# Quality Kibble Gives Dog Diarrhea



## mydogismagic (Mar 17, 2008)

I'm looking to switch my 5 yo Lab's food. I've had a great deal of trouble finding a food that works for him. For his first year I fed him Pedigree & Iams and he was fine (he did have fish breath with the Iams). He had a stomach of steel. When I started introducing higher quality kibble, he started having issues with diarrhea. Wellness gave him explosive diarrhea for over a month. I put him on a low ingredient diet from the vet for a while and that was fine. Now he's been on Merrick for over a year and is usually fine. Unfortunatley, he still occassionally has bouts of diarrhea that seem to come out of nowhere. He's an urban dog, so it's not like he can pick something up that makes him sick and we don't notice. And if we happen to want to give him some of our leftover dinner, we are taking a big risk that he'll be sick the next day.

I'd like to switch his food again and I'm hoping to find something that will not cause him to have diarrhea. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a common theme in these foods that I am unaware of? Something I should avoid for him? Any feedback/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

The "higher end" foods can be too rich for some dogs and can cause Big D. Also, some of the meats don't quite agree with them. Some of our dogs do not do well on a lamb based kibble.

If you have a kibble he does fine on and that agrees with him, I'd keep him on that. An alternative is to supplement the "high end" kibble with some beet pulp. It's basically just fiber.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

You didn't say which Merrick formula you're feeding him----there are several. A couple of them depend heavily on duck meat. Some dogs can have issues with duck, as it is a rich and greasy meat. That might be causing some of the potty problems. You might want to try just adding a little bulk to his diet with some canned pumpkin or whatever, especially if you think that switching foods will cause serious tummy upset for him.

If you do want to switch foods, you might want to try a lower-end high-end food (LOL). I find that Chicken Soup isn't too rich for most dogs....Penny gets a greasy coat from Canidae and Blue Buffalo, but not from Chicken Soup. Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice formula can be good for this kind of thing. It's basically a food that contains chicken and rice, with a little barley and oatmeal added. It's a little higher in grain content than most high-end foods, but that might be a good thing for your dog.


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## jchantelau (Mar 6, 2008)

I switched my lab puppy from Science Diet Puppy to Nature's Variety Prairie. She made the switch in less then a week with no issues. Of course every dog is different but I've been very happy with this food. They also carry a grain free (Instinct) and a Raw variety.


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## mydogismagic (Mar 17, 2008)

We tried Nature's Variety Prairie, too. He did well on it for a little while, but ultimately he had diarrhea more often than not. It's been suggested to me to try a slightly lesser brand food like Nutro. Any opinions?


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Urban dogs can pick things up too...the hair they shed, the dirt that's dragged in the house, etc. So, do a quick survey on your cleaning habits. 

I'm not saying you're a pig, but even the urban home can have tummy disturbing stuff around. 

How quickly do you switch food over?


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## mydogismagic (Mar 17, 2008)

I switch food little by little over a couple of weeks.

Our robot vacuum picks up most everything on a daily basis (I highly recommend them). I would still consider the idea that maybe he's getting something inside the house if it weren't for the fact that he's less tolerant of people food than he was when he was on kibble of lesser quality.


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## AmbientNight (Mar 18, 2008)

well what I feed my dogs is Chicken soup for the dog's soul brand dog food... then again with my Akita they are prone to protein deficiency (main reason for a lot of bad press with the breed) so I have to keep her on a vary high protein food... The other dogs like it so I just give it to everyone...


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

mydogismagic said:


> I switch food little by little over a couple of weeks.
> 
> Our robot vacuum picks up most everything on a daily basis (I highly recommend them). I would still consider the idea that maybe he's getting something inside the house if it weren't for the fact that he's less tolerant of people food than he was when he was on kibble of lesser quality.


Has your vet ever mentioned IBD/colitis? If so, then a very bland diet might be what he needs. 

I've had very good luck feeding Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato to my dog with colitis.


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## mydogismagic (Mar 17, 2008)

My vet's never mentioned IBD. I will ask him about it at our next visit.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Coming off Iams the dog is in detox. The stool will look greenish and loose- its from the retained minerals and other chemicals being released out of the liver into the bowel. .. Fast the dog slightly- ie give half what they would eat on their new food to let the gas and toxins pass.. ( been there- done that- got the t-shirt and the tattoo.. lol.. )


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## sheplovr (Aug 27, 2006)

Personally How I do change if I do is for the first 3 days it is about 3/4 of regular brand dog is on, 1/4 of new. I mix with warm water and stir for at least a minute to bring up the flavor.

Last 4 days of the week I go half n half to last day I give the complete new brand. If the dog gets the runs, I give a tbsp of purreed unspiced pumpkin, can also use canned unspiced. If by end of that day it is still running, then go back to orginal and contact the vet for a bowel, intestinional check if the dog has had any problem with diaherra before.

Often dogs eat on something outdoors, it can cause a small blockage in the intestines, or the dog has a nervous stomach like some people and can get collitis like I do. I have had it so bad I had to live on baby food to get over it along with meds. I am a hiper person that things upset me and first it works on is my bowels.

This can be treated and the better often a dog gets in kibble the more runs it gets. Sometimes dogs do better with say Pedigree, Wellness, Royal Canine, feed that is not top of the line with no fillers, wheat or corn. If you want to do trial and error go this way to find out if your dog cannot handle the best type of kibble, some never can. Or, just stay with the middle brand if it makes the dog well and happy. 

What the hey, if a dog is looking good, playing and bowels are fine, you do not need to be so proud to say my dog eats, so n so and is doing great. All dogs and all Breeds are different, so do what your dog tells you so. It often saves us alot of hassell and money.


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## jchantelau (Mar 6, 2008)

mydogismagic said:


> We tried Nature's Variety Prairie, too. He did well on it for a little while, but ultimately he had diarrhea more often than not. It's been suggested to me to try a slightly lesser brand food like Nutro. Any opinions?


So far so good for us on it. She loves the lamb flavor.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Nutro might work for him. And, like I said, I think Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice might work, too. A lot of feed stores (even Tractor Supply or Campbell's) carry the Diamond foods. PetCo and Petsmart don't have Diamond, unfortunately.


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