Can Peanut Butter Cause Diarrhea

[KickReturn]

Having a problem with my two year old boy. Soft poop with some diarrhea. I have been feeding Natural Balance lamb and rice. We got there because it has the shortest ingredients list. Basically lamb and rice. Previous foods I had tried (various sensitive stomach options) seemed to have a broader range on starches so I was attracted to the rice only option. He started OK and then gradually deteriorated. The pattern has been mostly the same with anything I have tried - OK the first few days and then gets softer.

The only other food he gets is a Kong with about three tablespoons of peanut butter daily. Could the peanut butter be the problem?

I am starting to wonder that as he is maturing, he is just one of those greys that must be fed raw. Not excited about spending $3000 a year on food.

Ideas?

Edited October 7, 2019 by KickReturn

[Bizeebee]

Short answer - yes, the PB might be too sugary or too fatty for him. Especially if the diarrhea seems to be shortly after kong time.

You might read up on DCM before you switch to raw - it's in no way a "rule" that greys need to be fed raw eventually. The site has lots of good info about nutrition and allergy-type issues.

My guess would be that the lamb and rice just isn't quite right, but that you can find a food that is. Is he gaining or losing weight? Are you sure it's not parasites? Have you tried something like olewo carrots, pumpkin, or other supplement?

[JohnF]

Yes it can because it's fatty and you don't want to get the Pancreas inflamed. Don't let the dog get chicken skin either.

Cut it back to one tablespoon or even less. My Peggy only gets 2 teaspoons of it, but as it coats the other food nicely she will still eat it.

Turkey & Rice might work better than Lamb and Rice. If you must change then do it gradually increasing incrementally over 10 days.

[greysmom]

I would suspect parasites before food.  Have him checked again even if he has been negative in the past.

Any food that's high in fat can cause diarrhea.  (Make sure you are using peanit butter with NO XYLITOL in it.)  Try switching it to a weight meintenace canned food (lower fat) or low fat creamed cheese if he can do dairy.

I'm not anti raw food, but there's no law that says any dog type *must* eventually eat it.  It could be the type or higher percentage of protein in the foods you've tried.  Lamb is often not the best choice.  Recently, many of us have switched to Purina Pro Plan due to the DCM issue and I can't say enough good things about it.  We have the Sensitive Stomach Salmon flavor (one of mine has an intolerance to chicken so everybody eats no-chicken food) and our poops are firmer, smaller, and only once a day - so the nutrition is getting absorbed better than our previous food.

 

[KickReturn]

Last two meals have been raw. As of this morning poop is perfect. So I guess that rules out parasites.

The peanut butter is peanuts only - that other crap (hydrogenated fat, icing sugar, artificial sweeteners, etc.)  is simply not allowed in the house. 

I have tried a few different foods with various protein sources. I will try Purina Pro Plan at some point but raw just works. I mind the cost less then the fact that it is a total PIA to handle, store, defrost, prepare, clean, etc., etc.

[greysmom]

There are now a lot of prepared raw diets you can try.  They are usually 2-3 times as expensive as the DIY version, though you don't have to stress about making sure it's balanced nutrition.

You can also do a hybrid sort of feeding with the base being kibble and the occasional piece of raw meat on top, or one meal being raw and the other commercial.  Whatever works best for your pup and your wallet.

[Bizeebee]

On 10/8/2019 at 12:14 PM, KickReturn said:

So I guess that rules out parasites.

On the one hand, congrats that things seem to be improving!

On the other, good poop does not always equal no parasites. Our guy had pretty normal (definitely not diarrhea) poops while having and being treated for hookworms.