How Do You Define Doing 'well' On A Food?

[cello]

As a follow up question to my post about food ratings verses how the individual dog is doing on said food, here are a few more age old questions!

 

HOW IMPORTANT IS POOP? Is it the bee all and end all in deciding how a dog is doing on a particular food?

 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE 'GOOD' POOP? Consistency, texture, color, smell, frequency?

 

WHAT OTHER CRITERIA DO YOU LOOK FOR IN JUDGING THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF A FOOD? Skin, coat, digestion, gas, eagerness to eat?

Edited July 23, 2012 by cello

[Guest Lady_Catherine]

I was wondering the exact same thing!

 

I am currently looking for firm poop and a better, shinier coat. Since I switched Bessie from the food she came with to what we are currently feeding her, she has gotten shinier and has better poop. However, she still is having some poop issues- soft, not the Big D, but hard to pick up. Good poop to me is firm, not crazy smelling, and easy to pick up. It's not the be all, end all to me, but it is important. Tons of gas would be something to work on for me- smelly for us, and it can't be comfortable for the hound to me. I know that I don't feel great when I have gas.

 

I'm giving it more time and adding a bit of yogurt, as overall it is an improvement. If it does not improve, I will likely start mixing in some of the Iams Green bag and see how that goes. I'm super curious to see what others say, because I am not sure on this topic!

Edited July 23, 2012 by Lady_Catherine

[Guest sirsmom]

I think diahrrea or soft movements indicate bowel inflammation and to me that is not healthy. I don't worry about the occasional one but chronic soft poop can lead to anal gland problems and indicate more serious diseases; IBD and liver disease etc.

 

Poop should be formed and able to pick up and well ummm brown and not pale. Mine go twice a day.

 

For the final question dogs should really like and enjoy what they eat, they should have shiny as opposed to brittle coats, good digestion is reflected in the poop and weight and the dogs should not be lethargic, but have some energy depending on age.

[greyhoundlady]

I guess I could say my greys' 'poop' is very important to me, because I seem to constantly be analyzing this stuff!!! It has even become a topic during dinner. Geez. My guy is fairly new and I have been on a quest to achieve the very best 'outcome' possible these past few months. So here are my answers:

 

1. How important - pretty important. I do think what comes out is a good indication of what is happening inside.

 

2. I define good as having a nice firm texture, and pick-upable. I don't think I care too much about color, smell or frequency. But if the poop is good, those things should not be such an issue anyway.

 

3. Yes, I want his skin to be itch free, shiny coat, great digestion, no gas and eagerness to eat - all very important.

 

I think if all that is happening, then the hound feels good and happy. Now, if only I can find the magic food that will do all that! I am still working on it.

[Guest widowcali]

For me, doing well on a food means that there are few gassy emissions and no brown soup in the yard. Not to mention no going out into the yard and grazing for hours only to have a nice little vomitorium going on in the corner of the yard.

 

As for skin, coat, etc. My Widow has always had a rougher coat while Cali has always had a softer coat. So I don't go by that. I have seen dogs, who are not doing well on a food, nipping on their fur and skin because it itches. Then they get those bald spots. I've never had that problem though. But when they get a lower quality dog food, or one with grain in it, there is a lot of gas, a lot of brown soup, and a lot of grazing.

 

I was wondering the exact same thing!

 

I am currently looking for firm poop and a better, shinier coat. Since I switched Bessie from the food she came with to what we are currently feeding her, she has gotten shinier and has better poop. However, she still is having some poop issues- soft, not the Big D, but hard to pick up. Good poop to me is firm, not crazy smelling, and easy to pick up. It's not the be all, end all to me, but it is important. Tons of gas would be something to work on for me- smelly for us, and it can't be comfortable for the hound to me. I know that I don't feel great when I have gas.

 

I'm giving it more time and adding a bit of yogurt, as overall it is an improvement. If it does not improve, I will likely start mixing in some of the Iams Green bag and see how that goes. I'm super curious to see what others say, because I am not sure on this topic!

 

You may want to try a little canned pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie mix! I try this with Widow, who has never had rock hard poo no matter what, and it really works. I don't go crazy with it. Maybe a small spoonful in their food once a day. But it works.

[PrairieProf]

Pretty much agree with what others have said. Pick-upable poop, reasonably firm unless it hasn't been long enough since the last time, not excessive quantities. I think the color of the poop is greatly influenced by the color of the food itself, so that wouldn't be a factor unless it was bizarre somehow. No gas or other digestive symptoms. Good energy and I'll say good coat (I can see that might vary between hounds, but Beth has an extremely soft coat so if that changed it would be a bad sign), no signs of allergies. Oh, and the dog maintains a good weight easily on a reasonable serving of the food, doesn't tend to get overweight or underweight.

 

Also, the hound should have appropriate blood values insofar as those might be affected by food.

 

The dog should like the food of course, but Beth is not a picky eater so that's not a real factor for me.

 

We hit all those benchmarks wonderfully on a prescription food that would have some people rolling their eyes at the ingredients. Beth nearly got pancreatitis before that and things have been so much better once I learned that what is central for her is a lower-fat diet as opposed to grain-free, limited ingredient or whatever. She poops about three times a day, sometimes four, but that's because we walk a lot and it stimulates her -- it's a highly digestible food so the poops are very small.

Edited July 23, 2012 by PrairieProf

[Guest WhiteWave]

Poop- firm, small, low odor, usually darker color (normally means higher meat diet), only going once or twice a day.

Coat- glossy, thick, no odor

Ears- clean- no odor/infection

Little to no gas

Eagerness to eat it is important as well.

Weight maintenance w/o having to feed a ton of food.

No tear stains (on white dogs)

Good energy level and endurance when being exercised.

 

We rotate, but dogs are on Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear and doing awesome. All dogs are eating it and doing better on this food than many others we tried. Casper's tear stains are almost completely gone after being on this food for 2 weeks. Little to no gas either and I have a French Bulldog which are notorious farters!

 

I can pick up poop for all my dogs for over a week and barely fill up a walmart bag where when my neighbor had 4 dogs on Dog chow could fill a bag a day with 1/2 the amount of dogs. B

[BatterseaBrindl]

I look at their weight first.

Then poop and coat.

Energy levels.

 

 

In 30 years of owning mutilple dogs of assorted breeds we have never had any picky eaters.

 

We fed Iams for years and years, then switched to Kirklands Lamb/Rice about 4 years ago.

All dogs did well on both of those. Kept their weight. good coats/skin tons of energy.

 

We had only one older Dobe with a 'senstive' tummy and another aged Springer with skin issues.

We raw-fed both of them and the issues went away.

 

Our Greys were all on the Kirklands.

We had no 'issues' at all that we or the vet could really say..."oh, we need to do something to improve ____"

 

However, six months ago we made the switch to raw - and yes...I was very nervous about this but our vet was very supportive.

We have a local supplier of it ... we used his food 20 years ago for those two older dogs.

And now...we'll never go back to kibble.

The main benefit we see is in their coats and teeth. And only half the amount of poop.

[Josie]

However, six months ago we made the switch to raw - and yes...I was very nervous about this but our vet was very supportive.

We have a local supplier of it ... we used his food 20 years ago for those two older dogs.

And now...we'll never go back to kibble.

The main benefit we see is in their coats and teeth. And only half the amount of poop.

 

HOW IMPORTANT IS POOP?

Otis is on raw since he arrived home a year ago. His coat is shiny and good, his teeths are amazing. He is my second greyhound, the previous one Tuffy was on several kibble food during our 6 years we had him and poop were never good.. he was on raw the last 6months of his life and it was marvelous poop

 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE 'GOOD' POOP?

good poop is a pickable poop, small amount (the diffrence beetween kibble and raw is really amazing), dont care about color (ok should not be bloody!)

Otis is a hig energy grey (yes they do exist!) and we do 1h to 1h30 walks and you must keep in mind that more they walk more their body activate..more they poop... so the first and second poop is good poop... the others that follow are no so good but are not take in consideration

 

WHAT OTHER CRITERIA DO YOU LOOK FOR IN JUDGING THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF A FOOD

less to no gas, enjoying eating the food, no bad breath

[Guest Timo]

HOW IMPORTANT IS POOP?

Very important.

 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE 'GOOD' POOP?

Roll-down-the-hill firm. Being able to pick it up without leaving a residue on the grass. Not too big.

 

WHAT OTHER CRITERIA DO YOU LOOK FOR IN JUDGING THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF A FOOD

Good coat. Good weight. Less gas. Good teeth. Good energy (well, he's really lazy, so that's kinda hard to judge). No grumbly tummy. Oh, and doesn't trigger his allergies.

Edited July 24, 2012 by Timo

[brandimom]

I define doing well if my pups poops are firm, brown color and will roll down the hill if there was a hill. Also define it if they like it. So far all doing well on their food which I have been giving them for several years.

[Feisty49]

Well, Annie Bella has lousy poop according to above, and in the 12 months since her adoption, it has been lousy more than not. It comes out nicely formed, but it's a mess to pick up. In the past 12 months, I've tried high-end food, middlin' food and low-end food. I've added yogurt, probiotic powder and real pumpkin (not all at once.. LOL). Nothing has worked; not even the 'script food the vet prescribes. Not even chicken/rice. Well, chicken/rice works but only for a couple of days and then it's back to formed but mushy stuff. I've given up. She's healthy. She poos twice a day with an occasional day of three poos. Her coat is shiny. She has energy, loves her walks and the occasional play time. I can't worry about it any more because I don't have an answer to make them bounce, roll down hill or whatever is good.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Feisty49

[sobesmom]

My dogs do their potties in my fenced yard - so my ratings of poop quality are going to be much less stringent than for folks that have to "pick up" the poop with a baggie in public, on somebody else's property. I just scoop the poop with a shovel before I mow my lawn, so my poop standards are lower.

 

As far as judging if a dog does WELL on a food - I look for maintenace of weight, healthy coat, bright eyes, good energy level, overall "healthiness" , no itching from allergies, and, yes, decent poop. Even though I'm not a poop-monitor through "potty-walks" ... I DO notice if a dog does badly on a food and goes to the door begging "out' too often because it's got big-D. And I do check for pudding poops in the yard if I suspect a dog isn't doing well with a food.

 

Poop quality isn't the only factor in "the right food"... it's just one of them. I've had dogs on "the right food" for ages that went through occasional bad-poop spells. And - I've had dogs that were fabulously healthy, that always had semi-soft to sometimes squishy poops.

 

You have to look at the whole package.

[Guest Timo]

Well, Annie Bella has lousy poop according to above, and in the 12 months since her adoption, it has been lousy more than not. It comes out nicely formed, but it's a mess to pick up. In the past 12 months, I've tried high-end food, middlin' food and low-end food. I've added yogurt, probiotic powder and real pumpkin (not all at once.. LOL). Nothing has worked; not even the 'script food the vet prescribes. Not even chicken/rice. Well, chicken/rice works but only for a couple of days and then it's back to formed but mushy stuff. I've given up. She's healthy. She poos twice a day with an occasional day of three poos. Her coat is shiny. She has energy, loves her walks and the occasional play time. I can't worry about it any more because I don't have an answer to make them bounce, roll down hill or whatever is good.

 

Timo's was like that for over a year as well. Finally, after searching this forum, I decided to add shredded dried beet pulp and l-glutamine to his meals. Now, more often than not (for the last 8 months), his poops actually roll down a hill because the silly boy likes to poop on a hill and/or bush. Lol.

[Feisty49]

Well, Annie Bella has lousy poop according to above, and in the 12 months since her adoption, it has been lousy more than not. It comes out nicely formed, but it's a mess to pick up. In the past 12 months, I've tried high-end food, middlin' food and low-end food. I've added yogurt, probiotic powder and real pumpkin (not all at once.. LOL). Nothing has worked; not even the 'script food the vet prescribes. Not even chicken/rice. Well, chicken/rice works but only for a couple of days and then it's back to formed but mushy stuff. I've given up. She's healthy. She poos twice a day with an occasional day of three poos. Her coat is shiny. She has energy, loves her walks and the occasional play time. I can't worry about it any more because I don't have an answer to make them bounce, roll down hill or whatever is good.

 

Timo's was like that for over a year as well. Finally, after searching this forum, I decided to add shredded dried beet pulp and l-glutamine to his meals. Now, more often than not (for the last 8 months), his poops actually roll down a hill because the silly boy likes to poop on a hill and/or bush. Lol.

 

How much beet pulp do you add to his meals?

 

ETA: No need to answer the question. I found on another topic your answer of adding two heaping tablespoons of dry shredded beet pulp to Timo's meals.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Feisty49

[Guest apollo]

HOW IMPORTANT IS POOP? It's important - if he's not feeling well it will show.

 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE 'GOOD' POOP? iit all smells bad...but definitely consistency and frequency are signals of good poops/bad poops - if he goes too much and it's soft serve or liquid then something is wrong. if he's going twice a day and a healthy firm amount then everything is ok.

 

WHAT OTHER CRITERIA DO YOU LOOK FOR IN JUDGING THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF A FOOD? Skin, coat, digestion, gas, eagerness to eat? all of the above! his skin and coat should shine, if I hear his tummy rumble then I know somethings going on, plus my dog can be super gassy! if he's not as gassy on one food then WOO HOO! Also my Boston Terrier can sometimes just not eat.his food. If he doesn't want to eat it then why should I buy it?

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

All my dogs have firm poop, nice coats (except Nax, my Whippet who just has a weird/funky coat since being spayed, but it's still thick and healthy), and eat their food with gusto. However, I can say that pretty much no matter what I feed them- from raw/scraps to fairly cheap kibble. I would change what I was doing if my dogs had poor coats or poops. But I switch food and do variety and feed scraps a lot, and my entire crew pretty much has iron guts.

[Feisty49]

Well, Annie Bella has lousy poop according to above, and in the 12 months since her adoption, it has been lousy more than not. It comes out nicely formed, but it's a mess to pick up. In the past 12 months, I've tried high-end food, middlin' food and low-end food. I've added yogurt, probiotic powder and real pumpkin (not all at once.. LOL). Nothing has worked; not even the 'script food the vet prescribes. Not even chicken/rice. Well, chicken/rice works but only for a couple of days and then it's back to formed but mushy stuff. I've given up. She's healthy. She poos twice a day with an occasional day of three poos. Her coat is shiny. She has energy, loves her walks and the occasional play time. I can't worry about it any more because I don't have an answer to make them bounce, roll down hill or whatever is good.

 

Timo's was like that for over a year as well. Finally, after searching this forum, I decided to add shredded dried beet pulp and l-glutamine to his meals. Now, more often than not (for the last 8 months), his poops actually roll down a hill because the silly boy likes to poop on a hill and/or bush. Lol.

 

Annie Bella's been on shredded beet pulp for 4 meals now and her poo is much much better -- I'd label it normal. I've been through normal before, though, so nothing is written in stone until she's normal for 2 weeks. She's not real crazy about the stuff. Though she'll eat with it mixed in with her kibble, she no longer licks the bowl or goes after the last half dozen kibbles because it means getting the leftover beet pulp with it.

[Guest Timo]

Well, Annie Bella has lousy poop according to above, and in the 12 months since her adoption, it has been lousy more than not. It comes out nicely formed, but it's a mess to pick up. In the past 12 months, I've tried high-end food, middlin' food and low-end food. I've added yogurt, probiotic powder and real pumpkin (not all at once.. LOL). Nothing has worked; not even the 'script food the vet prescribes. Not even chicken/rice. Well, chicken/rice works but only for a couple of days and then it's back to formed but mushy stuff. I've given up. She's healthy. She poos twice a day with an occasional day of three poos. Her coat is shiny. She has energy, loves her walks and the occasional play time. I can't worry about it any more because I don't have an answer to make them bounce, roll down hill or whatever is good.

 

Timo's was like that for over a year as well. Finally, after searching this forum, I decided to add shredded dried beet pulp and l-glutamine to his meals. Now, more often than not (for the last 8 months), his poops actually roll down a hill because the silly boy likes to poop on a hill and/or bush. Lol.

 

Annie Bella's been on shredded beet pulp for 4 meals now and her poo is much much better -- I'd label it normal. I've been through normal before, though, so nothing is written in stone until she's normal for 2 weeks. She's not real crazy about the stuff. Though she'll eat with it mixed in with her kibble, she no longer licks the bowl or goes after the last half dozen kibbles because it means getting the leftover beet pulp with it.

 

Timo doesn't love the dried beet pulp when it's wet, so there are always some pieces of it left in the bottom of the bowl. I add water to his kibble. However, he'll pick out and eat every single morsel of kibble. Timo does like the dried beet pulp when it's dry, though. He actually bugs me for it when I'm putting together his supplement baggies. And, he'll eat the dry ones as a treat. Weird, right?

[greysmom]

I agree with what everyone else has said, plus I'll add that consistancy - as in, maintain a consistent schedule - is also important.

 

I know something is off if they go more than twice a day or at a vastly different time than normal. All our meals and potty breaks and exercise periods are on the same schedule every day, so if potties change a lot, there's an issue somewhere.

 

Same with their weight and appearance. If something changes - losing or gaining weight, coat starts shedding a lot or goes dull, unexpected vomiting, unexpected lethargy - then I start investigating what might be wrong. Usually I can pinpoint too much people food or stress from an activity away from home if they have runny poops.