# Pup still has soft poop



## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hello! My 12 week old English bulldog is eating C. Natural Chicken and Rice puppy formula. He's had soft stools since we brought him home 3 weeks ago. He has a good appetite, is gaining weight (his current weight is 18 lbs) and is active and doesn't seem to have any discomfort. We took him for a checkup today and my vet says since he's gaining well I shouldn't feel the need to change foods at this time and he thinks the soft stools will pass. He tested negative for parasites. 

However, everything I've heard and read says soft stools are NOT normal. Am I just being a worrywort and should I just heed my vet's advice and ride this out for a while longer? And, if not, I was wondering if maybe the C. Natural lamb and rice formula might be easier on his sensitive tummy than the chicken and rice formula.

Also my breeder swears by Diabac, which are all-natural capsules formulated to control bacterial diarrhea, to help firm up stools. Should I give it a shot...? 

Thanks!


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

was it a snap test? consistent or sporadic loose stools are a sign of giardia. they're very hard to detect with a regular fecal float.

my golden had issues with loose stools at first. we went from blue buffalo puppy food to cali nat to innova. innova is the first food that she's consistently had firm stools with. my experience may have been bad but c. natural is a GREAT food, especially for sensitive tummies. some dogs have issues with chicken, so you could give lamb a go. 

mix in canned pumpkin (not the kind for pies) or green beans. the high fiber will help firm up stools. it's probably cheaper than what the breeder recommends.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hi Toni,

Thanks for the reply! I have a few more questions if you don't mind:

1) What kind of fecal test should I ask for to rule out Giardia?

2) I'd actually been considering trying Innova since it's highly recommended. What formula of Innova did you go with? I know there is a large breed puppy formula but I heard that is kind of rich so I may just try an adult formula next because for English Bulldogs it's recommended to transition to an adult formula at around 4-5 months anyway. 

(But before I give up on C. Natural maybe I'll transition to their Lamb and rice puppy formula and see how that goes...)


3) I've tried canned pumpkin and it does work to some extent. I've been adding in about a teaspoon, once a day. Is that enough? And can I do this indefinitely or is this just a short term solution? (Also my pup isn't crazy about the pumpkin taste so I've been recommended to mix in a tiny bit of Gerber strained chicken to flavor it up. But if chicken is possibly an issue maybe that's not the best idea. )

4) How much green beans do you recommend giving and does it matter if it's canned or frozen?


Thanks!


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Keep working with the vet, or even a second one. No soft stools isn't normal and doesn't require exotic, expensive foods. Never had to go off common brands in 20 puppies to firm up the stools.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

kimrisa said:


> Hi Toni,
> 
> Thanks for the reply! I have a few more questions if you don't mind:
> 
> ...


Ask for a "SNAP" test. Most vets offer it now days. It normally runs 50$. It's more expensive than a standard fecal float, but worth it.

I feed her Innova Red Meat Adult formula. I put my Golden on adult formula at 5 mos to slow down growth. I think they have the standard puppy formula there. The excess protein in large breed food may be a little rich. 

I would probably not give him pumpkin indefinitely. Cal Natural is a GREAT food. Every time I mentioned my dog's loose stools regarding CN, I received nothing but responses telling me what a "great food" it is and how I shouldn't give up because it's for sensitive tummies. While CN is a great food, it didn't work for my dog. 

I don't think canned or frozen makes a difference, just make sure they are salt-free/low sodium. I'm not really an expert on measurements, so I just give her around a spoonful at dinner time. They also make a great treat reward.

After Giardia tests coming back negative, I let her digestive system rest and wanted to see if it really was the kibble not agreeing with her. I kept her on a brown rice/chicken diet for nearly 5 days and noticed her stools firming up almost immediately. From there, I found a new food I found suitable and slowly started mixing in the kibble with rice.

1/4 new to 3/4 chicken & rice. Do that for a few days and slowly increase the new food by quarters.

I'm no expert/vet/etc, but that worked for me.

Good luck!


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the post! And I think you might be on to something regarding the fancy dog brands. My last dog, a Cocker Spaniel, was on Purina Dog food her entire life, never had soft poop and lived to the ripe old age of 13!!


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

i'm not a brand snob when it comes to food. my motto is: if it works for your dog, you have no reason to change it. i think the "grain-free" ploy is a great marketing concept to sell $80/bag dog food (except to dogs with allergies, of course). people will believe anything. look how much dog food science diet sells. 

california natural is CHEAPER (where i live, at least) than iams and eukanuba both. a food company that uses fresh, never frozen local meats, no cheap grain fillers and high quality carbs such as sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes is by far a better food then anything else (besides raw) that you can buy.

just my two cents.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. It is much appreciated!!!


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## wandak (Jan 3, 2010)

EB's are very prone to allergies. When I had mine all I fed was Natures Recipe Lamb and rice. Her stool was firm and she never had any skin issues. It is corn free, grain free and beef free.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hi Wanda,

Thanks for the suggestion! I've heard that Nature's Recipe is very good for dogs with allergies. This is next on my list if the C. Natural lamb and rice doesn't give me the results I want!


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## doggal (Jan 26, 2010)

I once had a boxer pup who had soft and voluminous stools. Several tries at different brands did nothing. Finally Purina One did the trick.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hi doggal,

Thanks for touching base! That's so funny that you mention Purina dog chow. My cocker spaniel was on that her whole life (lived to the ripe age of 13) and never had soft stool issues or any other health problems! Also some other people on this forum had said that the kibble and bits, purina and mighty morsels they never had problems with the soft stool like with the "designer organic dog foods on the market today. My pup has soft stool (but it's not a ton) and he's gaining weight and doing well other than the poop issue. Everyone says that Purina dog chow is filled with bad stuff so I'm not sure what's the better course...go for the commercial dog food and get nice firm poops or just stick with the "designer food". How long did you keep the boxer on the purina dog chow and were you happy with his overall health when he was on it?


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## doggal (Jan 26, 2010)

Actually, it was Purina One, not the standard Purina Puppy Chow. I believe lamb-based. It's been 12 years ago, so memory a bit foggy. But this puppy was defecating so much the vet swore she had to be getting into the food bag, which she didn't.
This got me thinking on the spectrum of designer feeds available these days. You'd think a few decades ago when practically everyone fed Purina Puppy Chow, no dog could have made it to adulthood! Yet all my dogs grew up just fine with shiny coats, great health and longevity.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hi Doggal,

Thanks for the response. My cocker was on Purina One as well. Did your dog defecate a lot on Purina One or was that before you made the switch? I did notice that my dog pooped a lot on Purina One but maybe that was because I left the food out all day! With my bullie, I just feed 3 x a day and he just goes once after every meal. I definitely am not looking for a pooping machine!!


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## IheartMiniAussies (Feb 1, 2010)

Just wanted to say that my last litter had soft stool when eating C. Natural even though they were eating the Lamb and Rice, they loved it and wolfed it down but had large soft stools. You could also try a spoonful of cottage cheese, that is always our sure fire cure for loose stool and the dogs love it. I put them on Blue puppy food after that and they didn't find it quite as palatable but they did have more solid stools. We have also tried Natures Recipe and had good luck with that as well. I would think that changing the food could help, because loose stool afetr a few weeks definitely indicates he's not adjusting well. What was the breeder feeding him?


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

IheartMiniAussies,

Thanks for the post! I don't think one person has said their dog had normal stools on California Natural so I definitely think it's time for a change. My breeder was feeding a mixture of Canidae Chicken and Rice and C. Natural Lamb and Rice. She was also mixing in some frozen biljack to firm up the poop so I get the sense that the puppies did not have firm poop with her either. Despite the soft poop, my dog is healthy and gaining weight but I'd like to find a dog food that he digests better. I am starting him on a probiotic to see if it helps. But I might try cottage cheese if that doesn't work. In any event, it's time for me to consider a new food. I heard that Nature's Recipe is good but kind of costly. My other options are Wellness, Natural Balance, Fromms, Innova, Solid Gold. I'd also been considering Purina Select Variety as a last resort. I've never heard of Blue Puppy food but might reseach that one. Now I just need to decide on what to try next!! There are way too many choices out there....


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## doggal (Jan 26, 2010)

I've found that many of the breeds with the overshot/undershot jaws have had stool issues, particularly as puppies. I second the cottage cheese suggestion, as it's so easy on the digestion and good for them.
More recently, when I've had soft/frequent stools in pups I've gone to Iams Probiotics Puppy. 
It's not the higher end feed but it has worked with mine.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks doggal!! I tried yogurt previously but I will give cottage cheese a shot. I also started a probiotic yesterday (geneflora all stages for pets) but I've heard from some people on my bulldog forum that they tried it and it was a waste of time! I've also heard of some people who are using Iams successfully because the "higher end" foods just aren't right for their dogs. So I will definitely look into that one.

Thanks again to everyone on this thread for all your great advice. It's really helped. I'll let you know how the cottage cheese goes...and what I end up deciding regarding dog food.


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