Trying Out The Dark Side (Green Side?) Iams Green Bag

[HoundHeavenAZ]

I have been mixing the Kirkland Lamb and Rice with the Iams for about a year and it's working just fine. We also feed some raw and I cook for mine as well.

So happy to hear that you've found what works for your hound! This will be a huge relief for both of you.

Guess who's poop was solid today for the first time since I brought him home? Looks like the Iams was a good decision! I'll have to get a big bag and send the Kirkland home with my folks I guess. Does anybody mix Kirkland and Iams with positive results?

[a_daerr]

I can't say enough good things about green bag. The only one who had a hard time adjusting was me (I thought I was horrible for feeding my dogs garbage food from Walmart). Those feelings went away after I saw how solid and normal-looking the poops were. I did go from the mini chunks to the large breed formula. There's no difference in ingredients, just in the size of the chunks. My dogs eat rather fast, and they ended up swallowing the mini chunks whole and coughing some back up. I find that the larger pieces force them to chew more, which is also good for the teeth.

[Guest OPointyDog]

We are struggling here with pudding poo since adopting Zoe in April. Her foster family claimed she had normal poops, but that has not been the case generally since we got her. The adoption group and her previous kennel had her on Purina Pro Plan chicken & rice, and so we fed her that for the first couple months. She had to have surgery in early May, and I didn't want to try to switch foods in the middle of that.

 

There's a dietary consultant at the physical therapist where she goes, who suggested switching her to a higher quality grain-free food, so we tried Wellness Core starting in June, but that made things worse. She then suggested another high-end food, but I decided to cut to the chase based on the reviews here, and we switched slowly to Iams in the last couple of weeks. She's now going 3 times a day instead of 2, and two of the poops are normal, but the 3rd is pudding. She gets walked twice a day, and goes twice on one walk (1 solid, 1 pudding) and then once (solid) on the other walk.

 

Purina Pro Plan (Chicken & Rice) - solid poop AM, pudding poop PM

Wellness Core - each individual poop started solid and then ended in pudding

Iams (Lamb & Rice - red bag) - 2 solid poops per day, + 1 extra pudding poop

 

We've also had a very hard time getting her to eat the first two brands - I tried adding yogurt, wet dog food of various varieties, scrambled eggs, cheese, or even roast beef. She still would often leave it in the bowl until late in the day and then eat breakfast around 4pm. I was worried about bloat, so then I fed her dinner at 8 or 9. With the Iams, she eats it right away!! So I think she likes it better. I still add a spoonful of plain yogurt and a little roast beef (1/2 slice of deli meat, shredded).

 

Our vet gave us some fortiflora, which I've started adding the last 2 days. So far no change.

 

Any other suggestions? Should I try the green bag? I was wondering if it was the protien type (chicken in previous 2 types) so thought the lamb might work better.

 

She did have hookworms when we got her in April, and had two rounds of dewormer. Her stool has been retested twice (2 months apart) and all is clear.

Edited July 20, 2012 by OPointyDog

[JohnF]

I don't think the Green recipe will reliably make a lot of difference over the Red though you'll be swapping the greasy lamb for the less greasy chicken meal. For my dog that would matter as she can't really do lamb; for most other dogs probably not. But in any case dogs like to have an occasional taste change.

 

I find it normal for Greyhounds' first poops to be normal and later ones like 'pudding' as they tend to evacuate in anticipation of exercize.

 

Add: In the summer I'm meticulous about changing any water at least daily outdoors in a bowl as there is Giardia to worry about from birds and creepy crawly things. I'm not particularly keen on her drinking from the streams either, except up on the moorland away from the farms.

Edited July 20, 2012 by JohnF

[Hubcitypam]

When I had Rex with the grumbly tummy it didn't seem to matter poopwise if it was chicken or lamb, but none of my dogs have really cared for lamb.

[Guest sirsmom]

I can't say enough good things about green bag. The only one who had a hard time adjusting was me (I thought I was horrible for feeding my dogs garbage food from Walmart). Those feelings went away after I saw how solid and normal-looking the poops were. I did go from the mini chunks to the large breed formula. There's no difference in ingredients, just in the size of the chunks. My dogs eat rather fast, and they ended up swallowing the mini chunks whole and coughing some back up. I find that the larger pieces force them to chew more, which is also good for the teeth.

 

The large breed formula has lower protein and fat. Some dogs don't handle too much protein and fat well.

[Guest driser]

Man your dog could be our dog ... can't get his poops firm for long stretches. Tonight, pudding poo again. We use red bag IAMS (lamb/rice) but am tempted to try green bag ... I see it has prebiotics. I don't know that the red bag does. Really need to find a solution! Thanks for posting!

[Guest OPointyDog]

Yes, the red bag has prebiotics. And the magic beet pulp ingredient that seems to help slow down passage of food through the intestinal tract and provide a good material for the good bacteria to grow. I wonder, though, if I should try the green anyway, since it is a different protein source. Zoe has only been on all Iams red for about 5 days now, so I'm willing to give it a bit longer, since things are showing some signs of improvement.

 

Somewhere on GT, I read someone using the analogy that she thought her dog's poop needed to "bake" as long as possible in the dog. I think that's totally what's happening at this point. When Zoe has two bowel movements too close together, the second one is pudding because it needed to "bake" longer.

 

Today we had no pudding, though! She went once on the morning walk (8am) and once on the evening walk (6pm). Then asked to go out again at midnight and went a third time, but they were all pretty solid. I couldn't see the 3rd one that well since it was pretty darn dark, but I could pick it up. So I'm not sure if it's a fluke or if something good is happening. We'll see.

[NeylasMom]

Green bag has beet pulp and as far as I know, probiotics as well, fyi. I think the difference is mainly the protein source.

[revamp]

Still doing well on the green bag, and this week had another negative fecal.

 

I bought the big 47lb bag at Sams for I think $38. They only had mini-chunks, though, and I had been buying the regular sized chunks. I doubt my dogs will care one way or another, though.

[beledi]

What is the name of the Iams "Green Bag" food?

[revamp]

http://www.iams.com/dog-food/iams-proactive-health-adult-minichunks

 

Iams proactive health

 

[OwnedBySummer]

That blue bag with the fish protein sounds really interesting.

[revamp]

Just an update that poops are better than they have ever been. Improvement seems to have continued as time has gone on. I'm definitely staying with the green bag. My other (non-grey) is also doing well on it, although he used to poo only twice a day ever, and now sometimes goes 3x a day. There has been no noticeable impact to fur softness/shine and still no issues with dog breath, etc.

[Guest OPointyDog]

Glad it's working for you, revamp!

 

Sadly, it hasn't worked for us. For the last month, Zoe has been getting the Red Bag Iams with FortiFlora, and 2x a day the poop is usually pretty reasonable, but the 3rd (or 4th!) time, it's pudding or even liquid. She does like Iams and eat it, which is a bonus, though.

 

So yesterday I picked up some Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free Venison and Potato. I noticed in someone else's post that it has beet pulp, and Zoe does seem to do a little better on non-poultry, so we'll see how it goes.

[Guest SueG201]

I have run the gamut with all the expensive foods, my grey was on TOTW and lost 10 lbs in a year which is a lot for a almost 14 yr old greyhound, she is now on Iams Heathy Naturals with the PetFresh Select found in the refrigerator section, and s he is doing fantastic.I have always been a pet food snob only wanting the best for my dogs, but they are both doing great on this food,and no more poopie accidents in the house and my pocketbook is much happier these days

[Guest FreeholdHound]

My Harry did really well poo wise on the other recipe "Simple & Natural" it's even 4star rated ( made me feel better w/ using Iams). I was so thrilled, but as w/ anything involving chicken -he stopped eating it ( sigh)

[Guest FreeholdHound]

Now into my 2nd bag of the Nutro Natural Choice Grain free Venison/Potato.. I can't remember making it thru an entire large bag before . Harry refused breakfast this morning, but I'm sticking w/ tough love now & after 15 min I took it away. Dinner time came and he gobbled up the whole bowl. Yay. He would be on the Iams if he did well on chicken or lamb - but the Nutro has the beet pulp that I think helps. Guess its true that dogs can't read labels - whatever works. My childhood mutt lived for 21 yrs on supermarket no frills dog food (ouch) but it worked.

[Guest itsagreytlife]

We also have been struggling with Chance's poo, since we got him late July. Neg 2x for parasites, although I still went ahead with the panacur and will be giving his followup treatment next week. Has been on green Iams bag for nearly 2 wks now. Did see some improvement finally. His foster home also claimed he never had runny poops, which is very hard to believe. There he was on TOTW salmon, so I figured transitioning him to Selah's salmon grain free kibble would not be a problem. Unfortunately he never had a solid poop since the first time he ran out into our backyard (with greyt joy & excitement, I might add). Either soft serve and/or drippy diarrhea. Tried bland diet for awhile with prescription immodium--no improvement. A bit improvement with a brief script of metronizadole. No accidents in house, thank goodness. He always seemed to have a very high volume of poo as well. He always has 2-3 (and sometimes 4!) "acts" in each elimination process, and then usually 3-4 separate poop events a day! With the Iams this is no different, in fact it might be a little more. He starts out usually with a firm couple of pieces, then moves to another spot, then another, and sometimes another. Each one, of course, gets progressively softer. I don't know why he has so much volume at one time. He usually does his business in the yard but will also do it occasionally on walks. Paper plate gets whipped out and due to his multi-pooping points, I have to keep carefully moving it around with him. I am pleased the Iams is helping with at least some firm poos, but does anyone have any ideas why he is pooping so much and needing to stop & poop in different places? I knew getting a 2nd grey would increase amt of poop, but I am picking up, on average, 8 individual poopings a day, not including Selah's regular 2 poops/day. I am out there picking it up several times during the day, since at one time he seemed interested in eating the poop. He goes out with muzzle/stool guard now and I have not noticed him burrowing it in any poop for quite a while, thank goodness. Am hoping that tendency was a result of not getting enough nutrition on his bland diet.

 

Anyway, its a ridiculous amount (the bag for disposal at the end of the week is QUITE heavy!). He is finally starting to put on some weight, but still needs some meat on his bones. Also fyi, he gets Fortiflora every a.m. Next step according to vet would be a culture for bacteria and then a blood test for "maldigestion". Does my description of his poo indicate a need for either of these? He has a great appetite and seems happier every day. No tummy gurgly or other signs of upset. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[revamp]

It seems counter intuitive for a dog that you want to put weight on, but you might try feeding slightly less than you're feeding currently to see if that makes a difference. I found success with firmer, less volume poos when cutting back on Rocky's food, then when I saw an improvement I gradually increased the food volume slightly as tolerated.

[Guest GreytDogMa]

The beet pulp is a "fiber" that helps to move things along. Science Diet lite also has a good amount of fiber in the form of cellulose -- about 12% or so and that will help firm up the poop too.

 

I usually just give my dogs oatmeal mixed into their food and it keeps them all regular.

 

 

What type of oatmeal? Cooked or dry? How much for an 80lb grey. My poor Bank has had on and off (although mostly on) "D" since we brought him home in March. It makes me so sad to see him this way. His energy levels appear ok, lab tests appear ok. Moving him to "THE GREEN BAG" in an effort to set him right. Oatmeal sounds like a healthy mix-in to help things along. Thanks.

[Houndtime]

I have also had good success with cooked oatmeal. I use original Quakers. The oatmeal cooks in 5 minutes and I mix two hefty tablespoons in with their kibble. It works for "D" as it adds fibre. It is also easily digestable.

[a_daerr]

What type of oatmeal? Cooked or dry? How much for an 80lb grey. My poor Bank has had on and off (although mostly on) "D" since we brought him home in March. It makes me so sad to see him this way. His energy levels appear ok, lab tests appear ok. Moving him to "THE GREEN BAG" in an effort to set him right. Oatmeal sounds like a healthy mix-in to help things along. Thanks.

 

So glad that other people are having luck with green bag! I also supplement my puppy with oatmeal. It's just regular quick-cook Quakers oats. I cook it in a rice cooker- one cup of oatmeal, one and a half cups water. It helps to add just a tiny bit of butter, otherwise the oatmeal gets a cement-like texture when it cools off. I've also been putting in a little bit of honey to make it more palatable, but you can also just mix it in with the kibble. Good luck!

[Hubcitypam]

Science Diet lite also has a good amount of fiber in the form of cellulose -- about 12% or so and that will help firm up the poop too.

...if you want to feed your dog sawdust.

[Guest FinnsMom]

The green bag is not for my guy. Gives him the worst smelling farts I've ever smelled. I bought a bag of Eukanuba's Naturally Wild last night and am feeding 3/4 of that with 1/4 of the Iam's to get rid of it. Today is day one and so far no stinky farts.