Jump to content
BC Boards

Reverse Dilemma with Switching Food...


Recommended Posts

Most people in here have trouble with their dogs' getting diarrhea when they switch food. I seem to have the opposite: I switched from Taste of the Wild Venison (no big bags at the store) to the Salmon version, assuming it'd be more or less the same to my dog's stomach. (He's not really finicky or particularly prone to stomach upset.) Well, since then - and I know I can talk poop in here because we're all dog owners - he's been putting out little tiny pebbles!

 

I've added pumpkin to 3 meals now, hoping to up the volume, since my dog is also prone to anal gland problems. Things seem a little softer and more volumic this afternoon, but is this a common problem? Do dogs often have a reduced volume after a food switch? Can I expect this to rectify (hee hee! I said 'rectify' in a poop post!) itself? Or should I look for a new home for the 28ish pounds of Salmon TOTW and go buy some venison?

 

Thanks in advance for your elimination expertise!

 

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Calcium content can vary greatly in foods - even commercial foods - because the standards have a wide variance, relatively speaking. And I've noticed that higher calcium content can firm up stools, and even constipate a dog. Possibly the TOTW is striking your dog this way. You can try another flavor, or adding a canned product, or even adding a little meat (you can add up to 25% without getting out your NRC reference and calculator :rolleyes: ). For the average Border Collie, that's going to be around 2 oz raw, and you can fry, braise, or crockpot it however you like . Or drop it in there raw.

 

As always, check with your vet if you have any questions. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's interesting Mary. I noticed that Skye's poops were much more solid, less frequent (but still 2xday) and moderate in size when she was on the fishy Fromm food -- not pellets, but certainly firmer, smaller and spherical. When I had her on the Wellness Core (which is multiple meat sources + fish), her poops were much bigger and IMO yuckier. She also had the scoots and seemed a bit more poop conscious (i.e. wasn't altogether sure that she was finished each time ... )

I like the fish results much better. But interesting -- I didn't know about the calcium effect.

Ailsa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...