# New dog food bag giving dog diarrhea



## Atlasmom (Dec 20, 2017)

So I've had my dog on Purina Complete Adult (52 lbs from Walmart) for months with no problems after a few days of normal diarrhea from changing his diet. However, I opened a new bag (32 lbs from a different store) three days ago and my dog stoutly refuses to eat any, he will sniff it and walk away even though it is the same brand/type. I put wet food in it to get him to eat it, so he's been eating it for a few days. However, he has been having terrible diarrhea now, for the past three days in a row. At first it was lighter colored (yellow-brown) but now it is darker today (darker reddish brown). It is not red in a bloody stool way. 

He had also started eating Dentastix daily starting at the same time (a few days ago), any chance that is making it worse? or that he is allergic to them? He is allergic to Pup-peroni but throws up when he eats them, not has diarrhea like he is now. 

If this is just because it is technically "switching food" since it is a different type of bag than I usually get, I can just wait it out and make sure he stays hydrated and away from carpeted areas. But I'm worried about the fact he refuses to eat it, can he smell something is wrong with it and is gonna make him sick? Or is he just being picky? 

Thanks so much for your help!


----------



## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

With the refusing food and getting diarrhea at the same time, I would take him to the vet, just to be safe. It may just be a coincidence and there is something wrong with the food, or the Dentastix started the diarrhea, but refusing to eat a food they were previously fine on might be an indicator a vet trip is in order.

That being said, kibble does go bad. Did you check the expiration date? Check online for any recalls that may have occurred, sometimes batches of kibble are contaminated, which is a little more common than I would like. Dentastix aren't really known for their 'healthiness' either, so they may have caused the diarrhea. Stop feeding them and see what happens. I would suggest buying a new bag of food, too, from a different batch and see if that helps. You can even just buy a small bag.

Also, if you change foods again in the future, do it slowly so your dog doesn't suffer from diarrhea. I typically take a week and a half to completely change my dog over to a brand new sort of food by slowly increasing the amount of new kibble I put in with his old kibble. My dog has a bit of a sensitive tummy, so some dogs may not need that much time.


----------



## Atlasmom (Dec 20, 2017)

I ended up buying his old food and he scarfed it down no problem just now. Im definitely worried the bag of food had something wrong with it; but it is not expired and Purina has no recent recalls for it. 

I do not have money to get to a vet unless I am really worried :-( He is not acting sick or having any other symptoms other than the diarrhea, so I am going to wait a couple of days and if things don't get better, or get worse obviously, I will take him to the vet. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help with the diarrhea? Give him a Fiber source safe for dogs or something? I'm hoping the food should fix it up pretty quick but just to help the poor bud out, the diarrhea looks very uncomfortable for him.


----------



## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Make sure he stays hydrated. You can give him some pumpkin (just plain canned pumpkin, not the "pumpkin pie filling" stuff) to help firm things up. If it continues for more than a couple days after the food switch, a vet visit may be in order. Persistent diarrhea can become dangerous if the dog gets dehydrated, and it may be the sign of a parasite infestation.


----------



## Atlasmom (Dec 20, 2017)

Yes I have been making sure he has plenty of water. I will try the canned pumpkin if it doesn't firm up, thanks so much for the help!


----------



## mcdavis (May 1, 2012)

I'd contact the company to ask if the recipe or some ingredient could have changed. Also to let them know that there may be a problem with the food as others may have experienced the same thing which may then prompt a recall.
I'd also stop the dentastix at least until he's OK.


----------

