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New Puppy - New Food - New Soft Stools

Kodee

Well-known member
How long should it take for a puppy to adjust to a new kibble? Kodee was switched to Innova Puppy slowly for about 1.5 wks and has been totally on it for 5 days. She likes it and her kibble intake has increased to about 1/3 cup, 3x a day (she was only eating about 1/8th on old kibble). However she wont eat any kibble dry so I add either: 1/4 tsp plain low fat yogurt, 1/2 tsp Canidae canned or 1/2 tsp pumpkin (she tolerates some pumpkin but not a big fan). Her stools were fine for the switch but about 2 days after the total switch her stools got soft. Not really loose - still formed just really soft. The pet store said to be patient it can take 2 wks after they are totally eating it. Is this right? I am concerned over the fact they were soft - they used to be perfect - but eating 1/8 c was just not enough.

I dont want to keep switching her - should I give it more time or is this telling me she cant handle it and I should try something else (I used Solid Gold Puppy for treats and she seems to like it, but I have not feed enough to know the result on stools.
 
I had Wesley on the Innova puppy for a few weeks. I wasn't too impressed and kept seeing people use the Innova EVO on here. So he was switched at around 11-12 weeks and he started scarfing his food once I switched it to the EVO. He seemed to have softer stools on the puppy formula and the EVO has been just fine.

When he was on Innova puppy he needed his anal glands expressed so it wasn't really working out for him. He's been great since the switch.
 
arg.. exactly what I didnt want to here! but i do appreciate knowing - I was hoping it wasnt actually the food but really just the switching and time would solve it.

She really was not eating any kibble when we got her (just picked out the home cooked meal from the breeder and left the kibble). But went from an 1/8 of a cup of old kibble to 1/3 Innova Puppy kibble in a wk.

Also I'm trying to avoid the try this and that thing making it worse with too many changes. So to keep it simple for her tummy I did use Solid Gold Puppy and Canidae for treats and she tolerated both in small amounts. Mind you she recently started refusing the Canidae as a treat the more she ate the Innova - but she still goes for the Solid Gold.
 
I'd just pick a food and stick with it. If you add something in, then mix it thoroughly so she can;t pick out bits. Or, even if she does, just lift the food after 15 min. and stop worrying about the amount she eats. If you keep rotating foods around you will get into the pattern that is starting -- eg eat new food for a few days, turn up nose, wait and see what you do to make food more interesting. Also if you are fussing around with her over the food -- you are also rewarding her with your time and attention (eg cajoling, playing with the food dish, encouraging her, petting her to get her to eat etc) for behaviour you *do not want*.

So go ahead and wait two weeks if you want as yes, it can take a couple of weeks for a new kibble to be accepted. But then put food down for 15 min, make no big deal about it, don't even look at her; after 15 min the food comes up, no comment, and only reappears at her next scheduled feeding time. *Stop feeding treats in between meals as well*.

Within 5 days she should be eating normally. She will eat what she needs -- the amount doesn't matter. All puppies like and need different amounts. Doesn;t matter if it is 1/8th cup or 1/3rd cup and by sounds of it with treats she is getting well more than 1/8th cup 3X daily anyway. :)

There's also no need to feed puppy food. A lot of puppies do better on adult food anyway as it isn't as rich. Puppies don;t need that extra stuff and many breeders feel it incorrectly accelerates their growth.
 
Thanks Karlin - that was my worry, that the rich puppy food was bothering her. The fussing was while she was on the breeders kibble, then she picked out - on the Innova Puppy she eats all the kibble.

BUT her stool slowly went soft on it. Its been a wk and no sign of it firming. Figures, I get her on a kibble she loves to eat, but it does not agree with her. I'm bothered by switching cause the next one might be the same. I guess I will give it another wk to see if it firms up - she is drinking alot, so I think the softness may be bothering her. So if I have to switch at the end of the week, I'll go straight to an All Stages.

Argg labs are just pigs - they eat whatever you give them, however you give it! I'm not used to opinionated little manipulators! Lets just hope it firms up so I dont have to switch!
 
I had the same issue with Zoey when she first came home. Not the picky part, as she will eat ANYTHING you put in front of her. But in regards to the loose stools, she was just having such a hard time on the Wellness puppy formula. I had to switch her from her original kibble more quickly than I would have liked (over a week period) because the food the breeder sent was running out (it was locally made and they don't ship :? )

The puppy food was way to rich for her. I even had her on boiled chicken and white rice until she firmed up, then gave her the kibble as a potty training treat and again, her stools would become very loose (so there was no doubt in my mind that it was the food causing this.)

She is now eating Innova Evo and is doing great on it. She still has a sensitive tummy and if I put too much pumpkin or give her too many treats (more than 2), her poos will become loose again. She does great on just the food and she LOVES it. She gets so darn excited to eat!

Purhaps it is the yogurt or canned food that is making her loose (just a thought? This happend with Cody) Too much too soon maybe? Try low sodium chicken broth instead, adds flavor with no side effects (y)
 
Debbie -

I have Faith on 1/2 Evo and 1/2 Innova Puppy (1/4cup) with about 1tbsp of canned mixed in 3 times a day. Her poops are great and she's doing wonderful on it. I have had solid poos from her the whole time (except for the day after she came home but I blame that on the stress from flying.)

Good luck! :flwr:
 
Thanks Chris and Sara you both have good suggestions. When I couldnt stop the softened stools - I pretty much stopped treats except for using her kibble as one (ok charlie bears but 1/4'd for going outside). Yogurt I'm not adding at the moment or cheese to her food (although she goes nuts over both). Sometimes I smooth just a tinsy bit on the inside of her kong. I am trying to give the food a good shot before I give up.

It occured to me today, I finished switching her water from breeders to ours about the same time as food. I know our rabbit had trouble for a good 2 wks with the switch of water from university to home (why yes our rabbit goes to university!)

Does Evo correct loose stools in dogs that have it? I know many dont have loose stools - but did anyone experience it correcting those puppies that had it I would love to know. If so, that may be a good compromise half and half - I dont like the idea of giving straight evo yet. I'm sure the canned is not helping (even though its just a 1/2 tsp) since it can be a problem all by itself for some puppies.

They were a tiny bit better this morning! Hopefully we keep going that way!
 
Kodee said:
...Does Evo correct loose stools in dogs that have it? I know many dont have loose stools - but did anyone experience it correcting those puppies that had it I would love to know. If so, that may be a good compromise half and half - I dont like the idea of giving straight evo yet. I'm sure the canned is not helping (even though its just a 1/2 tsp) since it can be a problem all by itself for some puppies....

Zack had soft stools no matter what food i gave him, not loose but not firm, not that easy to pick up, i'd have to be careful not to squish or smear them, even though they were neatly formed, not loose. Kind of as an afterthought i tried EVO because they gave me a free sample at the pet store and Zack liked it more than any other kibble, so i stuck with it. Then, as the days went on, i was surprised at how firm the stools were, almost hard as a rock, i was a little worried about it at first.

The only negative about EVO for Zack was that he got really smelly gas. I was going to change because of that, but the guy at the pet store recommended digestive enzyme powder which i tried, sprinkling it on the kibble. It got rid of the gas immediately. Later, i consulted with a vet who suggested i mix the EVO with a regular kibble half and half because of the gas, so i stopped using the digestive enzymes and have been mixing the EVO with regular EVO, though i'd say i'm mixing it about 3/4 EVO and 1/4 regular, and there is no gas. The stools became more soft once i started mixing it.

What this tells me is that small adjustments can make a difference.

Zack has been getting mostly EVO for almost a year. He was about 6 months old when i started it, i think. He looks great, he's been healthy, he's energetic. He would probably be doing just as well on any other food, at least i have no basis to say that he wouldn't be, but clearly in Zack's case, EVO made a difference in his stool. It's interesting that as soon as i added regular kibble to it, the stools softened. This seems to say something about the effect of eating grain on at least those dogs who have this result with EVO.
 
I've had to start mixing small things with Kosmo's kibble every now and then. I LOVE the Evo but it almost seems to bind him up if I give him ONLY Evo and nothing else.. to the point where he cries when he goes and there's a HARD pellet on the ground when it comes out. I got some merricks canned and reduced his food and put a tablespoon of that in it. It has real chicken pieces and it helped to loosen his stool a little. I also noticed a decrease in gas when I mixed. ;)

Faith is a little fart machine still though.. :sl*p:

:flwr:
 
thanks everyone! Right or wrong I have made a choice - wow me making a choice these days are a big thing. In work I am very decisive, no nonsense person, why I go all wishy washy on my puppy shocks me! anyways rather than trying various puppy foods to find one that doesnt cause loose stools I started last night adding the Canidae All Stages and her stool was a bit more formed today (but still soft) so it is helping. I am going to continue increasing till she is half and half and see if that gets it there. If it is still too soft when I get there, I will decide whether to go all Canidae or start mixing in the Evo for half of it like Judy. You cant expect me to make two choices in one day! So I will leave that to decide when I get there :lol:
 
The water may also be a factor as well. With both of mine I was warned it could be an issue, but it wasn't a problem at all. But then, Amber's never had ANY kind of tummy trouble. I can't give Holly much poultry, for instance, as it can make her slightly loose, and cheese is also out due to a possible dairy allergy. No problems with Amber- whatever she eats, her poos are nice and solid.
 
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