Guest cloveralexis Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I have had my wonderful 4 year old boy for almost 6 weeks. I switched him from Blue Buffalo Wilderness to Natural Balance lamb & rice because it's a little cheaper ... but now it seems like his poops are even worse than they were on the Blue Buffalo. Some are normal, but more diarrhea. Maybe half and half. I've tried giving him some brown rice with his food which doesn't help consistently. My question is - should I just try another food, or does he need to be seen by a vet? He doesn't seem sick but surely it's not normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mychip1 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Some foods are just too rich. If his poops are just soft, I would try something else. If he has basically water coming out, I might suggest a vet. Be sure that he is drinking plenty of water if he has diarreah. Quote Robin, EZ (Tribal Track), JJ (What a Story), Dustin (E's Full House) and our beautiful Jack (Mana Black Jack) and Lily (Chip's Little Miss Lily) both at the BridgeThe WFUBCC honors our beautiful friends at the bridge. Godspeed sweet angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 When we first got Ruby we tried the Blue Buffalo and had the same problem. I think the food is just too rich. We then tried the lamb and rice food from Costco and had trouble with gas. Just bought The GREEN BAG and will be trying that tonight, mixing it in slowly to see how it goes. It can be hard to find a food every one likes. Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgrey Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 It could be dietary and it could be parasites. I had this problem with one of mine and kept switching foods without any lasting improvement. She had two negative fecals, but I read in the "Greyhounds for Dummies" book that the hookworm cycle can often cause a false negative result (vet explained it better than that) so I took her in for a third fecal and low and behold it was positive for hookworms. Treated her for hooks and she's never diarrhea or paint peeling gas again in the 5 years she's been with me. Good luck finding what works. It can be frustrating. Quote Cynthia, & Cristiano, galgoAlways in my heart: Frostman Newdawn Frost, Keno Jet Action & Chloe (NGA racing name unknown), Irys (galgo), Hannah (weim), Cruz (galgo), & Carly CW Your Charming Princess http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1018857 "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Unknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cloveralexis Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Thanks! I will try one more new food, maybe the Iams green bag as it seems to get good reviews. If that doesn't help I'll call the vet. I think he is well-hydrated - drinks a lot of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FinnsMom Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I would have him checked for worms too. We have had our guy for almost two months and I have been adding DE to his breakfast to help get rid of worms since he had a few fleas when we got him and soft poop, formed, but soft. A few says ago I saw tapeworm segments in his poo, and yesterday he passed a live one. Totally disgusting. LOL. So I called and was able to get him in this morning to get the medication to get rid of them. In two weeks I have to take multiple samples in to be sent away to test for everything else. So, if your guy had fleas before you got him he most likely has worms. Get rid of them and his poop might be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 My first thought was hookworm. My second thought was that's not the food for him. And yup, I've tried Summer on just about all of the "high end" kibbles. She is now on the infamous GREEN BAG and we're loving it! Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mld Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Ditto on the worms, did he have a second deworming since you've had him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cloveralexis Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 No, he hasn't. I think he was tested a few months ago and has been on heartgard since then, but I haven't had him tested since I got him. Sounds like I should do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racindog Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Ditto on the worms. Sometimes even if the fecal is negative they can still have them and a comparitively cheap deworming can resolve the issue. I always think you should try deworming before doing too much other work for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sireltonsmom Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Hopefully you will get deworming meds from vet. That's likely the culprit in my view. Also, hope you are changing him slowly from food to food. And, he's new to you so may just have adjustment nerves. Frankly, Purina One has been the best food for good poo in our household. Even if it is a 'grocery store' food, most of my greyhound friends feed it to their dogs. Hope you get it resolved. Enjoy many years with your new kid :<). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 None of my Greys have done too well on rice based foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itsagreytlife Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I feel your pain! Our new big guy (3+ mos) has been a challenge in this area as well. Have tested & treated him for worms (even though results were neg) a couple of times. Have tried foster family food, no luck. Tried a similar type (our other grey's food), no luck. Tried another type, no luck. During the poop testing, the vet gave me a big free bag (donated) of the prescription diet for this purpose--no luck. Used Fortiflora, no luck. Tried oatmeal, got worse. Tried THE GREEN BAG and got maybe a 40% improvement, but still lots of poop and lots of softness & some cow pies (ie. still needed to bring the paper plate). Disappointing since so many on here have had great success with it. Vet wanted to get further testing done down the mal-digestive route. I am stubborn, plus my other grey that we've had for over a year did finally (after many months) get her poop "in order" and normally has great poops now! So I didn't want to go thru a big testing melee when it could just be the food. After the Iams I went to Natural Balance sweet potato & venison. A bit better, but not much. Switched him over to NB sweet potato & bison. Best results so far. Then I started adding a few tbsps (he's a big guy) of Greek yogurt, since it has "live cultures". An even bigger improvement after that. Surprised me, since I think I tried regular yogurt earlier. The majority of his poops are formed and mostly firm (SO exciting!), then deteriorate as the day goes on--which I have conceded is going to be the way it is. He also poops many smaller poops, as opposed to a few big poops. I am hoping that some of this is also part of his settling in and will continue to get better as time marches on. It certainly worked for my other grey. I also regularly dose them with Panacur to be on the safe side. So that's my 2 cents. The best advice I've seen on here about getting a new grey is, "patience, patience, patience." I would add, "And more patience." But it does help to remember this. Some must take longer than others to get adjusted and get comfy with their new home. I'm sure you will find the right remedy for your baby. Good luck to you!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Blue Buffalo gave my dog the worst case of diarrhea he's ever had and it was really hard to get rid of! Just didn't work for him. Try canned pumpkin instead of rice to firm him back up. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cloveralexis Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Ok! Thanks everybody for the suggestions. I will try the canned pumpkin, NB sweet potatoe & venison or possible Iams green bag ... and call the vet. Some of his poos are definitely way more normal than others. Good thing he's so friggin' cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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