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Puppy food question relating to soft stool

16K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  ThatsMyGirl 
#1 ·
Hi - nice to meet you all. I've been reading a lot on here since I got our new puppy. He's 5 months old now and for about the last month we've been having soft stool/diarrhea issues. We've had him for 2.5 months and we're feeding him the same food the lady who had him did - never a problem until lately.

The first time we took him to the vet and they said he had a bacterial imbalance in his intestines and gave him pills to clear it up. The pills seemed to work - for about a week.

He started getting soft stools/diarrhea again last week, so we took him in again. This time they found nothing wrong with his stool and they said it's probably just a dietary problem so we're on science diet i/d (i think for intestinal disorders) for 10 days along with the same pills he took last time. His stool has been fine on the pills and the new food.

Now she recommended adding his normal food slowly to the science diet food. I've never seen anything mentioned about our food - Nutro natural choice large breed puppy....anyone know anything about it? I'm considering switching to Eukanuba and seeing if that helps, or something. I guess I'm just frustrated that we can't clear this up and I keep running to the vet for what seems like nothing. Any suggestions?
 
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#3 ·
We did, but after the first bout of this we took him off all treats and only gave him his food and some canned pumpkin per the vet. We added back in peanut butter, but we haven't been giving him much of that either so it doesn't seem to be the culprit.

Ugh, I just feel bad for the little guy!

Another thing I'm wondering about this nutro natural choice lb puppy is that the serving size for him is 6 cups a day....I've noticed most of you only give around 3 cups a day. I know that foods differ in calories, but do you think just the pure bulk of it could have been bothering him?
 
#4 ·
Well do as yur vet advises and try to slowly shift to the regular diet. I would imagine that the dog was de wormed after those pills were given to him and would monitor the dog closely during the process of transition to regular food. I would also recomend some Oral Rehydration maybe in the form of gatorade or ORS,ORS works best however u might add some sweetning to it to make it more palatable. I would also try out some yogurt in his diet to get the lysogenic bacteria back into the system.Also try the nutro chicken with oatmeal for dogs with sensitive stomachs .
 
#5 ·
Oh!! That's another thing... over-feeding can cause loose stools. (And labs will allways act like they are starving so don't let that be an indication as to whether or not you are feeding your puppy enough or too much)

Remember that the directions on the bag are usually slightly more than you need to give your dog (cause they are trying to make money after all)... also not all dogs are the same... even labs have different "types" (field vs. show) so may need more or less accordingly. I'd probably try to cut back on the food first.
 
#6 ·
Maybe over-feeding is part of it. I was going to the upper end of the feeding guidelines because he's pretty active (I know, aren't they all, but someone is home 24 hours a day at my house and he gets lots of attention/walks etc). So I might just try cutting back on the amount of food.

I might call the vet about yogurt or anything else before I do that since we are following recommendations right now.

Thanks tons you guys, it's so nice to know that Daly isn't the only one with these problems and it's great to have a place to come to with questions
 
#7 ·
Post pictures of your little darling when you can... we LOVE pictures.

Oh... one other thing I forgot... Bob Pr. mentions this book a lot and I got it, and WOW... totally set my mind at ease on some things and is a VERY good resource... here is the info:

Giffin & Carlson, "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook," 3rd edition, 2000, 570+ pp, $30 list, $25 Amazon (US$). It has a useful 44 page chapter on emergencies and first aid. This book saves worry, money from vet bills, and your dog's health; it repays its price many times over. Every dog should come with one; every dog owner should refer to it whenever needed.
 
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#8 ·
Ender's Mom said:
Post pictures of your little darling when you can... we LOVE pictures.

Oh... one other thing I forgot... Bob Pr. mentions this book a lot and I got it, and WOW... totally set my mind at ease on some things and is a VERY good resource... here is the info:

Giffin & Carlson, "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook," 3rd edition, 2000, 570+ pp, $30 list, $25 Amazon (US$). It has a useful 44 page chapter on emergencies and first aid. This book saves worry, money from vet bills, and your dog's health; it repays its price many times over. Every dog should come with one; every dog owner should refer to it whenever needed.
Lindsay (and BobPr) -- I just ordered 2 copies -- one for me and one for my mom. Mine hasn't come yet, but I'm glad to get another positive review!
 
#9 ·
6 cups seems like an awful lot of food for a 5 month old. i would think if you have to feed that much, your pup isn't getting a whole lot of out it and its more than likely causing the stool problem.

its no secret that i am not a fan of nutro or its products.
 
#10 ·
Labby-

After reading this board I thought so too, but my vet said it was a high-quality food. I'm a new dog owner, I've only ever had cats so I don't have a lot to go on other than my cats do very well on science diet.

Do you have a recommendation?
 
#11 ·
my puppies go home on eukanuba lb puppy. i also like proplan lb puppy. the majority of lab breeders i know use one of these two foods most often.

i used to feed and recommend nutro years and years ago. unfortunately they lost my trust and i just can't do it anymore.
 
#13 ·
I have had the same problem loose stools since my pup was 3 months old, she is now 8 months old today. her anal glands have blocked up about 5 times, poor luv. due to the loose stools, the vet has just told me to increase the fibre in her diet and gave me a box of fibre to spinkle on her food once a day, it seems to be doing the trick, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Good luck

SASKAS MOM
 
#16 ·
Nick said:
This may not be the cause, but sometimes antibiotics can really wreck a young pup's gut, and probiotics (usually vet's have something like Probiocin or it can be purchased at some pet stores) can help restore the balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria in the intestines.
My pup is haveing all the same problems below..........probiotics.......you think this could work.....i just dont know what to do!?!?!?!
 
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#17 ·
Chance said:
Nick said:
This may not be the cause, but sometimes antibiotics can really wreck a young pup's gut, and probiotics (usually vet's have something like Probiocin or it can be purchased at some pet stores) can help restore the balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria in the intestines.
My pup is haveing all the same problems below..........probiotics.......you think this could work.....i just dont know what to do!?!?!?!
I use probiotics every day w/ Sami. They have made a huge difference in her case. For what it's worth, I use "human" probiotics -- at least 10 billion active cultures.

But from the avatar it looks like you have a little puppy. Please consult your vet.
 
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