[Heather P]

7 month old puppy has diarrhea due to clostridium overgrowth; he’s on antibiotics. Every time I try to add his kibble back to his diet, he gets diarrhea
again. He’s on orijen large breed puppy; Orijen just seems to be too rich right now. I need to change his food, for now, so he’s able to eat kibble again. Any suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb to be really good for diarrhea, it just has 1 protein lamb & has limited ingredients, sweet potato, egg, peas, potato, Protein-25%, fat-15% fiber-4% a few dogs with Gi problems seem to do well on this formula & the TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon… also I’ve read a few dogs with Gi stress also do well on the “4Health” formulas sold at Tractor Supply…..Make sure whatever formula you pick it just has 1 protein with limited ingredients, there’s also “Natural Balance” Sweet Potato & Bison or “Canidae” life stages has a limited ingredient Turkey meal Large breed puppy formula, on page 4 is the large breed formula’s link below……. Canidae also make a cheaper brand called “Under the Sun” but the formula’s have chickpeas & are lower fat, lower protein & limited ingredients https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[aimee]

Hi Heather,

My recommendation would be for you to ask the vet who is treating your dog for a food recommendation.

Susan,
I’m glad your dog does well on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb but it always puzzles me when you describe it as one protein and limited ingredients. Every ingredient you listed after the lamb.. sweet potato, peas, egg, and potato has protein in it as do ingredient you didn’t list like tomato, blueberry, raspberry, chicory root and possible natural flavors and fermentation products. The food is neither single protein nor limited ingredient.

[Heather P]

I did ask my vet. Didn’t really give me a answer; more or less trial and error.
Was thinking maybe something in the zignature line?

[aimee]

That’s too bad that the vet didn’t make a recommendation. I read a bit on clostridial problems and found a diet high in soluble fiber to be recommended. The thing is when it says crude fiber that is a measure of insoluble fiber

Ask your vet if wither Hill’s ID original or stress would be any good.

[Susan]

Heather
if you need fiber % it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies & they will email you the crude fiber %, the soluble fiber % the insoluble fiber %, the dietary fiber% & in their foods, but I have never read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[anonymous]

Zignature is excellent! I am currently using the Whitefish kibble with water added as a base.
Check Chewy dot com or Petflow dot com. Or, go to Zignature’s website to find out where you can buy it near you.
Ps: My terrier experienced loose stools after a couple of weeks on Natural Balance (one of the high fiber ones) when I put him back on Zignature Whitefish his bowel movements returned to normal within 72 hours.
It’s definitely a quality food 🙂
Don’t be surprised if your dog does not have a bowel movement for a couple of days during his recovery, it takes a few days for the system to readjust.
Of course every dog is different……
This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by anonymous.

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies when you need any information about their formula’s they will ring or email you back with crude fiber % soluble fiber % insoluble fiber % & dietary fiber % in their formula’s, a good pet food company like TOTW their a Vet Nutritionists will ring or email you back but I didn’t read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[anonymous]

Another thing, loose stools are sometimes a side effect of antibiotics and other medications. I know that at least with one of my dogs an antibiotic had to be changed to another due to side effects.
So, the diarrhea may not be related to his diet.
I think a call to the vet is in order. Leave a message for him to call you back when he has a minute. There are some good vets out there, and they don’t mind returning phone calls to answer questions especially if you frequent the same veterinary clinic.
I found out that was the best way, find a vet that you trust and listen to him.

[a c]

I am trying to switch my 11 weeks old puppy from Orjien Puppy to something else. I try to add a little Zignature Zessential yesterday. He end up having muddy stool every 2-3 hours. He usually get 5-6 stool everyday. He had 9-10 yesterday.

I called the vet this morning and was told just monitoring him. Anything else I should do?

[anonymous]

Make sure he is getting adequate water/fluid intake. Puppies can become dehydrated quickly.

If it was my pup, I would insist on the vet fitting me in, TODAY. Because if your pup takes a turn for the worst over the weekend, you will have to go to the emergency vet.
He may need some subq fluids, maybe some lab work, medication for the loose stools…..
I would not wait till Monday. You will get good care at the emergency vet, but $$

Ps: Consult your veterinarian, I could be wrong…..
When you call the veterinary clinic, insist on speaking to the veterinarian. Leave a message for him to call you back when he has a minute.

[Susan]

Hi ac,
Your feeding your pup formula’s that are very rich for your pup, what was he eating when your got him?? look for a kibble that has only 1 single meat protein, the protein % no higher then 25% with limited carb ingredients.. also has your dog had his puppy vaccinations for Parvo, take back the Zignature Zessential its the richest formula Zignature make….why don’t you have him on a puppy formula??

[a c]

I put him back to Orijen puppy. He is back to normal stool. Thank goodness. I make sure he doesn’t get dehydrated. He doesn’t like plain water that much, so I gave him the water that I soaked the kibbles with and he love it.

He was on Puppy Chow when I got him @ 6 weeks old. I couldn’t feed him Puppy Chow because of the ingredients. I went to a pet store, I was told Orijen puppy is the best. I have been reading a lot about Orijen lately. That’s why I want to switch him to something else. I guess Zignature is not for him.

I am looking for something that’s not as rich as Orijen puppy.

He have received first two sets of vaccination from the vet.

[a c]

I still want to get him off Orijen puppy. I did a lot of reading/research. I think I am going to try Horizon Amicus puppy small breed. Protein 36% Fat 20% Carbs 36% Fiber 4.4% in dry matter. A little better than Orijen puppy Protein 43% Fat 23% Carbs 34% Fiber 6.8% in dry matter.

Does anyone have tried Horizon Amicus puppy small breed before? Or have other suggestion?

[Susan]

Hi ac,
can he handle the high protein at 36% min, if poos are sloppy then maybe reduce the fat % again, email Horizon ask for the max fat%, there’s also “Wellness Core” puppy & Wellness Core Small Breed for when he’s older, both Wellness formula’s have a bit less fat at 18% min normally it’s an extra 1-2 % extra for fat & protein, it depends on the brand, you’ll have to email Wellness to get the max fat %, Wellness also has their Wellness Complete grain free small breed formula’s the fat & protein is under 30% for dogs that can’t handle higher fat & protein,
Wellpet make Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack, Holistic Select has a small breed formula but I think it has healthy grains, it’s good to rotate kibbles, Wellness are pretty good they email back & answer all questions, another thing if you feed wet tin or raw food the fat % is higher then it says on the tin or raw packet, it needs to be converted to dry matter (Kibble), so when you see say 5%min fat on a wet tin or raw packet is around 20-26%max fat after being converted to dry matter, a lot of people don’t know this until their dog ends up with Pancreatitis or diarrhea…. I always feed wet tin foods that are around 2-4% fat…
What small breed do you have??
Here’s the Wellness link https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food
Wellness have toppers, their TruFood freeze dried raw you add water, I think the fat has already been converted to dry matter fat%, you’d have to ask Wellness, it’s best to rotate between a few different brands with different proteins so your dog gets use to eating everything, rotating also strengthens their immune system….

[a c]

Susan,

Thank you for your reply. He is a 12 weeks old miniature schnauzer. He has no problem with Orijen puppy kibble. His stool is like toosie roll, solid but soft. 5 times a day. He is also getting Freshpet select chicken and turkey roll and little vegetable as topper. I just want to rotate him with some other quality puppy food.

Both Holistic Select g/f puppy kibble and Eagle Pack kibble have Carbs at 47-48% in dry matter. Wellness Core puppy has Protein at 40% in dry matter. I am looking for kibbles that’s not too much on one component.

Besides Freshpet select roll, I have not introduced any raw or can diet for him. I know most of the raw diet have pretty high fat. I have learned my lesson from my senior dog with pancreatitis history.

[Author]

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