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New Owner - Is This Normal? Please Help


Guest LeoTheGreyt

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Guest LeoTheGreyt

Hi everyone. I am sorry for the nature of my first post here, but my fiance and I are newbie owners and need some advice. We just brought our dog home yesterday. He has been fabulous so far, but we've encountered one problem....

 

I just discovered some poop on the floor next to our dog's crate. There was not much on the floor but there was a fair amount smeared on one blanket inside the crate. I have cleaned it up with Nature's Miracle but am now doing some research to see how we can avoid this happening again. Our dog is not showing any other signs of stress (no tucked tale, no whining or barking, no attempts to urinate inside, no cowering in the corner or his crate, generally looks happy, approaches us to get petted when we he knows we're nearby), so I think the problem is his diet.

 

Our shelter told us to give him 3 cups of dry food (Iams Mini Chunks), 1 cup of rice, 1/2 a cup of canned food (poultry) and about a cup of water mixed in twice a day. We plan on changing his diet but are sticking with this for now to make the transition easier. This seems like a LOT of food to me, about 8 or 9 cups of food per day. Our grey is a three-year old 80 lb. male. Yesterday he pooped three times on our walks, today he has pooped four (one was not very much). I have been around dogs enough to think his poop does not look normal - it's mostly a light brown color and on the watery/thin side, enough that it leaves a smear behind on grass. One of his poops did look more like what I think of as a healthy dog poop (log shaped, a little darker in color), but the rest have all looked a little off. I noticed a few grains of undigested rice in one of his poops earlier today.

 

So, I am wondering how much food you give your dog (which I realize will vary with size) and how often your dog poops per day, if you don't mind sharing. Any advice on transitioning his diet is appreciated too! We think fiber is an issue and plan to start mixing some cooked sweet potatoes into his food, but I also think just the volume of what we are feeding him is too much.

 

Thanks you for your help!

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I agree, that sounds like way too much food! I would give him that much per day, split into two meals. Did they say why to give him the rice? Also, you can probably expect a little loose poop for a few days, just because of the transition.

 

Welcome to the world of greyhound poop lol

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Guest LeoTheGreyt

I think they gave them the rice at the shelter because they only fed the dogs once per day and it apparently helps them feel full longer.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I thought it sounded like about double the amount of food he needs, we'll start lowering it tomorrow.

 

Welcome to the world of greyhound poop lol

 

Thanks! Ha ha. I was worried people would be too grossed out to respond.

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Just wanted to say with a greyhound you will probably become an expert on poop. Greyhounds have very fussy intestinal tracts. Someone else will probably chime in. You might want to try a different food than what a shelter would use. Many of us use Kirkland dog food from Costco. We use the Grain Free Salmon and Sweet Potato. When we have a poop problem we use something like Taste of The Wild Brand. Our 85 pound boy gets 6 cups a day.

 

Research what greyhounds are normally fed at the track. Yogurt helps with the good bacteria in their intestine. You might see what types of vegetables and fruit he might like. I also give them a hard boiled egg most days. They like pasta in their food also. We have one female that will help herself to an apple if we leave them out. She takes it to her crate and is very happy eating the entire apple.

 

Did I mention they are big time poopers.

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Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes,

God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man.

(Persian Proverb)

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My big girl only gets 1 cup of that Iams + one cup of greenbeans, twice a day. Iams does produce more poop but it's firm.

First poop of the day will be firm. For many dogs, no matter which food, later poops in the day are softer.

Too many of us here are poopologists. :)

 

Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Rita the podenco maneta, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto
Angels:  Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella),  Charlie the iggy,  Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt.

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None of my hounds have had much trouble with poop. A couple I had to try a few different foods, but they've all settled down into happy digestive life with an average of 2 firm poops a day. :) Except for Milo the Wonderhound, whose poop sometimes snitches that he's been sneaking into the birdfeeders again. Here meals are usually 1 cup dry kibble 2x/day with lots of water added to prevent them choking as they vacuum it down. Sometimes there's fruit/veggie scraps. And elderly dogs with finicky appetites get whatever they want.

 

Nothing about dog poop surprises us on this board. Years ago there was someone who was so proud of her hound's firm poop that she posted a video of it bouncing slightly as it hit the ground. In slow motion. (At least, I think I remember this. It did actually happen, right? It wasn't just someone joking about it?)

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Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey

remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter

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Just want to pop in and say that I've tried at least five different kibbles, and I always come back to Iams green bag. It seems to be the "magic poop-firming" food for many people on this forum. I'd probably try reducing the amount of food and/or breaking it up into smaller meals before switching.

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Agree that it sounds like a lot of food. My 60 lb girl is fed a heaping 1c of Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice 2x daily, plus a Kong stuffed with another 1/2 c and add-ins (yogurt, peanut butter, applesauce, and/or cottage cheese). She almost always poops 3x a day (firm morning and midday, softer in the evening).

Edited by ramonaghan

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Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
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Guest AimeeBee

Agreed with the above -- sounds like you should split it into 2 meals. My 75(ish)lb boy gets 4 cups of TotW kibble daily, plus salmon oil and a cup of warm water mixed in. Occasionally I add in a hard-boiled egg or sardines as well. He also gets a Kong with a little bit of kibble and a turkey meatball and some cream cheese, or peanut butter yogurt when I leave for the day. His poops are usually 2x per day and normal/firm consistency.

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Guest greytkidsmom

Canned food in any quantity goes straight through my male. The only time he has ever had a poop accident in the house is when we have added canned food to his kibble.

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I've answered more fully in the other thread, but one thing I do want to say is that it is extremely unlikely that you are seeing undigested rice in the poop. It is FAR more likely that what you think is rice is actually individual tapeworm segments.

I'd take a poop sample in to the vet and get it checked for parasites. Worms will often cause poop problems. :)

Edited by silverfish

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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Guest LeoTheGreyt

I've answered more fully in the other thread, but one thing I do want to say is that it is extremely unlikely that you are seeing undigested rice in the poop. It is FAR more likely that what you think is rice is actually individual tapeworm segments.

 

I'd take a poop sample in to the vet and get it checked for parasites. Worms will often cause poop problems. :)

Uh oh! I hope that isn't the case. We'll have to see if we can get him in to see the vet.

 

I gave him less food for breakfast this morning (a little less than 2 c dry Iams mixed with water, about 1/4 of a can of Iams turkey + rice, 1/2 cup of rice, and a few chunks of cooked sweet potatoes).

 

It sounds like almost no one gives their dog rice or canned food. Maybe we'll start tapering that off.

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We use rice for when their guts are upset, and some people use it to build them up if they are elderly or for some reason are not putting on weight. We also do use wet food (canned) when I don't want to cook a batch of homemade 'stew' and it's not a problem.

Many greyhounds do well on a mix of wet and dry, and it adds interest to their dinner. But do get a good quality canned food; many of them contain very little actual meat.

GTAvatar-2015_zpsb0oqcimj.jpg

The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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No need to take him to the vet, simply save his next bowel movement and drop it off for them. If you can't get it there within the hour, it's best to refrigerate. I usually place the bagged sample inside Tupperware for refrigeration, and they always ask if I want the container back. Um, no! :lol

 

You could also skip the poo sample, assume he has worms (many do upon adoption) and order a dose of Panacur. Won't hurt if he doesn't have worms, will help if he does. It's given over three days, added to food. Just make sure you order the correct dose for his size.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000296N7S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397834633&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

 

You'd want to order two boxes, which would contain six pouches. You would give two pouches with his morning meal for three days in a row.

Edited by gracegirl

Poppy the lurcher 11/24/23
Gabby the Airedale 7/1/18
Forever missing Grace (RT's Grace), Fenway (not registered, def a greyhound), Jackson (airedale terrier, honorary greyhound), and Tessie (PK's Cat Island)

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I would stop feeding anything but the kibble. Most greys get upset bellies when they go to a new home and the more things you feed, the more it could upset the belly. I try not to even give many treats until they're more settled. I try to get the belly settled first.

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Guest LeoTheGreyt

Thanks everyone!

 

We confirmed that he does have a parasite issue - he had another accident and two big piles of vomit, both with the white rice-looking pieces in them. He seems happy still, but I feel really bad for him that he is so sick right after moving in to our home. We picked up some medicine from the shelter and are going to feed him just a bit of kibble and a handful of rice for dinner tonight per the shelter's advice. Hopefully we will have a positive update in a a few days!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Any updates on Leo? Hopefully his tummy has cleared up some by now :)

 

Our boy had hookworm when he entered GF, but by the time we adopted him it had cleared up. Also, loose poops for a while are normal. We are FINALLY consistently happy with Padfoot's poops and it's been 7 months since we adopted him. We feed him 1 heaping cup of NutroMax Beef and Rice kibble, 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin, and 1/4 cup of green beans twice a day. He also gets half a Primal freeze dried beef nugget crumbled on his food 3x a week. We tried a grain-free food, but kibble over 25% crude protein gave him loose poops and bad gas and he doesn't tolerate chicken well so the green bag is out.

Edited by Padfootx13

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Padfoot the greyhound fr. Coach Venom, Joined his forever family: 10-1-13

Lupin the galgo, Joined his forever family: 7-18-14
And the reptiles: Bernie the Bearded Dragon and Tonks the Russian Tortoise

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