Still pooping in kennel

[Kandy Kunzman]

 We are having a problem with pooping in the kennel. I've spoken before about this and I was hoping it would get better, it has gotten worse.  I've made her kennel as small as I can. We've cut down her food to 3 meals..about 1/3 cup each time.  She is eating IAMS puppy. She doesn't even care if she's in it.  I have to give her baths in the morning.  She usually poops around 9pm..then it happens after 3am.  THinking about changing to BLUE Dog food? Any suggestions??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You're absolutely not feeding her too much; you're only giving her one cup a day. What does she weigh, and which exact Iams formula are you feeding? 

[Kandy Kunzman]

not exact how much she weighs...probably around 5 lbs.  I will weigh her tonight to see exact. IAMS Proactive Health Smart PUppy. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You're actually underfeeding her. According to the Iams guidelines, a 10 week old 5 lb puppy should be getting 1 and 5/8 cups of food per day. That's just a guideline, but she's absolutely not getting too much food. 

However, the food is just packed with  corn and fillers, which create excess stool volume. Switching foods should cut down on the amount of stool volume overall. That still doesn't address the pooping in the crate in the middle of the night. If the stool is runny, she may very well still have giardia and can't help it. I'd have a fecal done. 

[Kandy Kunzman]

I will be switching her dog food .  We are scheduled to take her back on Tuesday, but will probably try to get her in earlier.  THANKS for all of the suggestions!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I think that food is on the recall list--check the main forum for the link to the list--5 lbs is tiny! My pups were eating a cup and a half a day but weighed 10 or 11 lbs at that age. Iams has more filler, so the dog produces more poop--so switching to a grain free formula will help...lots of tiny young pups poop in the middle of the night but they usually cry to go out because they have never had to sleep in a soiled bed--if your pup is used to soiled conditions (not sure what the kennel where she was raised did), it will take longer to get this straightened out--if she is not crying to go out or if you can not hear her during the night, I would set an alarm and take her out in the middle of the night for a week and then see how she does..as she gets older, it will get easier. 

[Tammy and Violet]

I used Eukenuba puppy up until lately..now same brand but not puppy ..had good luck with that food....your baby is still really little and young

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You were lucky. We have people here on DK whose dogs died from Eukanuba during the 2007 recalls. There is a recall currently for salmonella contamination. The food is packed with corn and by-products, and the ingredients are imported through third party food brokers from China. Definitely not a recommended brand.

[Tammy and Violet]

eeeks not good ....I did check on the sight for the recall on it ..it was not there ....Karen .. what do you feed your babies ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The current recall info is right below.

JD eats a custom diet as he has an inflammatory GI disease. But for a healthy dog, my first choice of brand would always be Champion Foods, either the Acana or Orijen lines. However, we have a whole list of recommended brands in The Food group, and tons of info on all foods issues. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Food Group Recommended Brands

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Just for added incentive to switch food- there is a recall of IAMS and Eukanuba that was announced today that I just saw posted on Facebook 

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm365154.htm?source=govdelivery#... 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I do not think making her area smaller and smaller is a good idea especially if she has giardia.  She is probably re-infecting herself.  It is extremely important to disinfect the area where she going to the bathroom (not only inside, but outside too).  Until she is giardia free, you probably need to give her more room at night and possibly put down a pee pad, so she can go on that and help with your cleanup also.  It took us 3 months to get Beau cleared of giardia and I was diligent about cleanup!  Good luck.