[Nancy M]

I’ve been writing in about a now 7 week old mini-Aussie puppy being treated for Giardia AND Coccidia. He’s been on liquid forms of Albon and Panacur for 6 days now, with intermittent improvement, but for the most part, not improved much. Today we hope to have the vet change the Panacur to Metronitizole.

Since he’s been sick with all of this, he’s been on a homemade chicken/rice diet. At times when we’ve seen a hint of relief, we’ve tried adding in a tiny bit of the kibble his breeder had him on, which is Diamond small breed puppy (chicken & rice formula). He can’t stay on this homemade stuff for a whole lot longer. At some point, he’s got to get on regular food!

Whether it’s the Diamond food (I hate Diamond) or just the parasites still causing havoc, he continues or reverts back to very runny diarrhea again. Provided the vet will change to the Metronitizole today, we want to start back introducing regular food as soon as it’s even possible, but the big question is:

With the exception of raw or homemade, what do all of you feel is a good product to start with as far as a good kibble/wet diet, that may have the best results right now and provide a highly digestible, nutritional and the smoothest transition for this puppy?

PLEASE REPLY WITH SUGGESTIONS, ASAP!

[Nancy M]

P.S. I would prefer to find a food that is available locally, for now, so I can get started on this in a day or two..I have a Petco, Petsmart and Tractor Supply available to me.

[theBCnut]

Look for NutriSource. it is usually easy to transition to. If you can’t find that then another chicken and rice food will do, just don’t get Blue Buffalo, a lot of people are having diarrhea problems with their dogs on BB lately. You can get 4Health grain free chicken at Tractor Supply, but don’t use the regular 4Health, it is a Diamond food.

If you are willing to go with canned, Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms is a good food to start getting him back on regular food.

[RescueDaneMom]

Here is the link to the top rated puppy foods: /best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/
I don’t shop at Petsmart so I’m not sure what they have there. I skimmed the list for what I thought you could find at Tractor Supply/Petco.

Tractor Supply:
4Health puppy formula (4 stars)

Petco:
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Puppy (4.5 stars)
Castor and Pollux Organix Puppy (4.5 stars)
Halo Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon Puppy (4 stars)
Halo Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken Puppy (4 stars)
Holistic Select Nourish Puppy (4 stars)
Holistic Select Small & Mini Breed Nourish Puppy (4 stars)
Holistic Select Grain Free Adult and Puppy Health (4.5 stars)
Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Medley (4.5 stars)
Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit (4.5 stars)
Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Puppy (4 stars)
Wellness Super 5 Mix Just for Puppy (4.5 stars)
Wellness Super 5 Mix Small Breed Just for Puppy (4.5 stars)

Note: I think the Wellness is called Wellness Complete Health now instead of Super 5 Mix. I like the look of the 4Health (it’s lamb), Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Puppy, Wellness Puppy, Halo Chicken Puppy, and Nature’s Variety. I would also use any of the canned foods by the brands above. Just make sure the can says for puppies or all life stages.

I hope this helps.

[DogFoodie]

I would definitely second Patty’s suggestion for NutriSource. When my Golden pup was a wee baby and having lots of issues with loose stool, I put him on the NutriSource Adult chicken & rice, and it worked like magic for him almost immediately.

[InkedMarie]

I agree with NutriSource. Keep in mind if you order, you should have it in two days, just don’t order from doggie food.com

[DogManDan]

kudos to rescuedanemom for making a list… that should give a different variety 🙂

[Nancy M]

Yes…..I am so appreciative, really. I’ve just been totally consumed with this puppy. What a nightmare this has been! Finally some improvement though! But special thanks to rescuedanemom for so much information and so much time spent!

[RescueDaneMom]

You are very welcome. I had the time so I did it. I’ve heard the same regarding Nutrisource being well-tolerated and easy to switch to but I didn’t include it because I know the big stores don’t sell it. If you have an independent pet store near you, they should probably carry it.

I’m glad your puppy is improving now. Keep us updated! 🙂

[Nancy M]

Dear Betsy Greer,

Sorry that I have not seen a particular post back to me, until just now, actually quite by accident. I was trying to follow back up with you about a different response you had given, and I saw one I had not seen before. Don’t know what happened, but anyway…….

I was trying to find the post that specifically mentioned the Nutrisource food you had suggested because I thought for sure you had recommended the ADULT formula of the Chicken and Rice. So I was wanting to double-check that and sure enough that’s what it said. So my question is, why the ADULT formula and not the puppy chicken and rice? Surely they must make a puppy formula? Either there’s a specific reason for that, or it was a “typo” or something??????? Please explain.

Addressing your response that I had not seen before……thanks so much for your obvious concern of this puppy! Here’s an update.

It’s been two weeks today that the meds were started. It has been an upside and downside battle, to put things lightly. But all in all, I think he’s doing quite well, most of the time. We’ve had to adjust/add to some of his meds and stay in close contact with the vet. As I may have mentioned, I have this puppy 3 – 4 days a week while my daughter is working, then on Thursdays, she takes him home until Sunday night again. This last Thursday, he had finally turned the corner, and the stools, while being very large and semi-frequent, looked completely normal. However, over the weekend, he regressed again, for whatever reason. Started him back on the Albon again last night, even though a fecal on Saturday did not show any Coccidia. But vet said it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s not something still there. So now today, I have him back again. He had a good night and as of this morning, stools look back to normal. But in my opinion, I think he still would benefit from a food change, as soon as he shows solid signs of stability. That’s why I was re-visiting puppy food recommendations, particularly those who have pretty consistently recommended this NUTRISOURCE. Problem is that my daughter is not anywhere close to where I am as far as being picky about dog foods. So, I’m probably fighting a losing battle here.

I also have suspicions that this little pup is being adversely affected by changing households like this…..mine is quiet and relaxed; being just me (and I’m a 62 year old single retiree) and my 3 year old Sheltie (who just absolutely adores this little puppy). Hers is full of action and rather chaotic, from being a working mom, 2 young children and a farm to manage. I firmly believe it is all adding way too much stress to an already stressed out puppy. I intend to speak with her and urge her to consider finding another home for this pup, once he is well and stable (if that can be achieved). I don’t want a puppy (or grandchild) to raise, and even though I’m glad to help out temporarily, I doubt this is going to be temporary…..at least anytime soon. I think this puppy needs and deserves a stable, better suited environment. Anything short of that is going to delay his recovery as well as affect his overall security and emotional development. Obviously, my daughter has either forgotten what all is involved in raising a puppy and/or quite likely, never tried to care for one with these issues. It’s very tough! Been there – done that, more than I ever wanted, but what else can you do? You just get through it! Unfortunately, I think other issues in her household are making it even tougher and longer!

So, while the pup is doing very well at this time, there is a lot more to do and think about here. I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me. Thank you so much for being concerned and giving your valuable advice.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Nancy-

So glad that the puppy is doing better in your care. I agree that your daughter’s household may not be the right fit if he regresses when he is in her care. Regarding the food…you have to look at the AAFCO statements to see if a food is acceptable for a puppy. Puppies need formulas for growth or all life stages. The nutrisource adult chicken and rice is an all life stages food so it is ok to feed your puppy. This is taken from their website “NutriSource® Adult Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.” The small and medium puppy chicken and rice formula is also an all life stages food. The main difference is in the protein and fat content as well as the kibble size. The puppy food is more calorie dense so you would probably feed less of it than you would the adult food.

Here are links to the two formulas I mentioned:
http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/products/adult
http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/products/small_medium_breed_puppy

I hope this is helpful. I wish you the best and hope you get everything figured out. 🙂

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by RescueDaneMom.

[Nancy M]

Rescuedanemom,

Thanks ever so much for your reply and the information! That’s just I wanted to know!

[Author]

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