3 Cups In 5 Cups Out?

[Guest driser]

Happy healthy playful bright eyed thick coat 7 yr old male

 

We feed Natures Balance Limited Ingredient grain free kibble 1.5 cups in a.m. with ~1/4cup no salt canned green beans (nearly calorie-less tummy filler) and a heaping spoonful of NBLI grain free canned food to make gravy so it's slick and less likely to choke him on inhale. He gets the same at night. So that's a total of just over 3 cups of food a day; all in all.

 

Then why oh why does he poop so much?! Firm perfect pickup-able poop but seriously he's a poop machine. Are they getting any nutrients when more comes out than goes in?!

 

Granted it's obvious he poops when we are outdoors because he thinks that's why we are outdoors, but the nutrient absorption question is a frequent topic of conversation on our walks.

 

Thoughts?

 

We can't go raw ... too much $$/time/and fridge space required.

[XTRAWLD]

When I switched to raw I couldn't believe the differences from the "end product". You hit the nail on the head, less absorbed in the body means more ending up outside your hound. I understand not being able to go to raw, so you'll have to investigate other kibble options if you are concerned with it.

 

I'm not sure how much research you have done regarding raw, but ground up raw complete with the appropriate ratios doesn't take up much fridge space to thaw, next to zero time (just thaw and dish out the appropriate amount), but to be cost effective likely requires some freezer space for you to keep some at home unless there is a store close by that stocks it and you can grab some often.

Edited October 13, 2015 by XTRAWLD

[NeedlenoseJake]

I second the raw feeding = so much less poop! Usually he doesn't even poop on walks, and the stuff in the backyard often disintegrates before we pick it up (weekly or so, no kids and lazy )

 

This is how we do raw and it is very easy for us. We buy chicken thighs, bone in and skin on. These can be as low as $.80 a lb and I won't pay more than $1.50 a lb. He gets two every morning and two every night. However, he often ends up eating just 3 a day and I let him make that call. He is 80 lbs. We also feed liver about once a week. Jake won't eat liver, so I do cook it for him. That is probably the most time-intensive part. Otherwise, giving him a chicken thigh is as easy as kibble. It does take some fridge space, but you can just get a week's worth every time you're at the store and it isn't bad. If I'm being lazy about the liver I will give dried liver, which I've been told has the same good things in it because it's 100% dried liver. Also, if we run out of food we use canned as a backup.

 

So far, so good! And I'm surprised at how easy/cheap it is to do!

[RaineysMom]

We feed our two 1.5 cups 2 x day of Kirkland Lamb/Rice (with a few small add ins like yogurt and pumpkin), and they do get several treats during the day. We call Larry "Captain Craptastic", because I have never seen so much poop come out of one 74 lb. dog. Zeke, who is the same weight and gets exactly the same amount, poops at least 1/2 as much as Larry. It must depend on the dog?

 

I'd like to go raw but am afraid of not covering all the nutritional needs....

[GreytXpctations]

Water content affects the outcome to some extent too.

[Guest driser]

When I switched to raw I couldn't believe the differences from the "end product". You hit the nail on the head, less absorbed in the body means more ending up outside your hound. I understand not being able to go to raw, so you'll have to investigate other kibble options if you are concerned with it.

 

I'm not sure how much research you have done regarding raw, but ground up raw complete with the appropriate ratios doesn't take up much fridge space to thaw, next to zero time (just thaw and dish out the appropriate amount), but to be cost effective likely requires some freezer space for you to keep some at home unless there is a store close by that stocks it and you can grab some often.

 

Is there a store brand "raw" food?? I thought raw diet meant I buy and cook it all.

[Hubcitypam]

 

Is there a store brand "raw" food?? I thought raw diet meant I buy and cook it all.

Yes there is store bought raw food but it is very pricey.

[RedHead]

Does your food have a lot of fibre? I know it is grain free, but those foods can contain a lot of potato/peas/starches to replace the grain. That can really bulk up the poop. If it has potato, peas, etc. in the top 2 or 3 ingredients that could be the cause from my experience.

[3greytjoys]

Considering your current bowel quantity concern, unless your vet recommended extra canned dog food and green beans, perhaps try cutting those two items out (as an experiment). Adding water will reduce risk of choking on dry kibble, and helps ensure he's properly hydrated.

 

Assuming it's one of Natural Balance's foods, that is a good quality food. If your boy is healthy, has a good appetite, and well-formed stools, seems it's agreeing with his system. Completely changing foods might upset his system. (If you end up changing kibble later, transition very gradually over 3-4 weeks.)

How does his body weight appear? (Healthy pet weight is to see the last two ribs, and hip points.)

 

An important factor here with multiple hounds is our 14" long dog waste bags. Nothing shorter will do. Thankfully, our hounds have multiple healthy poops per day.

[Guest Greytluv]

I second the raw feeding = so much less poop! Usually he doesn't even poop on walks, and the stuff in the backyard often disintegrates before we pick it up (weekly or so, no kids and lazy )

 

This is how we do raw and it is very easy for us. We buy chicken thighs, bone in and skin on. These can be as low as $.80 a lb and I won't pay more than $1.50 a lb. He gets two every morning and two every night. However, he often ends up eating just 3 a day and I let him make that call. He is 80 lbs. We also feed liver about once a week. Jake won't eat liver, so I do cook it for him. That is probably the most time-intensive part. Otherwise, giving him a chicken thigh is as easy as kibble. It does take some fridge space, but you can just get a week's worth every time you're at the store and it isn't bad. If I'm being lazy about the liver I will give dried liver, which I've been told has the same good things in it because it's 100% dried liver. Also, if we run out of food we use canned as a backup.

 

So far, so good! And I'm surprised at how easy/cheap it is to do!

I thought they needed other stuff besides just raw meat? I have been considering going raw.

[TINMANPDX]

We feed our two 1.5 cups 2 x day of Kirkland Lamb/Rice (with a few small add ins like yogurt and pumpkin), and they do get several treats during the day. We call Larry "Captain Craptastic", because I have never seen so much poop come out of one 74 lb. dog. Zeke, who is the same weight and gets exactly the same amount, poops at least 1/2 as much as Larry. It must depend on the dog?

 

I'd like to go raw but am afraid of not covering all the nutritional needs....

Heh, we call Lea "the poop machine" not as cute as captain craptastic. It sounds like Larry got that trait from her. She's about 67 lbs and I could swear she puts out more than our 87 lb boy.

[GeorgeofNE]

Why are you feeding him green beans?

 

Buck is a healthy, happy, bouncy 4 year old, and he gets ONE cup of kibble in the AM, a large milk bone when I leave for work, ONE cup of kibble in the PM (each time with warm water added) and a large milk bone after last outs. Granted, Buck is on the small side.

 

I think the 3 cups of kibble and the wet food sounds like plenty of food. While you're saying "3 cups in," it's not 3 cups in. It's 3 cups of kibbles, beans, and wet food. As someone else suggested, try cutting out one thing at a time to see if there is something causing him to poop so much.

[Guest Greytluv]

Why are you feeding him green beans?

 

Buck is a healthy, happy, bouncy 4 year old, and he gets ONE cup of kibble in the AM, a large milk bone when I leave for work, ONE cup of kibble in the PM (each time with warm water added) and a large milk bone after last outs. Granted, Buck is on the small side.

 

I think the 3 cups of kibble and the wet food sounds like plenty of food. While you're saying "3 cups in," it's not 3 cups in. It's 3 cups of kibbles, beans, and wet food. As someone else suggested, try cutting out one thing at a time to see if there is something causing him to poop so much.

This is what my Maiden gets. Maybe a few more treats

[XTRAWLD]

I thought they needed other stuff besides just raw meat? I have been considering going raw.

Raw meat, bone and organ. Get the ratios of that right and it's all good. I feed ground that has it all figured out already.

 

As far as fitting their nutritional needs, I cover that off by feeding supplements from Springtime. Fresh Factors (chewable tablets) has all the basics necessary to provide all their requirements IMO. You also know what you are feeding with raw as opposed to fillers and by products in kibble which could be sourced from anywhere and I don't know how they "add" their minimum vitamin requirements to kibble.

Why are you feeding him green beans?

 

Re: green beans, why not feed it? To be truthful, many of the ground dinners have added fruits and veggies. And I found out why during Kasey's cancer treatments. Important things like Folate and Vitamin K are important to creating healthy blood platelet levels - these are only found in fruits/veggies, not in meat. Leafy greens like Kale, Spinach, etc. These are commonly found items that are mixed in the ground raw diets I buy. Now I know why and I'm thankful that they are included.

 

Is there a store brand "raw" food?? I thought raw diet meant I buy and cook it all.

Pm

'ed ya the deets....

Edited October 15, 2015 by XTRAWLD

[CharlieRhea]

I live in MA Driser, i feed raw to my Greyhound but buy it through a co-op which makes it affordable. My almost 14 yr old German Shepherd was on raw but stopped eating it and is on kibble now and her stools are frequent and much larger. I don't see much of a cost savings on the kibble vs raw. Try cooking a sweet potato, both my dogs get it mixed in their food mashed. I boil one or bake it and one large one lasts about 3 feedings for my two dogs. It may help any tummy issues. You can't just feed when feemeat and expect your dog to get everything he/she needs. They need vitamins and organ meats when feeding raw.