

Originally Posted by Labsnothers

A lot of people see my puppies. I also see many other dogs, pets, working dogs, show dogs, etc. Aside from the thousands of healthy dogs I see in the service dog programs, I seldom know what people are feeding. I can hardly remember anybody bringing up the subject of what a dog is eating in the real world. I don't know whether people are feeding Old Roy or Orijen. I hardly ever see any dogs looking much better or much worse than mine. Hows come I never run into a dog doing poorly on Alpo or great on Blue Buffalo?

This just makes you sound not very observant. You state that you see many other dogs such as working and show dogs. If you actually knew these people, you would know that they all generally swear by a certain brand. Whether that is Bill Jac, Pro Plan, or EVO. You on the other hand paint all brands with the same brush no matter what it is.

You don't even see a difference with the different levels within grocery store brand names. ProPlan is the same as Purina One, which is the same as Dog Chow. This is just your way out of doing the proper research to find a food that your dog actually excels on.

Not everyone is willing to except a food that is just good enough. Dogs are forced to eat the same food day in and day out for their entire lives.

Doesn't it bother you the possible repercussions down the line for one of your puppies that weren't given the best possible nutrition you could offer?

Doesn't it keep you awake at night wondering what sort of damage your random bag of dog food could be causing in your puppy?

You have admitted yourself that you only have these dogs for a short time. Maybe it doesn’t bother you since you have never had to see a dog die of liver damage, failed kidney’s or cancer. Maybe you haven’t yet had the chance to regret these decisions you see as so minor, but that actually have life changing consequences.

But the real question is why just because good enough is supposable good enough for your puppies does it bother you so much that we see different?

[Labsnothers]

If you read your precious ingredient lists, you will fine them all rather different.

If the show dogs are all eating better foods, why aren't they obviously better looking than my dogs? Perhaps they conform more closely to standards, but as far as energy, coat, eyes, etc., I see little difference.