food driven puppy question

3130 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by MikeB06, Apr 13, 2008

TNGSD

Discussion Starter · Apr 9, 2008

This post could be under food or puppies but I really wanted to hear opinions from others with high drive dogs. The puppy (Radar) we have now is the most food driven dog I have ever seen! He gets part of his food in bowl, part in kongs and part during training. When he does eat from a bowl he acts frantic and eats so fast he spills it and hardly chews. He has had 2 bouts of runny poop now about 2 weeks apart. Both times vet found no virus, no bacteria and no worms. First time I thought it was from him eating my other dogs food- Canidea or from eating a few zukes natural treats. This time I just don't know- vet said nothing else is wrong with him so it is somthing he ate. 24 hours before he did have many small peices of mild cheese at his first puppy class. Could it take 24 hours for him to get sick after eating cheese? We also had our house sprayed for ants- non- toxic to pets but still I worry it could have given him a tummy upset. My question is what do you do with a dog that wants to eat everything in sight but has a sensitive tummy? His poop is the best on plain, cheap puppy food but I want to switch him over to a better food as soon as I can without hurting his tummy. Canidea might be too rich. In my small town I can get Tast of the Wild (only wetlands or bison), Chicken Soup large breed puppy or adult and some Innova not sure what kind. In Nashville I can get almost anything- that where I drive for Canidea. I guess for now i will just use his food for training treats. The poor guy is always starving and a little on the skinny side. It seems like I am making this so complicated... anyone have an easy solution?

Here are the photos I posted this weekend of him at class- you can see how focused his is for food for such a young pup!

Thanks for all your help!

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KCandMace

· #2 · Apr 9, 2008

Have you checked online at other food options? I know some companies offer free shipping and this can be a real benefit to those of you in the states who want quality foods.
You have a real cutie there!

And i was thinking he could be lactose intolerant already and it could be the cheese.

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GSDextrodinaire

· #3 · Apr 9, 2008

How much are you feeding in total? over feeding can cause loose stools.

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TNGSD

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 9, 2008

Originally Posted By: KCandMaceHave you checked online at other food options? I know some companies offer free shipping and this can be a real benefit to those of you in the states who want quality foods.
You have a real cutie there!

And i was thinking he could be lactose intolerant already and it could be the cheese.

It's funny you would say that... my kids (the ones in the above training photos) said the same thing and I always joke that it's so annoying how they are always right and I am usually wrong! Kids are so smart now days! Would the best way to tell if he is lactose intolerant be wait a month and then try cheese again? If it was the cheese I would think it would hit sooner than 24 hours... but then again I don't know anything about lactose intolerance! I have ordered food online- I just don't know what would be best to try or why his tummy likes cheaper food! thanks!

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TNGSD

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 9, 2008

Originally Posted By: GSDextrodinaireHow much are you feeding in total? over feeding can cause loose stools.

When I first got him I realized he would eat until he popped if I let him and that it would upset his tummy. This last episode was not from over eating and the poop was too often, and too watery... it was more like he was sick and different than how he acted when he over eats.

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KCandMace

· #6 · Apr 9, 2008

My son is Lactose intolerant but skin kids is easier to tell if they are lactose intolerant than a fur one.
But I know dogs normally aren't good with cow's milk but some are ok with cheeses. I need to read up on it more so I can understand it fully.
I think it can take up to 48 hours for an allergy to show up? Not always readily apparent. Also his tummy could like the cheap food cause that is what he is used too. Switching foods should be gradual so the one time he got the other food could have done it. We got lucky with KC's breeder since he made sure she would be ok with ANY food we put her on to. So straight away we didn't have any stomach problems.
There are alot of possibilities as to why.
A friends rotti has skin and stomach issues but she refuses to buy him a quality dog food so she keeps switching on the cheap stuff. Sometimes she gets lucky and he is ok for a week or two and other times she makes it worse.
I know it is just a hit and miss when you don't know exactly what is wrong.
Good luck and feel free to post a few more photos of Radar.

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roxy84

· #7 · Apr 10, 2008

food wise, taste of the wild is not for a large breed puppy. too much calcium/phosphorus. none of the grain free foods (with the exception of orijen puppy large) have low enough calc/phos levels. canidae is terrific for a gsd pup and many people use this. maybe if he transitioned to this it would work. my puppy had occasional bouts of loose stools on canidae. we switched to innova large breed puppy and her stools have been great ever since. innova adult also has a fine profile for all life stages.

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TNGSD

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 11, 2008

Originally Posted By: roxy84food wise, taste of the wild is not for a large breed puppy. too much calcium/phosphorus. none of the grain free foods (with the exception of orijen puppy large) have low enough calc/phos levels. canidae is terrific for a gsd pup and many people use this. maybe if he transitioned to this it would work. my puppy had occasional bouts of loose stools on canidae. we switched to innova large breed puppy and her stools have been great ever since. innova adult also has a fine profile for all life stages.

Thanks so much! I think the innova was a lot more expensive- is it worth the extra money in your opinion? (I guess since we have already made an extra trip to the vet for runny poop and spent $100 that if it keeps him healthy it will save $ in the long run!) Do you know anything about the "Chicken Soup for the Dog..." I get Whole Dog Journal but I'm still not sure what to look for!

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roxy84

· #9 · Apr 12, 2008

to me the innova lg breed puppy is worth the extra $ because my girl had been to the vet several times as i was worried she may have parasites causing the loose stools. tests always came out negative. i would have kept going to the vet only to find out nothing was wrong. i wish the canidae would have worked, as the ingredients and meat content are very good and the price is great compared to any other foods on the level of canidae. for some reason, she just had loose stools on the canidae. if the canidae can work for your dog, then i would see no reason to pay more for innova.

ill gladly pay some extra money, have good stools, and quit worrying. quality wise, i think innova and canidae are very similar. chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul has pretty good ingredients. i personally wont feed any products made by diamond, so i wont consider that food. if you dont have a problem with diamond as a compay, then that food cost wise is also cheaper than innova.

once my girl is about 14 mos, ill try wellness core ocean with her, as i think it is as close to the perfect grain gree food there is, and my other two dogs are thriving on this food.

keep in mind, if you are going to switch from a grocery store/petsmart type food to a super premium like canidae, innova, etc...many people will see loose stools for a while while the dog is adjusting to the change. many people advocate a slow transition over a 1-2 week period.

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TNGSD

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 13, 2008

Originally Posted By: roxy84to me the innova lg breed puppy is worth the extra $ because my girl had been to the vet several times as i was worried she may have parasites causing the loose stools. tests always came out negative. i would have kept going to the vet only to find out nothing was wrong. i wish the canidae would have worked, as the ingredients and meat content are very good and the price is great compared to any other foods on the level of canidae. for some reason, she just had loose stools on the canidae. if the canidae can work for your dog, then i would see no reason to pay more for innova.

ill gladly pay some extra money, have good stools, and quit worrying. quality wise, i think innova and canidae are very similar. chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul has pretty good ingredients. i personally wont feed any products made by diamond, so i wont consider that food. if you dont have a problem with diamond as a compay, then that food cost wise is also cheaper than innova.

once my girl is about 14 mos, ill try wellness core ocean with her, as i think it is as close to the perfect grain gree food there is, and my other two dogs are thriving on this food.

keep in mind, if you are going to switch from a grocery store/petsmart type food to a super premium like canidae, innova, etc...many people will see loose stools for a while while the dog is adjusting to the change. many people advocate a slow transition over a 1-2 week period.

That is very helpful! Maybe I will give Canidea one more try! Then after that I will go straight to Innova if I need to.... now about training treats....... I need something smelly to use for tracking that won't upset his belly. Maybe I should just train with kibble until the food change is complete!

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MikeB06

· #11 · Apr 13, 2008

TNGSD,
You never answered the question... How much food are you feeding this pup a day? How much each meal? How many meals a day. What brand / formula exactly are you feeding now? How much treats per day also? I bet more than you realize. I doubt Lactose is the problem. How old is your puppy?

I would try CANIDAE 4 meat protein formula and see what happens over a couple of months. Introduce it over 7 to 10 days and the dog should be just fine. I have known many dogs that do very well switching over 100% although most won't recommend it.

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MikeB06

· #12 · Apr 13, 2008

Also I would never judge a food by it's price. Price is all about where you are buying it. If you can find it at a "FEED" store I know the price will be less.

Diamond is so much better today after the recall. Their new formula Diamond Naturals uses excellent ingredients.

I bet your pups problem is all about what it's eating and how much and how many treats.

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