# loose stool



## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

Hi everyone,

Ok, I am ready to ask for help here. Chaplin has loose stool. Since we got him from the breeder his stools have been anywhere from very loose to somewhat loose. The first 2 weeks he had actual diarrhea due to the parasites, but we treated it and since then he would get a nice firm stool and then loose stool or starting firm and ending with loose. When we got him he was eating Fromm Gold Adult and I got a large bag of it to keep feeding him the same thing. The loose stools were bothering me, so I got some enzymes and supplements, but they didn't seem to make much difference, so I discontinued in order to keep things simple when we try to switch him to a new food. 
I got a bag of Orijen Large Puppy and started switching slowly while adding canned pumpkin and plain yogurt. We went really slow (over a few weeks) and he was still getting a bit of Fromm with the Orijen up until yesterday morning. The stools are still not quiet solid, maybe even worse or maybe the same - hard to tell for sure. This is with the pumpkin and yogurt. Yesterday I thought, maybe I need to stop Fromm completely and see how he would do on just Orijen just to make sure. So, last night he had all Orijen and no Fromm. Today I picked up only loose piles and they were really loose and I think he went more often too. 
So, I wonder if both foods are not good for him and possibly Orijen is the worse of the two? I doubt I made a change too fast yesterday, he was getting maybe 25% Fromm at the time, so he should have been used to Orijen. What should I try next? I am not willing to go to real low quality food with fillers, I know some people suggest it, I'd rather pick up loose stools, so out of the quality foods what would be my best bet?
We tried Honest Kitchen, but he didn't like the consistency. He actually prefers his food dry, without even water in it. I looked at commercial raw frozen, but that would require either a separate freezer or frequent trips to the store not to mention the price. He does get 2 raw chicken wings a few times a week, so that's the raw component and I'd like to keep it simple for the rest of it.
Any advice? Please help. I have never had this problem with my previous dogs. Oh, and after treating the parasites his stool sample was free of them, so we did make sure. Also, I was adding a probiotic to his food (Florastore) for a few weeks after he got off of antibiotic, so he should have the good bugs in abundance.

Another thing, when switching foods, how long do I wait to tell if it works or not? I wonder if I wasted to much time trying Orijen.
We have a coupon for a free bag of EVO, so I am tempted to try it next, but maybe it's not a good idea? EVO seems to be similar to Orijen...

Thank you!


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I know you have tried different brands, have you tried only one kind of protein at a time to see if that may be a problem? Many dogs are intolerant of chicken. Other's beef etc. It takes awhile to see a difference. I would go to a limited ingredient diet with ONE protein and no grain. I would also take a stool sample in to recheck for parasites. Especially if the problem was giardia, they are tough little buggers to get rid of. I also might try to lower the protein a little. Some dogs can't handle high protein.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm agreeing with Mischief about lower protein. Some dogs just can't handle it. Limited ingredients and grainless would be what I would try too!


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

N2Mischief said:


> I know you have tried different brands, have you tried only one kind of protein at a time to see if that may be a problem? Many dogs are intolerant of chicken. Other's beef etc. It takes awhile to see a difference. I would go to a limited ingredient diet with ONE protein and no grain. I would also take a stool sample in to recheck for parasites. Especially if the problem was giardia, they are tough little buggers to get rid of. I also might try to lower the protein a little. Some dogs can't handle high protein.


Thanks N2Mischief. We are going to get the Rabis shot tomorrow, so I will take a stool sample with me. Do you know any commercial dog food with one protein source and no grain? I only know of a few no grain ones and I think they all have many sources of protein, such as Orijen - it has chicken, turkey, egg and a few different types of fish. Fromm had duck, chicken, lamb, salmon, egg. So both of them do have chicken in common. I looked at EVO red meet, it has none of the proteins in Fromm and Orijen except salmon and also no white potatoes, so maybe it is something to try after all.


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

nataly said:


> Thanks N2Mischief. We are going to get the Rabis shot tomorrow, so I will take a stool sample with me. Do you know any commercial dog food with one protein source and no grain? I only know of a few no grain ones and I think they all have many sources of protein, such as Orijen - it has chicken, turkey, egg and a few different types of fish. Fromm had duck, chicken, lamb, salmon, egg. So both of them do have chicken in common. I looked at EVO red meet, it has none of the proteins in Fromm and Orijen except salmon and also no white potatoes, so maybe it is something to try after all.


Also Fromm is only 24% protein, so not too high for a grain free kibble... Does it mean I can exclude high protein as a source of the problem? I would appreciate brand names and products suggestions. 
One other thing I noticed is Chaplin seems to have a lot more energy lately - it's really hard to wear him out and he gets crazy a lot more often. It might be just a phase, or maybe the higher protein content... EVO is closer in protein to Orijen than to Fromm though... What are some other low protein grainless kibbles?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Nature's Variety has LID foods
also Wellness (Simple) does too & also Zignature has lid foods


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Orijen is a very rich kibble and if overfed, it definitely causes digestive issues. I've never had a dog that did well on it, even when fed the right amount.

You might want to try its related cousin, Acana. It has more moderate protein levels, and comes in limited ingredient varieties. See the link: 
http://www.acana.com/products/singles/

I've also had luck with Grainfree Yukon River Salmon 
& Sweet Potato: GF Yukon River Salmon Victor Super Premium Dog Food. 

Another kibble that comes in limited ingredient formulas is Nature's Variety Instinct: Instinct Limited Ingredient Food for Dogs and Cats | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats.


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## Poodlerunner (Jul 4, 2014)

My daughter's spoo had similar issues that started with a change in food. We did not care for the food that he came with and she put him on Blue Buffalo LBP and he was ok, but then she ran out and couldn't find that formula and got him a different BB formula... (don't remember which one). He got such terrible diarrhea and from there we could never get him right. He as put on Flagyl and a prescription diet. We then weaned him onto chicken and rice and then we didn't know what to feed him. My dog was eating Stella and Cheweys but my daughter was very wary of raw because she has small children. I suggested to try it to see if he could get right and take it from there. It did work. That was 3 months ago and that's the only thing she wants to feed him although he does get the Orijen LBP as snacks. So, I am going to suggest to you that you try the S&C at least to see how he does on it. If he does ok, you could get some samples size kibbles to see what he can tolerate. Bodhi gets the Orijen puppy food to supplement the S&C'. I know you said Chaplin didn't do well on so I don't have a suggestion for another kibble from experience but I have heard that some dogs do better on Acana than Orijen. Good luck. I remember going through it and it was worrisome. He'll be ok!

pr


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

Thanks everyone - lots of good suggestions here. We went to get a rabies shot today and the vet said this problem may also resolve itself by the age of 6 months as Chaplin's digestive system matures.


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

Hi Nataly, Pericles had loose stools for much of his 3rd and 4th months...I switched him from the Kirkland Puppy the breeder fed, to Blue Wilderness. Big problem, very loose stools. Then Orijen, which was a mistake; far too rich. Several stool samples later, and a course of Flagyl, he started Hills I/D (dry mixed with canned). He's been on that more than a month and his stools are perfect. I have just this past week started adding, very gingerly, some Wellness Simple and so far no problems (he's at about 65% I/D and 35 Wellness right now). I chose the Wellness because that's what my other dog eats, and it's readily available, and has a high quality score on dogfoodadvisor.

It could be that his digestive tract is maturing, but I think some sort of inflammation got set up with the richer dog foods...

Good luck!


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Welcome to sensitive belly poodle land! Jack does not tolerate much over 24% protein, and is currently doing extremely well on a 22/11 food (Natural Balance potato/duck dry and cans and treats). Higher protein and fat cause him terrible distress. 

I listened to the internet hype about Orijen and Fromm, etc being the best, high protein, LOTS of meat blah blah. Eventually he got a pretty wicked case of colitis (about 3 weeks ago) pooping black tar and blood. 

So, long story short, after 10 days of metronidazole and diet change, he is much, much better. I'm not going to mess with it. He doesn't even get any more "toppers" of my fresh homemade stuff, either, because it tears him up completely. 

Get away from the high protein and fat, keep it simple. Good luck!


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Wilson went through a similar situation and I transitioned him off the Fromm. I don't like multi protein sourced or grained dog foods. It just makes it too difficult to identify what is causing the problem. He was wormed an additional time for whipworms. Since he still thinks tortoise poo is a delicacy I have his stools checked regularly. The solution for Wilson has been Honest Kitchen. He, too, would prefer the crunchiness of dry kibble, but I crate him and he stays crated until his HK is gone. Usually he polishes his bowl in about ten minutes. He is almost five months old and just in the last week, I can give him Orijen in a slow release toy (about half a cup) with no ill effects. He also gets recreational raw bones to chew on and raw chicken legs/wings. Those actually firm his stools up. It is frustrating as I thought I would be able to transition him to a kibble, but I am sticking to the Honest Kitchen as his main food. Oh, I've only used the HK Embark and Zeal because my daughter used the Force and Nike (Wilson's littermate) had loose stools on that. Some dogs prefer a thicker consistency to their HK... my older poodle likes his HK to be like a watery soup. If you have any left over, it would be worth experimenting with the consistency. Good luck.


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