Poop and more poop - HELP

[Lisa Turner]

Okay, I have a three month old who Literally as she eats poops in her crate! She has been gradually moved from pedigree chum that the rescue centre were feeding her to Fromm holistic puppy food. I am giving her pro biotics in the morning and the pumpkin with her evening meal. What can I do?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I'm sorry to hear that she's on an Rx diet, as they contain no medicines and are usually of very poor quality. Very low protein levels, too, which isn't goig to help her gain any weight. Lots of info in The Food Group on why you don't want the Rx foods. I hope it helps, though. The vet didn't prescribe any type of medication?

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

How long has the pooping been going on for? Is it diarrhea?  Did the vet mention about doing a fecal recheck, antibiotics..? Please take Karen's advice and read up in the Food Group about which foods to feed, and why RX is garbage.  Did the vet say anything about the weight loss?

[Lisa Turner]

The diarrhea has been going on since we rescued her. She was on antibiotics. The diet she has been put on is Hills prescription I/d gastro health diet. Why is this a bad thing?

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Here is a link to the discussion..the ingredients are....ugh..read for yourself, its not good!

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/why-you...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

An analysis of Hill's i/d from the discussion Jill linked:

Here are the ingredients in Hill's i/d:
Ground Whole Grain Corn, Brewers  Rice, Dried Egg Product, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat  (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose,  Dicalcium Phosphate, Chicken Liver Flavor, Iodized Salt, Potassium Citrate,  Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Beet Pulp,  Soybean Oil, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate,  Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement,  Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid),  Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide,  Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric  Acid, Rosemary Extract.

This is even worse than the z/d in terms of  ingredients, although it has less poison in the form of preservatives. Corn as  the first ingredient, followed by brewer's rice, which is a waste product  leftover after grain is processed for alcohol. These are the two most abundant  ingredients in this food. Then we have "by-products"...we all know by now what  that means. Beaks, etc. Then we have more corn in the form of gluten, and  rounding off the first five ingredients is good old cheap unhealthy pork fat,  which has been proven to promote pancreatitis in dogs. Fiber in the form of beet  pulp, which is believed to promote yeast infections is not good news either. And  this is what the vet, in all good conscience, has been led to believe is a good  diet for a dog with stomach problems...or any dog. Corn-one of the worst, most  difficult foods for a dog to digest or utilize- and waste products, at a premium  price. And we pay for this advice and this crap because we love our dogs and  these are the "experts" advising us.

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/why-you-should-say-no-when...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, all Hills foods (and all dog foods from the Big Corporations) contain  ingredients imported from China through third party food brokers.

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

If the vet didn't say anything other than she needed Rx food and no reasoning as to why there is weight loss (pretty significant for a puppy) I would recommend you going to another vet for a second opinion. This sounds (heaven forbid) as if it could be something serious if not diagnosed early. Does anyone else agree?

Is the stool loose, hard, digested? Is the puppy's system processing the food or is the kibble just passing through?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree, Marnie. The constant diarrhea, the food going right through her along with weight loss indicates a malabsorption issue, and that can be very serious. I'd also suggest blood work with a GI panel.

[Lisa Turner]

Soup! It's like stinky rotten soup! I am not going to feed her the hills diet after reading reviews. I'm going to see a nutritionist instead. Also, changing vets.

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Keep us posted Lisa, she's lucky to have you!  Doodle hugs to you both!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, there is no nutritional curriculum in veterinary school, and what training vets do receive comes in the form of voluntary seminars conducted by Hill's Science Diet (Colgate-Palmolive) and Purina (Nestle's). The vets truly do not know what's in the Rx foods or how they help. Many veterinary practices make as much from the sale of Rx foods as they do from their medical practices. This is also a conflict of interest. See Chapter 24 of Marion Nestle's Feed Your Pet Right for info on these facts.

I would be feeding this puppy a homecooked diet of plain boiled white meat chicken and mashed sweet potatoes, and using a good probiotic like iFlora or Proviable. Ark Naturals Gentle Digest prebiotic is good, too. The yogurt is a good idea as well. But you do need to get to the bottom of what is causing the diarrhea. The antibiotics may certainly have played a role in that, since they destroy the good bacteria in the gut along with the bad. Why was she on antibiotics?  

Also, when you are giving probiotics, you must not give them within two hours of the antibiotics, and preferably longer.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I'm glad you're not feeding the Hills rubbish and that you are also changing vet. Please keep us updated. Sounds like you are doing everything possible for this sweet pup.