[Jamie B]

Hello! My 70 lb coonhound mix is currently eating Merrick grain free Texas beef dry and wet mixed. He has terrible smelling gas and loose stools, even after a round of metronidazole. He’s not a big eater to begin with. Any suggestions on what I should feed him to firm up his stools? Thanks in advance!

[Pitlove]

Hi Jamie-

Some follow up questions for you– How old is he and has he always been eating Merrick? If not, what other brands have you tried with him? Did they all contain beef? Has he had issues with beef before? If you did switch to Merrick from another food was this recent and did you allow enough time with the transition to allow his stomach to adjust to the new food?

My large breed dog used to be picky as well. He wouldn’t eat when I had him on only kibble. He even refused to eat if I put canned food on the top of his kibble and even more so if I took a pate style food and mixed the kibble in with it. Finally I tried sprinkling the kibble on top of the wet and BAM he loved it. Now he eats no problem. I also offer him a variety of foods and it’s kept him from getting bored of the food. Also I found that with my dog when I added a diegestive supplement and a probiotic (I use human kefir) to his diet he was able to switch foods and his stool remained firm. Now he only gets loose stool if he gets into something he shouldnt eat (like the half a pepperoni pizza he ate the other night!!)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Pitlove.

[Jamie B]

Thanks for your reply! I adopted him about 6 weeks ago, and he was eating Merrick with his foster family for at least a month before that, so I kept him on it. He is almost 3 years old.

I’ve also been adding a probiotic. I figure a change in food will probably help I just don’t know what to switch to.

[Pitlove]

Ah alright, so they recently changed him over to Merrick. If you can contact the people that had him before you, see if they know if he has had issues with beef. Until you get more feedback from them, try a Limited Ingredient Diet without beef and see if he improves. If so, could be a beef intolerance.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jamie B-
Have you had a fecal test done to rule out worms and/or parasites? I’ve had good luck with canned Fruitables digestive supplement and The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form to help firm up stools. The website http://www.dogaware.com is a great resource in my opinion for digestive disorders. Check it out!

I’ve had great luck with Victor dog food. Good luck!

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