Another puppy question please...

1719 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Aimee, Mar 31, 2009

Crush's_Mom

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2009

Hi again. I hope you guys can help me out. When I picked up Crush from the breeder's, they gave me a small bag of Purina puppy chow, which they said he had been eating. So I chose the same food at the store for him at home. BUT- I chose the wrong type of Purina puppy chow- apparently there are more than one variety. The giant bag I bought (lol) contains brightly dyed red, green, and some dark brown pieces I suspect are dyed too.
I got him on Tuesday and for the first couple of days his pooped looked good and solid. Starting on Friday or Saturday though it started to look runny and was also very colorful.
So Sunday morning I went back to the store and bought the "right" Purina puppy chow and have been feeding that since. He had diarrhea early in the morning and then threw up a tiny bit of white foam. He hasn't pooped since about 4 AM. He is acting fine, happy, eating and drinking as usual. He has a visit with the vet tomorrow, it's just with the talk of possible blockage in my other thread, I have been worrying. If he was blocked would I know it right away? Could these digestive issues be from switching foods so suddenly. Oh yeah- I also gave him some Milk Bones for Puppies...probably shouldn't have huh? Advice and Opinions?

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BigBrownDog

· #2 · Mar 30, 2009

Switching food cold turkey can be rough on some dogs, particularly puppies.

Are you on Proplan LBP or regular Purina?

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Crush's_Mom

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 30, 2009

BigBrownDog said:
Switching food cold turkey can be rough on some dogs, particularly puppies.

Are you on Proplan LBP or regular Purina?

Right now just regular Purina Puppy Chow...not by my choice, that is what the breeder had him on. I would prefer to get something of better quality at the feed store down the street vs. the grocery store. I thought that I would give him a few more weeks on what he is used to though...and that ended up backfiring! What does everyone recommend? While I have your attention, I feel like he should be hungrier! I remember hearing that puppies would stuff themselves if food was left down for them. Crush has been eating, but doesn't have a ferocious appetite...is that normal?

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BigBrownDog

· #4 · Mar 30, 2009

Crush's_Mom said:
Right now just regular Purina Puppy Chow...not by my choice, that is what the breeder had him on. I would prefer to get something of better quality at the feed store down the street vs. the grocery store. I thought that I would give him a few more weeks on what he is used to though...and that ended up backfiring! What does everyone recommend? While I have your attention, I feel like he should be hungrier! I remember hearing that puppies would stuff themselves if food was left down for them. Crush has been eating, but doesn't have a ferocious appetite...is that normal?

Normal goes by the dog. I have had ravenous dogs and picky ones. I would not read too much into it. If he finishes his meal you are OK. It is actually preferable to have your puppy not gobble down their food. Slower is safer.

On the food - I would get him on Pro-Plan large breed puppy as soon as possible. Regular dog chow is just pretty crappy food IMO. My puppy is growing nicely on ProPlan and quite a few breeders on here use it. You want him to have good nutrition while he is in this crucial developing stage and there are better choices that grocery store Purina.

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amazongold

· #5 · Mar 31, 2009

Stick with what the breeder was using for now. If the puppy is doing well on it, don't change. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

As long as he eats well, has nice, firm poops, plays like a puppy, and looks good - he is doing fine on that food.

Everyone here feeds a different thing, it's all in what works for your dog. Some dogs do very well on Purina, others don't. Some dogs do great on expensive food, others don't.

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dweck

· #6 · Mar 31, 2009

Regular dog chow is just pretty crappy food IMO.

Ouch. Thanks for the stick in the eye.

Wesley came home from his breeder on Purina Puppy Chow, too.

And every single solitary time I tried to wean him off it and onto something I considered "better quality," he got the runs. Wouldn't matter how gradually I did it. He'd squirt.

So he's been a Purina dog ever since. Now on Purina Senior +7. And happy as a clam

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jzgrlduff

· #7 · Mar 31, 2009

Yup, what Dan and Jackie said. If he's doing well on the Dog Chow, I would keep him on it.

I've tried every "good" food out there and none of them worked for my 3. I put them on Purina One and they're all doing great on that.

Oh, as far as the eating goes. They're not all ravenous, like they say. My 8 year old was always a slow, picky eater. Even as a pup. How many cups per day are you feeding?

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BigBrownDog

· #8 · Mar 31, 2009

dweck said:
Ouch. Thanks for the stick in the eye.

You are welcome! So powerful am I that a simple comment on FOOD is a stick in your eye???

Does not change what I think of the food.

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Crush's_Mom

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 31, 2009

jzgrlduff said:
Yup, what Dan and Jackie said. If he's doing well on the Dog Chow, I would keep him on it.

I've tried every "good" food out there and none of them worked for my 3. I put them on Purina One and they're all doing great on that.

Oh, as far as the eating goes. They're not all ravenous, like they say. My 8 year old was always a slow, picky eater. Even as a pup. How many cups per day are you feeding?

I have been feeding him about 1 cup, 3 times a day. I am moistening the food with a bit of warm water because I didn't know if I should do stock-afraid of messing up his tummy.
He did finally poop yesterday! Never thought I could be so excited about dog poop! It was semi-normal looking yesterday, but today he had diarrhea again. He is acting happy and playful, so I think he's alright. Having a new puppy is actually making me more nervous than having a human baby in the house- I know what to expect from a human!
I think I'll try the ProPlan puppy food in a couple weeks, but I'll see what the vet says today. Thanks for all of your input

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dweck

· #10 · Mar 31, 2009

BigBrownDog said:
You are welcome! So powerful am I that a simple comment on FOOD is a stick in your eye???

Simple comment. Or overly harsh judgmentalism. Hmm.

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jzgrlduff

· #11 · Mar 31, 2009

I am moistening the food with a bit of warm water

That's good, a little water will also deter against bloat.

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Aimee

· #12 · Mar 31, 2009

I would put that baby back on what was being fed at the breeder's. You can probably exchange the food you already bought for a different variety - just explain what happened, and most retail places would be happy to swap it out for you.

You can change to a different food later on, but new puppies have enough going on without switching up their food too. When you change over to adult food, then you can think about changing brands.

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