# Help - Blue Buffalo Wilderness causing issues?



## yunnie (Sep 27, 2011)

I have a 10 month 10lbs chihuahua mix who has been on Blue Buffalo Puppy Wilderness since July. She has been eating/pooping find but then towards the end of August she started getting soft stools/ diarrhea only in the afternoons. In September it got so bad she couldnt hold it one evening and went in the house. That morning her stool had been normal. I spent two days nursing her back.
So, I switched her to a bland diet of rice chicken and pumpkin, for a few days and slowly added in her food again. She started to get diarrhea again when I finally took the rice out. I put her back on the bland diet again for a few days and now she's back to regular dog food, but her afternoon stools are getting softer. The stool this morning was hard. The afternoon one was runny and look like it had mucus in it but nothing else.
The Vet said she's completely fine.

I was wondering if anyone has had this problem. Is her food too rich? Or do you think I should add fiber supplement to her diet? Should I get some flora supplements like the Purina FortiFlora to help her colon?
Should I changed her to a different Blue buffalo or a completely new brand. 
I had picked Blue Buffalo Wilderness cause its close to a BARF diet. So I don't know what to do now.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Try feeding less. She may not need as much food as she used to. Sometimes overfed dogs just poop out the excess instead of getting fat. Sassy did. I was trying to put a couple pounds on her and all that happened was her poop got huge and soft. Once I went back to the original amount her poop went back to firm and small. 

Max would get soft poop that got worse and worse during agility trials as I gave lots of treats. Once I measured out the treats I took each day the issue vanished.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

My dogs poos are large & soft some times, not all the time but some times. I think it depends on how much water they drink & how hot it is, their pops are firmer when its cooler & they drink less.


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## yunnie (Sep 27, 2011)

Well her poo isnt soft, its runny, as crying to go out or explode, runny diarrhea. I dont know, maybe she just needs some veggies or more fiber in her diet?


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

How much is she eating? The food could very well be too rich for her. Try a different formula of the BB or maybe try another brand. I believe the Wilderness is pretty high in calories/fat. Jackson is 16lbs and when he was eating Acana, he was only eating 1/2 cup of kibble per day, along with some treats and canned food.

Check how many calories per cup are in the food and how much she should be getting each day. A 10lb active dog should be getting 389 calories/day..... a "typical" 10lb dog (aka not very active) should be getting 342 calories per day. It looks like Wilderness puppy is 438 kcal/cup. Also factor in treats, bones, etc.


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## yunnie (Sep 27, 2011)

I try not to give her treats. her only "treats" are tiny tiny pieces of boiled beef livers and boiled chicken crumbs for training.

I scoop up about 1/2 a cup for morning and 1/2 a cup for evening. But she never finishes it ever. she only eats about 1/4 a cup per meal. so 1/2 - 3/4 cup a day depending on her mood.

It is confusing though. She was doing very well on it for a month and a half then her poop got soft then diarrhea. 

Since her bag is going to run out by next week. I'll probably just switch her to the adult version of Wilderness a couple months early. 

But should I be adding anything to her meals? Like supplements or veggies?


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

yunnie said:


> I scoop up about *1/2 a cup for morning and 1/2 a cup for evening. But she never finishes it ever. * she only eats about 1/4 a cup per meal. so 1/2 - 3/4 cup a day depending on her mood.


You are overfeeding her, so cut down to 1/2 cup per day divided between 2 meals and that should help. If you just switch to another grain-free food and continue feeding 1 cup a day to a 10lb dog the problem would continue. My pup is 9.2lbs and I feed her 1/2 cup of kibble per day divided between 2 meals. So she gets 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening. If I even up the food amount a little bit to 2/3 cup of kibble per day then she gets runny poo. Dogs don't need as much when they are on a high quality grain-free as when they are on a grain inclusive formula.


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

Probably feeding too much. My 16 lb dog eats that amount of food


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## Dezzoi (Sep 19, 2011)

I had the same thing with my dog on Blue Buffalo. He was on a lower quality one when I first got him (saved money for the breeder) and then I switched him to Blue Buffalo which always gave him the run around with his digestion and potty. Sometimes he would be okay...then other times he would have a terribly upset stomach and I was constantly bathing him because of all his long hair. I was spending $50.00 a month on blue buffalo food (big bags because he's a big boy) and his body was just not agreeing with it...or any other dog biscuit....so I switched him to raw because all my friends who have sighthounds (borzoi, saluki, greyhound, azawakh, etc) changed their dogs onto it and have noticed a big healthy change in their dogs, and now he's doing beautifully. Never soft poopies (even slightly soft), no explosive diarrhea, no throwing up...just once a day firm poopies, every day. (not to mention a better coat and healthier teeth and energy)

I would say adding a bit of boiled chicken in her food if she'll eat it with her biscuits and like everyone mentioned, 1/2 a day (split up into two meals).

Rice is good for only a few days...after that, I've found that most dogs can't digest grains very well and seem to pass a lot of rice in their poopies (and get upset tummies) since it's not absorbed properly into their diet. (My dog got terribly upset tummies when he ate too much rice) I would recommend raw, but that's entirely up to the owner's choice. If you're not into that, perhaps look into home made meals....a lot of breeders I know swear by them. Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be.


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## Cheshire Cat (Aug 8, 2011)

i have been looking around at different dog foods and have read that with some dogs blue buffalo is too rich for some. Every dog is different. Their digestive tract doesn't care which is the 'highest rated food'. Each animal is different. Trial an error until you find something that works. 'best' isn't always 'best.'


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Maybe a fish related food like orgin 6 fish or TOTW pacific stream, fish based foods IME have less protein then the red meat based foods. Chicken/fowl based ones also

Also, you could try a simpler food like those with fewer ingredients www.dogfoodadvisor.com is a good place ro start.


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