Puppy toilet troubles!

[mrsd]

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We are first time dog owners and have a 6 month old puppy, we've had him from 11 weeks and no health issues, always flead and wormed etc and he's a very happy, confident, friendly chap. Perfect dog in most ways, but his poo is really getting me down.

When we first got him he would poo at least 10 times a day so the vet advised us to change his food, so we put him on James Wellbeloved grain free at their advice. The poos went down to between 5-7 a day but loose in the afternoons. First two in the morning are firm and great, then the rest of the afternoon they get looser until we're scraping it off the grass. (It's not watery and I wouldn't quite class it as diarrhoea though) Vet advised us to change food again so we put him on Wainwrights (not grain free anymore). He's settled down now, only having 5 a day regularly and we can predict exactly when these will be, but the same pattern of first 2 nice and firm, 3rd one fairly loose and last 2 we're scraping up.

Saw the vet again and took samples for them to test but they said it's too expensive and pointless to test so they just treated him for everything anyway. They said if it was gastro issues we'd see results within a day or two of finishing treatment but we didn't, he hasn't changed. They also said not to change his food anymore as 3 lots of food was quite a lot for him to get used to and he'd settle down on it eventually, but he hasn't.

We did think it might have been the hot weather contributing to it, but it's been cooler now for a while and no change. He is fed 3 times a day, in the middle of the recommended amounts as he's a big and greedy boy but we don't want to over feed, and apart from 4 or 5 training treats on a walk in the evening he has nothing else. We've tried stool firming tablets, boiled rice etc and nothing at all has helped. I've heard pumpkin helps but can't get hold of any. I'd love some advice please!

 

[JoanneF]

Could you be overfeeding? That is one of the common caused of sloppy poo, and in my experience most feeding guides are on the generous side. And guides are, after all, just guides. What is his body condition like? Unless he is really lean, I would be tempted to cut back a little.

Canned pumpkin is hard to get in the UK, you can get frozen squash in supermarkets - maybe not quite so good but similar enough to be worth a try. Be careful with the amount, just give a little as too much can make it worse.

 

[mrsd]

We're feeding right in the middle of what the pack recommends and we did try cutting back but he's a very big boy for his age and breed already (tall and stocky, not fat, vet says he's fine) and he was obviously hungry as he started begging for our food and getting quite snappy with it. He's due to going to 2 feeds a day anytime now so maybe that'll help, but I'm worried then that he'll be getting more at each feed and it could make it worse, maybe? Also, if overfeeding were the cause here would it only be after the first 2 meals the poo would get sloppy?

Thank you for the advice on squash, I'll look out for that and give it a try!

 

[JudyN]

This sounds like my boy. I'm sure more came out of him than went in. The solution for him was a raw diet, and the improvements were instantaneous. Particularly the wind, which before we got him off kibble was pretty unbearable!

He's still softer in the afternoon than the morning, but morning poos have had all night to fester.

Like you we had tried all sorts of kibbles and had various tests done, so I do urge you to try this. If you need any guidance/info on raw feeding just ask - there's several members here who feed it.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Is he very active? Some dogs that rush around a lot get hot and this seems to cause the poo to go runny. Nearly all of my dogs would have soft poos on the afternoon walk if they rushed around a lot and I have heard so many people say the same of their dogs.
If his poos are firm at the start of the day then it does not seem that it can be diet that is the cause.

I, too, would look at over feeding. Dogs are born hungry so do not use that as a guide on the amount to feed. Just think of cutting back as "tough love".

 

[mrsd]

Thank you for replies!

JudyN - raw diet sounds great, I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'll look into it further, thanks for your advice.

gypsysmum2 - no he's the opposite of active, he's a lazy bulldog that sleeps the vast majority of the day. He doesn't even like a walk, we don't get very far with him but he does play in the garden a fair bit with the kids when it's dry. I haven't noticed any difference in the poos though on a very lazy vs very active day.

I think we'll have to look further at over feeding. Maybe when we switch him from 3 to 2 feeds a day we'll just drop the middle one and not add the amount on to the other two and see if that helps.

 

[Caro Perry]

I use sweet potato instead of squash/pumpkin for Harri.

 

[excuseme]

A hungry dog is a healthy dog, their tummies to not have to be filled at each meal.
I have 2x, 6.5 month old puppies and they cut themselves down to 2 meals at about 5.5 months (all dogs are different) I did not have to increase the 2 remaining feeds. Our lot are fed raw
If you should be interested in raw feeding as mentioned by @JudyN , register with the "Honeys" website and order their little raw feeding book for FREE. "Honeys Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs". This is an easy little book to read and understand, you will get a lot of good advice on feeding the raw product. "Honey's" NEVER try to sell you their products. You can also purchase this book on Amazon for as little as 1p (used but like new)
I hope your tummy problem is resolved soon.

 

[millymojo1]

We are first time dog owners and have a 6 month old puppy, we've had him from 11 weeks and no health issues, always flead and wormed etc and he's a very happy, confident, friendly chap. Perfect dog in most ways, but his poo is really getting me down.

When we first got him he would poo at least 10 times a day so the vet advised us to change his food, so we put him on James Wellbeloved grain free at their advice. The poos went down to between 5-7 a day but loose in the afternoons. First two in the morning are firm and great, then the rest of the afternoon they get looser until we're scraping it off the grass. (It's not watery and I wouldn't quite class it as diarrhoea though) Vet advised us to change food again so we put him on Wainwrights (not grain free anymore). He's settled down now, only having 5 a day regularly and we can predict exactly when these will be, but the same pattern of first 2 nice and firm, 3rd one fairly loose and last 2 we're scraping up.

Saw the vet again and took samples for them to test but they said it's too expensive and pointless to test so they just treated him for everything anyway. They said if it was gastro issues we'd see results within a day or two of finishing treatment but we didn't, he hasn't changed. They also said not to change his food anymore as 3 lots of food was quite a lot for him to get used to and he'd settle down on it eventually, but he hasn't.

We did think it might have been the hot weather contributing to it, but it's been cooler now for a while and no change. He is fed 3 times a day, in the middle of the recommended amounts as he's a big and greedy boy but we don't want to over feed, and apart from 4 or 5 training treats on a walk in the evening he has nothing else. We've tried stool firming tablets, boiled rice etc and nothing at all has helped. I've heard pumpkin helps but can't get hold of any. I'd love some advice please!

My dog was like this as a pup. I cut out anything with grain and put her on a raw diet. For chews and treats, she has dried pure meats and sinew, ears trachea etc. Since then, we now have two small poos a day, no gas and a happy dog

 

[mrsd]

Thank you for replies!

Ok so since the advice on Weds we've significantly cut down his food by cutting out the midday feed totally. He's now having just 3 or 4 poos a day but still very loose, if not worse than before. Today has been really bad, even the first one of the day was loose which has never happened before. I think we will have to look at changing his diet again as he just doesn't seem to happy with this at all.

I've looked into raw food and it looks like it's going to cost us more and be a lot of work which I'm wary of with 3 young kids already but honestly I'm so sick of scraping his poos up that I think we'll have to give it a go. Thank you so much everybody

 

[Kara 1]

The raw meat i buy is half the cost of the good kibble yes its a faf but so worth doing ...

 

[JudyN]

There's lots of different ways of doing raw and it can be almost as easy as kibble. My dog has 1 chicken carcase a day plus some mince (various mixes). I just get a carcase and a pack of mince out of the freezer in the morning, then the mince gets weighed (you can judge by eye if you want) in a bowl and plonked in front of him with the carcase. So it's probably as straightforward as breakfast cereal with milk!

Unless you're feeding really cheap kibble it shouldn't be more expensive, depending on where you buy it. It ranges from the equivalent of Tesco economy mince to Waitrose best organic, free range, top-quality mince - and there's nothing wrong with Tesco economy if you're on a budget.

You can also get 'complete' raw in nuggets which you simply pour into the dog's bowl - though this would be a more expensive option and I found for some reason they didn't help with my dog's poos.

Do say if you'd like any more guidance on introducing raw feeding - I haven't read the book @excuseme recommended but I'm sure that would be an excellent place to start too.

 

[excuseme]

Feeding raw products is as easy as @JudyN has mentioned, it does not have to be "completely" balanced every day as it balances itself over a period of a few weeks. (provided you use a variety of products which will include bones, offal and different meat types)
You do not have to mince it or chop it up small, our dogs have teeth for doing this.
Tesco and Sainsbury's sell economy frozen meats and chicken portions, they are all fine. And if you forget to take your meat out of the freezer to thaw , it is not a disaster, our dogs will eat it frozen without coming to any harm !
Poo picking will become a pleasure, they are hard and firm with far less smell than the big soft kibble poo's.
Take care with what treats you feed, (these can upset delicate tummies) maybe something natural like dried sprats "Pets at home" are the cheapest I can find, but we hardly ever give treats to our lot!
Do consider getting the "Honey's" FREE book, order online.

.

 

[JoanneF]

@excuseme this company is cheaper for sprats but you would have to factor in postage - but if you buy several things from the wholesale range it is still good value.

Pet Treats Wholesale Limited - Natural Dog Treats and Gourmet Sausages

 

[excuseme]

I will have a look at that site it is probably worth remembering, thank you @JoanneF
As mentioned we ourselves hardly ever give treats but a piece of carrot or capsicum pepper goes down really well.

 

[JoanneF]

I will have a look at that site it is probably worth remembering, thank you @JoanneF
As mentioned we ourselves hardly ever give treats but a piece of carrot or capsicum pepper goes down really well.

Well, they are certainly easy to get, and healthy!

 

[Pauline graham]

Hi every one am new to this site . We have a puppy who is 8 month and we have put him on royal caian dog food his poo is no longer soft hope this helps

 

[excuseme]

We feed our lot raw meat!
I certainly would never feed a product made with so much waste/ cheap filler products as the Royal Canin. There are now many more better quality products on the market.
ROYAL CANIN Puppy ingredients. Highest amounts first;
Chicken by-products, Rice, Corn, chicken fat, wheat gluten, Wheat, Beet pulp, Rice hulls, and a few other bits and pieces! NO % details given and high by-products.
Adult ingredients Highest amounts first;
Rice, Chicken by-product meal, Wheat, Corn, Gluten meal, chicken fat, Beet pulp.
NO % details given, very high by-products
I know that our dogs are scavengers and survivors, but they also have teeth for eating meat, which makes them part of the meat eating carnivore family.
Maybe to help avoid health issues/allergies later in life you would do better to feed at least a grain free product and something with less cheap bulking agents! And better ways to remedy sloppy poo's too.

 

[mrsd]

We really don't have much freezer space as a family so I worry about raw feed not being suitable for us but if it's best for our dog then we'll have to make it work it somehow. We've been concerned over the quality of complete dog food for the reasons mentioned above, that it's mostly filler and rubbish. The vet told us to switch to James Wellbeloved Grain Free the first time but it didn't help and he's now on Wainwrights but as I say it seems not to be helping either. My husband would rather we tried a better quality complete as a last try before we look at raw feeding. Would grain free be best? Any ingredients to avoid/try for firming up poos or to help sensitive stomachs?

 

[JoanneF]

You could try adding some cooked pumpkin or squash - not too much - you can buy frozen squash in supermarkets.

If you do want to reconsider his food you could have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) on a scale of 0 to 5. You can set filters for your dog's weight, age etc and choose to view only the foods scoring, say, 4 and above. Then you can show them listed according to daily feeding cost so you can see what gives you best value for money.