[hargyle]

Here I go again. I feel lost.

I have Loki on Origen Puppy food. He has been on it for about a month now ( less a few days ) When we switched him, he was a Blue Buffalo Puppy.

We did 2 weeks change over and he was doing fine ... except he smelled REALLY bad. So we started adding yogurt to his food - about 2 tea spoons 2x / day. He got really bad diarrhea - so out goes the yogurt, thinking hes lactose ... which he probably is ...
BUT its been a week now with smaller portions, feeding from a variety of tools so he doesn't gulp down the food/

Poops have gotten a LITTLE more solid, maybe a day or 2 here and there where they are great, but I would say the majority of the time they are more wet than solid.

Is it time to switch again ? Or is he still adjusting because I have switched him so often recently ?

What he has been on :
before we got him - Beniful *shudder*
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy - didn't agree with him at all.
Blue Buffalo Puppy - personal choice to change ..didn't like where they were sourcing their chicken from.
Origen Puppy - off and on loose stool.

Could it be too much protein? Can I add anything else to help him along without switching it up too much... like pumpkin or rice?

I should add, his energy levels are great. hes like a timed train when he poops. hes not losing weight. still eating, and does not seem to be overly hungry all the time.

 

[Gally]

Can you remind me the weight of your dog, age, breed and how much you are currently feeding?

You can try adding some plain pumpkin to try to firm things up but it is just a temporary fix if the food really isn't agreeing with him.

 

[DaViking]

Puppies are hard to evaluate since there is so much going on with their bodies and their brains are working dbl time often. First thing I would look at is the amount of food he is getting. Overfeeding will lead to loose/wet stool guaranteed. Secondly, 12 weeks is the norm for evaluating a formula. No yogurt, no pumpkin, no toppers or other things added to the mix. 8 weeks minimum, 12 weeks preferably on that food alone. If you do decide to try something new I would suggest trying something with a different profile than his previous formulas. Something like a classic type grain inclusive formula from Go, Horizon, NutriSource, First Mate or Fromm or perhaps Back To Basics Pork GF which is a different take on GF formulas. Since you are in Ontario you could also check out Canine Plus or Nutram.

Good luck with whatever you choose and keep us updated

 

[hargyle]

I will look into those... thanks for the time line ..

He is now 5 months old, probably over the 45-50lb mark and he gets less than 2/3 a cup 3x per day,. Over the next week I am eliminating the 3rd feeding. We were giving 2/3 a cup but when the stool was loose and because Origen has so much more we cut it back just a bit. I would say its between 1/4 and 2/3 .

 

[hargyle]

On a side note ... should he be on Large breed puppy food? Alapha Blue Blood bull dog X mastiff ....

that has more protein right? ...which would not help the situation from my understanding.

 

[DaViking]

On a side note ... should he be on Large breed puppy food? Alapha Blue Blood bull dog X mastiff ....

that has more protein right? ...which would not help the situation from my understanding.

I don't think there is any hard science that say more protein leads to soft stools. However, more heat is produced to burn of excess proteins. Most agree that more meat, organs and to some extent fat is appropriate. However many of these newer GF formulas is not exactly uncomplicated and at the end of the day might not be appropriate for many individuals.

I really wish they stopped calling them Grain Free formulas and instead simply focus on protein vs carbohydrate distribution and types of carbohydrates used.

 

[Kathyy]

Back when EVO was the only grain free high powered kibble around I attempted to put Max on it. I fed through 2 large bags and never got his poop where is had been on grainy kibble. It was psychologically impossible for me to feed the tiny amount of food he needed. He was just pooping out the excess food, not turning it into fat or muscle. Later Sassy taught me to feed smaller more frequent meals to keep weight up - she carefully upchucked the excess food and after a day of this I figured out what she was telling me!

Yes you have a large breed pup but large breed pups may not have the same need for calories as a medium sized pup that may burn more calories. Cut back even more. If he gets skinny then change foods but at the moment he isn't taking in all the nourishment in the food so it makes sense to cut back even more. I wouldn't cut back to 2 meals a day just yet either. Get the poop right then maybe he can handle the larger amount of food in fewer meals.

 

[InkedMarie]

Have you thought about something in the Acana line? Same maker as Orijen. Email or call them, they can help with which formula.

 

[roxiefoxie08]

I would stop the yogurt to see how your dog does one of my dogs is intolerant to milk so i can not feed her any yogurt nor cheese.

 

[georgiapeach]

Orijen is a very rich food, and causes stomach upset in a lot of dogs (yes, I know it's a really good food); so is Innova Evo. You may want to try Acana. It's also a very good food, but a little lower in protein. Maybe try some plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) - just a spoonful or two (you can put the extra pumpkin in an old fashioned ice cube tray, freeze it, and empty into a ziplock bag, to use as needed, so it won't go bad). You also may want to change over a little slower - up to a month (I'm currently transitioning my poodle over from TOTW to Acana this way). Additionally, you need to give a new food several weeks to see if it's okay (unless it causes severe stomach upset immediately).

You also may want to add a probiotic to your pup's food while changing over. I used a human grade one (accidolphilous - sp?) with a sensitive stomach boxer I used to have, and it helped. I dipped it in peanut butter, and he gulped it down whole.

 

[roxiefoxie08]

Orijen is a very rich food, and causes stomach upset in a lot of dogs (yes, I know it's a really good food); so is Innova Evo. You may want to try Acana. It's also a very good food, but a little lower in protein. Maybe try some plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) - just a spoonful or two (you can put the extra pumpkin in an old fashioned ice cube tray, freeze it, and empty into a ziplock bag, to use as needed, so it won't go bad). You also may want to change over a little slower - up to a month (I'm currently transitioning my poodle over from TOTW to Acana this way). Additionally, you need to give a new food several weeks to see if it's okay (unless it causes severe stomach upset immediately).


You also may want to add a probiotic to your pup's food while changing over. I used a human grade one (accidolphilous - sp?) with a sensitive stomach boxer I used to have, and it helped. I dipped it in peanut butter, and he gulped it down whole.

georgiapeach i agree try some probiotics like prozyme the dairy free or inclover

 

[hargyle]

I was thinking of going to a Lower protein food ... but I don't want to keep changing him to rapidly. So I'm going to wait out the rest of this bag -- and see how things go.
He no longer gets the yogurt. not after the "squirt" incident,
We had a 2 week period to change him because we ran out of the other food - he was with my mom while we were on vacation and really the bag should have lasted another 2 weeks ... I don't know how much she was feeding him... being Grandma I can just imagine how he was spoiled.
Can I pick up these probitoics just at the drug store? Or do I have to go to s specialty health store ?

Do you know of any other quality foods have offer lower proteins than blue, Origen etc ? I checked out the Nutram and that does not look like an option for me.

 

[roxiefoxie08]

california natural grain free has a lower protein i buy the probiotics online from kv vet supply