# My dogs poop is complete mush! D:



## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

Ever since I switched from Eukanuba to Pedigree, my dog's poop has slowly become mushier and mushier. I tried not to worry about it, because I know dogs' poop gets mushy when you change their foods. But today, her poop came out yellow, and was practically liquid. I'm really worried. I know feeding her Pedigree is really bad, but I bought a huge bag of it and I'm not about to waste it. I heard that adding an egg (I don't know if it was supposed to be raw or cooked) to her food, or adding a little olive oil, would be good to try and give her the proper nutrients she's been lacking from the Pedigree kibble. Also, at the same time I started feeding her Pedigree, I've been giving her treats with peanut butter on them, since she wasn't really eating anything else as a treat. I'm not sure if she's allergic to the peanut butter, the Pedigree kibble, or both. I've told my vet (more like the vet's nurses) that her poop has been really mushy for a long time, and it makes it difficult for her to poop, and they just told me not to worry about it and put some canned pumpkin in her food...I've yet to tried that, but I'm really worried about this, and I'm sure it's a dietary problem. I've been feeding her a tablespoon of Pedigree canned food (I looked at the ingredients, and it's actually good) and 7 oz of Pedigree kibble (which had terrible ingredients) to her twice a day (adding up to two tablespoons of wet food, and 14 oz of kibble a day). Is there anything I can add to her food that can help make her poop more solid, and make the food healthier for her? Should I stop feeding her peanut butter? Am I feeding her too much? (My dog is theorized to be a Schipperke/Terrier mix, and she's about 20.5 lbs.)


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Dry Pedigree IS pretty awful....one of the worst brand-names available. I understand not wanting to waste the bag, but keeping a dog on a food that she's not doing well on seems to be a foolish economy, IMO. Especially if it makes a lot of cleaning work for you. You can donate the food to your local shelter or to a friend/acquaintance that already feeds their dog Pedigree, and go back to a food you know your dog does well on.

Peanut butter, oil, and eggs won't help her poop problems. Might make them worse, in fact, from the high fat. Canned pumpkin (not pie mix, just plain pumpkin) helps with loose stools. Not too much or she'll get blocked up, just a couple tablespoons should do.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

I would hold off on the treats. I don't think I would be adding oil etc. to the food either. It seems to me that it might make things worse. 

Is there a reason for the switch to Pedigree? If it's a financial thing and you have to keep adding things to her diet it would probably be more economical to just feed a better food. 

Was she doing well on the Eukanuba? If so I would probably put her back on it. It isn't the best food either but if that is what my dog was doing well on I would go back to it. 

When Nanuq gets loose stool issues I usually take her off kibble altogether and feed her boiled meat and rice for a few days to give her system a rest. A little pumpkin added to the mix helps too. Then I gradually add in the kibble. I slowly increase the amount of kibble and decrease the meat and rice mixture. Fortunately I don't have to do this often. 

You don't have to waste the food. You can donate it. Some stores will take back open bags of food if your dog is allergic or something. Not all stores will take it back but you can always ask.


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## ptoot (Jun 28, 2009)

I switched food brands as well and my dog had loose stools for almost a month...how long has it been since you switched the food??


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

It has to be at least two months that she's been on the food. I've been giving her olive oil because she also had dandruff, and I read somewhere that the oils from it will help moisten her skin so she won't have it. It's working from what I can tell, but I guess I shouldn't be using it anymore. I switched to Pedigree because of financial reasons, but had I bothered to look at the ingredients before opening the bag when my dad brought it home (he bought it, not me, which is the reason why I don't want to waste it. He spent his money on it) I would have told him to bring it back and get another kind. I was considering calling the company, and telling them that their food is making my dog sick, and seeing if they'll take it back. Thank you for the idea of donating the food, I'll consider doing that if the company doesn't do anything about it.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Try the store you bought it at instead of the manufacturer (though they might give you something just for good customer relations). PetCo, for instance, will take any food back at any time if it doesn't agree with your pet. 

For cheaper foods, try Kirkland if you have a Costco membership. Diamond Naturals is the same as Kirkland, but you'd have to find a feed store that carries Diamond. Very affordable and decent foods. 

Worst-case scenario, Purina Dog Chow (NOT Beneful!!!) is at least better than Pedigree, and is generally cheaper. Purina ONE would be a step up.


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

My dad bought the kibble at BJ's (it was $20 for a 52lb bag DX), and I don't know what they'll do about it if I tell them that the food isn't settling well with my dog. Thank you for all the suggestions you have given me. Is there anything I can mix with her food for not besides the pumpkin that would be good for her? Peas?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

14 ounces of kibble for a 20 pound dog sounds like an awful lot. Try cutting down by 25% for a couple days to see if that helps. More food sometimes ends up with loose stool not fat dog.

From this site http://hubpages.com/hub/Purina_Dog_Chow_Healthy_Morsels_Formula_Dry_Dog_Food

Calorie Content:
Metabolizable Energy (ME)
3564 kcal/kg
1617 kcal/lb.
379 kcal/cup 

If you are feeding 14 ounces in weight you are giving the dog 1414 calories a day plus whatever is in that canned food. That is too much food. If you are feeding 14 ounces by the mark on a measuring cup you are feeding 663 calories which could also be too much food.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

If your dad is buying the food I can see where that might be a problem. If you have to finish up the Pedigree I would probably back off on the olive oil and high fat treats. I also agree with feeding a little less. My dog is 18 lbs and only eats 1/2 cup a day. I have tried giving her more and she just won't eat it. She isn't losing weight on it so it must be enough for her. You would likely need to feed more of the Pedigree due to quality. I would cut the amount back gradually and see if things improve. I hope she does better soon.


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

Thank you guys soo much for your advice! It's really helpful. I've told my vet before how much I've been feeding her, and either he misunderstood, or just didn't care, because he didn't tell me I was feeding her too much. I have been worried that I've been feeding her too much, so thank you for correcting me. I'll give her less food, and lay off on the peanut butter and other fatty stuff. Is a tablespoon of wet food too much as well, or should I just cut down on the kibble only? Thank you again!


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

My experience with vets in regards to food hasn't been all that good. my vet told me to feed Nanuq 1 cup of food a day. She was consistently leaving a half cup or so in her bowl so I Cut her back to 1/2 cup. She is older (just how old is anybody's guess) and not terribly active other than walks so a younger more active dog would need more. I add a little canned food to her food too. I only use a little bit for flavor. A can lasts me a long time. I use a melon baller and make little "meatballs" that I freeze in an ice cube tray and then put into a freezer bag when frozen. That way it doesn't go bad before she eats it all up. I just take out a couple of meatballs the night before and put them in the refrigerator to thaw. I find that the canned food does make for a softer poo than the dry so I keep it to a minimum. If she will eat the dry without it I wouldn't even bother. Otherwise just use a very small amount.


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

w8ing4rain said:


> My experience with vets in regards to food hasn't been all that good. my vet told me to feed Nanuq 1 cup of food a day. She was consistently leaving a half cup or so in her bowl so I Cut her back to 1/2 cup. She is older (just how old is anybody's guess) and not terribly active other than walks so a younger more active dog would need more. I add a little canned food to her food too. I only use a little bit for flavor. A can lasts me a long time. I use a melon baller and make little "meatballs" that I freeze in an ice cube tray and then put into a freezer bag when frozen. That way it doesn't go bad before she eats it all up. I just take out a couple of meatballs the night before and put them in the refrigerator to thaw. I find that the canned food does make for a softer poo than the dry so I keep it to a minimum. If she will eat the dry without it I wouldn't even bother. Otherwise just use a very small amount.


I only even got the idea to mix wet food with her dry food from the local Humane Society that I adopted her from. When I asked about feeding her, they said to give her a not too much, but not to little dry food (like that helped!) and a tablespoon of wet food. Isn't the wet food healthier, though? I'm not even sure she'll eat without the wet food.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

If she is used to having wet food mixed in she probably will resist eating just the dry. I honestly don't know if the canned is any healthier. I just know that if I use too much of it my dog gets softer and stinkier poo. I give her the canned because it seems easier for her to eat that way. She is missing lots of teeth. I don't think a little canned food is a bad thing. Others here may know more as far as comparing dry kibble to canned food.


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

Ooh, okay. Well, I can say for sure that the Pedigree canned food is healthier than their kibble, so I'm not going to stop that. I'm sorry to hear that your dog is missing a lot of teeth. D: Why is that?


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

We got her as a rescue. Her teeth were rotted and she was in a lot of pain. We had to get them removed. She swallows her kibble whole but She likes a little canned with it. I think it may help her swallow it easier. With all the neglect she's experienced I figure a little canned food is ok. She's pretty much just happy to have food at all.


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

Awwe! That's awful. I'm glad she has a nice home with you, now.  My dog is a rescue as well. The reason she was given up was because (at least what was said in the adoption papers) was that her owner had to give her up because she has too many animals. Willow was extremely shy and intimidated easily at first, but she has gotten better. I'm happy for her that she seemingly hasn't gone through anything traumatizing.


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## Blondie5 (Aug 12, 2009)

hey guys! thats so great to hear that you have rescue dogs  I work in a no-kill shelter and I know how important it is for all our babies to get good homes! so big props for that!!  Im on here trying to find some answers to questions and concerns i have for a dog of ours at the shelter, and I came across this thread for the mushy poop lol the dog Im concerned about is around 2 years old. black lab mix. she is very thin and can't seem to put on any weight, and has several other issues. The first is that since I started working at the shelter back in january I have only seen her have solid stool maybe 3-5 times. Everytime she has a bowel movement its very loose. She also eats her own feces if she's not caught in time. She drinks a lot of water and is very slobbery and foamy at times. She also has a licking problem where she will lick the cement walls of her kennel and the iron gate to her kennel nonstop. Our kennel manager is aware of her behavior and bowel problems but does not seem to be concerned at all in taking her to the vet. The staff is worried about this dog but cannot do anything about it if the manager wont take her to the vet. While I was reading your posts I saw you mentioned Pedigree as being one of the worst brands to feed a dog, and at work that is one of the main foods we use so that bothers me. This dog with the problems gets 2 1/2 cups of pedigree in the morning and another 2 1/2 cups in the afternoon. I'm wondering if this is the cause of her stool problems? any advice would be greatly appreciated. sorry for the long post!


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

I don't know much about the food problem (which is why I'm here XD) but I know for sure that her licking constantly is a huge sign of anxiety. A lot of dogs eat their own poop, even if they're healthy. You can train her to not eat the poop by watching her after she poops, and if you can distract her from eating it, treat her. Treat her every time she chooses you over the poop. She'll eventually learn not to eat the poop. Does she get exercise at all in the shelter? If she doesn't, that would explain the anxiety, and the pent up frustration which would lead her to obsessively lick.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Seems a huge amount of food to me and she isn't gaining? That is 1900 calories a day for a dog stuck in a kennel. She really needs a vet check, there could be something nasty inside. Worms? Giardia? I would at the very least try to feed her three times a day. 1.5 cups three times a day not 2.5 cups three times a day. Probably not going to happen. She cannot be very adoptable in her state. Poor thing. I love black dogs but that isn't universal.


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## Blondie5 (Aug 12, 2009)

Kathyy said:


> Seems a huge amount of food to me and she isn't gaining? That is 1900 calories a day for a dog stuck in a kennel. She really needs a vet check, there could be something nasty inside. Worms? Giardia? I would at the very least try to feed her three times a day. 1.5 cups three times a day not 2.5 cups three times a day. Probably not going to happen. She cannot be very adoptable in her state. Poor thing. I love black dogs but that isn't universal.


I agree! thank you! She should be putting on some weight with the amount of that food but she remains very thin. When she is fed its as if she hasn't eaten in days. She gobbles everything up almost instantly. She's is a beautiful super sweet dog, but you are right in her state she is not very adoptable. How do you not inform any potential owners of her problem if they are interested in her ya know? Im not sure how to go about getting her help if the kennel manager does not seem to be too interested. She was recently taken to the vet to be spayed for some reason, usually our pets are spayed/neutered when someone is adopting them and going to be taking them home soon. It blows my mind that she was at the vet and nothing was said about her health conditions such as the constant loose stools and obsessive licking of her entire kennel. I dont understand why the manager is not getting her help if she needs it.


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