NEW FOOD --- lots of poops!

[NS]

Ok, so many of you have helped me along the way. We seem to be on the right track these days after fighting giardia and a bacterial imbalance with Metronizadole.  I am in the process of changing his food from a bland diet of homemade food to Honest Kitchen Zeal (fish/grain free food). Today he pooped 7x!! Is that normal?? He use to poop 3x -4x a day. Am I feeding him too much? 

What is the normal amounts of poop a day? This seems excessive...

Thanks!! Can't wait to get your input.

N

[Jennifer and Jack]

Hi Welcome to DK.. So glad you are here.. This would be a great group for you to join

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup

This group is kind of like the saying  that says there is nothing new under the sun... LOL You will find lots of great information there about switching foods, how to do it, lots of poop talk and questions.. Also in the top right hand corner on this page is a search engine as well where you can search just about anything.  I don't know a lot about Giardia except I think normally you need two medications to fight that.. Usually I believe Panacur ....So I bet people suggest you take a stool sample back to your vet to make sure the Giardia is gone, and if it isn't I think you need to insist on Panacur and Flagyl but that is just what I read on here i don't have personal experience with it... but I see this issue come up often and that is what the experienced people say.

Good luck to you and your quest for less poop. 

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

wow thats a lot of poop, but maybe its due to the giradia? We feed Cooper raw and she poops anything from 0 -2 times a day, and its tiny, so im not sure whats "normal". puppies will poop more than an adult dog though i think

[Jennifer and Jack]

now that Jack is on raw he poops like a rabbit size and only once or twice a day too but it is such a small amount I am afraid he is constipated.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

that sounds normal - cooper is 70lbs and sometimes her poop is like rabbit droppings too!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My guys are on Honest Kitchen and they usually poop twice a day....the little guy sometimes goes three times, but on average it's twice.  Are you using the feeding guidelines on the package?

[David]

Hi

To answer your question a normal poop count for the day is 1-3 times a day dependent on amount of food consumed (follow the instructions and feed to the food producers guidelines by weight of dog usually) and age of dog (pups go more times but no more than 4 times in a day for a healthy pup).

I had a couple of months trial and error until I got my Shepadoodles stomach to where it should be, and that's pooping about twice a day.  It wasn't easy as there's so many companies out there claiming their food is the best.  How old is your dog? 

I found that only cooked chicken and white rice would settle my Doodles stomach.  So I would keep him on it for a week or so then slowly introduce complete food to see how he reacted. I settled on Arden Grange Puppy Chicken and Rice Large Breed (it has extra ingredients to combat hip displasia and growth spurts).  He's now over a year and is on the adult Lamb and Rice which I still add fresh rice and grated carrot and his poop is firm and easy to pick up.

If my dog eats something he shouldn't and gets the dreaded squirts, I just feed him plain white rice and it instantly binds him up and lines his stomach, then after a day or two I gradually introduce his usual food. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dpets...

[NS]

Thanks David. Bodi is 7 months old and is a mini ALD. He came to us from the breeder eating TOTW, we transitioned him to FROMM and now is on Honest Kitchen Zeal (fish). He has NEVER had great stools -- but I mostly attributed that to his Giardia and the bacterial imbalance he had coupled with him being on Metronizadole and Pancur 3x and then a 4th dose of Metro.

Karen helped me alot trying to figure out what to do regarding his stomach issues etc. After the 4th rounds of Metro I fed him a homemade diet of sweet potato or pumpkin and ground beef with metamucil for 14 days.  When he finished his meds we started slowly transitioning him over the last 11 days to Honest Kitchen Zeal. He is approximately 15 pounds so I am feeding him 2x a day - 1/2 c of the ZEAL mixed with 1/4 pumpkin at breakfast and dinner. I  still mix the ZEAL  with pumpkin or sweet potato and I added a product called "FIRM UP Pumpkin". The result to date is that his stool is formed and much firmer (still not perfect) BUT he now poops 6x or 7x a day.My concern: Is he still adjusting to the new food? Do I need to be patient and try it for a few weeks or is the fact that he is pooping so much telling me something else?? He seems fine in terms of temperament and energy. I agree that 6-7x a day is too much but not sure what to do.....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd discontinue the "Firm Up", he may be getting too much fiber between that, the fiber in the Zeal, and then the added sweet potato or pumpkin besides. 

[NS]

Karen, I had no idea that you could give a dog "too much" fiber!! So much to learn!!

Thanks, I will try that today!

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

What happened with your puppy after all the daily but firm pooping? Mine is going six times/day and we just decided to (safely) reduce feed/treat amts in order to determine if that is why... Just wondering if u remember why yours was doing the same? Thx.