Wesley likes Petcurean Now!

[Melissa & Wesley]

So, I am transitioning my Aussiedoodle, Wesley, from Iams to Petcurean Now Small Breed Puppy food.  So far so good!  He is loving the Now food and has not had any problems. The kibble is much smaller than the Iams kibble.  I also love that it is grain free.  Yay!  Fingers crossed that he continues to do well!!! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Glad to hear he likes it, it is so much better than the Iams.

[BG and Gavin]

Great news.  We feed Petcurean Go! Grain Free and have been very happy with it.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Great food - hope this continues!

[Melissa & Wesley]

Thank you!  We are hoping too!

Wesley's stool is a bit mushy at this time, but we are hoping it will get more firm.  I was trying to mix the Iams and NOW, but he picked out the NOW kibble and left the Iams...smart puppy :)

NOW just smells way better than Iams and the kibble is actually smaller.  Here is hoping for success!

[Melissa & Wesley]

Okay, so Wesley has been on NOW for almost a week and his poos are getting more mushy and runny each day. I have been giving him pumpkin as well. I have a vet appointment Thursday. Could it be that the food is not agreeing with him? Could it be giardia? I am bringing a stool sample to his appointment. He loves the kibble and gobbles it up. Thoughts?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It would be quite a coincidence for Wesley to have developed giardia the same week he's undergoing a food change. However, I don't know how old Wesley is or how long you have had him. If you've had him less than a month, it's possible that he does have giardia or some other parasite which is first showing up now, and that's why we always caution people to wait at least 2-4 weeks after a puppy comes home to change his food. I would definitely bring a stool specimen in to the vet.

Also, check to be sure that you are not overfeeding him. There may be a calorie difference between the two foods, so the feeding amount may be different.

[Melissa & Wesley]

Thank you for the quick response Karen!

Wesley is 11 weeks old. The first day we got him, his poo was rock solid (I am assuming from the Iams). We had him on Iams for the two weeks he was home with us and just transitioned him to NOW Small Breed (well, tried to do it slowly but he picked the NOW out of his bowl and did not touch the Iams). Right now he is eating about a 1/2 cup of the NOW. He is a small puppy, 5 lbs. His mom is a miniature Australian shepherd (20lbs) and his dad is a miniature poodle (12 lbs). So he should not get very big, or so we think :)

When I spoke with our vet, she said that a stool sample was definitely important to bring because it could be a parasite showing up now that he is home. Wesley loves to eat EVERYTHING when we are out on our walks, so I am very careful when we are out.

Karen, you know I am freaked out because of all the health issues our sweet Bailey had. I know Wesley is not Bailey, but all the issues Bailey went through was very tough to handle. I think I am being over protective :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't blame you one bit for being hypervigilant about Wesley's health. You're not being overprotective. :)

[Melissa & Wesley]

Karen, here are the protein/fat/calorie info between Iams and NOW Small Breed:

NOW
27/17/430

Iams
28/17/425

Not much of a difference!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not much difference at all, so feeding amounts can be ruled out. Very, very different food, though in terms of ingredients.

When I switched Jack to grain-free food (Orijen), I had 4 days of very loose poop, and this was an adult dog with a mature digestive system. I was also switching from a high quality brand (Fromm) with high-quality ingredients. But just the change to grain-free did require an adjustment on the part of his digestive system. So I think if the stool specimen comes back negative, it may just be that Wesley's immature digestive system needs more time. Or it may be that this isn't the right food for him. We can cross that bridge when we come to it. :)

[Melissa & Wesley]

Absolutely!  The ingredients are very different!

I am hoping it is his body adjusting, praying for no parasites or bacteria :) I am definitely open to suggestions if the food is actually the culprit.  Fromm and Acana were foods Bailey really liked.  I really do not know why I chose NOW, just thought the kibble was smaller and the ingredients are great.  We will see what Thursday brings :)