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  1. #1
    Puppy
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    Loose Stool Since 8wks. Please help!

    Hi everyone,

    Henry is 15 weeks and about 35 lbs. He was fed poorly as a little pup and when we got him, he had coccidia and other skin issues. We have switched foods tirelessly, had him on probiotics and digestive enzymes, and even prescription canned food for awhile, but nothing is really doing the trick long term. He consistently has loose stools.

    He has had good stool sometimes, but it's very unpredictable and sporadic.

    Per the vet's recommendation, he's on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Puppy. It's not doing the trick and he still has loose stools even after a 14 day transition off the I/D prescription food. The vet seems at a loss.

    Please help. What should I feed him?

  2. #2
    Best Friend Retriever emma_Dad's Avatar
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    Has the vet ruled out all parasite/health issues?

    Maybe your overfeeding him? To much food can cause loose stool

  3. #3
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    If you have no issues with parasites, I would put the pup on Pro Plan puppy and aim for 2/3 c per meal, 3 meals a day to start.

  4. #4
    Puppy labby's Avatar
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    I'd do what Jen suggested. How much are you feeding? At 15 weeks he should be getting approx. 3-3˝ cups of food per day. IMO the TOTW is too rich for a puppy. I require my puppy people to feed ProPlan Focus chicken and rice up until 4-5 months of age, then switch to one of the ProPlan adult foods.

    I have an almost 5 month old puppy who is on ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach adult food at the moment. Once she's done growing I'll put her on ProPlan Sport 30/20.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by labby View Post
    I'd do what Jen suggested. How much are you feeding? At 15 weeks he should be getting approx. 3-3˝ cups of food per day. IMO the TOTW is too rich for a puppy. I require my puppy people to feed ProPlan Focus chicken and rice up until 4-5 months of age, then switch to one of the ProPlan adult foods.

    I have an almost 5 month old puppy who is on ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach adult food at the moment. Once she's done growing I'll put her on ProPlan Sport 30/20.
    I wonder if you can explain what is meant by a food that is "too rich?"

    The Pro Plan Focus Puppy Chicken and Rice is higher in protein, fat and is way higher in calories (468 kcal/cup to 360 kcal/cup) than the TOTW Pacific Stream. I probably only noticed and checked because I found I had to feed more of the TOTW PS to my boy than the other two foods in his rotation or he would lose weight, even in summer when he typically gains. The three were all close in protein and fat. It was the adult one but sill much lower in calories than my other two foods.

    I've always understood "rich" in food to mean high in fats and calories but obviously that is not what is meant in dog food because it's come up before. And I don't understand it. Any help?

  6. #6
    Puppy hharvey's Avatar
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    Maybe try bottled water.
    We had issues with Max we tried different food and other things.
    The only thing left was the water so I bought a few gallons of drinking water and Max cleared up by the following morning
    We have a well but we test our water all of the time.
    It is fine for us to drink but for some reason not for Max

  7. #7
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    I wonder if you can explain what is meant by a food that is "too rich?"

    The Pro Plan Focus Puppy Chicken and Rice is higher in protein, fat and is way higher in calories (468 kcal/cup to 360 kcal/cup) than the TOTW Pacific Stream. I probably only noticed and checked because I found I had to feed more of the TOTW PS to my boy than the other two foods in his rotation or he would lose weight, even in summer when he typically gains. The three were all close in protein and fat. It was the adult one but sill much lower in calories than my other two foods.

    I've always understood "rich" in food to mean high in fats and calories but obviously that is not what is meant in dog food because it's come up before. And I don't understand it. Any help?
    I asked that when Lark was a puppy- BC (before the crash). I was told too high in fat, protein and calories, too. I'm only guessing that the vet recommended the TOTW Pacific Stream to change the protein source away from beef or chicken. I say that b/c my vet suggested I switch to a fish based food when Larky was having recurrent diarrhea between 14-18 weeks of age.

    For the OP, in case you're still reading on here- what treatments have you tried aside from the food? Has he been on metronidazole or tylosin? There have been a few of us with pups who had diarrhea with no obvious cause, tested for parasites, bacteria, worms, the gamut. At 15 weeks, if he's had his food changed several times, that itself can cause tummy troubles. Even though my vet suggested a food change after 2 rounds of metronidazole and continued diarrhea, since she had normal stool when I got her, I didn't think food was the issue. She finally cleared up after a 2 week round of tylosin. Another pup on here improved on sulfasalazine. I guess I'd try to pick a food and not keep changing that. Make sure he's clear of giardia, which I've read can be hard to detect even on more than one test. This is a tough time for your puppy to keep having diarrhea, since it's such an important growth period. I hope things clear up soon, it's so frustrating.
    Sue

    Chase 9/29/2006- 6/30/2017 Always in our hearts
    Lark 12/25/2012- 2/2/22
    Henry 7/14/18
    Joey 5/14/2022

    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

    Mary Oliver, Hidden Content

  8. #8
    Best Friend Retriever Snowco Labradors's Avatar
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    If you have ruled out parasites, etc. I would consider Tylan as well. It can work wonders.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I didn't want to say what my boy has been going through because it's a bit extreme and probably not the norm. Inflammatory Bowel Disease. And loose doesn't begin to describe his poops. Fire hose is how I've described it. But, we have given up on tradtional western medicine, with the blessing of the traditional western medicine Vet, and are seeing a Holistic Vet. She has us using chinese medicine, acupuncture and feeding a recovery diet of cooked ground turkey and sweet potato and it's working.

    I didn't post this sooner because I didn't want to scare you but the turkey and sweet potato would be an easy thing to try but I suggest if you've tried many foods already it would be best to check with your Vet. Or try a Holistic Vet if you are as desperate as we were.

    Are you still reading? Hope Henry is ok.

  10. #10
    House Broken
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    Is there anything in the yard he could be getting in to? My pup was having issues until I realized she was getting a hold of leaves from the orange tree. There are a lot of plants that can cause digestive upset.

 



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