# Puppy pooping too much after switching food



## achan0225 (Sep 24, 2009)

I have a five month old chihuahua/toy fox terrier puppy. When I first got him, he was eating Iams so i made the switch to Merrick. He had coccidia when I got him, so his poop was very loose and watery at times. He's fine now, but the consistency of his poop has always been mushy, and he's very, very gassy. The little guy could clear a room! On top of that, it was always very difficult to determine what his poop schedule was. He's eating 3 times a day, but would not need to go bathroom between 5-9 hours after eating, sometimes going only 2 times. I've just recently switched him to Vet's Choice Holistic Extension. I cannot believe the difference! I noticed the poop was much firmer after the first day, and he loves the food. The best part is, no more gas! But now he is pooping too much! It's not loose, but instead of pooping twice a day, he's going 4-5 times a day! I can't win. Could it be the quality of food? I got this at a specialty store, and told it was a high quality food, but I've never heard of it before. Or does he need time to adjust. He's been eating this food for only 4 days. The pros definitley outweigh the cons.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Actually Vets Choice makes pretty high quality food. Not the highest, but significantly better than grocery brands. My dog used to poop 3 to 4 times a day on Innova (very high quality food) as well. The only way I got her to poop less is by switching her to grainless and adding a spoonful of plain yogurt each day.

Perhaps you could try adding some plain low fat yogurt too? It's great for the digestive system and helps dogs absorb their food better. 

Let him get used to it for 2 weeks or so and see how he does. 5 months old dogs tend to still go 3 times a day so try not to worry too much about it. If he looks happy, eats well and has great coat and eyes and energy, don't worry about it.


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## achan0225 (Sep 24, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Actually Vets Choice makes pretty high quality food. Not the highest, but significantly better than grocery brands. My dog used to poop 3 to 4 times a day on Innova (very high quality food) as well. The only way I got her to poop less is by switching her to grainless and adding a spoonful of plain yogurt each day.
> 
> Perhaps you could try adding some plain low fat yogurt too? It's great for the digestive system and helps dogs absorb their food better.
> 
> Let him get used to it for 2 weeks or so and see how he does. 5 months old dogs tend to still go 3 times a day so try not to worry too much about it. If he looks happy, eats well and has great coat and eyes and energy, don't worry about it.


Thanks. I've actually tried the yogurt previously, but it backfired. It made him have diarhhea. I will definitely keep him on Vet's Choice.


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## Lynnj (Sep 23, 2009)

Excessive pooping is usually a sign that the quality of the food is not very good.

We tried a variety of dog foods before we were educated on this topic. My boys are on Innova (regular, not EVO) and they do well on it and love it. It is a high quality food and it is grain free...however our first dog did not do well on Innova. Her coat was dull and she pooped a lot.....

So, ultimately it is up to what your dog does well on. It may mean switching to a lower quality food.
Surprisingly, sometimes the brands perceived to be good or cost more are not always the best dog food.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Lynnj said:


> We tried a variety of dog foods before we were educated on this topic. My boys are on Innova (regular, not EVO) and they do well on it and love it. It is a high quality food and *it is grain free*...however our first dog did not do well on Innova. Her coat was dull and she pooped a lot.....


Actually regular Innova is not grain free. Only EVO is grain free. And some dogs do good on a certain food while others don't. It's not necessarily the quality of the food. I know my dog does great in Orijen, little poop, great coat. But my friend's dog tried Orijen for about 6 months and her dog pooped 4 times a day on it! Although it was firm poop I guess her dog just wasn't absorbing it too well.


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## achan0225 (Sep 24, 2009)

achan0225 said:


> I have a five month old chihuahua/toy fox terrier puppy. When I first got him, he was eating Iams so i made the switch to Merrick. He had coccidia when I got him, so his poop was very loose and watery at times. He's fine now, but the consistency of his poop has always been mushy, and he's very, very gassy. The little guy could clear a room! On top of that, it was always very difficult to determine what his poop schedule was. He's eating 3 times a day, but would not need to go bathroom between 5-9 hours after eating, sometimes going only 2 times. I've just recently switched him to Vet's Choice Holistic Extension. I cannot believe the difference! I noticed the poop was much firmer after the first day, and he loves the food. The best part is, no more gas! But now he is pooping too much! It's not loose, but instead of pooping twice a day, he's going 4-5 times a day! I can't win. Could it be the quality of food? I got this at a specialty store, and told it was a high quality food, but I've never heard of it before. Or does he need time to adjust. He's been eating this food for only 4 days. The pros definitley outweigh the cons.


It's been a week since Jake is eating Vet's Choice. I now know why he is pooping more. It's going to the opposite end of the spectrum where his poop is now TOO hard. He actually yelped once when he was doing his business and ran back in the house w/o finishing and had to go back out twice to finish. I also noticed a trace of blood in his stool. I went to the pet store today and got samples of Wellness Super5Mix and Innova Holistic for puppies. These are two brands I know and trust. I will try them out and see how he does on those. Hopefully these will work out better for him.


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