# Still waiting for firmer stools



## Coffee'sDad (Mar 10, 2008)

Me too!........Sorry wrong thread.... I forgot this was the GR forum.... must have had a senior moment.

dg


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

My daughter's boy, Jersey, had a problem with Innova similar to what you are going through. All the other littermates are still on Innova except one (raw diet) and have never had a problem with it. I think some foods just don't click with some dogs for whatever reason. She switched him over to Eagle Pack Holistic and did great on that right from the get go.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

Im still waiting for firmer stools since using the honest kitchen only once on friday nite. her stools are very very soft!! im going to give it another couple of days and if they are still soft...then i don't know!! May just have to go back to Orijen she did the best on that..It's just the high protein im worried about. but she was growing just fine on it as well


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## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

Sometimes adding pumpkin will firm stools. I had an awful time with Phoebe for over a year finding food that didn't produce loose stools/diarrhea. I finally tried Eagle Pack and she hasn't had problems since (she's been on it since March of 2007).

Jan, Seamus, Gracie & Phoebe


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

I will do the pumpkin for a few days, gosh id hate to switch foods again!! what eagle pack? holistics for large/giant breeds?


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Shadow had the smallest and firmest stools on the Fish Formulas. He's fine on Canidae Lamb and Rice, but I do notice Tucker has softer stools and he eats the Canidae Platinum.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

I'm hearing a lot about Eagle Pak, so I may give that a go. It's like the lottery, you have to hit it! People who have experienced this problem seem to have success with Eagle Pak, so I guess we'll pick up a small bag and do a slow change.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

skeller said:


> I'm hearing a lot about Eagle Pak, so I may give that a go. It's like the lottery, you have to hit it! People who have experienced this problem seem to have success with Eagle Pak, so I guess we'll pick up a small bag and do a slow change.


Make sure to get the Holistic version, not the regular.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

Tahnee GR said:


> Make sure to get the Holistic version, not the regular.


They have a holistic large/giant puppy formula... this seems like the one to go with.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Many will tell you that at 6 1/2 months you may want to seriously consider taking your pup off puppy food and going to the adult formula.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

AmbikaGR said:


> Many will tell you that at 6 1/2 months you may want to seriously consider taking your pup off puppy food and going to the adult formula.


Benny is only 3 months old. Our breeder said to change to adult food at 6 months.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

skeller said:


> Benny is only 3 months old. Our breeder said to change to adult food at 6 months.


There's that OFS (Old Fart Syndrome) again :doh:. I must have confused this thread with another about a 6 month old, or maybe I just imagined it. OFS really stinks!


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## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

I use Eagle Holistic Lamb & Rice with Phoebe. Pumpkin is a source of fiber and helps firm stool when it's loose and soften stool when it is causing constipation. When I get a foster here from a puppymill, I immediately put the dog on pumpkin and it's proven to be very helpful. Sometimes just adding yogurt to your dog's kibble will solve loose stool problems, it did not work for Phoebe though.

I would not feed anything, not even the chicken and rice diet until at least this evening. I would not withhold water, but I would limit water, so just put a little in the bowl and add more as needed throughout the day. Sometimes the tummy just needs a rest. 

Remember to add new food to a diet slowly. If you are going to try a new kibble, just add a little bit to the rice and chicken increasing a little every day.

Jan, Seamus, Gracie & Phoebe


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## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

Given that this puppy is so young, I'd take a stool sample in and have the puppy checked for coccidia and other parasites just to be on the safe side.

Jan, Seamus, Gracie & Phoebe


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

Phoebe said:


> Given that this puppy is so young, I'd take a stool sample in and have the puppy checked for coccidia and other parasites just to be on the safe side.
> 
> Jan, Seamus, Gracie & Phoebe


He's been checked recently. His stool is just on the loose side, difficult to pick up. He goes regularly 3x a day ( the same time every day). He is gaining weight (28.5 lbs. at 3 months). In addition, the stool smells terrible, and he is gassy at certain times of the day. I just thought that a different food might produce better results.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

Skeller- in your case i would probably try the eagle pack holistics. are you going to do the large/giant puppy if so it's a light green bag. also, i am going to do the pumpkin tonite in her innova although i believe it was the honest kitchen i used to cause her diarehhea. but i am going to do it anyways. good luck with the switch..


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

gggirl said:


> Skeller- in your case i would probably try the eagle pack holistics. are you going to do the large/giant puppy if so it's a light green bag. also, i am going to do the pumpkin tonite in her innova although i believe it was the honest kitchen i used to cause her diarehhea. but i am going to do it anyways. good luck with the switch..


I'm going to pick up a small bag of the Eagle Pak holistic large breed puppy today and try it tonight. Good luck to you with the pumpkin. Let's compare notes later.......
Suanne


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

yes i will let you know as you do the same. I hope she poos later so i can see how it is... good luck will check back in tonite.. Jan


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## sifuyono (May 8, 2008)

skeller said:


> We still see no change in Benny's stool. He has been on Innova for about 2-3 weeks, and his stool is like soft ice cream. Before we start putting stuff into his food, I am still wondering whether there may be a food that will give him firmer stool. He is doing well on Innova, he loves it, and he is gainining weight. What to do?????
> Considerations for new food: Eagel Holistic, Canidae ALS, Dick Van Pattens, Merrick Puppyplate.
> Just weighed Benny, he's 28.5 lbs at 13 weeks. BTW, his stools were much looser on Wellness, and he refused to eat it after a well.


try eaglepack natural formula, the result will be seen in just 2 days


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

skeller said:


> He's been checked recently. His stool is just on the loose side, difficult to pick up. He goes regularly 3x a day ( the same time every day). He is gaining weight (28.5 lbs. at 3 months). In addition, the stool smells terrible, and he is gassy at certain times of the day. I just thought that a different food might produce better results.


Either something doesn't agree with his system or maybe he's eating something other than just his food. It's spring and many things are now sprouting out of the ground that can cause gas, foul smells, and soft poops.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

Finally firm poops this morning!! but she did walk away and try to go more and that was just a bit softer. I guess it was the Honest Kitchen, so I am sticking with just the kibble and a teaspoon of the innova canned or boiled chicken from now on.


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## videochicke (Dec 29, 2007)

Sounds like your pup is growing fast! Here is a link to weight/age for goldens:

http://www.goldenretriever.lv/rhonda_slow_grow.htm


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## DelmarvaGold (Mar 7, 2006)

AmbikaGR said:


> My daughter's boy, Jersey, had a problem with Innova similar to what you are going through. All the other littermates are still on Innova except one (raw diet) and have never had a problem with it. I think some foods just don't click with some dogs for whatever reason. She switched him over to Eagle Pack Holistic and did great on that right from the get go.


I agree with Hank. I tried Innova a long time ago and my dogs had soft stools.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

We are currently switching to Blue Puppy Lamb and Rice. We think he may be sensitive to chicken, since he had loose stool on both Wellness and Innova. I had a helpful person at the store who went through all of the foods with me. This actually has 23% protein, as opposed to 26% in the others. If he's growing too fast, I'm assuming this may be a better option. Benny loves the new food, he eats his mixture until the new food is gone, then goes over to the table where the bag is, and just sits in front of it. He looks at the bag, then he looks back at me. Do you think he's trying to tell me something????


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

glad he likes his food!! How are his poops although it may be too soon to tell?? good luck. I hope my pups remain firm or i will have to search for another myself!!


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

gggirl said:


> glad he likes his food!! How are his poops although it may be too soon to tell?? good luck. I hope my pups remain firm or i will have to search for another myself!!


Can't tell yet; they may get softer first.


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I would go ahead and try something else then. Sometimes as Hank said foods just don't click with some dogs. Glad he liking his new food. Keep up posted.


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## jdesiree76 (Jan 16, 2008)

My puppies continue to have soft serve stool as well. Finally after a couple of weeks of trying pumpkin, things got better and then went right back to soft, they went in to the vet and the vet could not find anything. He gave Flagel just to be safe. I have switched their foods twice since getting them, they went from Pro Plan, to Chicken Soup, to California Natural. They seem to like all of the food and I do not want to switch them. Their dry skin and gas have improved, but the poo is gross. Dont know what to do. They have been on the California Natural for over a month about 6 weeks. I dread taking them out for fear of people thinking something is wrong with them. Dont know what to do especially since it is both of them and not just one.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

WELL......... jello poop this morning and lighter brown than normal!!!! i don't know what to do. Should i have stayed with the ORIJEN lbp? her stools were firm and dark on that after she got used to it. I think the innova is just not agreeing!! help.. what should i do? try another food, go back to Orijen???


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

gggirl said:


> WELL......... jello poop this morning and lighter brown than normal!!!! i don't know what to do. Should i have stayed with the ORIJEN lbp? her stools were firm and dark on that after she got used to it. I think the innova is just not agreeing!! help.. what should i do? try another food, go back to Orijen???


What is the difference between the two foods? Innova has chicken which some can be sensitive to. What about Orijen? Why did you switch? We are looking for those firm dark stools that are easy to pick up. I would stay with anything that would produce that.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

the difference is Orijen is grain free so it's higher in protein which some people say high protein can cause growth too fast, but newer research over the past 10 or more years proves that is not the case. My vet who i shouldn't have listened to told me to switch!! so i went with innova and now loose jello poops!! Orijen gave her firm dark stools and so easy to pick up and she was growing perfectly fine on it!! I think it is probably the best food out there. Alot of grain frees are high in calcium 2%-3% which is what can cause growth issues and bone issues but orijen LBP is only 1.4%. I don't know what to do. should i go back to orijen?? They both have chicken and turkey so i know she isn't allergic to those 2.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

I just looked at the ingredients, Orijen is impressive. It does have 42%protein which is extemely high. I would worry about the growth rate with such a high protein percentage. Wouldn't that make the dog extremely active as well, I know that they do use all of the protein, which does cause high activity level. My trainer said to try to keep to 25% or lower. That's one of the reasons we are trying Blue Buffalo as well.


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

My husband just reported that Benny had diarhea this morning. I may have given him too much of the new food may have caused this. I'm going to slow down the switch. He picks out the new food, then goes to the bag and looks at me with those adorable puppy eyes, I can't help giving him more:gotme:.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Innova is a pretty "rich" food. And I've read quite a few who have the loose stool issue with it. If you're going to switch again, I'd suggest either Canidae or Eagle Pack Holistic. Get small bags until you're sure it's a food they like. I don't think I would go back to the Orijen for both the reason of the quality control issue they're having and also that the protein content is SO high for a young pup. Just my opinions. You also might try adding a little 100% canned pumpkin to their food and see if that helps firm them up.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

Hi and my power has been off all day!! I called my vet and she said to stick with innova for 1 more week and add pumpkin or yogurt so i am going to do that in a few minutes for her dinner. she only went one time today and that was this morning at 6 am so it cant be too bad diareahha or she'd go alot more!!! Will update on the poop tonite if she goes!!


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

Tonight was a little better. Can't figure it out. We go to the vet tomorrow, maybe he'll shed some light.


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## arcane (Sep 18, 2007)

my dogs did poorly on Innova. I would go with one of the other choices, before adding a whole bunch of extras into his/her food.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

any suggestions? Id like to give it alittle more time because other than loose stools she is acting perfectly fine and still growing. Eagle pack holistics is lamb based. How about that or canidae? not sure. i heard of by nature organics but i can't get it. what else?


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

if i did do the eagle pack holistics would i get the large breed puppy? she is 6.5 months old? my breeder keeps and recommends large breed pup until 2 years of age i think a year to switch is fine though..


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

gggirl said:


> if i did do the eagle pack holistics would i get the large breed puppy? she is 6.5 months old? my breeder keeps and recommends large breed pup until 2 years of age i think a year to switch is fine though..


Oh wow. I switch over to adult by 18 weeks old.


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## RileyStar (Mar 24, 2008)

My vet wants us to stay on it for a year, in the past I've only fed it for 6 months to my dogs. I think I'm gonna feed it for a year to make sure she has all the vitamins she needs and such!


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

My breeder said to switch from puppy food at 6 months.


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## marieb (Mar 24, 2008)

Maybe you could try the Canidae ALS if you're not having much luck with the other food. I know it's different for every dog but Maddie has been doing great on it and her stools are very firm. Good luck!


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

Riley star what do you feed your puppy? i think if this doesn't clear up, i will look into eagle pack or canidae. She hasn't pooped since this morning and doesn't look like she will tonight she goes to sleep by 9 pm.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

oh forget it i just saw you feed innova lbp too!! does she have loose stools? and how much do you feed i was doing 4 cups a day 2 in the am and 2 at nite. i lessened it tonite so we will see........


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

glad I read this thread...the lst week we had Bridger 6.5 mo) we gave him adult food and life was great, switched to a lamb/rice puppy & softer stools and GAS!! since consensus seems to be split for his age, I'm going to l/2 adult, l/2 puppy feed for a few months ---- should that be alright?


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

i was reading somewhere else that once they took the puppy off puppy food and put on adult, the soft stools and gas disappeared!! i may have to do that. the adult innova is almost identical to the lbp. Haven't checked her poop yet, it's early and still dark outside...


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

PERFECT POOP!! TMI i know but it was firm not alot and dark!!! I guess she either got into something or it's the canned or salmon oil. So, i will stick with the organic yogurt for a good week and boiled chicken..and stay away from the oil/canned for a while.. thanks


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

well it's been a week or so and her poops were fine and now the last 2 days really soft again. I noticed when it's firm there is more again. She also has a dry patch of skin the size of a pea on her face next to her nose. It's white and dry. Could all of this be the Innova LBP? any suggestions?


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

Has she been exposed to any gardening chemicals? We are starting to introduce Natural Balance Potato and Duck, few ingredients.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

No she hasn't been exposed to anything so I don't understand why it's so soft again! and i give her daily a teaspoon of yogurt nothing else. Of course a few treats during the day which are Wellness Bites or Taste of the wild bison kibbles as treats but she has been taking those for a while now so it's not that. I guess i'll keep an eye. I will look into natural balance also. She did have the best poops on the Orijen but i want to hold off now on that till she is grown. What's the protein in Nat. balance? I'll go look it up......


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## skeller (Mar 5, 2008)

It's 21%, but some believe that it's ok for puppy food to have less. My trainer recommended this, as too much protein causes too rapid bone growth which can cause problems later on. He's actually much calmer today. He's much less hyper and "BITEY".


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