Is sweet potato or pumpkin okay early on?

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

We got Maci 6 days ago. Her stool has ranged from soft formed-pudding-liquid. Her first stool tested okay. My question is, since it is not recommended to change diet for two weeks, is it okay to give her some pumpkin or sweet potato to firm it up, or should I just wait? She is a little underweight per Vet and she does not like her food. She sniffs it and leaves it sit. Maybe only eats about 1/2 of what she should in a days time. We see the Vet again tomorrow. I'm curious what her weight will be since her last visit on Thursday.
I have started giving her the proviable DC with just a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Let me put it this way: whatever and however my ancestors ate hundreds of years ago is most likely not how I would like to eat today. 

Some dogs are chow hounds who are always hungry, some are picky eaters. Just like people. However, what a dog "likes" really has nothing to do with what is good for him, or what we should feed him. I know lots of dogs who "like" cat poop. Worrying about and catering to what a dog "likes" is a surefire way to create a picky eater. 

[simon]

I actually agree with you there... Our dogs are not wolf's, regardless of their DNA being close. And years of civilised living has resulted in their stonachs being very different from their ancestors.

If dogs are just like people.... Then where's the harm in feeding them what they like...

Force feeding me the same food I don't like day after day, month after month would make me reluctant to eat it as well....

Lifes for living.... Yours and your dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I disagree. Dogs are not just like people when it comes to consciousness. Dogs aren't aware that there is something different than what you put in their bowls day after day...until you show them that there is. Dogs eat to sustain life, not for entertainment or because they have a taste for something. And people would be better off if they ate that way too. 

The harm in feeding them "what they like" is that sooner or later, they decide they don't like it any more, and that maybe if they hold out long enough, they'll get something even better. 

However, you don't have to feed the same thing day after day; most of the brands on our recommended list have formulas which are designed to be rotated from one bag to the next, or more often if you choose, so that there is some variety, and exposure to more than one protein source, which may help to prevent a food allergy down the line. 

The following discussion sums it all up pretty well. Food for thought. :) 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

[Shari Becker]

Our breeder said we could start adding pumpkin immediately, so I wouldn't worry about that. Our breeder also said the puppy's stool might be a little soft with the stress of a transition, but your description sounds like something else. Lexi picked up a parasite almost immediately because we picked her up - she got into a wild animal's stool and chowed down. It impacted her appetite and her mood and her stools. So it's definitely worth figuring out. We always have canned pumpkin in the house AND sweet potatoes. A can is good in case your run out of sweet potatoes. We've also boiled them and baked them in the over.

[Nancy Lipp]

I make chicken broth in the crock pot.  I buy the organic chicken drumsticks for just a couple of dollars a pound at Trader Joes and add 2T organic apple cider vinegar and filtered water and organic carrots and organic celery and I have a lot of chicken broth at lower price with better ingredients to use on top of the Kibble.

As for the sweet potato.  Don't use the microwave either.  It is not good to cook that way. It damages the food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I disagree, Nancy. There is no fact based evidence that microwaving "damages" the food. 

In fact, if done properly, it actually results in more of the nutrients being retained: Some good science-based information on the nutritional benefits of microwaving foods: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/21/health/upwave-microwaving-food/

There is also no fact-based evidence that apple cider vinegar is of any benefit to dogs (or anyone else) when taken internally, despite what you read on "natural remedy" websites. We have many discussions here about this. Of course, it's your choice if you want to believe the many myths about the "miracles" of ACV or the dangers of microwaves, but as stated in the Food Group guidelines, one of the purposes of this group is to present fact-based information, especially when advising others. :)