Ingredient in Food that Firms Stools?

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

I am new to all of this.  I just joined the food group because my goldendoodle Bexter (11 weeks old) has runny poops now all the time.  He used to have nice firm poop when I first brought him home.  He was on Puppy Chow from the breeder, so I gradually switched him over to Natural Balance Ultra Premium (the switch was about 1.5 weeks long) .  He was still fine for a few weeks.  Since then, however, he has tested positive for giardia so was put on med Panacur and Met..(long name - I can't spell it).  He has been off those for a while.  I thought maybe those  (or the giardia) were causing the loose poop.  Maybe it was & I haven't given it enough time.  I don't know.  Anyway - I know there have been a million discussions about loose poop. 

Is it possible that doodles just have loose poop and it's something to just accept?  He's starting to have really stinky gas too (new development as of yesterday)!  You'd swear that he pooped in the house - but it's just gas!

Is there a certain ingredient to look for in dog food that firms up the poop?  I have read the list of recommended foods here, but was just wondering if anyone can pinpoint an actual ingredient?  Just so you know, I did switch (just last night) to Synergy line of Natural Balance because of the higher protein level.  I wanted to see what happened with that before switching to a whole other brand.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Hi Traci, I think you will find tons of advice in the Food Group.  I do know that a little  pure pumpkin (you can buy it in cans)added to the food does firm up stools but I would imagine that if the food is right that they would be normal (ie not loose)  Apparently even different varieties by the same companies have different formulations and switching too often may also cause a problem.  Perhaps re-checking that he is still not positive for Giardia may be worth while.  Stinky gas from what I've read often goes with Giardia.    

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Yeah, he's going to be re-checked to make sure the giardia is gone.  It had better be; with all the work I've done to get rid of it!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The fiber in kibble is intended to firm up poop; however, it does seem that many doodle puppies start out with giradia and that starts a pattern of loose poop. It seems to take their digestive systems quite a while to recover. Part of the problem is the antibiotics used to treat it- that's the metronidazole.

It can be difficult to get rid of giardia. Many people have had recurring issues with it. You do need to retest.

But a lot of doodles here also seem to have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I wonder these dogs seem to have so many problems with digestive issues myself. I believe it's partly because the doodle breeders have too many dogs and puppies to keep them from coming into contact with each others' feces, or to keep the pups isolated from other dogs and puppies entirely. (That's the parasite issue). Then you have the issue of starting them on less-than-wonderful foods, like Puppy Chow. And I'm not sure there isn't a genetic component involved with IBS, since it is an immune-related disease.

Grain-free formulas have worked well for some of us, so the Synergy may be a good choice. But I can't emphasize enough that it takes time for their digestive systems to mature and adjust. Too many people seem to be switching foods without giving whatever they're using enough time. What caused the diarrhea for your dog was the giardia, and then also the metronidazole, which kills good intestinal bacteria along with the bad. It takes time for a good balance to be restored. Try giving some plain unflavored non-fat yogurt and some plain canned pumpkin along with the kibble, and give it time.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Yah my Parker has gone through a lot of loose poop days. We have switched him from three or four different foods...all primo stuff. He was originally on the blue buffalo large breed puppy and that made him majorly gassy, then we switched him to avoderm and that didnt help his poops, then pinnacle grain free which seemed to be okay for a while but then he got loose poops from that and the vet suggested some science diet large breed puppy...he's had his firmest poops with that so far, but he still goes up and down...I think thats his normal cycle I guess because he hasn't tested positive for any worms.

 

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Science Diet will give firm poops because of the high amount of corn in there (and therefore little meat, and what meat that is there is byproducts). A dog should eat meat, not corn! And it includes animal fat - what kind of animal is that? Cat? Dog? Rat? I wouldnt feed anything that I dont know EXACTLY whats in it

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I agree with what Karen says. Check that the giradia is totally gone, and give your pup time to totally get over the effects of it. It can take some dogs with sensitive tummies quite a bit of time to adjust to a new food. Stick with one food for a month and see how he does. You can always add in some enzyme supplements such as ProZyme http://www.prozymeproducts.com/ I  have found that really helps with my kitten who has had stinky poop and gas since we adopted him. Also, its only when he has kibble that hes like this, hes fine on the days hes on  Raw Diet so that may be an option if you dont find a kibble hes ok on

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I agree with Karen that your puppy needs to rebuild it's good gut flora due to the impact of the antibiotics. Unflavored non-fat yogurt (preferably, organic) will do the trick in time. Poor Lucy had to go through that after a yeast infection and a course of antibiotics. A couple heaping TBLS of yogurt a day really helped. I'd be careful with adding enzymes. A couple days of adding enzymes to Lucy's food caused a really bad bout of diarrhea. Her system just couldn't handle it. Also, as Karen pointed out, switching foods too often, without giving the puppy sufficient time to  get accustomed to the food, could cause problems. From my experience, the grain-free foods work best to firm up Lucy's poop, but every dog is different.  I really think doodles, as puppies, have a tendency to have loose/soft poos. It seems to be a recurring theme here on Doodle Kisses.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Thanks on everyone's advice!  I am definitely sticking with the Natural Balance Synergy.  So far since we've been using it - poops are all perfect!  I hope it will stay like that; we'll see.  I'll keep him on that because I definitely don't want to switch foods all the time.  Synergy it is!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I found sweet potato and green beans with a bit of yogurt and doggie probiotic helped so much. I have Sophie on Natural Balance too, and she's doing great. I think you need to make sure the giardia is gone. I had to go through several rounds of panacur and metronidazole before it cleared up.

Good Luck!

[Melody & Bruin]

dumb question here....what is Kibble?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's what dry dog food is called. It's not capitalized, it's not a brand. It's like saying "cereal".

[Melody & Bruin]

thank you for clarifying