new food = lots of poop!!

[JessicaR]

I thought when you feed super premium food their is supposed to be less waste that comes out?? Dusty was fed exceed chicken and rice by the breeder, I have checked every store in my area and no one carries that brand. So I bought Taste of the wild pacific salmon flavor. I know part of the problem is he was switched to fast to a new food, but I only had a small ziplock bag of exceed to work with. so instead of changing food over the course of a month I had to change in less than a week. I figured he would get a little runny from the fast change but is it normal for him to go so much? he went 3 times within 30 minutes, and not small piles either :eek: I dont know if TOTW is just too rich for his system, and I should switch him to a different food or just stick with what I have now? fyi he goes to the vet Monday so he will be checked for any problems.

[sarap]

I changed my dogs to Natual Choice with glycosomine, they were eating Iams, Bandit and Kate decided to mess with me and when I mixed the food for a gradual change they would only eat the new stuff and spat out the Iams. :rolleyes: I find there poop is more healthy and sometimes they go more often, usually twice a day. Your dog could just be experiencing some digestonal issues becasue of the change. If it's not diarea, I would just be observant and see if his stomach settles down. Good luck.

[Jr_K9_Expert]

There is something in that food she can't digest, which is why you get large amount of feces. This can be attributed to either the food or the pooch. If it's the food, then it is made with ingredients very low on the digestibility level, if it's your pooch then her specific system just doesn't want to process it. Switching food quickly can lead to a disruption of the gastrointestinal natural fauna, doing this usually leads to gas though... I would try something else.

Was it expensive? You know what they say, just because it cost more doesn't make it better. I was feeding Junior a food that was at ok cost and then switched to a bit more expensive food but the results (that I could see) weren't better...

[JessicaR]

the food is a high quality food it is grain free has good quality meat with fruits. its rated at 5 stars on the dog food analyasis site. Dusty doesn't really seem to like it either, he kind of picks at it. he is always trying to eat the other dogs food which is diamond lamb and rice. normally I don't like to switch foods because the dogs don't want to eat it, but I might make an exception in this case since it doesn't seem to agree with him. I am wondering if its because it is a fish based food. the meat in it is salmon, ocean whitefish meal, salmon meal, and smoked salmon.

[Jr_K9_Expert]

the food is a high quality food it is grain free has good quality meat with fruits. its rated at 5 stars on the dog food analyasis site. Dusty doesn't really seem to like it either, he kind of picks at it. he is always trying to eat the other dogs food which is diamond lamb and rice. normally I don't like to switch foods because the dogs don't want to eat it, but I might make an exception in this case since it doesn't seem to agree with him. I am wondering if its because it is a fish based food. the meat in it is salmon, ocean whitefish meal, salmon meal, and smoked salmon.

It could be that. But who knows, maybe it's just the novelty of it or perhaps changing the diet might be the best idea, I'm not sure just throwing out ideas.

[Gypsy_Thatsme]

Well to be honest with you it prob. isnt the food it is the dogs bad reaction to it. You cannot put a food down without proof it is happening to other dogs. If it didn't help other dogs it would be pulled off the market.

[Labman]

The amount of stools produced should vary inversely with the calorie content of the food. Most of the premium foods hype their higher calorie content. High usable calories should make for smaller stools.

It is quite common for new puppies even from the very best breeders to have parasites leading to soft stools. I would have the vet do a fecal check and clear up any parasites before evaluating any chow.

Most dogs will thrive on most chows, but no chow is right for all dogs. I have seen plenty of reports of people changing to premium chows, having trouble, and going back to a common chow.

There is absolutely no proof the premium chows such as Taste of the Wild are better for dogs than the common brands. I am very familiar with service dog schools. Nobody has more resources to determine what is best for dogs, the motive to do it, and the incentive to share their results with those caring for their dogs. They all feed common brands with Iams being the most common and others selecting Pro Plan, science diet, etc.

[JessicaR]

he has been tested for parasites and was negative 2 weeks ago. he will be going to the vets on Monday I will have him checked again just in case.

I have always used diamond lamb and rice with my other dogs with no problems, nice coat, and stools. I just thought I would try a supposedly better food for Dusty to see what the results were. So I think i will be switching him to a different puppy food slowly and donating whats left to the humane society.

thanks for all your input.

[Carol]

I would give it at least another week before you change anything. It takes time for their body to adjust.
If you do change, do it before you run out.
Change slowly.
You could try a little cooked chicken with some rice
to firm up the bowels.
That worked for Tia.
I feed Tia and Casey dry food in the morning
but they get cooked meat and rice at night for supper.
I put some baby carrots in with it too and just boil it.
Very easy to make.
They also get a boiled egg every other day or so.
I chop it and throw it on top of their food.
It is one of their favorite things.
Tia had very loose stool before I started feeding her the way I have always fed Casey.

[Brutus]

Taste Of The Wild is a GREAT food! Brutus did not agree with it though! He had an upset stomach from it, so I switched over to Before Grain by Merrick. They have 3 different flavors as well. Chicken, Salmon, Buffalo. Salmon seems to be his favorite. Buffalo is to rich for his system. That was the problem with the TOTW formulas. He is allergic to grains, that is why he is on grain free to begin with. My Toy Poodle Lilly enjoys the canned BG as well! Good Luck with finding a good food!