# Food increased pooping? Big time!!



## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

So I wanted to make sure my 4 1/2 month Papillon puppy is receiving the best diet possible. I have her on Purina Puppy Pro Plan Small Breed Formula. A pet store I frequent quite a bit sells a product called The Honest Kitchen which is a dehydrated raw foods diet. The owners, who regularly attend dog related seminars and appear to be very informed, reccommend and sell it. I decided to give 1/2 the daily requirement of it and 1/2 the daily requirement of my puppies kibble rather than switch cold turkey. It doubled her poops from 2-3 a day to 5-6 a day. Now isn't that crazy!! When you look at contents of the food you hydrated you can really see the chicken peices, beans, etc...it has no fillers and is 100% natural. I thought the better quality the less they pooped b/c their body did not have all the corn fillers to expel? It did not upset her tummy, so it was not increased b/c of that, as it all appeared very normal. What are your thoughts?


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

This means she ALLERGIC! Purina is a poor quality food, IMO and isn't real great for your dog. There are probably ome ingredients in the raw diet that she's allergic to. It doesn't matter if it's "all natural"


You don't just switch "Cold turkey" with your dogs diet, it's a gradual thing.


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

I didn't switch cold turkey. If she was allergic wouldn't it be diarreha? I did not realize until recently that Purina Pro Plan was not good quality so I just don't know what to do. I have also been exploring Ennova Evo and think I might try it but its difficult to really watch her b/c we work.


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

I know you didnt switch her cold turkey..I said that's not the way to do it anyway.

Innova EVO is great food. 

Allergies won't necessarily give your dog diarrhea. My dog has MASSIVE alergies to I don't know what, but the Dermatologist told me if she poops more than 1-3 times a day, that her system isn't reponding well to the food, and that there's SOME ingedient that she's allergic to.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

IMHO, Pro Plan is a decent food. I would not feed some of Purina's lower quality products (i.e. Beneful, Puppy/Dog Chow, Kibbles 'N Bits, etc.), but their higher quality lines (Purina ONE and Pro Plan) are just fine. As long as your dog is doing well on Pro Plan, I wouldn't switch. There's no need to put her on the food rollercoaster if she's doing great with what she's on. I would, however, cut that dehydrated raw food out of her diet ASAP! There is something in it that is not agreeing with her, or it could be that you are not switching slow enough.

Just my 2c.


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## skunkstripe (Oct 28, 2006)

Any cold turkey switch can cause diarrhea if the dog has a sensitive stomach.
But in this case I am wondering if the dog also drank a lot which in combination with the dehydrated food caused the big poop.


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## dogsgalore (Nov 1, 2006)

Also seems as though she isnt taking good to the new food, I fed Canidae for a while and Gypsy had alot of soft stools She is now on Chicken lover soul and goes about 3xs a day but she is on a set schedule, I never had a problem just switching but alot of dogs do...


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

I learned that the first 2 days I was making too big of a switch so dialed it back BIG TIME to just a 1/2 tablespoon on her kibble. Its been almost a week and she is back to her normal 3 poops a day.....maybe 4 if she finishes all her meals in full. So we will stay where we are for a while.


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

Are you gradually mixing in new food to her current when you switch??

Going from one food to the next really isn't healthy for your dog, and can be the cause of diarrhea. 

Anyway, what food have you been feeding again? Look at the ingredients, and tell me if there's corn, or some kind of wheat in there. That may be the cause of it.


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## Meghan&Pedro (Nov 6, 2006)

my first feeling is that it was really hard for your puppy to try to digest both a raw diet and a cooked diet at the same time. It is VERY hard for your dog to go from digesting raw food to cooked food in the same day, let alone in the same meal, especially for a puppy.

Large stools is not a usually sign of allergies, it is usually a sign of the dog not digesting the food - which is understandable at this point in time. Allergies or sensativities that will become allergies usually present themself in diarrea, vomiting, dry skin and coat, possibly a rash, or a dark brown yeasty smelling buildup in the ears and inbetween the toes.

It's not reccommended that you switch 'cold turkey', but most people believe you should switch from cooked kibble to cooked 'whole' foods, and introduce them to raw slowly.

You should start with the same main meat ingredient that is in their cooked kibble food - ie chicken, or turkey, or lamb, etc, depending on what food you feed.

Then start to add some bland veggies, and then you can go to the richer proteins and fats within the next few days. 

Probiotics should be continued daily, even after transition, to ensure a constant supply of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. 

Also remember that with a lot of the raw diets out there - they are NOT complete diets, you have to supplement with an oil, and a vitiman/mineral supplement. Such as Hokamix and Grizzly salmon oil. But some foods are complete, and you don't need to do this. I still reccomend feeding probiotics though. 

You can also sprinkle on some Eagle Pack brand powder that is made to help switch from one food to another.


Here is a really good article by Dr Larry Seigler



> Transitioning to Raw Food
> 
> It is best to introduce raw food slowly into your companion’s diet over the course of two weeks. If your companion is used to having food available throughout the day, first transition him or her to eating only once or twice per day for dogs, and two to three times per day for cats before beginning the transition to raw food. Consider transitioning fully to raw in the beginning. This will give your companion’s digestive system the optimal environment for generating healthy enzymes and flora. Start with 1 teaspoon for small dogs and cats and 1 tablespoon for larger dogs for three days or so. Then increase to 2 teaspoons or tablespoons for several days, decreasing the amount of regular food by ¼ to ½ in general proportion to the raw. Work up to replacing at least ½ the normal diet for several days. Finally replace one full meal with raw for a day or two, then fully transition to raw.
> 
> We recommend supplementing with digestive enzymes and probiotics for at least the first two weeks to help your companion’s natural digestive processes kick back in after eating cooked foods for so long. If your animal is resistant to the raw at first, you may want to use a bit of canned food to entice them. Cats, in particular, can be resistant to a change in diet. They tend to fixate on whatever food they are weaned onto and will resist switching to a healthier diet. We have found that grinding or shredding their favorite treat on top of the food can help. Halo’s Liv-A-Littles or Whole Life Dehydrated Meat Treats work well for this. Cats will most likely take some persistence on your part, but it is well worth it for the health of your companion.


It sounds like thinks are settling down, and you'll be fine from here on out. It's a hard switch, and that's why a lot of people don't bother - if you have any other questions, let me know, otherwise good luck to you with feeding raw - and don't forget that there are both benefits and drawbacks to feeding raw, and make sure to educate yourself on both.


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## myrna (Oct 29, 2006)

I found that Biljac is the only food that you can switch to wilthout any worry. You don't have to mix the old food with it. Also Eukanuba is a very good one but you do have to mix the old with the new. A very little at a time.

Good luck to you.


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

EVERY new food you feed to a dog need to be mixed with the current food.

Very gradual, very little bits of the new food at a time. I started mine on new food, and was adding the new food into her old for for about a week before I switched her to her new food only. Only because I didn't want her to explode..

I'm not sure what "Biljac" or whatever is, but Eukanuba really isn't GREAT quality food. But I will say that if you want to go within your "price range" then Euk would be the best "high quality" crap food...do you know what I'm saying?? I don't think I make any sense  

HOWEVER, I do use Eukanuba Veterinary Diets, prescribed by my dog's Dermatologist. It's a bit different than the kind you can pick up at the local feed store.. 

Hope this helps


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

We are progressing nicely. I decided not to switch her kibble diet until her spay appointment in 2 weeks during which time we will have a blood test done for allergies. I figured why switch if I am going blind on it. So what I do is give her 1/2 tablespoon of the dehydrated raw diet (its not really raw as the dehydration process partially cooks it). The little bit of moistened raw mixture of chicken and veggies is combined with her chicken kibble. The crazy pooping stopped once I reduced it and she is all back to normal. Plus I added fishoil to help with her itchy skin and coat. I am very much looking forward to the allergy tests, but for now she scratches a little more than she should but is healthy looking/acting and happy.


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## Dulce (Oct 2, 2006)

I'd like to suggest something.

Maybe instead of fish oil...give her Vitamin E. I give it to my dog daily, and it seems to soothe her skin. It's great for people too!


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

thanks for the suggestion. He also suggested the fish oil for a 3rd reason...to help her anal glands expel on their own but its been 2 1/2 weeks and they are bothering her again!! We'll get her figured out soon!


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## tsteele93 (Nov 12, 2006)

Dulce said:


> EVERY new food you feed to a dog need to be mixed with the current food.


I'm going to go against the flow here. When I got my puppy, he had been fed Merrick. The vet gave me Hill's Science Digest. I mixed them as everyone says to do, but my dog is smarter than all of you  and he carefully picked the Hill's SD out of the bowl and left the Merrick in the bowl. 

Recently, I decided to step up to a premium food (Innova Puppy) and he likes it better than the Hill's SD. Guess what he does?

Anyway, since he has chosen to go cold turkey, I kept an eye on his bowel movements each time. I haven't seen the first sign of loose stools or any sort of problems.

My point is that while the "rule of thumb" is that you shouldn't switch cold turkey, the reality is that every dog is different and a lot of times "conventional wisdom" gets passed down because a small, but significant, percentage of dogs have had a problem with something. But it doesn't mean that all dogs will have that problem.

My previous pom went through some rather drastic changes in diet during his last couple of years as we started trying new foods to deal with some problems he was having (teeth for instance) and we did not see any sudden problems with his digestive tract. So, I don't see number of times the dog has to move his bowels as a significant problem. Loose stools are a problem.

Furthermore, I wouldn't take my word, or the word of others here on this board, I'd ask my vet and I'd research it - with an emphasis on finding actual doctors and researchers who had studied the subject over animal lovers posting on a message board.

Sincerely,


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## PureMutt (Feb 6, 2009)

I have been giving my dog "Preference" from Honest Kitchen, I have noticed an increase of pooping as well and amount. I only give her a 1/3 cup plus a 1/3 cup of water. She just seems to be pooping so much now... Preference is the mix where you add your own meat.


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## reevz (Sep 23, 2008)

Dulce said:


> I know you didnt switch her cold turkey..I said that's not the way to do it anyway.
> 
> Innova EVO is great food.
> 
> Allergies won't necessarily give your dog diarrhea. My dog has MASSIVE alergies to I don't know what, but the Dermatologist told me if she poops more than 1-3 times a day, that her system isn't reponding well to the food, and that there's SOME ingedient that she's allergic to.


I had my puppy on EVO for a month, but then was told that you CANNOT give this to a puppy because of its high protein ratio. I recommend Innova instead. Great choice.


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

Guys, this thread is from '06


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## Hound (May 20, 2009)

A change in the amount of poop that your pet excretes can be primarily alluded to the diet that you have been giving your dogs. First reason must be an upset stomach. This can be easily remedied by giving your dog plenty of water. Keeping your dog hydrated replenishes all the liquid that is lost from all that excretion. Another possible cause is parasite infection. In this case, you should take your dog to the vet as ask for an appropriate prescription to purge our dog of parasites.


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