Loose Stools

[GertBert]

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I have a 4 month old labrador retriever who seems to have permanent loose bowel movements. They aren't always watery, but are always soft and leave residue when trying to pick them up. We haven't altered his diet recently, but wanted people's opinions on whether it could be his food, which is dry kibble (Hill's Science Puppy Food). He weighs around 13kg and I'm following the feeding guide on the bag. Any advice welcomed?

 

[JudyN]

Hill's Science isn't a great food, in my opinion. The main ingredient is maize, which is often used as a filler, and some dogs can be sensitive to it. I'd be looking at using a grain-free food - this site is excellent for researching dog food: All About Dog Food: The UK's Best Dog Food Reviews & Comparisons Site

It's also possible that he's having a little too much food, as I believe labs can put on weight by just looking at a piece of kibble. Remember to factor in whatever treats/leftovers he gets.

Having said this, I never found a kibble that gave my dog firm poos. In the end I put him on a raw diet and his digestion (and wind!) improved almost overnight with lovely firm poos (at least in the morning - things softened in the afternoon on walks). We have lots of info on raw feeding here if you're interested: Raw feeding

 

[arealhuman]

I can only offer my experience, we've had similar; our dog has a sensitive stomach and there was some trial and error when we first got him. We eventually settled on raw food by Honey's Real Dog Food as used by others on here. He liked it, poo went from medium-sort to hard almost overnight and he's been on that ever since, so a good two years. However, he occasionally has had bought of diarrhoea lasting a week or so, and we've had to revert to cooked chicken during this time, as advised by Honey's Healthcare team. Once settled, we'd go back to raw and all was OK until the next bout arrived. A month or so ago, he had constant diarrhoea, with me taking him out in the night so he could go to the toilet. We visited our vets, and after blood tests, it was revealed he had low B6 and B12 and high something else. They diagnosed pancreatitis and said his diet will need to change, which we're in the process of doing (Purina HA). The food, and/or meds (antibiotics, steroid injection, vitamins) have settled him, although he didn't do a poo for four days!

IMHO your dogs poo is too soft. Is it a male dog? If so, he may have issues emptying his anal glands which will need manually doing by the vet, or yourself once you've been trained how to do it! I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have any concerns at all, speak to your vet as there may be an underlying cause which you hadn't considered, which is what happened to us. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[JoanneF]

I don't want to stray off topic but that must have been disappointing @arealhuman . I'm glad he's on the mend now though.

 

[arealhuman]

I don't want to stray off topic but that must have been disappointing @arealhuman . I'm glad he's on the mend now though.

Thanks, wasn't trying to hijack this thread, thought our experience might help.

 

[JoanneF]

Oh, I meant me; not you - your experience absolutely is helpful.

Sorry for the misunderstanding @arealhuman