# Black poop from new food?



## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Hey everyone! 

Recently I've changed Sadies food from Science Diet to Purina Beyond Superfood with Salmon and Pumpkin. She gets Salmon Oil in with her food and Milkbone dog biscuits and some frozen pumpkin treats. Ever since fully changing her over to her new food she's had these dark brown to black poops. Some poops are a lighter brown. They are solid and big. 

Has this happened to you when changing to a new food?

I'm thinking about changing her again to Fromm Dog Food.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

If her poop is _black_ - I would have a fecal sample done. 

Black = possibility of blood.


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

That is what I was thinking too, but it just started happening with the new food. I'll probably get it done though.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Black all of the way through or just on the outside? Just on the outside--could just be a different carbohydate content so it oxidizes differently. Inside? To the vet, ASAP.

I hope your vet sends you a really great Christmas card...


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Just on the outside. It is brown on the inside.


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Her new food is grain free and has a lot more protein. If that makes a difference?


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

If she's not having diarrhea, grumbling tummy, or otherwise acting funky, I would just keep feeding and see how she acts. If she's fine, the food's fine.

I've tried higher protein foods with my guys before and ironically, the more expensive the food the less they tolerate it. Go figure!


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Thank you! I called the vet and that's exactly what she said. 

Oh the irony!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Hard dark tootsie rolls are what we see here every day (and have for years).


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## Rob S. (Feb 2, 2014)

SadiesWorld said:


> Her new food is grain free and has a lot more protein. If that makes a difference?


Yes absolutely. Animal protein will have a very dark stool.

Why are you giving her pumpkin? High fiber gets in the way of nutrient absorption and water absorption.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

I don't give pumpkin. We're only feeding kibble and fish or fish oil now. However, a lot of people here do. 

Is there any data showing that giving dogs the amount of fiber that's in pumpkin interferes with their nutrient absorption?


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Rob S. said:


> Yes absolutely. Animal protein will have a very dark stool.
> 
> Why are you giving her pumpkin? High fiber gets in the way of nutrient absorption and water absorption.



I give her pumpkin every other day now. Her bowel movements used to be infrequent so I used pumpkin everyday. But, this new food straightened it out.


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## SadiesWorld (Nov 13, 2012)

Susan: w/ Summit we climb said:


> I don't give pumpkin. We're only feeding kibble and fish or fish oil now. However, a lot of people here do.
> 
> Is there any data showing that giving dogs the amount of fiber that's in pumpkin interferes with their nutrient absorption?



I'd like to know this, as well!


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## Brads035 (Apr 1, 2014)

I have never heard that dark poop = high levels of protein, and I have never witnessed this in the grain free dog foods that I feed my dog. I have read that brands such as Purina put fillers in dog food to make it dark and hard on purpose- I guess so it appears firm and less smelly or hard to pick up.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

I read the dog food advisor review for the purina dog food you mentioned and it said it's more of a plant based dog food. I'm wondering if the plants could be part of it? I know when I blend veggies for my dogs, their stools are darker.


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## Rob S. (Feb 2, 2014)

graepian0 said:


> I have never heard that dark poop = high levels of protein, and I have never witnessed this in the grain free dog foods that I feed my dog. I have read that brands such as Purina put fillers in dog food to make it dark and hard on purpose- I guess so it appears firm and less smelly or hard to pick up.


I said high levels of *animal protein.* It doesn't surprise me that you haven't witnessed it because most grain free foods that are supposedly "high protein" have more vegetable fillers than something like Pro Plan.

Some foods companies have done a good job convincing consumers that peas, lentils, chickpeas and pea protein are better alternatives to other vegetable protein sources like corn gluten.

Once you add all these ingredients up, as they are all listed separately, the foods are really just vegetarian.

Peas, lentils and chickpeas are not much different than soy.

Perhaps the reason cancer keeps growing in occurrence is because of the phytoestrogens in peas, lentils and chickpeas?? Risky chemical to be eaten everyday.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Susan: w/ Summit we climb said:


> I don't give pumpkin. We're only feeding kibble and fish or fish oil now. However, a lot of people here do.
> 
> *Is there any data showing that giving dogs the amount of fiber that's in pumpkin interferes with their nutrient absorption?[/*QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## Rob S. (Feb 2, 2014)

T&T said:


> Susan: w/ Summit we climb said:
> 
> 
> > I don't give pumpkin. We're only feeding kibble and fish or fish oil now. However, a lot of people here do.
> ...


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Rob S. said:


> I said high levels of *animal protein.* It doesn't surprise me that you haven't witnessed it because most grain free foods that are supposedly "high protein" have more vegetable fillers than something like Pro Plan.
> 
> Some foods companies have done a good job convincing consumers that peas, lentils, chickpeas and pea protein are better alternatives to other vegetable protein sources like corn gluten.
> 
> ...


Or perhaps it's the genetically modified corn & soy 
GMO Corn Linked To Cancer Tumors
_(Study retracted under Monsanto bullying in 2013 but republished in 2014)_ 
Séralini Study on Toxic Effects of GMOs and Glyphosate Republished - Cornucopia Institute


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## Rob S. (Feb 2, 2014)

I agree on avoiding GMO ingredients, but there is lots of data that the chemical compounds in flax, lentils, peas and chickpeas have the potential to incite certain cancers and most certainly phytoestrogens interfere with thyroid function.


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## Brads035 (Apr 1, 2014)

I feed my dog Fromm, rotating between The Grain Free and Four Star recipes. It's hard to compare if Purina Pro Plan has a higher/lower animal protein content, but here is a comparison of the ingredients:

Fromm Grain Free Game Bird: duck, duck meal, peas, turkey, russet potatoes, pea protein, dried tomato pomace, pea flour, whole dried egg, quail, chicken meal, chicken fat, salmon oil, sweet potatoes, chicken, pheasant, cheese, flaxseed, and then yes - a lot of veggies carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, apples etc...

Purina Pro Plan Focus: chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by product meal, animal fat, barley, corn germ meal, fish meal, animal digest, fish oil, wheat bran, dried egg product, calcium phosphate etc...


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