Guest chardae Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Hi all, Our recently adopted grey, Katey, came to us with pudding poops for several weeks. To improve her stool, we changed from Fromm's kibble that our other greyhound (Jake) and white standard poodle (Joey) had been eating, to the green bag Iams. Did this about 10 days ago and poops are now great for everyone....YAY!! Joey, however, has developed reddish-brown staining where his saliva/tears touches, (mouth, eyes....wherever he licks, etc.). This happened with a different Iams kibble product we tried a year or so ago, and as soon as we stopped the Iams, the staining went away. Tried Angel Eyes before giving up the Iams, but that didn't work; and so far it seems the only brand of dog food causing the staining is Iams,---- even other brands containing beet pulp, corn, grains, etc. didn't cause staining. I'm looking for alternatives to Iams that will still give firm poops. My vet says Purina would be close, and he recommended only the ProPlan line. I would LOVE to stay with Iams, but the staining is unsightly and Joey does have his Poodle image to maintain......LOL . If anyone has experience with Proplan, I would love to know the poop factor......and experiences with any other "firm stool" brands? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPDoggie Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I might consider feeding Joey the Fromms he likes while keeping the grey on the Iams. Greys can have such temperamental bellies, I would hate you to try all these different foods through her system when you have found something that does work for her, and you know what did work for your poodle. Quote Amy and Tim in Beverly, MA, with Chase and Always missing Kingsley (Drama King) and Ruby (KB's Bee Bopper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I like tthe above suggestion for you. I have to say that I have white dogs and they don't have the staining on IAMS. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Why can't you keep him on the Fromm's? I have 3 diff kibbles that I feed for my pups plus Passion eats raw so that's 4. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chardae Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I agree with the suggestions too, but unfortunately mommy and daddy are BAD pet parents and free feed.......work schedules, etc. My vet is thinking the staining is an allergic reaction, something in Iams changes the acidity of Joey's saliva.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) FWIW - we sold a TON of this at the dog daycare. The customers loved it. I have no personal experience as Poodle doesn't get eyestains - he is café au lait. http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Eyes-Tear-Stain-Remover-Grams/dp/B000GFI7UY Edited July 3, 2013 by Hubcitypam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 This is a good opportunity to start feeding all the dogs at a regular time. When you free feed, it's hard to tell if one of the dogs is sick, not eating, etc. It's also hard to ensure all dogs eat the correct amount and have their dietary needs met with the right food. Put their bowls down, give them 15-20 minutes, then take the bowls up regardless if they've eaten. It usually only takes one time, and they get the point. Your dogs will not starve to death, I promise! BTW, I've tried 5-6 different foods and have not found any with the same results as green bag. It was a miracle worker for my guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhiteWave Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I tried Iams for Joey since we have had poop issues. Joey never had firm poop, lost weight like crazy and developed ear infection. I've never had a dog do well on Iams despite all its glowing recommendations here. I gave it another try b/c of them, but again horrid results. Pro Plan on the other hand, I have always had good results on over the past 15 yrs. I like Pro Plan Performance and Pro Plan Sensitive (salmon). With your dogs, I would probably try the Sensitive formula. Although right now I'm feeding Merrick Classic Beef and really like it. All my dogs can eat it without any of them having any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chardae Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Thanks for the info, WhiteWave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest psdirector Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 We switched our boys from Hills Science (what they were eating when they arrived) to Iams green bag because so many folks on this website have had good luck with it. Hutch had terrible loose poos, excessive gas, occasional vomiting. We chalked it up to his hookworms and that was probably a factor. Once we had three clear stool checks, though - we even checked for giardia and that was clear - we had to look at his diet, because his symptoms were still there. The vet suggested giving him a meat that he had never had before - venison, bison, wild boar, etc. We tried Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato and the change was quick and quite dramatic. Within three days he was so much better. Both boys now have perfect poos and no digestive issues at all. I'm sold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Our three dogs swear by Acana Ranchlands - poop rolls down the hill. Comes from Canada so might be hard to find in some stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chardae Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Thanks all, for the suggestions.... brandimom, going to start with Acana Grasslands.....picked up a 5 lb bag, we will proceed cautiously with the transition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FreeholdHound Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Iams green bag didn't do anything for Harry. My garage looked like Dog Food Depot for a while too. He'd do we'll for a while on one then wouldn't . Thru trial and error ( and more recently a Nutriscan test) I realized that he couldn't handle kibble with chicken, turkey, fish or salmon. He's been on Victor Hi Pro Plus for about 6 months now and doing well. I gave up on "bouncy poo" a while ago. If I can pick it up w/out removing 1/2 the lawn I am happy. He's healthy looks great and runs to his bowl - nuff said. Good luck w/ the Acana - it's great food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerilyn Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 What Fromm were you feeding? Lila eats the Large Breed Gold and does well. The fancy ones (Surf & Turf, Pork & Applesauce, etc) are too rich for her and cause soft poops. Quote Jerilyn, missing Lila (Good Looking), new Mistress to Wiki (PJ Wicked). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I think Acana is a good choice brand wise. I would have suggested California Natural GF Venison and Potato, Nadir did super good poop wise with that food, however with their recent recalls I would not recommend them anymore. I do think venison based foods do seem to work better though because it is a leaner meat. Another food that has produced nice poops is NB Limited Ingredient Rabbit and Potato. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chardae Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Jerilyn, We were feeding Fromm "four star nutritionals"...... chicken a la veg. In doing more research on foods containing the stool hardening beet pulp, I discovered Fromm's "Classic" line contains it. Putting that on our possibility list. We added a very small amount of Acana, already see some softening of poop..... Oh well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 We added a very small amount of Acana, already see some softening of poop..... If worst comes to worst, think about scheduled feedings. It really eliminated a lot of nutritional/behavioral problems for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stardude82 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Anybody else want to suggest an automatic feeder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Haven't fed ProPlan but have fed Purina ONE Sensitive Systems in the past; worked well for many dogs here over the years so that might be worth a try. Results can really vary from dog to dog with an individual food. Good luck! 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 chardae Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Hi all, Thanks for all the great suggestions!...and yes, scheduled MONITORED feedings (have to make sure each dog stays with their own bowl...lets out an automatic feeder ) would be best but not feasible due to a long, too boring explanation.... The Acana Ranchlands bag has found a home with a grateful friend. After a lot of research, and assuming beet pulp is the magic stool hardener in the Iams, we have decided to try Dr. Tim's Kinesis, and ordered a 5 lb bag from Chewy.com. Protein level is 26% , and beet pulp is #6 on the ingredients list, as well as containing psyllium seed husks and pre/pro biotics........and it's definitely considered a good quality food. Other brands that seemed to fit the ingredient analysis are Annamaet and Fromm's Classic (their only product that contains beet pulp). We'll take our time with this, so we're not switching the dogs' food around constantly....though Joey is slowly starting to show some staining now. I'll post our results when I have a good idea how Kinesis is working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhiteWave Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Dr. Tims is supposed to be a good food. I have spoken with him and he is a nice guy. Very friendly and helpful. His food unfortunately didn't work for my dogs, but I know many people using it with great results. Ronon HATES it. First food ever, he spit it back in my face! I tried the Pursuit and grain free. My Joey ate it for a while and did ok, but his poop never firmed up on it. And Casper can't have chicken so I went with something else. I have tried Fromm Classic before on some foster Greyhounds I had, it is low calorie and if you boy is active at all, he will have to eat a ton of it to maintain weight. I had a little 60lb female eating 4 cups and her ribs were all still sticking out and the male was eating 8 cups until I finished the bag and went with a higher calorie food. I did switch them to Annamaet Ultra and they did very well on that. Went down to 2 1/2 cups and 4 cups a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chardae Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Thanks WhiteWave, Annamaet is definitely next if Dr. Tim's doesn't work. I see they have a 23% protein product with a somewhat lower fat percentage, and beet pulp as #7 on their ingredient list. Both my vet and greyhound adoption coordinator feel the higher proteins/fat also contribute to stool softening....the "too rich" theory, I guess. But a lot of people swear by grain free with the higher protein levels....I have to watch that poodle Joey doesn't have too much protein (he was diagnosed with acid reflux via an endoscopy) or fat (touchy pancreas---that ruled A LOT of raw products).....oh these high maintenance poodles and greys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 What about just giving some beet pulp with the food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgrey Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 What about just giving some beet pulp with the food? I was going to suggest the same thing. 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 chardae Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Yes, considering just adding beet pulp....if anyone has experience with that......what are the best sources? And how much to add to 2 cups of kibble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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