Guest KEW Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 As of today, we are celebrating our 4-week anniversary of adopting our beautiful brindle greyhound. We were aware that there may be an adjustment period when it comes to stool softness when switching his diet, but I'd like to hear some opinions about how long that usually takes. Our boy is eating Nutro Max adult dog food (higher quality than what the foster home gave him) and he is still having very soft, mustard colored pudding poops (good luck eating pudding or mustard again!). We have tried giving him yogurt and that did not seem to help much. How long does the adjustment period usually last? Should his poops be more solid by now? He has been recently tested and does not have any worms, so that isn't the problem. Also, how frequently do greys typically poop? We've seen anywhere from 1 time to 5 times a day so far. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) A worm test simply means that there were no worms in that particular sample. Doesn't mean there aren't worms. It is more common to get a negative test than a positive one, but getting a positive result just means the timing of the test was perfectly in line with the cycle of the worms. At this point, if his stool hasn't gotten better, this probably isn't the right food for him. Often the "better" or "richer" foods don't always agree with many hounds. I would try the IAMS green bag and see if he firms up. Many people here use it to combat loose stools. The best food for your hound is the one that works for them - not what a marketer or some dog food website says. We have all been there, trying to give our hounds the "best" food, so don't get too caught up in the hype. It really is trial and error for a bit until you find that food that works best. "Typical" poops of 3-5 times - again, depending on what he's eaten, snacks given, and how often he goes out. Stools will normally get a little looser as the day goes on - that's normal. Also - don't use a bunch of add-ins like yogurt or pumpkin with the food until after you know the food is agreeing with your hound. Otherwise you have no idea which item is responsible when there's an issue. Edited July 5, 2015 by Time4ANap Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johberry Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 We've had our hound for almost a year now and his poops were pretty inconsistent until we switched him to a fully raw diet. Every hound is different, though. Our boy came with hooks and is still battling them, unfortunately, but his poops are now consistent. He goes only twice a day: one in the morning and one in the evening. Depending on the food, too, volume and amount of poops vary. When Enzo was on kibble, grain-free at that, we also used Olewo carrots to help firm up the stool...and he pooped up to 4-5 times a day. The kibble made his poops quite large, too. Now that he's on raw, his poops are firm, solid, and small. I'm sure others with more experience will chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalterWallerson Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 My guys poop twice a day, morning & night. we switched in the last couple months to the green bag of Iams and it has made a huge difference for Ernie. I also give my guys a heaping tablespoon of dehydrated carrots which has helped even more than Iams green bag. i really wanted to feed Walter the highest quality food I could afford, and I did for a long time until it just stopped agreeing with him and eventually with Ernie, he didn't even tolerate Costco brand(Kirkland) food so with a heavy heart I switched to Iams and quite frankly it has made all of our lives a lot easier, even though I'm sure it isn't what you want to do. but know that i was once in your position too and i switched. Quote Walter (Windy Walker) and Ernie (PG Ernest) @WalterWallerson and IG: WalterandErnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WildSparkler Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 We thought the same thing with our girl when we got her for the first few months. Very similar: really soft and mustard color. Turned out she did have hooks (even after 1 negative test), so that probably did not help the situation. We tried 2 different foods before we tried switching to a grain free, which seemed to help for her. After the gradual transition between foods, once she was fully on the new food we noticed the difference in just a few days. And we use Olewo carrots too, which work amazing for our girl! We are finally having much more consistent firmer poos. As for the mustard color, I am unsure if the worms had anything to do with the color, but I think the improvement in color for us was because she is better able to digest and absorb the new food. Like Time4ANap said, as they day goes on they do get softer! I have noticed a change even on the same walk. Our girl definitely poos closer to 3-5x a day. From reading a lot of threads on this site looking for advice I don't think most greys will ever have completely "normal" poos, haha. And every dog is different, what works for some will not work for others! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KEW Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Thank you for all of the advice! His poops have looked a little better in the past few days. We will also get him tested for worms again soon. If his poops don't continue to improve, we will slowly transition him to some of the foods that were recommended to see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytTerp Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Congratulations on the first month! Our hound came to us with Nutro Ultra, and he just didn't seem to tolerate it well. We went through about 5 of the highest price foods, including grain free, and with our guy, the richer the food, the worse the output. After 2 years, I got tired of carrying a nalgene bottle to wash the grass and paper plates to collect the mess, and threw the IAMS green bag into the cart. It worked wonders for us, though it doesn't work for everyone, particularly those sensitive to chicken. All of Marvin's gas (the scented variety, anyway) disappeared as well, and he now tolerates us mixing in a bit of the richer grain free foods with his IAMS. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OPointyDog Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I had the same problem with both my dogs - months of runny light-colored poop, no matter what I tried. End result - our female had hooks (that didn't show up on the first fecal exam) and then also needed a less-rich food. So we dewormed her rather aggressively, and switched her to a less-rich food. Iams works for her! I really wanted to give her one of the higher-end organic and grain free foods, but honestly, Iams works for her, so I'm good with it. My male was a lot harder to work with, and after many frustrating months, is on a prescription high-fiber food (Purina DCO). His poop is perfect - it looks like it comes out of a mold! After reading a lot about digestive issues in greyhounds, I think many of them need a good balance of soluble/insoluble fiber that is key to getting solid poop. Iams has beet pulp in it, and that leads to a slower transit through the digestive system, which means they absorb more water and nutrients. Many people achieve this also through using the carrot supplements, and for some dogs, pumpkin also helps. You can also buy and add beet pulp to their food. Increasingly, though - I think think the fiber is pretty important. It's important to remember, though, that each dog is individual. But I think you'll find that for many of us, Iams has worked well. Also note that some of them have sensitivities to certain kinds of meat proteins, and they often don't do well on the fattier proteins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KEW Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 We switched to Iams a few weeks ago and his poops have been almost perfect! We will definitely stick with Iams. Thanks everyone for the suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OPointyDog Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Great news! Glad it worked for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryffenne Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Grats on the success with the IAMS!! : (good luck eating pudding or mustard again!) You will find on GreyTalk, that we discuss poop. A lot. And use many different descriptive examples to get our points across (basically short of taking pictures and posting them. Although there are a few...creative poop pics floating around! ) If the descriptions turned us off of food, we'd all be as skinny as our hounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest franlynne Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 We thought the same thing with our girl when we got her for the first few months. Very similar: really soft and mustard color. Turned out she did have hooks (even after 1 negative test), so that probably did not help the situation. We tried 2 different foods before we tried switching to a grain free, which seemed to help for her. After the gradual transition between foods, once she was fully on the new food we noticed the difference in just a few days. And we use Olewo carrots too, which work amazing for our girl! We are finally having much more consistent firmer poos. As for the mustard color, I am unsure if the worms had anything to do with the color, but I think the improvement in color for us was because she is better able to digest and absorb the new food. Like Time4ANap said, as they day goes on they do get softer! I have noticed a change even on the same walk. Our girl definitely poos closer to 3-5x a day. From reading a lot of threads on this site looking for advice I don't think most greys will ever have completely "normal" poos, haha. And every dog is different, what works for some will not work for others! Good luck! I feed twice a day. Should I feed the carrots twice a day as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rubbles_Mom Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Whew! Good to know I'm not the only one having this issue. We're 5 weeks in, kept him on Purina Dog Chow as that's what he was fed in his foster home. Started switching him over to Trader Joe's Lamb and Rice food a few days ago. It does have beet pulp as a previous poster mentioned so perhaps it might help. Definitely wouldn't be against trying IAMS though if this doesn't help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rubbles_Mom Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) Ok so I started transitioning him to the Trader Joe's food on Monday so today (Friday) was his first day eating the new food straight. I also slightly reduced the amount based on their feeding guidelines. HOWEVER, his soft poop issue seems to be even worse. How long do you think I should wait to transition him to try another food, probably the IAMS? Edited August 7, 2015 by Rubbles_Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXRedbo Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I gave it 3ish days after transitioning him fully. His poop got so much worse (hello, big D) once we stopped mixing in the old food, so we just called it a day and tossed the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rubbles_Mom Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I gave it 3ish days after transitioning him fully. His poop got so much worse (hello, big D) once we stopped mixing in the old food, so we just called it a day and tossed the bag.Ok good to know. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgs Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 This is an old topic, but relevant to me. We just got our greyhound 5 days ago and his poops are gross. I'm ordering the carrot stuff. We're using Taste of the Wild (I forget which one--maybe Prairie) mixed with his old food. Couple of questions: --for those who have reluctantly switched to Iams green bag, why the reluctance? It looks like decent food. --what is "richer" food or "less rich" food. What makes a food rich? --while I'm waiting for the carrot stuff to arrive (couldn't find a store to buy it at, so had to order it), would rice, help? If so, would white rice or brown rice be better? The vet suggested feeding just chicken and rice to firm up his stool. Would just mixing some rice in his food help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgs Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I went to the store and read the ingredients list on iams. I see it's chicken by-product or something as the first ingredient and then 2 corn ingredients, so now I understand the reluctance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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