Author Topic: Need to change food for puppy - help please !  (Read 3648 times)

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Offline JimandH

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Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« on: August 04, 2020, 02:41:53 PM »
Hi all,
Newbie on here - we have Halo, a beautiful 5 mth old liver working cocker, pedigree background and very handsome chap, but maybe I am biased !  Been using CSJ Puppy since picked up from breeder as thats what they used. But, he poos a lot and still not solid (sorry if you're just having a slice of cake !).  Use to be about 20 poos a day and now about 10 but from what I have read, thats still too many.  We have an occasional 'cigar' poo but mostly piles of smelly yuk.

Otherwise he seems very healthy, full of beans and energetic, vet always been very happy - loves a chew on things (shoelaces a favourite) and still hunts out snails but seems to have stopped stones !

So time to change of food I think - appreciate there will be lots of views out there but happy to hear them please !  Am inclined to stay on dry food with occasional supplement.  My brother with a cocker uses Royal Canin, and another friend uses Beta and another Eukanuba.  Then I looked at the allaboutdogfood website and got really confused !   What I am not sure about is what I should increase/decrease in the diet to help the digestion / poos ?  More/less protein ?  Probiotic ?

Any advice / thoughts would be really appreciated,
Many thanks
Helen

Offline ejp

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2020, 03:48:48 PM »
Welcome to the forum. Food wise it depends if you want to use a kibble or a wet food. I feed Daisy on raw, and it works extremely well for her. Before that I have used Lily's Kitchen, Burns and Natures Menu wet and dry varieties. For me, dry food is as processed as you can get, but that is only my opinion. If you contact a few companies they should be happy to provide samples either free or for a small charge. Just for info  Daisy is on Honey's Real Dog Food.

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2020, 05:01:18 PM »
Hi and a warm welcome!
I‘m also a great fan of raw, its not for everyone, I realize but it has a lot of advantages over commercially produced food in my opinion and its certainly worth considering, if you haven‘t already. I mix it myself as I can‘t access any decent ready made ones where I live (Germany) but I‘m sure others on here will be happy to advise you of good suppliers in UK, if you’re interested.
 :D

Offline Mari

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2020, 06:16:39 PM »
Royal canin is a safe choice, high quality feed with plenty of options for different needs. They have a feed in their veterinary line called "gastrointestinal" that is really helpful to settle stomachs. I would consider trying that until the poos become normal and then gradually change to a normal diet. It's a good way to stabilise the stomach even if you do choose another brand/type of feed long term. Probiotics can be helpful too, pro-kolin paste for a few days or something like that. Your vet should be able to help you find a suitable diet for your dog and/or probiotics to use until the poo gets better. There is no perfect food that suits everyone, and unless you are very knowledgable about nutrition it is safer to stick with a quality brand that designs complete diets for you in my opinion   :blink:  If the digestive issues have lasted for a long time I would recommend finding a solution together with your vet. Think about it this way, if your own poos were loose for more than a week, you would likely see your doctor about it, right? There could be a medical reason (like gi parasites or maldigestion or food intolarance etc) or a special dietary need your dog has that is not typical. Vet visit is a good idea when gastrointestinal issues do not resolve quickly. Good luck   :blink:

Offline Paigemay

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2020, 03:30:57 PM »
Hi,

We had the same issues with our 9 week pup Marley! Our breeder has him on Beta originally and when we spoke with the vets she had no objection to that being a good food for him (the issue we had was we were never given the food by the breeder so mistakenly put him on a different brand). We were still having some issues with his tummy so the vets provided us with some sachets - Profloria and they are probiotics to put on his food morning and night. This, combined with boiled rice and chicken the first few days and slowly introducing his dry food sorted him out within 3/4 days and touch wood we haven’t had any runny poo’s since. I hope you can get it sorted!

Offline Nantmoel

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2021, 07:17:53 PM »
Our 7 month old black cocker Tal, was having terrible wind, Jesus he was almost constantly farting and by god the smell was horrendous! His poo was hit or miss mainly soft and a pain to pick up. So last week I change his food from Harringtons to Royal Canin, it has cured his wind and his poo is now always solid. I have to say I'll think he will eat anything - Royal Canin is cheaper if you buy the 15kg bags. Hope this helps.

Offline Nolajen

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2021, 07:08:21 AM »
Our little miss (16 weeks) was having much the same issues - eventually we have settled on a mix of Lily’s Kitchen kibble mix in with butternut box. Butternut is fresh food for dogs, and a good alternative to raw if you don’t fancy it! Scout DEVOURS her food after previously only nibbling with the kibble mixed with wet food!

Offline phoenix

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Re: Need to change food for puppy - help please !
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2021, 10:16:04 AM »
If your pup is still pooing ten times a day unformed,   I would go to the vet.  It is not normal. Take photos, take a sample in.  Obviously a food change could be an answer, but it may take time experimenting.  He may benefit from antibiotics , different ones are aimed at different problems. Snails are definitely off the menu.  Worming is essential .
He sounds an absolute beauty. 
RIP Marti  the EPI springer age 12,  and beloved black cocker Bobby, 8 yrs old, too soon, from PLN.
Now owned by TInker, tiny hairy grey poodle/terrier rescue from Greece and Jack, local rescue,   scruffy ginger terrier mutt.