[hvtopiwala]

we rescued our puppy from a shelter when he was 8 weeks old and we have had him for about 2.5 weeks now and we were feeding him blue buffalo puppy lamb&oatmeal. when we got him he had pretty bad diarrhea and we found worms in his stool. took him to the vet and they said it was roundworms so they treated him for that with panacur. then we found more worms in his stool and it was tape worms so they treated him for that too. he also was tested for giardia, and parvo which were negative. during all this they also but him on Science Diet Gastrointestinal Health for now until his diarrhea clears up. the vet told us to feed him 1/2cup 3 times a day so a total of 1.5cup a day last week. he is still pretty skin&bones when we took him back yesterday for a follow up visit and still has some diarrhea so the vet told us to keep him on the science diet for another week and up his food intake to 1cup 3 times a day so a total of 3cups a day. now my concern is that on the bag of food, 3 cups a day is for a 45 pound dog, and my puppy is only 15 pounds! is my vet overfeeding him? im not concerned hes going to get fat because he is underweight and skin&bones, but i have heard that too much food can cause diarrhea too! what are your takes on this? is he doing the right thing?

 

[Willowy]

Puppies eat more per pound than adult dogs. If he'll eat that much, give it to him. If he won't eat that much, assume he's self-regulating and don't push him to eat more.

 

[hvtopiwala]

yeah he gobbles it down, im sure if i put the entire bag down he would finish it haha...i was just concerned with feeding him so much more than what the bag says.

also, when we start switching him back to normal food, should we stick with the blue buffalo lamb&oatmeal or should we try something else? the vet wants us to go on purina pro plan, but honestly my last dog that was on that had a horrible coat and was shedding like crazy before he went on blue buffalo...and when he was on BB his coat was AMAZING! i know blue buffalo offers new lines now, like Blue Freedom and Blue Basics, should we give one of those a try? or another brand that is comparable to blue buffalo?

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

If you are comfortable using the Blue Buffalo line and it works well for you. I suggest sticking with it. You do not want to change up foods to often, as that too can cause extreme stomach issues.

 

[hvtopiwala]

yeah i wnat to stick to blue buffalo but im worried that its going to give him diarrhea as ive read online that a lot of dogs on BB are getting diarrhea. whats another good alternative to BB? ive heard of Wellness and TOTW but how do they stack up to BB? any other brands out there? hes suppsoed to be a large breed dog (hes a shiloh shepherd).

 

[kafkabeetle]

If you are comfortable using the Blue Buffalo line and it works well for you. I suggest sticking with it. You do not want to change up foods to often, as that too can cause extreme stomach issues.

I disagree with the bolded portion, but I do think you should probably stick with the same food for a little while to prevent tummy issues so soon after having been sick from worms. But as far as lifelong feeding unrelated to the current temporary issues, I recommend rotating foods. It can help prevent allergies (if a dog eats the same thing every day for years they can develop intolerance to those ingredients) or sometimes the opposite problem (a dog fed the same thing daily for years can become sick if you have to feed anything else). I also think more variety is always better diet-wise. I switch the protein source every bag and she's eaten numerous brands in her lifetime. Since her body is used to regular dietary changes, I don't even have to transition between foods. Generally I switch cold turkey (though I don't recommend this unless you know your dog can handle it) and she never has any problems with it.

As far as food choices, there are so many good ones! I recommend checking out the 4-5 star rated foods on dogfoodadvisor.com. Decide what you're comfortable feeding that is available in your area and go for it.

yeah i wnat to stick to blue buffalo but im worried that its going to give him diarrhea as ive read online that a lot of dogs on BB are getting diarrhea. whats another good alternative to BB? ive heard of Wellness and TOTW but how do they stack up to BB? any other brands out there? hes suppsoed to be a large breed dog (hes a shiloh shepherd).

IMO ToTW is comparable to Blue Buffalo Wilderness (the grain-free, higher protein formula). These are both similar to Wellness Core. Wellness Super5Mix is probably comparable to what you're feeding now. If your dog doesn't have diarrhea from the food right now, I wouldn't assume he's going to develop it. Any dog can do poorly on any food. It just depends on the dog, just like some people can handle spicy food and other people can't (for example).

 

[hvtopiwala]

yeah hes on the prescription diet GI food right now still for this week, and then we are going to switch him back to his BB...just hoping diarrhea wont happen! is the BB wilderness better for him than the normal blue buffalo? i see that note that as a 5 star versus the normal BB that is 4 stars, is it because its grain free? would you recommend just starting him on the BB wilderness when we switch him back to normal food next week?

 

[kafkabeetle]

yeah hes on the prescription diet GI food right now still for this week, and then we are going to switch him back to his BB...just hoping diarrhea wont happen! is the BB wilderness better for him than the normal blue buffalo? i see that note that as a 5 star versus the normal BB that is 4 stars, is it because its grain free? would you recommend just starting him on the BB wilderness when we switch him back to normal food next week?

Yeah, I think BB Wilderness is better overall. It contains more meat and less carbs. That said some dogs can't handle high protein (I'd be willing to bet *most* can and should, though) so like I said, it always depends on the dog. Personally, yes, I would feed Wilderness over the grain-inclusive lines, not because I care so much about it being grain free (they just replace the grain portion with potato) but because it's higher in protein and fat.

 

[hvtopiwala]

And how does BB wilderness compare to their other lines like BB basics and BB freedom?

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

I disagree with the bolded portion, but I do think you should probably stick with the same food for a little while to prevent tummy issues so soon after having been sick from worms. But as far as lifelong feeding unrelated to the current temporary issues, I recommend rotating foods. It can help prevent allergies (if a dog eats the same thing every day for years they can develop intolerance to those ingredients) or sometimes the opposite problem (a dog fed the same thing daily for years can become sick if you have to feed anything else). I also think more variety is always better diet-wise. I switch the protein source every bag and she's eaten numerous brands in her lifetime. Since her body is used to regular dietary changes, I don't even have to transition between foods. Generally I switch cold turkey (though I don't recommend this unless you know your dog can handle it) and she never has any problems with it.

As far as food choices, there are so many good ones! I recommend checking out the 4-5 star rated foods on dogfoodadvisor.com. Decide what you're comfortable feeding that is available in your area and go for it.



IMO ToTW is comparable to Blue Buffalo Wilderness (the grain-free, higher protein formula). These are both similar to Wellness Core. Wellness Super5Mix is probably comparable to what you're feeding now. If your dog doesn't have diarrhea from the food right now, I wouldn't assume he's going to develop it. Any dog can do poorly on any food. It just depends on the dog, just like some people can handle spicy food and other people can't (for example).

This is what I meant....... and I agree my dogs seem to do best when i switch up flavors.. Right now I am going between all four flavors of the Earthborn Holistics Grain free variety.. and just added in California Naturals Kangaroo and Lentil.

 

[hvtopiwala]

So would u recommend BB wilderness, BB basics or BB freedom?

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

I am not sure exactly what the difference between the Freedom line and Wilderness line is, but Basics is a limited ingredients line formulated for dogs with food sensitivities... So given that, I too would probably go with Wilderness first, then Freedom, then Basics if neither of the others works.

 

[hvtopiwala]

Ok well once his stool is back to normal I'm going to try switching him to wilderness and if his lose stool returns ill switch him to basics. What wilderness would you recommend? He's supposed to be a extra large dog.

 

[hvtopiwala]

The difference I've found between wilderness and freedom is that wilderness has higher protein so is that a good thing?

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

I have always been told when it comes to large and giant breeds it is better to start with lower protein and work your way up to the higher protein . As the higher proteins can be to rich for some pups' systems to handle. Although, it is not so much the protein levels that you need to worry (when the majority of it comes from meat) about as it is the overall balance between the protein, calcium/phosphate and fat levels.

 

[hvtopiwala]

How do you feel about castor and Pollux organic food? Its 5 sstar on dogfoodadvisor.com compared to blue buffalos grain free which is 4 star.

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

Typically speaking, five stars is always better than 4, however, I do not have personal experience with this brand nor do I know anyone that uses it, therefore I can not say... hopefully, one of the otjer members will chime in...

However, when comparing the two brands fish formulas I do like the fact that Castor&Pollux's formula has 4-5 fish and fish meals as the first ingredients as oppose to Wilderness' two.

 

[hvtopiwala]

yeah im either gonna go with Blue Buffalo Freedom or Castor and Polox Organix...so if any1 can chime in that would be great! once he grows up a bit ill switch him to BB wilderness for that extra protein unless u recommend starting him on wilderness now (he is pretty underweight so maybe he could use it? hes not extremely active yet though)

 

[RedGermanPinscher]

You want to keep him lean. You should be able to easily feel the definition of his ribs without the hips and spine proturding.. My suggestion is to start with a 1/4-1/2 a cup of food 3x daily and then as his appetite/ activity level increases add another 1/4 of a cup or so per days feeding.
Once he is at a healthy weight, adjust levels depending on overall body condition, starts looking to thin up his food intake, a little to pudgy decrease intake. 1/4 of a cup at a time. Do not be surprised if at some point he is up to 6-8 cups a day or down to as little as 3 cups. As long as his overall health and temperment remain stable this is perfectly normal.

 

[hvtopiwala]

but with which food? start with BB wilderness, BB freedom or CP organix?