another canidae question

[Jaegergirl]

this sounds gross but i have to ask it.

i've been easing maverick from nutro natural large breed puppy to canidae over the last 2 weeks. at each feeding (twice daily), he gets 2 1/2 c canidae and 1/4 c nutro (i didn't want to waste the bag of nutro so i'm just giving him 1/4 c of it each feeding til it's gone.

when he was eating nutro exclusively, his stool was always about the same color as the dog food. now that he's eating the canidae, i've noticed that some of it's been very dark, almost black. they are a lot smaller and firmer (which i expected) and don't seem to be as moist. kind of looks like he's been eating dirt or coffee grounds.

i know because canidae has less "garbage" in it, there will be less "garbage out". but i'm wondering if the color and consistancy is normal. or should i be concerned and call my vet?

thanks!

[mmgy]

HAS he been eating dirt? I have 2 that do, and it makes the poop look sort of black and sandy. But generally it's in spots, not all the way through.

Or could he be eating anything else, acorns, sticks, etc. Of my 6 dogs, 4 eat something other than just food. We can always tell what they've been into by their poop. The two that don't eat anything else poop the same color as Canidae, dark brown.

Several of my Canidae customers have told me of temporary poop variances that went away after a week or two. Some of them consider it a "cleansing" period, when the body is ridding itself of toxins.

Somewhere I've got an article on poop I'll try to find.

M2

[Jaegergirl]

i have to "supervise" him when he's outside because he likes to dig holes, so if he's eaten any dirt, it would be minimal...not enough to produce what i'm seeing. i know for a fact he consumed a twig or two and some acorns because he threw some up in his crate this morning. i didn't see any come out the other end, tho.

that would be great if you find that article. this stuff is all new to me. thanks! :)