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Diarrhoea

Glad she's better, my dog went through a phase of this, changing his diet seems to have cured him though.

Oh no, I posted that out loud, I hope it doesn't change him!!!!
 
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just a brief note:
it takes approx 7 to 10 days to switch a dog over entirely, from one diet to another. // Rapid transitions can themselves cause serious diarrhea in an otherwise healthy dog, even when U only change from one sort of kibble to another, made by the same maker; it might be a new protein, a new carb, a novel supplement.
Sudden changes don't go over well, generally speaking, with k9 GI-tracts. :oops:

U switch foods by offering 3/4 of the "current" food with 1/4 of the new for 2 to 3 days, then half & half for 2 to 3 days, then 1/4 new to 3/4 "old" for 2 to 3 days; if at any point, the dog's stool becomes soft / semi-formed or actually wet, STOP & go back 1 step to the previous ratio; stay there for at least 3 days, then try the next step of the ratio [more new / less "old"] for at least 3 days straight to ensure it's not aggravating, before moving on to another step.
So if all goes nicely w/o issues, that's 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8 days minimum; any softening of the stool adds 3 days at least. // This sort of change is gentler on the dog's digestion, easier on the owner, & saves a lot of messy clean-up.

It's also a good idea to buy a small quantity when U change to a new food, just in case - U don't want to buy 40# of kibble on sale, or 20# of a novel meat, & then discover it really doesn't agree with yer dog. :( Being stuck with a pile of food U cannot use is the pits.
- terry

.
 
.

just a brief note:
it takes approx 7 to 10 days to switch a dog over entirely, from one diet to another. // Rapid transitions can themselves cause serious diarrhea in an otherwise healthy dog, even when U only change from one sort of kibble to another, made by the same maker; it might be a new protein, a new carb, a novel supplement.
Sudden changes don't go over well, generally speaking, with k9 GI-tracts. :oops:

U switch foods by offering 3/4 of the "current" food with 1/4 of the new for 2 to 3 days, then half & half for 2 to 3 days, then 1/4 new to 3/4 "old" for 2 to 3 days; if at any point, the dog's stool becomes soft / semi-formed or actually wet, STOP & go back 1 step to the previous ratio; stay there for at least 3 days, then try the next step of the ratio [more new / less "old"] for at least 3 days straight to ensure it's not aggravating, before moving on to another step.
So if all goes nicely w/o issues, that's 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8 days minimum; any softening of the stool adds 3 days at least. // This sort of change is gentler on the dog's digestion, easier on the owner, & saves a lot of messy clean-up.

It's also a good idea to buy a small quantity when U change to a new food, just in case - U don't want to buy 40# of kibble on sale, or 20# of a novel meat, & then discover it really doesn't agree with yer dog. :( Being stuck with a pile of food U cannot use is the pits.
- terry

.
I have changed Doris' diet all the time, Harringtons then Hills Science Plan, Pedigree and raw what can i do?
 
No I didn't change her food, the vet said to keep an eye on her, ahem..poop. if it happens more often then I may need to think about switching to something else so for now I'm sticking to Harringtons.
When we first got Eddi he was bad on lots of foods, Harringtons was one that went straight though him. All dogs are different though.
 
If you are happy with the Harrington's for her allergies, stick with it. It may not get the highest scores but all dog foods must meet minimum nutritional standards so it is fine to keep her on it. At the end of the day, the best food for any dog is the one that they do well on - some dogs thrive on foods that look terrible on paper! Views on it given here have been contradictory anyway -

Harringtons isn't the best dog food

And last month (screenshot as I couldn't find the actual quote)

Screenshot_20180320-095818.jpg
 
If you are happy with the Harrington's for her allergies, stick with it. It may not get the highest scores but all dog foods must meet minimum nutritional standards so it is fine to keep her on it. At the end of the day, the best food for any dog is the one that they do well on - some dogs thrive on foods that look terrible on paper! Views on it given here have been contradictory anyway -



And last month (screenshot as I couldn't find the actual quote)

View attachment 111975114
Yeah but i recommend it because of some of the products being allergy free. I have Doris on and of different foods Harrintons has been one and also pedigree i change her food all the time...
 
I have never found one that's any good, so i'm still looking... :)
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:eek: Violet, puppy Doris is now 10-WO. :confused:

She was breast-fed for the typical period, i presume - as i've seen no posts to indicate otherwise?
So until she was 5-WO, her diet was liquid, provided by Olive. // That leaves just 5-weeks on a solid diet.

How many brands, or different formulas by the same maker, has Doris been fed in those 5-weeks?

It takes 3 solid weeks to begin to see the results of a change in a dog's diet; it's not instantaneous.

And IMO, incessantly changing her diet over such a short period of time is the perfect way to cause digestive issues & allergenic problems, either now or later in her lifetime. // To properly digest & absorb nutrients, any k9 or human individual needs a gut-flora that is adapted to break down the foods containing those nutrients; as just one classic example among many, Americans often have a really bad time digesting soya, particularly tofu, soymilk, & TVP forms, as we lack the species of flora in our guts that are soy-adapted, or we lack sufficient numbers of the ones we've got that *can* break soy down.
Chinese, Japanese, & Korean infants don't have these problems when they transition to solid foods, as their mothers pass on a collection of gut-flora that are already adapted to the local diet; Americans lack this set of critters.

So when some well-intended American decides to 'eat healthy' & quits bacon, marbled corn-finished beef, & CAFO pork, & abruptly begins eating tofu, edamame, & TVP at practically every meal, & drinking soymilk by the pint every day, there's H*** to pay - bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, & intestinal gas are only a few of the consequences for someone who makes such a sudden change in their eating habits, BECAUSE it does not allow their gut-flora time to change the ratios of the current gut-flora, or for new critters to establish themselves & start breeding, so that this complex veg-protein can be properly disassembled into component nutrients, absorbed thru the gut-walls, & utilized.

Different foods also require different digestive enzymes - folks who are lactose-intolerant cannot produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose for absorption, & protein, cellulose, the various sugars, carbohydrates, & other food molecules need specific types of enzymes to be disassembled or altered for use in the body.
Sudden diet-changes play havoc with these digestive processes, & the consequences can be short term discomfort or long-term nutritional deficiencies, depending on what's affected & which species the animal is. // For instance, whitetail deer, like cows, have a symbiotic relationship with critters in their guts that break down the woody tissue of the plant stuff they consume, & especially in winter, when their diets are almost exclusively tough stuff - bark, twigs, coniferous needles, brush in bud, dormant moss, & other low-nutrient, high-cellulose, high bulk stuff - they are almost totally dependent on these critters.
Without large native predators, whitetails have long-since outgrown their habitat; deer are a plague in many areas of the U-S, particularly the Northeast & especially the edge-zones in suburban landscapes, where they breed like city-pigeons & alter the natural succession of tree species; after a period of starvation in late winter, thin deer can die with a bellyful of highly-nutritious foods - opening buds, sprouting grass, skunk cabbage, & other early greenery.
How do they starve to death with a full stomach? - their popn of commensals starved when their host did, but the microbes starved to death, & their host now can't digest what they ate.


I would urge U to choose a food that her dam Olive has done well on, & stick to it for a minimum of 6 to 8-weeks before changing anything, to both give Doris a break from the constant changes, & to see if this helps reduce her irritability.
Imagine how U'd behave if U had frequent bellyaches, gut-cramps, an acid stomach after eating, & other discomforts, & could do nothing to alleviate the symptoms - i think U'd be pretty irritable, too. // Whether or not this is the primary cause is immaterial; it could be a contributing factor, & some consistency in her diet could help all sorts of things, from her emotional state to her nutritional status.

High-potency probiotics [which require refrigeration to stay alive, with billions of live beneficial bacteria per capsule] & a good-quality spectrum of digestive enzymes could also be very helpful - & they cannot possibly hurt her.
RenewLife is an excellent brand; they have a number of high-potency probiotic blends to choose from, & their DigestMore ULTRA is a fantastic suite of digestive enzymes that will help break down virtually anything. Highly recommended.

- terry

.
 
.

:eek: Violet, puppy Doris is now 10-WO. :confused:

She was breast-fed for the typical period, i presume - as i've seen no posts to indicate otherwise?
So until she was 5-WO, her diet was liquid, provided by Olive. // That leaves just 5-weeks on a solid diet.

How many brands, or different formulas by the same maker, has Doris been fed in those 5-weeks?

It takes 3 solid weeks to begin to see the results of a change in a dog's diet; it's not instantaneous.

And IMO, incessantly changing her diet over such a short period of time is the perfect way to cause digestive issues & allergenic problems, either now or later in her lifetime. // To properly digest & absorb nutrients, any k9 or human individual needs a gut-flora that is adapted to break down the foods containing those nutrients; as just one classic example among many, Americans often have a really bad time digesting soya, particularly tofu, soymilk, & TVP forms, as we lack the species of flora in our guts that are soy-adapted, or we lack sufficient numbers of the ones we've got that *can* break soy down.
Chinese, Japanese, & Korean infants don't have these problems when they transition to solid foods, as their mothers pass on a collection of gut-flora that are already adapted to the local diet; Americans lack this set of critters.

So when some well-intended American decides to 'eat healthy' & quits bacon, marbled corn-finished beef, & CAFO pork, & abruptly begins eating tofu, edamame, & TVP at practically every meal, & drinking soymilk by the pint every day, there's H*** to pay - bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, & intestinal gas are only a few of the consequences for someone who makes such a sudden change in their eating habits, BECAUSE it does not allow their gut-flora time to change the ratios of the current gut-flora, or for new critters to establish themselves & start breeding, so that this complex veg-protein can be properly disassembled into component nutrients, absorbed thru the gut-walls, & utilized.

Different foods also require different digestive enzymes - folks who are lactose-intolerant cannot produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose for absorption, & protein, cellulose, the various sugars, carbohydrates, & other food molecules need specific types of enzymes to be disassembled or altered for use in the body.
Sudden diet-changes play havoc with these digestive processes, & the consequences can be short term discomfort or long-term nutritional deficiencies, depending on what's affected & which species the animal is. // For instance, whitetail deer, like cows, have a symbiotic relationship with critters in their guts that break down the woody tissue of the plant stuff they consume, & especially in winter, when their diets are almost exclusively tough stuff - bark, twigs, coniferous needles, brush in bud, dormant moss, & other low-nutrient, high-cellulose, high bulk stuff - they are almost totally dependent on these critters.
Without large native predators, whitetails have long-since outgrown their habitat; deer are a plague in many areas of the U-S, particularly the Northeast & especially the edge-zones in suburban landscapes, where they breed like city-pigeons & alter the natural succession of tree species; after a period of starvation in late winter, thin deer can die with a bellyful of highly-nutritious foods - opening buds, sprouting grass, skunk cabbage, & other early greenery.
How do they starve to death with a full stomach? - their popn of commensals starved when their host did, but the microbes starved to death, & their host now can't digest what they ate.


I would urge U to choose a food that her dam Olive has done well on, & stick to it for a minimum of 6 to 8-weeks before changing anything, to both give Doris a break from the constant changes, & to see if this helps reduce her irritability.
Imagine how U'd behave if U had frequent bellyaches, gut-cramps, an acid stomach after eating, & other discomforts, & could do nothing to alleviate the symptoms - i think U'd be pretty irritable, too. // Whether or not this is the primary cause is immaterial; it could be a contributing factor, & some consistency in her diet could help all sorts of things, from her emotional state to her nutritional status.

High-potency probiotics [which require refrigeration to stay alive, with billions of live beneficial bacteria per capsule] & a good-quality spectrum of digestive enzymes could also be very helpful - & they cannot possibly hurt her.
RenewLife is an excellent brand; they have a number of high-potency probiotic blends to choose from, & their DigestMore ULTRA is a fantastic suite of digestive enzymes that will help break down virtually anything. Highly recommended.

- terry

.
We started weaning at 3 weeks old, and i have tried her on 4 different brands. I have never found a food that Olive likes/done well on, bar one cesar but its not got a high meat rating so i only feed it if she wont eat anything else. i will have a look at RenewLife as recommended by you and get back to you.
 
Well said @leashedForLife
Very informative
I though Roxy wasn't going to do well on Harrington's at first because her poop was loose but I gave her a few weeks and she adjusted to it. Granted she had this week of upset but that may be that she needs a different protein source(flavour) so I bought a different flavour harringtons bag the other day. So maybe try different flavours as well as different brands.
 
Well said @leashedForLife
Very informative
I though Roxy wasn't going to do well on Harrington's at first because her poop was loose but I gave her a few weeks and she adjusted to it. Granted she had this week of upset but that may be that she needs a different protein source(flavour) so I bought a different flavour harringtons bag the other day. So maybe try different flavours as well as different brands.
Okay I will keep her on Simpsons puppy dry and mix the flavours as I only had her on chicken and rice
 

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