pup stopped eating

[Tozzi]

Hi... my pup stopped eating his kibble again. We got him at 10 weeks and he had been on puppy chow. I switched him to Iams large breed puppy food and he loved it. After a few weeks, he just started rejecting it and after reading a lot here, I figured maybe he was allergic to some of the fillers, etc since he was biting his back legs a lot and chewing on his feet. I tried Innova large breed puppy and Eagle Pack, but he wouldn't eat either... I gave up and brought him to the pet store to try some samples and see if he could pick one he would eat. He loved the By Nature puppy food and couldn't get enough of it. He ate it happily for a few weeks and then stopped eating it. First would have a tiny bit of kibble, then would only eat it out of my hand or off the floor, then just stopped taking it. I mixed in some boiled rice & ground beef and he's eating again on his own. He's still biting at his feet and back legs, so does this mean there's something in this all natural, no filler food that he can't eat, or did he just get bored of it?

He also has always had soft, sticky stools, but last night started having diarreah. He's got plenty of energy and has actually been more hyper the last few days. Could the explosive, watery diarreah be from eating too much, or maybe an intolerance for the By Nature Kibble?

Thanks for the help, I haven't had a puppy in 15 years, so this is all new to me again, not to mention, my other puppy, a golden, ate everything and wasn't picky at all.

[Ayoka]

Originally Posted by Tozzi

He also has always had soft, sticky stools, but last night started having diarreah. He's got plenty of energy and has actually been more hyper the last few days. Could the explosive, watery diarreah be from eating too much, or maybe an intolerance for the By Nature Kibble?

Thanks for the help, I haven't had a puppy in 15 years, so this is all new to me again, not to mention, my other puppy, a golden, ate everything and wasn't picky at all.

This is the part that would concern me it may be worth taking a stool sample to the vet to be checked for variouds intestinal parisites & bacteria.

When dogs don't eat I would also wonder about dental issues.

[SABELLESMOM]

Well get him to the vet, then. There are many causes for diarrhea. Take a stool sample.

Has he had all of his parvo shots? Giardia (from a parasite in contaminated water) is another possibility. Don't mess with this. He's very young, so if you haven't taken him to the vet for this particular problem do it now.

There are better foods than you mentioned. I choose meat as the first ingredeints. Real meats, not chicken feet. I choose no corn. I choose ingredients I can pronounce, and know what they are. I do not choose so called puppy foods or large breed foods.

[moondog]

How old is he now? For an upset tummy, the first inclination and actually the worst thing to do is to keep switching foods....that aggravates any inflammation and will make the problem worse. The best thing to do is to provide a blander diet (a ratio of 3:1 of well-cooked white rice mixed with boiled ground beef or skinless chicken breast, all fat removed - that's 3/4 c rice to 1/4 c meat) until the upset is resolved, and then gradually mix in the kibble over a few days time.

For explosive diarrhea, I would get this puppy to the vet. It could be parasites or perhaps a partial obstruction from a swallowed item that can't pass. Either way, puppies with diarrhea dehydrate quickly and that can be serious, so make sure you get this puppy to the vet.

[Tozzi]

He's 4 mos. old tomorrow. when we got him, he had Giardia and was treated for it and dewormed again. he's had all of his shots including a Giardia vaccine in case there was any residual mess in the yard that he could get to. I'm giving him ground beef boiled with rice and he seemed fine until the watery diarreah showed up.

We've only changed his food once since we've had him to the By Nature since it's made with boiled chicken and all natural ingredients and has no corn, soy or wheat. It got a 118 on the food grading system I found on here.

Does anyone know of a food that might firm up his stools? He's got tons of energy and really wanted to eat this morning (kibble mixed with rice/ground beef) and ate it all faster than usual. Husband said his stools were back to just softer than we'd like, but he's never had perfect stools in the month and a half he's been with us.

He's had 3 stool checks since we got him since the diarreah shows up periodically and we suspected worms when he had dark, very wet stools... all came back normal except for the giardia and that's when we moved him off the iams. stools have been much lighter since then, but never perfect.

thanks everyone... i really appreciate the input... never thought i would ever be so concerned about poop!

[Tozzi]

Moondog, I noticed that you are in Woodland Hills. I live in Northridge and am looking for a new Vet - can you recommend?
We're also starting puppy class at J9sK9s on Saturday which is in Canoga Park, near you... it was recommended to us, but have you heard anything about it?

[moondog]

Originally Posted by Tozzi

Moondog, I noticed that you are in Woodland Hills. I live in Northridge and am looking for a new Vet - can you recommend?

I can....but neither are right down the street!

The first recommendation would be Dr. Kim Carvahlo at Brentwood Pet Clinic, 11718 Olympic Blvd., West Los Angeles (310) 473-0957 - this clinic is a bit pricier than my next recommendation, but Dr. Kim is EXCELLENT, thorough, and loves the Rotties. She treats many of the LA Rott Rescue dogs.

Next is Dr. Alex Stern at Five Star Veterinary Center, 13725 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar (818) 362-6599 - he saved my Luna girl's life, is very reasonable pricewise, also very good with the Rottie's and treats the dogs of a very well known breeder up that way. I'd still be with him but for the convenience of having the vet between my house and the office. I can highly recommend him.

Originally Posted by Tozzi

We're also starting puppy class at J9sK9s on Saturday which is in Canoga Park, near you... it was recommended to us, but have you heard anything about it?

Woo Hoo......you found a good one! Chili and I attend a competition obedience class that Janine is also enrolled in (although she's about 3 levels beyond us at this point, LOL) and she is a GREAT trainer AND teacher of humans - her programs are designed to teach and establish leadership through play and positive reinforcement. She will not lead you wrong and you'll have a LOT of fun (as will your puppy!) in her classes!

The classes I attend through Valley Hills Obedience Club are held two blocks away from Janine's facility at the Canoga Park Lutheran School.

[Tozzi]

thanks Moondog... i'm glad to know it's a good training facility... tozzi is good with the basics, but he's very stubborn and won't come when called if he's distracted by something outside and constantly has his nose to the ground when we're walking, even quickly... he's like a vacuum :)

have you heard anything about Chatsworth Animal Hospital on Mason & Lassen? This is right near my work and two people in my neighborhood told me they liked it. the only reason I'm at my current vet is because my pup was very sick the day we brought him home and they were close and could give me a same day appt as a new client, don't feel like they are too thorough though.

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by Tozzi

Does anyone know of a food that might firm up his stools? He's got tons of energy and really wanted to eat this morning (kibble mixed with rice/ground beef) and ate it all faster than usual. Husband said his stools were back to just softer than we'd like, but he's never had perfect stools in the month and a half he's been with us.

One thing I've found is that I sometimes feed too much and my dogs' stools become looser than normal. It might be the food I'm feeding them at the time (I rotate brands now and then) or it might be that I overdid the treats and forgot to adjust down how much regular food they were fed.

In general I feed two meals a day. Gretchen gets about two cups a day and Samson gets about three. When I notice a stool issue, I reduce the food by about half a cup for a couple meals so things can correct.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by Tozzi

thanks Moondog... i'm glad to know it's a good training facility... tozzi is good with the basics, but he's very stubborn and won't come when called if he's distracted by something outside and constantly has his nose to the ground when we're walking, even quickly... he's like a vacuum :)

If they were born perfect, we wouldn't need training! She'll help you with both of those things and a whole bunch more. My Chili can still bolt her nose to the ground.....the difference is that she's learning the difference between when it's okay and when it's incredibly embarrassing for her owner and not okay, LOL.

Originally Posted by Tozzi

have you heard anything about Chatsworth Animal Hospital on Mason & Lassen? This is right near my work and two people in my neighborhood told me they liked it. the only reason I'm at my current vet is because my pup was very sick the day we brought him home and they were close and could give me a same day appt as a new client, don't feel like they are too thorough though.

I don't know anything about them, but I bet Janine knows about many of the vets in the area....run it by her on Saturday.

[zorro13]

Tozzi: I would still do a vet visit to make sure everything is fine still and also because with young pups and diarrhea, you have to worry about dehydration. Also, the constant feed changings can cause diarrhea, you have to change food over slowly over the course of a week or 10 days. I also noticed that your pup is chewing on his feet which could be possibly a food alllergy; chicken is a main culprit of this. Usually people put their dogs on California Natural or Wellness (for allergies) or a lamb food, I would recommend trying Canidae lamb for that or Natural Balance potato and duck. Check your labels.

[Calin]

Hi Tozzi! Your pup sounds like my pup. I haven't seen a normal, hard poo since we've gotten her. I went through total hell with my vet trying to figure out what the problem was because it seemed like she had diaherra every other day. A good day meant we got something soft and gushy, but semi solid! She also periodically would skip meals.

Anyway, her ultimate diagnosis ended up being 'very sensitive tummy.' There was a more technical term for it, but that was the long and short of it. What I ended up doing was putting her on a diet of just chicken and rice for a week. Then, at the end of the week, I switched her to California Natural Lamb and Rice. For treats, she gets a few pieces of freeze dried liver or a couple of cubes of cheese or a spoon of low sugar yogurt. And that's it! Anything else seems to give her the runs, big time. I did a little experimenting, but with everything else, I would see her skipping eating the next day, so I knew it was upsetting her tummy. It took a good month on a very strict diet, but eventually, her poops got a bit firmer. Still not perfect, but definitely a huge improvement to the near constant diaherra.

I totally feel your pain, though. I swear, I'm becoming obsessed with my pup's poop. Every time she poops kind of normal, I breathe a big sigh of relief.

Good luck with your vet, Tozzi! If he's anything like mine, I had to nearly threaten to strangle him to get him to take the poop seriously, but in the end, it did work out. Hopefully, you'll figure out the situation with your pup soon.

[JemarsSerena]

I might be over simplifying things, but it may just be partially a puppy thing. When Serena was a pup she would skip meals all the time. When she hit about 16 weeks everything changed and she began eating everything in sight. As for the runny poop, go with the bland diet. If it turns out she just has a sensitive tummy, I'd say with an all life stage food with fish based protien.

[Sam's Mom]

I also agree a Vet needs to be consulted.
FYI Pumpkin (plain ole canned pumpkin not the pie stuff) added to their diet helps with diarreah and constipation.

[sweetlee]

I don't know how to tell you to get the pup to eat more often, but I can hopefully help with the runny, mushy poo.
When I got Dodge he had awful smelling and mushy pudding piles. I had to hose the yard off rather than picking them up and his diagnosis was IBS. The vet wanted me to put him on a Science Diet formula, Z/D I think.
I really resisted that, and I ended up putting him on Canidae Lamb and Rice formula.
I also add a scoopful of dogzymes probiotics, and about 1/4 cup of quick cooking oatmeal mixed with water to his meals. The oatmeal provides bulk and fiber to firm up the stools, and the probiotics helps to digest the food and keep the sensitive tummy settled. The lamb and rice I use because he is so sensitive.
He has been doing great since we started this, and he can even have small amounts of table scraps and I use Natural Balance biscuits for treats. Either the potato and duck or the turkey oatmeal and cranberry ones. It's great to not have him with the runs all the time.
I don't know if your dog has been in any nasty water, but I was also told that either rabbit poop or deer poop can also carry giardia, so if he has been anywhere to get into any of that you may want to check again.
You have been switching foods alot, and that certainly can upset alot of dogs, especially the ones with the ultra sensitive tummies.
I didn't find that the pumpkin really helped Dodge much, but the oatmeal and probiotics does wonders along with the new food.
I really do feel for you, I know how it is to worry if your baby is getting enough nutrients and being worried about the dehydration as well.
Keep us informed and I wish you the best of luck.

Sharon