[Leetle]

I started feeding Rex who is 18 months old twice a day 4 days ago. The first 24 hours was great. Then he started having diarreah. I thought I was giving too much. Yesterday he had 2 and 1/2 cups for breakfast had solid poop. Then last night I gave him 2 and 1/2 cups more and woke up to diarreah everywhere. I fed him cottage cheese this morning. Am I trying to add more too much at a time. He use to eat 3 and 1/2 cups of iams in the morning. What should I do? Any help would be greatly, totally appreciated. Thanks

 

[Stosh]

First thing I would do is go to the vet and see if her has a parasite like giardia or something. If he checks out ok, I would feed him a higher quality food than Iams. It's just not good. You can look at the forums about feeding but some good quality foods are Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Nature's Variety, Wellness Core, 4Health at Tractor Supply and Kirkland at Costco. Richer foods like Orijen and Nature's Variety can cause loose stools at first--whatever food you might switch to should be done slowly. Right now I would feed him brown rice with cooked chicken to settle his stomach for a few days, then start adding in the dry about 1/2 c at a time.

 

[Leetle]

He had a total checkup at the vet 8 weeks ago. The vet set his health is excellent. When I asked about him seeming skinny he said that his weight can't keep up with his height and weight right now and didn't seem worried about it. Where I live it is very hard to find "high quality" food can it be ordered and is the price to feed a shepherd really expensive? He has been doing wonderfully on 3.5 cups of iams a day for a long time. I just thought he needed to fill out some. Maybe it is just me being an overprotective mama.

 

[Leetle]

4Health

I found 4Health at our local tractor supply store. What makes this better than iams? It is even cheaper than iams. Is it the ingredients? Thanks again

 

[Stosh]

Yes--much better quality ingredients without all the fillers. Get a small bag and give it a try. I don't know what formulas are available but lamb is very easily digested, so is chicken for most dogs.

Eight weeks is enough time for a dog to pick up worms or parasites so he may have gotten something since. I'd at least bring a stool sample to the vet and have them check it out.

 

[Jax08]

So, you increased his food from 3 1/2 C per day to 5 C per day?

I think the problem is you increased his food suddenly by 1 1/2 C. Why the increase? Is it because he's underweight?

I would fast him for a day, restart him at 1 3/4 C twice a day. Add a little pumpkin in to firm up his stool. A couple tablespoons per day is plenty. Slowly increase his food if you feel he needs to gain weight.

And if you are going to switch his food, please get his diarrhea straightened out first, then slowly transition him over.

 

[Stosh]

Definitely get his diarrhea under control before switching foods.

 

[GSD Momma]

Have you changed the treats at all? I have found my poor little pup has a reaction to treats that contain flax seeds (which many holistic and natural treats seem to contain). Just a few of them will give her diarrhea. Probably a long shot, but thought I'd throw it out there just in case.

 

[Emoore]

I found 4Health at our local tractor supply store. What makes this better than iams? It is even cheaper than iams. Is it the ingredients? Thanks again

Yup. Compare the ingredients and ask yourself which one sounds better to you. The reason Iams costs more is they have to pay for all those advertisements in magazines and on TV. 4Health doesn't have any ads that I know of.

 

[3ToesTonyismydog]

Get some canned dog food pumpkin read the directions. Then get him onto a good dog food, Iams is awful. Find a GOOD pet store in your area and see what they have to offer. Keep in mind some dogs just can't do certain ingredients - chicken, fish and grains are ones that come to mind. First mate is a very simple food but lacks a little in the meat area.
Here are a couple of good review sites and the first one has a shout box that U can ask questions and a couple of people usually well respond.

Dog Food Reviews, Ratings and Comparisons

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

And if you really wanna do some reading this is one of the best dog food sites I have ever found. Lots of different articles on the left side of your screen below the picture of the dog.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

 

[Leetle]

Thanks for all the help. He is back to normal bowel movements. I got the 4 health food and am transitioning him over to it. He is also going to the vet next week for a bath and I am going to get them to check him. It really seems he has just grown so long and so tall so fast his metabolism can't keep up.

 

[doggiedad]

a Vet check might in order. i feed my dog one cup in the am
and one cup in the pm. there's something added to kibble,
chicken, raw ground beef, rice, green veggies, organic
yogurt, salmon oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, fish, etc.
how much does your dog weigh? maybe your dog needs the bland diet
for a while to settle his stomach. when my dog had dire rear i use
to feed him fresh baked pumpkin, rice and chicken. did you switch food
or treats recently?