Goldendoodle pup with tummy troubles

[Lauren]

I have a goldendoodle puppy (5 months) who's been having loose, stinky stool. We've gone through the battery of tests and she's super healthy, just has tummy troubles. The vet put her on Prescription Diet food to firm it up, which it did. We've tried Hills Ideal Balance food and Solid Gold, all of which have not seemed to work. I've seen in some of your chats that people have said Orijen is a good option. Any other recommendations for a puppy with such problems?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When you say a battery of tests, can you tell me what tests have been done? 

Has ever tested positive for giardia? Has she had any medications for the loose stool? 

Is the stoll always loose? How frequently does she go? 

Which Rx diet was she on? I need the exact formula, not just the brand. 

No Hill's formula is recommended here. Which Solid Gold formulas did you try? 

What else does she get in the way of treats or chews?

Orijen is an excellent food, but it is not the right choice for every dog. It's important to look at the factors that may be causing the diarrhea. If there is a health issue, (parasites, bacterial imbalance, etc) no food is going to fix that. 

[Lauren]

Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for the quick response! Sorry for being vague. Yes, they tested her stool for giardia and for worms, all of which came back negative.

When she's not on the Hills Prescription Diet W/D her stool is always loose. We feed her half the Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken dry puppy food and half the Rx food. I do add a small spoonful of pumpkin to her food so that I can put it in her Kong and freeze it because she eats terribly quickly and that slows her down. It was recommended to me to add Metamucil as well, what are your thoughts on that?

She goes about three to four times a day and each time it's pretty loose.

We used to give her treats often because we're training (Sweet Potato Buddy Biscuits, Lamb Lung, and on occasion Milk Bone), but I've tried to cut out almost all treats and instead use her kibble for training. We don't give her any other chews. 

[Gail and Bailey]

Welcome to Doodle Kisses, Lauren!  

You have come to the right place for help with food issues and how to help your puppy.  Karen started the Food Group and is our expert.  She will guide you in the right direction!  Your puppy is a cutie!  We would love to see more photos!  Be sure to join the Puppy Madness Group too!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there are a lot of issues here. The first one is the Hill's w/d. I'm pretty shocked that your vet recommended a food that is intended for overweight diabetic dogs for a growing puppy. All of the Hill's Rx foods are garbage, filled with the wirst possible ingredients, but this one is even worse than most. It's almost one-third insoluble fiber! No nutrition there at all, but that's what's firming up the stool, all that cellulose. Cellulose is the second ingredient listed, the first is corn. The third is corn gluten, and then you have flavoring and by-products. Besides being full of junk, the protein and fat levels are inadequate for even a healthy adult dog, for a growing puppy they are way, way too low. I really think the first thing we need to do is get rid of this food. 

The Solid Gold food is okay, but it's too complex for a dog with digestive issues, and the fiber is a bit low. I'd like to see you switch to a grain-free formula with fewer ingredients. I need to do a little research to make some recommendations.

Stop the Milkbone completely and for good. It's garbage. For treats, I'd use pieces of plain cooked chicken breast or Pure Bites freeze dried treats. The lamb lung is fine, but only sparingly as a high value training treat. 

Order her a Slo-bowl. It's worked wonderfully for many members here whose dogs inhale their food. I'd rather see a puppy not being fed all of her food in frozen form from a Kong. And we want her mealtimes regulated to get her digestion on track, too. Is she being fed 2 or 3 times a day? 

Metamucil is used for dogs with serious GI disease, but it shouldn't be necessary for a young puppy who is otherwise healthy. Pumpkin is fine. 

Order a bottle of Proviable DC probiotic capsules, that should help improve her digestion, too. 

Now, let me think about what formula kibble you should try. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, I've been looking at various food options, and I think that a good choice for kibble would be Acana's Lamb & Okanagan Apple formula from the Acana Singles line: http://www.acana.com/lamb-okanagan-apple/

I would start the probiotics and then switch cold turkey after she's been on the Proviable for a week. Mixing it with the other foods isn't going to give you good results. Be sure to check feeding amounts. You can continue to add pumpkin to her meals, but be sure not to add or change anything else about her diet until she's adjusted to the food. 

It's going to take some time for her to adjust to not getting all that cellulose. 

Another possibility that might work really well for you if you are open to it would be Honest Kitchen. This is a dehydrated raw food that you mix with water, and it's worked really well for a lot of people whose dogs had chronic loose stools and other digestive issues. I'd go with the Embark formula if you want to try it: http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/embark

[sarah c gammel]

Lotus started on acana lamb and apple three weeks ago. She loves it. I noticed her stools were larger . At first I thought I was feeding her too much but read that it does contain oats which I think bulks the stool up  She adjusted very well to it although it hasn't done a damn thing for her allergies.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Acana has changed the formula, it no longer contains oats or any grains. 

Food will rarely do anything for allergies, as 90% of all allergies in dogs are not caused by food. However, even when they are, it takes a very controlled 8-12 week food trial before you would see any results. Here is some information: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/facts-a...

If your dog is having allergy symptoms right now, chances are very very high that she has a ragweed allergy. 

[sarah c gammel]

Hmmm. I wonder when they changed the formula. I just bought this product three weeks ago from Chewys. Maybe they are using there inventory up. Good to know. And Karen I am in agreement with you about the allergiesand am in the process of finding an allergist. meanwhile ive been giving Lotus zyrtec daily (not recommended by my vet)and her symptoms improve during the day

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Buy a bottle of 500 mg evening primrose oil softgels (human supplement) and start giving her one each day. The fatty acids enhance the effects of the Zyrtec and help with the itchiness. 

The change in the Acana Singles formulas happened a few months ago, I believe, but it makes sense that some vendors are using up their inventory. 

[Lauren]

Wow. This is fantastic advice. Thank you so much, Karen. I really appreciate this (and so does Maeby) I think I'm going to try the Acana. As far as changing the food, you think it's best to put her on the probiotic for a a week and then just switch over? Don't slowly ween?

How long would you give it to adjust? A few weeks, perhaps? 

Thanks again!

Lauren

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm not a big believer in slowly weaning. Even for puppies with no health issues, a transition should never take more than 4 or 5 days. There just is no point in mixing a high quality, grain-free LID food with a food that contains all that corn and other junk. And figuring out the feeding amounts for each is a nightmare, as the calorie content is very different; you cannot just substitute a portion of the new food for an equal portion of the old food. (The reason I mentioned checking feeding amounts. You will most likely be feeding less.) She won't get any benefits from either one that way, and you won't know how the new food is agreeing with her. 

If anything, you can try giving a few pieces of the new food as treats before the switch. 

I can't say how long it will take for her to adjust. I'm a bit concerned about the reasons this puppy has chronic loose stool despite there being no parasites or other medical reasons. This is what I wish your vet would have addressed rather than just selling you Rx food with a cellulose content so high that it would firm up pudding, lol. 

Don't discontinue the probiotics after a week. We're setting the stage for the food change, and then you'll need to continue the probiotics for at least a few weeks after the food change to help her GI system cope with the change. 

I do think she will have some very loose stool initially. Try adding pumpkin or better yet, mashed sweet potatoes to her meals. You can bake a sweet potato in your microwave, peel with your fingers after it cools, and mash with a fork. Very quick and easy, cheaper, and more fiber than pumpkin. 

If necessary, instead of Metamucil, you can buy a pure psyllium powder to add to the pumpkin/sweet potato.  Metamucil has all kinds of sugars, flavorings, etc. I use Konsyl, I buy it at Walgreen's: https://www.konsyl.com/all-natural-s/1825.htm

[Lauren]

Thanks again Karen. We got Maeby the slo bowl and she's not too sure about it. It's actually pretty hilarious watching her with it.

We also started her on the Proviable DC probiotic and ordered the Acana food. I'm so happy to have found this awesome group of doodle lovers.

Thanks again!