[Brooke B]

Hi All,
I have a 7 month old Golden- about 3 months ago he randomly started having diarrhea and continues to have very soft stools. We have tried taking away all bones and treats and it had no affect, we’ve tried a few new ones as well. We also switched to a higher quality food and tried adding fiber and didn’t see much of a change either. The vet has tested for parasites (which I’ve heard can be hard to detect), worms, blockage, ect. and is now recommending a prescription bland dry dog food.

I know it sounds like many changes but it has happened over a a few months and has been a slow process.. some stools get slightly better but never completely normal..So, now I’m stuck and feel awful for him as he probably never feels 100% with an upset stomach.

Anyone else had this issue and not been able to find the cause? Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Pitlove]

Hi- What food was he eating before and what did you switch to?

[Brooke B]

He was on Eukanuba large breed puppy formula, which was fine until he got sick, and I switched him to Blue Wilderness Chicken puppy formula, which he is still currently on.

[Pitlove]

Both foods are chicken based. Vomitting, diaherra, excessive gas and itching are all symptoms of a food intolerance. Even with just one symptom it could mean food intolerance. I would suggest finding another large breed puppy food that does not contain chicken (its very hard especially with the dietary restrictions large breeds have) and see if the diaherra stops. Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Salmon Tunalini is an all life stages food that would be appropriate for a large breed and is fish based.

Is he doing any better on Blue or it’s the same?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Brooke B]

It’s the same. Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll look at switching up the protein. I think I read that as another option somewhere along the way 🙂

[Brooke B]

Could I try lamb versus salmon? I’ve read a lot of dogs don’t prefer salmon for some reason

[Susan]

Hi, yes change to a limited ingredient single protein kibble, a protein he hasn’t eaten before, I always recommend “California Natural Lamb & Rice” Large bites it has just 4 ingredients…. then if poos firm up, slowly add a new ingredient with the kibble, like an elimination diet, to see if he has a food intolerance or he may need a lower fat or lower fiber kibble.. California Natural Lamb & Rice is a low fiber kibble 2.5%max its worth a shot it may just work & its better then the vet diets… http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

When my boy was having poo problems he was put on vet diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” its a low residue, low fiber kibble, the fiber is only 1.7% there’s also “Eukanuba Intestinal Plus” but the fiber is higher at 4% like the Iams Intestinal, the fiber is 4% & Iams uses byproducts where Eukanuba doesn’t….

My boy has IBD & needs a low fat & low fiber diet, as soon as the fat % is over 14% fat his poos are sloppy cow patties.. if I add pumkin (high fiber) he does sloppy poos…
In time you will work out what works & what doesn’t, like you added fiber & it didn’t help, so he may need lower fiber kibble & a lot of kibbles are 4% & up, the only real low fiber diets are vet diets & the California Natural Lamb & Rice & Chicken & rice at 2.5%max fiber….

[Pitlove]

Yes you could do lamb, but again because your boy is a large breed, they have strict dietary requirements til roughly 10 months of age to prevent growth disorders.

this is a 2 yr old list of foods that are LBP appropriate. I would email the company’s to confirm the as fed calcium and phosphorus levels however: https://docs.google.com/a/selu.edu/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

once you have those numbers plug them into the calculator on this thread about large breeds: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

If the ratio falls between 1.1:1 – 1.5:1, it’s safe for large breeds.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brooke-
Is the poop either greenish or yellowish? Have you wormed him recently? Both Giardia and Coccidia are common in puppies. And both of these conditions need to have a special fecal test to detect them. Unfortunately my dogs have had both when they were puppies. Giardia can be intermittent and hard to treat. I would lean toward testing again. Also check out this site for help with diarrhea. It has a lot of helpful information in my opinion. http://www.dogaware.com
Click on digestive disorders tab. My pups did best on grain free Victor when we were battling this issue and are doing well on Whole Earth Farms now. It is very easy to digest and I think it is actually ok for large breed puppies. Good luck. Been there and it’s frustrating!

[Brooke B]

Thank you, both. I am going out today to try the California Natural Lamb & Rice.

His stool is a little more on the yellowish side but we have had him tested and just tried another de-worm medicine about 2 weeks ago.

I’ve heard Giardia can be difficult to detect so I will probably have another stool sample tested if the change in food doesn’t work again.

[Pitlove]

California Natural has a 1.6:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus so unfortunatly that is too high to feed a large breed puppy. Have a look at the list of already approved foods I posted.

[Alicia H]

HI! Dog Food May Not Be the Answer. Please have your dog checked for his B-12, Folic Acid Test. This test is done after fasting for 12 hours and will also show if the dog is EPI. Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. This condition is easily treatable. My dog lived with it for 8 years. Constant yellowish Diarrhea is an indication that EPI could be in play. Many vets think that this diarrhea could be from parasites without looking into EPI.

Good Luck,

Jeanie

[crazy4cats]

Brooke-

When my pups had coccidia, their poop was yellowish. Coccidia is not a worm or parasite. It would be a separate test. Do you know if they specifically tested for that? It is not treated with a dewormer.

I am kind of in agreement with Alicia, I’m not sure that dog food is the answer either.

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