# Okay to mix in oatmeal longterm?



## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

I'm beginning to give my pup oatmeal with his food to help firm up his soft stool. Is it healthy to give a tablespoon of plain oatmeal with every meal or is this just a short term solution? Also I hear mixing in raw meat is good for firming up stool but I'm a bit wary of using raw meat. Thoughts...?


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I wouldn't think oatmeal would hurt your dog long term, but I would be more interested in figuring out _why _he has such soft stool that you need to add the oatmeal, rather than just adding it and covering up the problem.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the post! I agree that ideally I'd like to solve the problem rather than having to supplement his diet with oatmeal or rice. He's currently on a mixture of California Natural/Canidae (per breeder's advice.) The breeder suggested putting him on diabac but my hunch here is that it is a dietary issue and the diabac would be a short-term solution. He doesn't technically have diarrhea. He goes on a normal schedule after feedings. So maybe it's just a case of finding the right dog food...?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Try a diet that isn't so rich for this fella. Maybe the breeder didn't have issues (or did and is lying about it) and it just isn't right for him. Bulldogs are gassy little creatures and have SENSITIVE digestive tracts. Something with simple ingredients, that is lower in protein and higher in fats could be all the relief this fella needs. Only specific muscle groups in the dog is designed to use proteins derived from a meat source whereas EVERY muscle group in the body is designed to use proteins derived from fats. That right there should tell you something about canine diet requirements. 

PS the oatmeal should be a short term solution and by no means meant to be alifetme suppliment not that it could cause harm, but you want your dog to produce healthy stools on his own.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

You make an excellent point!! Originally the breeder wanted him on an adult formula of the California Natural mixed in with the Canidae because she said puppy formulas have too much protein but the vet feels he should stay on puppy food for at least 6 months. Do you have any particular brand of dog food in mind that has simpler ingredients and is lower in protein and is more geared to sensitive digestive tracks? I also heard that some dogs might have wheat/grain allergies and do better on grain free diets. There is so much to consider!

FYI--I spoke too soon regarding the oatmeal. It worked as a laxative and had the opposite effect. So we're done with the oatmeal!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Give the oatmeal another day or 2 to work. Don't give up on it yet. If your pup is still having troubles after a couple more days then it could be a reasonable assumption that your dog hs grain allergeis. 

Puppies don't need to be on puppy chow until they're 6 months old. I usually take most dogs off puppy food at 4 months. It's only the first 3-4 months that are critical for the higher fats aide brain and major organ development.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the advice! This is so helpful!! Should I give one tablespoon per feeding (he eats 3X a day)? I've been cooking it but someone said to serve it uncooked. What's better...?
Also our breeder recommended DiaBac, a natural supplement to help firm up the stool. Ever heard of it?


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

It really really sounds like your pup is allergic to grains of some sort. Cadence was the same when he was on California Natural and Innova, but he was fine on Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, which is odd. I'm guessing he's allergic to rice, because it's the one grain that's in both Innova and Cali Natural but not in Eukanuba. Anyway, Cadence's stool firmed right up when I changed him on to raw and grain-free kibble. Right now he's on EVO, and has never done better! You might want to give grain-free a try if your pup doesn't get any better with the oatmeal/canned pumpkin.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

I think FilleBelle brough up a good point, forget the oatmeal and find and fix the cause. 

Several things can lead to loose stools. I think the most common is parasites. Has the vet checked and rechecked stool samples? 

Are you over feeding? See http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

A switch in diet can cause it even if carefully done over a period of time. I nearly always suggest keeping a puppy on what it was weaned on. 

Maybe with all the different things he has been through, you should give his system a break with a bland diet. If a dog is having trouble keeping anything down or continuing diarrhea try this out of the manual I have from a large, knowledgeable dog guide school.

Bland recovery diet for dogs.

3 parts cooked rice, one part boiled hamburger or chicken, or cottage cheese. I think you can substitute boiled potatoes for the rice. Once in an emergency, we bought a plain baked potato from Wendy's.

This is meant for short time settling a dog's digestive tract. It is not the complete and balanced diet they need long term. I have seen it work. If it doesn't firm him up, most likely it is parasites. Your vet doesn't enjoy my confidence. Unless he has done better in the past, you might consider a different one. 

Out of 21 dogs, I never had to change food to solve a loose stool problem. 

By the way, fats don't contain protein.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the post! The vet did check the stool sample and it came back negative. We are going back next week for shots and he wants me to bring in another stool sample. Just to clarify, he didn't suggest changing foods. All he recommended was trying rice for a few days to see how it goes before prescribing anti-diarrhea medication. As for the bland diet, I'll keep it in mind. However, do you think it's necessary at this point since it's just soft stools and he goes normally and keeps all his food down? FYI--I did buy some red potatoes in case the dog didn't like the oatmeal. Maybe I should try adding it to his current dry food to see if that helps?

Thanks for sharing your story about Cadence! Glad to hear he's doing well. Do you know of any grain free puppy formulas?


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

kimrisa said:


> Thanks for sharing your story about Cadence! Glad to hear he's doing well. Do you know of any grain free puppy formulas?


No problem! =) Most of the grain-free kibble are rated as ALS (All Life Stages), so they're just as good for puppies. Orijen makes a puppy version of its grain-free kibble, so you might want to try that. Other good brands are EVO, Taste of the Wild, Canidae Grain-free, Acana Grain-free and Before Grain. To get a better idea of these foods, you can go to this website (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/) and check out their reviews. Orijen, EVO, and TOTW are all 6 star foods as rated by this website.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for these great suggestions!!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

No problem! By the way, most people don't recommend combining two different brands of kibble at once (unless you're transitioning from one food to another).. so I don't know why your breeder is doing that. Combining two different brands might mean that your pup may get too much of some nutrients and too little of another. If all else fails, just place him on one of those foods--California Natural might be the better choice since it's formulated for allergy-prone dogs. Good luck!


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## MoonStr80 (Oct 9, 2006)

kimrisa said:


> Thanks for the post! I agree that ideally I'd like to solve the problem rather than having to supplement his diet with oatmeal or rice. He's currently on a mixture of California Natural/Canidae (per breeder's advice.) The breeder suggested putting him on diabac but my hunch here is that it is a dietary issue and the diabac would be a short-term solution. He doesn't technically have diarrhea. He goes on a normal schedule after feedings. So maybe it's just a case of finding the right dog food...?


I think number one is to get his stool checked, number two he needs fiber in his diet he could be stomach sensitive maybe add slippery elm bark to his food should smooth his stomach

I know Natural Balance is limited ingredients how about try the Chicken & Sweet Potato?


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Good suggestions! I checked out the Natural Balance but that's not a puppy formula. Would that be okay for a puppy...?

I was thinking California Natural might be the way to go too! Thanks so much for the recommendation.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

make sure you bring in a few different poo samples for the vet to check. It's the only way to really rule out coccidia and giardia, but if your pup just has soft poo hopefully those aren't present. You usually see liquid diareah if it is. Proper testing protocol for those is multipul sample checks since the cysts aren't shed in every poo. Also the oatmeal needs to be uncooked to absorb the excess moisture in the GI tract. For bulldogs or any cork screw tailed breed I always suggest a probiotic such as regular plain yogurt. It helps to keep the guts natural GI flora balanced. Again tho if you're not seeing any positive effects in the next 48 hrs. it is reasonable to assume your pup has a grain allergy and the recommendations lucidity gave are appropriate. 

I would not suggest medicating the dog for the diareah. It can cause BAD cramping. I did that once for my boston terrier and he was doubled over in pain practicallly walking on his front paws. Exhaust all natural options first I think would be best. The yogurt is a great fix for diareah. I now give that to my boston whenever he has the runs and he's better in 24 hrs. 

Something else to think of is maybe your pup is just fine and the soft stools are completely normal. my boston never has a "formed" poo. It's always soft. It's from how the tail sets into the spine and can sometimes impinge on the colon a little thus resulting is ribbony soft poo. Another cork screw tail issue. Than again all this could simply be stress related from the move from the breeders house to yours. Little one needs at least 2-3 weeks before they start feeling comfortable in new surroundings.

BTW yes you can derive protein from an animal fat source. Google it.http://www.labradorwell.com/Soybean.html


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

How long have you had your puppy? I think that I remember reading somewhere that you haven't had him long, about a week? I think that maybe you are changing too many things all at once. I think that you need to chose one thing and stick with it. Maybe you could add some probiotics to it but that is about it.

I had first hand experience with this when we got Brom this summer. He was acting like a normal happy puppy. But, then he got diahrrea and then he got bloody diahrrea and then I panicked. I didn't sleep for close to 36 hours or more. Of course this happened on a Sunday evening. I live a 2 1/2 hour drive from my vet. I so scared it was parvo! I actually called the emergency vet in Dartmouth (where I used to live) because it was the only e-vet that I knew of. Anyway, after no sleep, stress to the max, and a crazy drive with a sick puppy the parvo test came back negative. He was put on meds to help settle his tummy. 

I think that what caused all of this was a combination of taking him home with us, meeting new people, AND I was trying to change his food over to something else too soon after taking him home. The people we got him from were feeding his Beneful and I thought that I couldn't keep him on it for too long because it is horrible food. So, right away I started mixing in the new food. I thought I was doing it slowly enough but apparently not. Poor guy! Because I didn't do what everyone suggested that I do (keep him on the food he is used to for at least 2 weeks after taking him home) I made him get a tummyache and it scared me so bad. I know better now!

I really hope that your pup feels better soon.


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

Dog_Shrink said:


> BTW yes you can derive protein from an animal fat source. Google it.http://www.labradorwell.com/Soybean.html


You can not derive protien from a fat molecule. And the percentage on the bag of dog food is calculated from the actual amount of fat or lipid molecules contained in the food. And not all of that fat will even be from an animal source. Vegetables contain fats as well.

But an animal source, such as chicken meat or beef meat, will supply both fats and protiens. However, the more meat used in a food the higher your protein levels will be. I think you were trying to say that animal protiens are more usable for the dog than vegetable protiens. Which is also the feeling I got from your link. All though the way they state it is confusing.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the detailed response. All this info is extremely helpful. My husband spoke to the vet today and he said something along the lines of what you did--soft poop isn't something to be concerned about as long as the dog is healthy, active and gaining weight. So maybe I just need to calm down. I did add a little pumpkin flavored with baby gerber strained chicken to the food (to flavor it up since he didn't like the taste of the plain pumpkin) and he gobbled it up with the kibble. I'll see if that help!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Baby food can be high in sodium so watch his water intake. Try not to tempt him to eat more than he is. It's all part of his own self regulatory system working. If he's not feeling 100% eating a huge meal like on prompted with extra treats could actually do him more harm than help. Like the vet said if he's gaining weight and growing and not puddles of poo then leave it go and honestly like others have said... stop changing his food up too much. That in itself can cause problems too. You should be going at least a week with each new addition before adding another.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

I just added a teaspoon so hopefully that'll be fine. I am not going to be adding anything new, like boiled meat or potatoes that has been suggested as an alternative to the pumpkin But do you think it's okay to keep giving him the teaspoon of yogurt that I've been doing all along with the pumpkin? Or just give it a rest for a few days. Also any advice on how long to do the pumpkin for?


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

kimrisa said:


> Good suggestions! I checked out the Natural Balance but that's not a puppy formula. Would that be okay for a puppy...?
> 
> I was thinking California Natural might be the way to go too! Thanks so much for the recommendation.


I THINK Natural Balance is ALS, so it should be fine for puppies. However, it isn't the best food out there--lots of carbs derived from potatoes etc. instead of meat. For that price, you can get better quality kibble, in my opinion. =)

And yes, maybe don't change his food for a couple of weeks and see if he gets better. I'll suggest you feed him just California Natural alone now, and if in a week or two his stool doesn't firm up, you can look into other alternatives for food. Definitely check out grain-free, though. My pup is doing fantastic on it!


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, Lucidity! Do you think I can go straight to the all California Natural and just stop mixing in the Canidae?

Also what grain free brand do you use? I'm compiling a list to research!

Thanks again.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Yes, I think you should just go with Cali Natural for now.. and see if he improves. If not, you could try grain-free. I'm currently feeding Cadence EVO Red Meat (made by Naturapet, which also produces California Natural and Innova). You should also look into Orijen, Acana, Canidae Grain-free, and Taste of the Wild. I think these brands are the best. Wellness CORE is a good brand as well, but they don't have a puppy formula.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks, Lucidity!! Wow...it's mind boggling how many different dog foods there are out there. When I got my last puppy 15 years ago, I remember there being Puppy Chow and Science Diet!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

No problem! Lol, I know. When I first started researching food, my head was all over the place! I kept going back and forth, changing my mind on what brand I should get. You should make a list for rotation. I've got one lol, with the prices and stuff on there too. I get the smallest bag (which runs out every month and a half or so) and change brands/flavour when it's finished.


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