Help with sloppy dog poo

mel.b

Cooper is now 21 weeks and i've had him since he was 13 weeks. When i got him he was on Purina Pro Plan large puppy dry food and raw, so i continued with this and added rice and vegies (carrot, cauliflower and broccoli). Mixed into this he gets a tiny amount of natural yoghurt and some fish (tuna, mackeral, sardines).

He has pretty much always had sloppy poos i put this down to my inexperience with feeding raw as i had never done it before and initially wasn't always giving him bone with the meals. When i realised this, i made sure each meal had bone (mostly chicken legs) but he was still having runny poos so i thought i still hadn't got it right and decided to switched to wet food. I got hima good quality wet food and still runny poos and that is when i realised it is probably the Purina dry food that is causing the sloppy poo. I hadn't considered this, as it was what he was fed with the breeder.

When i got my order of wet food from zooplus i got a free bag of a different dry food (a bosch one) so i started that yeasterday mixed with his purina. I realise that switching dry foods can cause upset tummies, so i'm wondering if i cut everything out except the wet food and wait until i am getting solid stools and then gradually reintroduce the other foods? How long should it take to see an improvement in his poos?

Never thought i'd be envious seeing other dogs solids poos when we are out for a walk!

It's funny because when i had my first Mal in Australia i didn't really know any better and she was fed pedigree wet a d dry food along with vegies and rice and never had a problem with poos. Now i try and do better and buy better quality food and this happens (although i know each dog is different )

Finally there's going to be a happy local dog shelter as i have another unopened 15kg bag of purina puppy pro that isn't going to be used by me now.

borderlinemeath

Were you mixing the raw and dry meals together? This can lead to upset stomach as the ph acids needed to break down the two food types are different levels. You can feed a dry meal in the morning and a raw meal in the evening and it might not have as much of an ill effect.

The purina pro plan puppy contains maize and gluten, cereal fillers that a lot of dogs can be intolerant to. You could try something cereal free like Barking Heads or Eden, it's trial and error though so maybe contact them directly and see can you get samples rather than getting a big bag and having to donate it.

For raw, the best thing for sensitive tummies is fish, are you near the coast, or a wholesalers that might be able to sell you bulk loads or cheaper bits (bits of fish, heads etc?) Ort are you on a dogsfirst.ie route? The 20kg of sardines is brilliant, I get the salmon block as well for my pair and they love it.

muddypaws

One of the biggest causes of diarrhoea in the northern breeds is overfeeding, they are designed to survive on very little food, so too much - and it wouldn't be considered too much with other breeds - gets chucked out the other end.

Funny though, my first sibe could only eat pedigree when she was a pup without getting the runs.

Knine

Have you mentioned it to your vet? It may be worth treating your puppy for Coccidiosis. This can cause the runs in young puppies but is very easy to treat.

Hooked

It's all a bit trial and error Melb... Hugo was a bit finicky as a pup. We got him while being fed royal canin, kept on that for a bit, tried a swap (gradually mixing one in) and he got itchy and stools runny.

As posters above have said. Was the raw and kibble mixed? In the one meal? That's a no-no.

We switched back to royal canin as a pup and things toughened up. Some on here detest the stuff. Hugo did well on it.

We were seriously over feeding early doors - and had bouts of runny stools. The cup count on RC was nearly double what he needed.

Little and often as a pup! Especially as said above - mals and sibes need alot less than we think!

How much does cooper get? When feeding raw, what and how much was he getting? We slowly introduced chicken first, then red meat, then fish, then a mix over a month. But never raw and kibble together.

mel.b

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yes, i was initially feeding the raw and dry together for 2/3 meals. However he's been off raw for just over a week and the sloopy stools are persisting so while that may have been a factor i don't think it explains everything.

I'm in Clare but not really on the coast so can't access fish easily. I had a friend who gave me a couple of salmon they had caught and gutted but Cooper wouldn't touch it. He had salmon from the supermarket but then i noticed pink chunks in his poo so didn't give it again as i thought he wasn't digesting it properly. I'm not really on e route for dogsfirst either.

With regards to overfeeding, maybe that is it. I know mals eat less and thought i wasn't over feeding him, but maybe i am. The last two weeks before i stopped raw this is what he was having

Am: two handfuls of dry (about a cup)
Lunch: chicken leg, one handful of raw and two heaped tablespoons of rice/vegie mix
Pm: as for lunch

Now just take out the raw and substitute in the wet food of about 150gr x 2 daily.

Initially i did make mistakes with the raw and was mixing the types of meat (chicken breast, pork, beef mince, basically whatever i could get at the supermarket) but i realised that was wrong and for the past couple of weeks before stopping it was just the chicken legs.

I'll also look up about the coccidiosis.

Thanks,
Mel

mel.b

Just looked up Wikipedia about Coccidosis. It says 'symptoms in young dogs include diarrhea with mucous and blood, poor appetite, vomiting and dehydration'

I don't think this is it. His poos are sloopy but it's not diarrhea and there is no mucous or blood. He has a good appetite and drinks plenty and is not dehydratred. He had the occasional vomit but it is just froth that comes up and it is only in the morning, which i read can happen with raw feed dogs when there is too long between their meals(i try to give him his evening meal around 8pm now to stop this)

muddypaws

That sounds like a lot of food. But, as a pup, obviously he has to have a good bit, to help him grow. have you spoken to his breeder about the problem?

Hooked

Waaaayyyyyy too much grub IMO Melb.

I know cooper is a Mal and Hugo is a husky... Here's what Hugo gets... And he's 2 since April.

Morning: cup of nuts. A small kitten sized feeding cup. Like a coffee cup as opposed to a mug.

Afternoon: raw meal. About 200-250 g. We were feeding more (2-3% formula, halved as it was one of 2 meals) and he was piling on the weight.

Hugos dad is a show dog, a lot lighter and he's fed one cup (large - like a mug) a day. That's it! They really take no feeding.

Now Hugo is the top end of a scale for an adult husky. 27.5kg. A fully grown Mal anywhere from 36-42 kg.

If I had cooper, my advice would be 2 meals. The amount you feed in the morning. And the same again in the evening. Watch his weight and increase a touch of its starting to drop. All depends on what he weighs now I guess? Hard to tell if a puppy is over or under.

If you want to get back to raw, feed as a separate meal. Chicken on the bone first, then introduce other meats, cooked rice, certain (dog friendly veg). Only in the evening meal. We make up parcels from supermarket bought meat and veg.

If cooper, like Hugo as a pup, is turning his nose up at kibble on its own... Add a tablespoon of natural yoghurt, salmon oil, rice, or a raw egg. One of these. Not mixed.

There's a lot of different types of food in your list above. And, I think, far too much of it. Just my 2 cents.

What does he weigh?

muddypaws

As Cooper is such a young pup, I would suggest that you definitely stick with the 3 meals. His stomach isn't big enough to cope with larger meals yet, he still needs small, frequent meals.

mel.b

Yes, he's still under 6mths so needs 3 meals a day, another month and will be down to two.

His weight at 17weeks was 20kg. I got the vet to check hom and he thought that he was fine - could feel his ribs no worries. It's hard because literally one day he looks lanky and all legs and then the next fat! I haven't had him weighed again, but will pop i to the vets and get him done. From weight charts i have seen and other people's records Cooper is a few kg lighter at the same age but i know weights and heights can vary significantly.


I'll cut him back and go with the wet food for the next few days and see how he goes.

muddypaws

Thats pups for you, they grow up, then they grow out, then they grow up, then they grow out.

Hooked

mel.b wrote: »

Yes, he's still under 6mths so needs 3 meals a day, another month and will be down to two.

His weight at 17weeks was 20kg. I got the vet to check hom and he thought that he was fine - could feel his ribs no worries. It's hard because literally one day he looks lanky and all legs and then the next fat! I haven't had him weighed again, but will pop i to the vets and get him done. From weight charts i have seen and other people's records Cooper is a few kg lighter at the same age but i know weights and heights can vary significantly.


I'll cut him back and go with the wet food for the next few days and see how he goes.

20kg at 4 months. I'm really not comparing eggs with eggs at all in my last post, sorry! Sure, most adult huskies I meet are that weight.

We were advised to feed three times at that age but due to work, etc... We stayed with 2. You know your dog best.

You must get a recent pic up! I'd say he's growing at a fierce rate! Best of luck anyways - hope things get harder, well easier, you know what I mean!!!

Knine

mel.b wrote: »

Just looked up Wikipedia about Coccidosis. It says 'symptoms in young dogs include diarrhea with mucous and blood, poor appetite, vomiting and dehydration'

I don't think this is it. His poos are sloopy but it's not diarrhea and there is no mucous or blood. He has a good appetite and drinks plenty and is not dehydratred. He had the occasional vomit but it is just froth that comes up and it is only in the morning, which i read can happen with raw feed dogs when there is too long between their meals(i try to give him his evening meal around 8pm now to stop this)

I had a puppy with this before, it was just runny. No other problems. Occasional vomiting can occur too.

mel.b

Here is a pic and video from last night...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151798450338979&set=a.10151474055918979.1073741825.809633978&type=1&theater

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6JKQHdBJQq0

Thanks knine. If i don't see an improvement in the next few days i will take him to the vets and ask about it

aonb

Hooked wrote: »

If you want to get back to raw, feed as a separate meal. Chicken on the bone first, then introduce other meats, cooked rice, certain (dog friendly veg). Only in the evening meal. We make up parcels from supermarket bought meat and veg.

dont mean to distract from this topic, but Hooked, what would you call "dog friendly veg" - not that my lot are fussy about veg...or anything that goes into their bowls!

Hooked

aonb wrote: »

dont mean to distract from this topic, but Hooked, what would you call "dog friendly veg" - not that my lot are fussy about veg...or anything that goes into their bowls!

My lad is the same. He'll eat anything. I really should have said 'dog friendly FRUIT and veg' - sorry!

I tend to avoid (these would be in my fruit salad going to work daily) grapes, orange, (too much) apple, pineapple.

Mushrooms and garlic are a definite no. Tomatoes, onion and in Hugos case - too much broccoli - has bad results.

I usually stick to Brown rice, carrot, a small amount of apple and broccoli, celery and a few herbs when making and freezing Hugos meat, fish and fruit/veg parcels.

I think I basically shy away from any fruit or veg that weren't listed on dogsfirst web page. There are probably more 'no-no' fruits and veg. Not sure if its true of all dogs but Hugo gets the runs bad if certain things make their way into his bowl.

mel.b

Just weighed him at the vets and he's 24kg.

I spoke to the vet briefly about the sloppy poos. He (as you'd expect) turned his nose up at the raw, but also said to feed him jusy dry, rather than wet as it was more consistent (once i find one that Cooper tolerates). He doesn't sell anything so wasn't pushing an agenda. However i'm going to stick to the wet for the moment and see how we get on.

Plopli

We had kind of same problem with our pupy (11 weeks Weimaraner).
Very runny poo, ligh yellow color part of it and at some point, we could even see a bit of blood in it

What we did:
- No food for ~18h (he usually get 3 meal a day, 6:20am/noonish/7pm so we just had him miss an evening meal).
- feed him with rice and chicken (boiled) till he gets correct poo (took only ~2 days)
- re-introduce the other food (dry food for us), increasing by 10gr every day.

He's now back on only dry food and he's doing very well.
I think he just needed a purge and a rest of his internal piping.

We obviously always made sure that he was drinking correctly and was never close to dehydration.

Worked for us.

mel.b

So we've been getting proper poos now, thankgoodness. I'm going to leave him just on the wet for a few more days then slowly reintroduce other foods.

I've got a sample of barking heads coming but is only 40gr so it will hardly be enough to tell if it suits his tummy. Anyone know where i can get more / larger sample?

toadfly

Petworld sell BH, they are around €13 for 2kg.

dazza161989

Hi

I hav weims myself so know all about it. Firstly weimaraners have one of the most delicate digestive tracts of any breed so stable and consistent meals and times of meals is extremely important.

Secondly they are severely lactose intolerant so make sure you dont give him milk or any dairy based products or it will give the dog gastrointeritus ( diarheoa).......

You should look up " satin balls" recipe online also . They are brilliant for putting condition on the dog

If you need any more info dm me

Darren