[Norman S]

Hello,

I have a 9 month old Chocolate Lab and we have been feeding her Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult dry dog food for a few months and have noticed that all her poops are extremely wet and soft. I’m not too sure if she is allergic to something in the food or if she needs grain free but the vet has been NO HELP so I turn to you guys! I need a dog food for a lab that will firm up her stool, I was thinking Hypoallergenic Dog Foods but I am not sure.. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[Angel76736]

Try blue buffalo, they have their freedom and basics line. Both are grain free. They have ones for large breed as well. Petsmart usually carries a large selection of blue buffalo food. I personally use blue buffalo basics large breed dry food. It has worked great. It leveled out both of my dogs digestive issues. I had gone through several different types of food and once I got on them on blue buffalo everything leveled out nicely. Hope this helps you with your pup.

[Z B]

I’ve had the same issue with my new dog. But We’re having luck with this:
/dog-food-reviews/go-sensitivity-shine-grain-free/
the duck formula.
It’s the first food we’ve tried that has firmed up her stool.

[InkedMarie]

Vets get very little nutritional education. You need to be careful what you feed a large breed puppy; go to the Diet & Health issues forum here and read the stickie on top, highlighted in yellow, on what is appropriate foods for large breed puppies. I’m not sure if it’s “too late” or not.

I would not feed anything by Blue Buffalo; they’ve had their share of problems.

You can try a spoonful of canned pumpkin (the one without the spices) while you transition. Also, over feeding can be a cause.

[pitlove]

Hi Norman-

At 9 months old, your puppy is not ready to be eating an adult maintenance formula because she is a large breed. Large breed puppies require a very specific diet to help reduce their risk for orthopedic disorders. Adult maintenance formulas are far too high in calcium for a large breed puppy.

You could either try the puppy formula of the Royal Canin Breed Specific formulas if you are interested in staying with RC or the Maxi Puppy formula. You may also look into Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. I find Pro Plan has very good digestability.

[Susan]

Hi, I have a dog with IBD & I’ve tried most of the vet diets Hypoallergenic & Intestinal & they were a waste of money, they made Patch itch & scratch, smell yeasty cause he’s sensitive to wheat, maize gluten, barley, corn/maize meal, beet pulp & chicken…..Royal Canine & Hills & their vet diets have chicken as the protein, they call it poultry meal which is a by product chicken…. after trying vet diets, premium kibbles grain free & grain, “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula is excellent the first time in 2-3 yrs Patch is doing nice firm poos all the time not for a couple of weeks then sloppy soft poos.. its been 6 months & still doing 2 small firm poos a day. The TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb is an all stages kibble, so puppies can eat it as well.
Contact & email TOTW & ask for their formula booklet & some samples of their puppy formulas & their all life stages formulas like Sierra Mountain……
Try a grain free kibble with limited ingredients, if that doesn’t work then try a kibble with a few different ingredients to the one you just tried with a different protein, chances are the Royal Canine ur feeding has Chicken/Poultry as the protein with maize/corn & gluten or something that’s she’s sensitive tooo…..

Home

also protein I have found Fish & Lamb work the best for Patch, when I feed Patch a kibble that’s too high in a protein over 28% he gets sloppy poos as well, maybe start keeping a diary & make sure the kibbles you buy are money back guaranteed so you can get a refund…another kibble that’s pretty good for dogs with sensitive stomach/bowel is “California Natural” Lamb & Rice it has just 3 ingredients..
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[anonymously]

I don’t agree with this comment “Vets get very little nutritional education.”
Also, if the vet has been no help, why not seek the services of another vet.
Keep trying till you find one that you like and trust.
If you don’t see improvement in your dog’s condition within a reasonable amount of time, consider consulting a board-certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist….it might be cost effective in the long run.

Below is an excerpt from:”More Nonsense from Holistic Vets about Commercial Therapeutic Diets”
Posted on July 20, 2016 by skeptvet
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/ click on link to find the complete article

“2.Vets know nothing about nutrition-”

“This is particularly hypocritical given that the claims made about the evils of commercial food and the virtues of alternative diets are generally made by—yup vets!— and these folks have no more training or expertise than the rest of us. In fact, the most reliable source of expertise on pet food are board-certified veterinary nutritionists, veterinarians with extensive training in nutrition. However, their claims are casually dismissed with innuendos or accusations about financial bias by vets who themselves make their living selling the stuff they advocate for.”

[pitlove]

Word of warning when recommending Taste of the Wild to someone with a large breed puppy…only their two puppy formulas are safe for a growing large breed. Just because it says all life stages and can be fed to a small or medium size dog doesn’t mean it’s safe for a large breed.

[Maria K]

I would avoid Royal Canin and Purina. Blue Buffalo, Go!, Taste of the Wild, and California Natural are all tricky because some of their formulas are great and some aren’t. Just be sure to choose carefully!

[InkedMarie]

Since I have friends who are already vets or in vet school, I will take what they say over whatever you’re going to post, anonymously. I mean no disrespect but I disagree with most everything you post. I don’t need a vet to help me with canine nutrition. If I did, it would be a veterinary nutritionist of my choosing.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by InkedMarie.

[anonymously]

We can agree to disagree, after all, we are just voicing opinions. There is nothing to debate.
Any pet owner with serious issues should consult a veterinarian, I assume most people know that.

I used to avoid vets too. I learned the hard way this was not a good idea.

I listened to folks pushing raw diets and such (internet forums) in the past only to end up at the emergency vet $

I now take my advice regarding treatment/diet issues from a vet that has examined my dog.
Every pet is unique, but I share information if I think it will be helpful, short of giving medical advice.

[InkedMarie]

I don’t think deciding on a dog food is a serious issue needing a vets advice.
I don;t avoid vets…..except regarding nutrition 🙂
I feed raw but I don’t push it. What happened that you ended up at the ER vets? I feed ground raw with bones to gnaw on for dental health & some turkey necks as well.

[anonymously]

The question the op posted was regarding loose stools, the poster also implied that the dog was under the care of a veterinarian and the dog’s condition had not improved to his satisfaction. It was not clear if medical issues were ruled out or what might be causing the loose stools in the first place, other than dog food.

Regarding raw food:
ER visit #1 and #2 GI distress and blockage, due to gnawed/finely ground up bone turning into cement-like substance in stomach and colon. Dog was in pain and distress and unable to have a bowel movement without crying. Dog had to be followed for a few days to make sure the cement moved otherwise surgery would have been necessary.
Vet visit for broken tooth (not a clean break) causing pain after gnawing on a “raw meaty bone” Extraction needed.
Other problems associated with raw food with dogs in my care: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
In general, GI disturbance.
So, it’s not something I’ll try again. I have other concerns also, I prefer food to be cooked.
Especially meat, chicken, egg, fish, for obvious reasons.
Since brushing their teeth daily very rarely have they needed professional dental cleanings, so I don’t believe that bones are necessary. I find other things they can chew on, like playing ball to exercise the jaw.

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