Batmom Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Depends on the dog. Not saying your gf does so, but many people overfeed small dogs and/or give lots of treats. Regardless of which kibble is chosen, best would be to feed the dog nothing else for a time. If training / other treats are desired, use pieces of the kibble, and see how the dog does. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I feed Iams green bag, but large breed and it does well for my girls. I do, however, add about a teaspoon of oil(soy and EVOO mix) to each meal. Brings calories up and I've not had any problems with loose stools. I've heard good things about Solid Gold I love the ingredients in the Beef and Barley -- not too many strange ingredients and only one protein source so it is a little like the "limited ingredient foods" but, it seemed to be too rich for the fosters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Ok so she's been using it for two full days and the poops have not gotten harder. She has given him 1/3 Iams and 2/3 his old food. Should she just switch over cold turkey? I thought it was better to do it gradual? Ugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 here's what i just posted in my other thread: Posted Today, 05:06 PM well, after almost two weeks of dreadful stools (worse than they'd ever been), the first of two rounds of panacur (after deworming twice with drontyl already), flagyl (up to 500mg per meal), removing all canned pumpkin (stools stopped being pale, but were still soft), and adding prozyme, all of which made little to no difference, i have begun the switch to iams practive mini-chunks -- the so-called "green bag" iams. his stools were already so poor that i decided not to do a super-slow transition. i basically started at adding 1/4 cup to each of his 2 1/4 cup meals. right now i'm almost completely switched over. the bowel movements are definitely improving. over the past couple days they've started to get their consistency back, and are normal in color. i'm not totally done switching, and it'll be a bit before the old food is totally out of his system. so far, then, it seems to be working, though that could be the result of any number of factors (the enzymes finally kicking in, the flagyl -- whatever). hopefully we'll continue to see improvement. the one thing i'm disappointed about is that the iams doesnt seem to be any cheaper than the fancy stuff, but oh well. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I usually do 30 new / 70 old or 50/50 for @ 3 days to make sure the new isn't going to make matters *worse*. Then I just switch. Can take 2-3 days for all the old food to work its way through. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 here's what i just posted in my other thread: Posted Today, 05:06 PM well, after almost two weeks of dreadful stools (worse than they'd ever been), the first of two rounds of panacur (after deworming twice with drontyl already), flagyl (up to 500mg per meal), removing all canned pumpkin (stools stopped being pale, but were still soft), and adding prozyme, all of which made little to no difference, i have begun the switch to iams practive mini-chunks -- the so-called "green bag" iams. his stools were already so poor that i decided not to do a super-slow transition. i basically started at adding 1/4 cup to each of his 2 1/4 cup meals. right now i'm almost completely switched over. the bowel movements are definitely improving. over the past couple days they've started to get their consistency back, and are normal in color. i'm not totally done switching, and it'll be a bit before the old food is totally out of his system. so far, then, it seems to be working, though that could be the result of any number of factors (the enzymes finally kicking in, the flagyl -- whatever). hopefully we'll continue to see improvement. the one thing i'm disappointed about is that the iams doesnt seem to be any cheaper than the fancy stuff, but oh well. . . I agree... if I switched to Iams I would only be saving a few dollars a week..... strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Iam's is considerably less expensive here. Also, the idea of larger poops seems to make sense to me. Beet pulp is fiber. Fiber adds bulk = larger stools. Does that make sense to anyone else? june Edited January 17, 2012 by june Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 i have to figure out a better place to buy. TOTW and other fancy foods are about $35 for a 30 lb bag. iams is exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Iam's is considerably less expensive here. Also, the idea of larger poops seems to make sense to me. Beet pulp is fiber. Fiber adds bulk = larger stools. Does that make sense to anyone else? june All of my dogs have had smaller and darker poops on Iams. I get 40# for $34 at WalMart. In Rex's case it wasn't about cost. It was about what worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 i have to figure out a better place to buy. TOTW and other fancy foods are about $35 for a 30 lb bag. iams is exactly the same. Wow, where do you live? Here in CT $35 only gets you 15 lb bags of the 'fancy stuff'. Now that I figure it out by pound my Natural Balance is $2.30/lb and Iams is $1.45/lb for comparable size bags. So it is cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Iam's is considerably less expensive here. Also, the idea of larger poops seems to make sense to me. Beet pulp is fiber. Fiber adds bulk = larger stools. Does that make sense to anyone else? june All of my dogs have had smaller and darker poops on Iams. for $34 at WalMart. In Rex's case it wasn't about cost. It was about what worked. Absolutely it is about what works, but the price is a nice bonus. I get a 44lb bag for $33 and the store also is a member of the Platinum Paw program so I buy 4 bags and get a coupon for a free 44lb bag. Sweet. june Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sirsmom Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Iam's is considerably less expensive here. Also, the idea of larger poops seems to make sense to me. Beet pulp is fiber. Fiber adds bulk = larger stools. Does that make sense to anyone else? june That's exactly why it's good. The bulk also helps the anal glands to express. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 well, i'm pretty much sold. as mentioned above, its still too early to tell exactly what is responsible for the improvement, but the iams is certainly not detracting. last night my dog's stool was very good, which almost never happens later in the pm hours. and then on both walks this morning his stools were basically perfect, which has never happened before. starting yesterday morning, i had basically switched over to iams 100%, while still adding the prozyme and flagyl (neither of which had had much effect before fully (or almost fully) switching. i hope it stays this way for good -- i have never been so exuberant over poop in my entire life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 well, i'm pretty much sold. as mentioned above, its still too early to tell exactly what is responsible for the improvement, but the iams is certainly not detracting. last night my dog's stool was very good, which almost never happens later in the pm hours. and then on both walks this morning his stools were basically perfect, which has never happened before. starting yesterday morning, i had basically switched over to iams 100%, while still adding the prozyme and flagyl (neither of which had had much effect before fully (or almost fully) switching. i hope it stays this way for good -- i have never been so exuberant over poop in my entire life. Ugh, I wish my gf would have the same success... the poops are rather soft still. They have turned darker in color due to the color of the Iams, but it doesn't seem to be working. I wonder how long she should try it. I was considering trying it for Angus who has perpetually soft poop, but now that my gf is not having a great experience with it, I'm not sure what I should do! UGH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 keep in mind that ive been supplementing with enzymes and anti-inflammatories while transitioning. but who knows, this is complicated stuff. he could still go back to soft stools at any time -- this could just be a brief improvement, though i hope it isnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetpea Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 keep in mind that ive been supplementing with enzymes and anti-inflammatories while transitioning. but who knows, this is complicated stuff. he could still go back to soft stools at any time -- this could just be a brief improvement, though i hope it isnt. Sweetpea and I tried just about everything: Pro-biotics, pre-biotics, yogurt, pumpkin, 72 different kinds of food, flagyl, bland diet. Some remedies worked for a little while, then we were back to pudding poo and tummy gurgles. Now she's on Iams mini-chunks, (no supplements) we have been for a couple of years now, she's never gone back to the soft-serve poop. Even when she has her gurgle flares (which she still gets, but much more infrequently, and I treat those with Manuka honey with miraculous success), her poop remains good quality. (I can't believe I just wrote that about poop. ) Iams is a little cheaper here, but like Pam said, it wasn't about cost, it was about effectiveness. And eliminating all the extra vet visits boosted the savings even more. Buzzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 keep in mind that ive been supplementing with enzymes and anti-inflammatories while transitioning. but who knows, this is complicated stuff. he could still go back to soft stools at any time -- this could just be a brief improvement, though i hope it isnt. Sweetpea and I tried just about everything: Pro-biotics, pre-biotics, yogurt, pumpkin, 72 different kinds of food, flagyl, bland diet. Some remedies worked for a little while, then we were back to pudding poo and tummy gurgles. Now she's on Iams mini-chunks, (no supplements) we have been for a couple of years now, she's never gone back to the soft-serve poop. Even when she has her gurgle flares (which she still gets, but much more infrequently, and I treat those with Manuka honey with miraculous success), her poop remains good quality. (I can't believe I just wrote that about poop. ) Iams is a little cheaper here, but like Pam said, it wasn't about cost, it was about effectiveness. And eliminating all the extra vet visits boosted the savings even more. Buzzy Did you switch her over quickly or over two weeks like vets recommend? I want success like that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I switched my dog over the course of about 5 days. i saw no real reason to wit for weeks -- it was already almost as bad as it gets, so its not like i was going to be upsetting the cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I switched my dog over the course of about 5 days. i saw no real reason to wit for weeks -- it was already almost as bad as it gets, so its not like i was going to be upsetting the cart. How long did it take to firm up? Did it happen in those 5 days? Lastly, how long has it been firm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 i started to see slight improvements immediately while doing 1/5th iams, 4/5ths TOTW, but only slight. it stayed the same up to 50/50 -- maybe slightly better, but still pretty bad. once i went to 4/5ths and then 100%, the next stools were basically perfect, and they were still very good through today. As usual, the PM ones were slightly off, but only slightly. still completely pick-upable. its only been 2 days now, but the instant i was doing 4/5ths iams, it got better after weeks of terrible stools that didnt improve no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 i started to see slight improvements immediately while doing 1/5th iams, 4/5ths TOTW, but only slight. it stayed the same up to 50/50 -- maybe slightly better, but still pretty bad. once i went to 4/5ths and then 100%, the next stools were basically perfect, and they were still very good through today. As usual, the PM ones were slightly off, but only slightly. still completely pick-upable. its only been 2 days now, but the instant i was doing 4/5ths iams, it got better after weeks of terrible stools that didnt improve no matter what. Thanks!! I'm about to post something about corn in dog food which doesn't mean I am against using Iams. I'm actually considering putting Angus on it. Just a heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbox Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Spent years trying the expensive designer foods and ended up with nothing but inconsistant results. Dogs have been on Iams Lamb & Rice for 2 yrs now and have done wonderful on it! I mix theirs with some warm water and they lick their bowls clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 i've also noticed that, contrary to what many have reported, his stools are significantly smaller than they had been, even though i am feeding up to 4.5 cups per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 i've also noticed that, contrary to what many have reported, his stools are significantly smaller than they had been, even though i am feeding up to 4.5 cups per day. This is the same for Annie Bella. They are smaller and there is less than when she was on anything else. As we like to say "I'm not gonna rock the boat." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetpea Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 keep in mind that ive been supplementing with enzymes and anti-inflammatories while transitioning. but who knows, this is complicated stuff. he could still go back to soft stools at any time -- this could just be a brief improvement, though i hope it isnt. Sweetpea and I tried just about everything: Pro-biotics, pre-biotics, yogurt, pumpkin, 72 different kinds of food, flagyl, bland diet. Some remedies worked for a little while, then we were back to pudding poo and tummy gurgles. Now she's on Iams mini-chunks, (no supplements) we have been for a couple of years now, she's never gone back to the soft-serve poop. Even when she has her gurgle flares (which she still gets, but much more infrequently, and I treat those with Manuka honey with miraculous success), her poop remains good quality. (I can't believe I just wrote that about poop. ) Iams is a little cheaper here, but like Pam said, it wasn't about cost, it was about effectiveness. And eliminating all the extra vet visits boosted the savings even more. Buzzy Did you switch her over quickly or over two weeks like vets recommend? I want success like that!! Oops, sorry for the delay in responding, (the weather's been CRAP). I'd say I probably took 5 days or so. As many times as I had tried other kibbles, I knew pretty quickly when they didn't work, no need to drag it out. Good luck! Buzzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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