Grain-Free food producing loose stool in puppy.

[Michael Prinz]

I am looking for a bit of advice from bulldog owners that might be able to lend a hand with possible similar experiences.

Basically I have a 5 year old English Bulldog who is prone to allergies and switching to Grain-free has done wonders for him. I took him for Royal Canin, to Nutro Large Breed Grain-free, to Blue Buffalo Grain-free, and now currently to Acana Wild Prairie Grain-free. He has done excellent since being switched to Grain-free with the exception of some paw allergies which I am still investigating a cause for.

The problem I am having is with my younger one who is now about 6 months. He was on a Purina Pro Complete grain blend. Since the day I brought him home at 12 weeks, he has had loose stools as the day wears on. It started to typically be the first bout being pretty solid and as the day went on, it would get fairly loose to just straight diarrhea. I initially switched him from his Purina to Blue Buffalo Puppy Grain-free and now currently to Acana Pacifica which follows a bag of Acana Wild Prairie (all stages) which I've heard nothing but positive from. It seems as if now though, he is having loose stools at all times during the day which I am very eager to figure out.

I used to feed him two cups in the morning and two cups in the evening. He is a very fast eater and gets very bloated after drinking too fast. To solve that (which to me has been explained to be a possible life threatening concern) I've crafted out a small bowl inverted within a large bowl to slow down both his eating and drinking and I now feed him 1 cup 4x a day. Unfortunately, this hasn't resolved the loose stool issue but has helped SOME with his bloating. It's his gulping amount of water that he experiences bloating with.

The interesting incident that happened over this past weekend was while being puppy sat, he got into another dogs food dish which was a cheap quality grain formula. Needless to say that caused some immediate diarrhea that night, but in the morning he had a bout of the most solid stool I've ever seen in him.

I am a big fan of Grain-free but I am starting to think it might not be for every dog. He hasn't shown any signs of allergies that I know of, and I would like to keep him on a high quality food within a reasonable budget (No more than $70 per 30lb bag, $60 is more preferable), but I am desperate to clear up this problem. Can anybody please help with this issue or lend me a bit of advice? Also, because my oldest had loose stool problem when he was younger due to I believe stomach parasites, I took a sample into the vet to get tested for my youngest and there weren't any problems identified. PLEASE HELP! Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

 

[RescueMe]

How long have you had him on the Acana? I think the loose stool is coming from over feeding him. I fed mine one and 1/4 cup twice a day when they were six months old. Try cutting back even more and see if that helps. Also you can give him canned pumpkin not the pie filling with his food and that should work.

 

[bullmama]

I agree, it's too much food. Acana is not only grain free but high quality, and you will not need to give as much. Whatever is not absorbed or digested comes out the other side, usually looking like dog food in a blender.

Perhaps the reason the other bad food stiffened things up is because there is so much fillers in it. While it may be stiffer, there will be a ton more of it!

Try cutting back to 1.5 cups twice a day to see if things improve. Also perhaps the switches have been done too quickly, when you go from junk food to high quality it should be done over a course of at least a week, even longer if needed. Keep us posted!

 

[JeannieCO]

The first thing that came to my mind when I read two cups in the morning and two cups in the evening is, wow that's a lot of food for a bully. Wilson's on Earthborn and he only gets 1 1/4 in the morning and evening. I'd cut back his food for a week and see how he does. I do agree though what food may be good for another is not necessary good for yours - grain free or not. Just my opinion. But it's so much better than all that filler they put in with the grain. Keep us updated if you cut back and his stools return to normal.

 

[Kozman]

Agree - you are giving your pup too much food. My girl gets a cup and a quarter 2x day and she's almost 1 year old. Remember, the better the food is, the less you have to feed them.

I would feed your pup no more than 2 cups a day of good quality food.

 

[kazzy220]

You've already got some good suggestions ... i would try and cut down the quantity of the food first with maybe the pumpkin added to see if that makes a difference first before going ahead and switching food around.

 

[BruceP]

I think you have had enough people say too much food so I'll just say to EBN!!! Glad you joined and would love to see pix of your pups.

 

[Michael Prinz]

Thank you so much for everybody's help. I've taken everybody's unanimous advice to cut down his food. He is now down to 2.5 cups of food a day in three servings (1 cup in the morning, a half cup around lunch, and 1 cup in the evening). I've also added 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin per 1 cup of food serving.

After 3 days of the above schedule, his stool hasn't been AS loose, they've definitely gained more solidity. They still aren't where I'd like to see them, but I know this can take some time to get his system back on track where it should have been. Thanks again for all your advice and I will keep everyone posted. Also I've posted two albums in my profile of both bullies. Thanks again!

 

[2BullyMama]

Thank you so much for everybody's help. I've taken everybody's unanimous advice to cut down his food. He is now down to 2.5 cups of food a day in three servings (1 cup in the morning, a half cup around lunch, and 1 cup in the evening). I've also added 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin per 1 cup of food serving.

After 3 days of the above schedule, his stool hasn't been AS loose, they've definitely gained more solidity. They still aren't where I'd like to see them, but I know this can take some time to get his system back on track where it should have been. Thanks again for all your advice and I will keep everyone posted. Also I've posted two albums in my profile of both bullies. Thanks again!

hope things are still progressing

 

[RescueMe]

I was wondering if your bully was doing better also

 

[Michael Prinz]

well, he is now off of the canned pumpkin, and his stools have been a little more solid. they still haven't been the complete best, but they have been more solid than when I first posted about this problem. I am going to watch him closely throughout this week and see how it is by the end of the week. If it's not better, I might put him on another round of canned pumpkin. thanks!

 

[bullmama]

Glad to hear of the improvement. Maybe 1/4c less of food per day will get things back to normal. Even just that tiny of an amount can make a difference.


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[cowsmom]

i agree with [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] cut it back just a smidge more may make the difference in better

 

[Michael Prinz]

Well joining this forum has been a blessing. I cut the food back a little more and it seems as if everything has finally balanced itself out. His stools have been much more consistent and solid. Thanks to all! I will update everyone if anything changes, but so far so good. AND with cutting his food intake in almost half, makes his food to last a lot longer too which is a plus when buying 60+ dollar food.

 

[bullmama]

Well joining this forum has been a blessing. I cut the food back a little more and it seems as if everything has finally balanced itself out. His stools have been much more consistent and solid. Thanks to all! I will update everyone if anything changes, but so far so good. AND with cutting his food intake in almost half, makes his food to last a lot longer too which is a plus when buying 60+ dollar food.

Thank you micheal for the update! You know most people do not realize this, that a good food has QUALITY protein in it, and not a lot of fillers. So the amount you feed is way less so in reality, feeding your bulldog the best food will only cost you about $15 to $20 more a month (guessing).


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