Help with soft evening stools

[Vabulldog]

I have an 8, almost 9-month English bulldog puppy. Ever since he got back from being boarded his evening stools are soft. Not diarrhea, but sometimes I have to pull grass to be able to get it. It's formed, but soft. I've given him probiotics with his morning meal the last 3 days to help.

One more thing. I measured out enough food to last him and then I added an extra scoop. When I picked him up the tech said he ran out of food and they gave him Hill Science. I asked her to repeat herself, she went into the back, and then said that she made a mistake and that he had the last of his food that morning and didn't have any for dinner. That was fine since I picked him up at 6pm. That left me wondering what really happened. I would NOT give a dog random food. I'd rather let him skip a meal than to give him a random food. I'm still not sure that a different food would affect him in this way.

I feed him 1.5 cups 2x a day. He poops 3x a day. Food has not changed although I wonder if he got into someone else's food at the vet. He poops first thing in the morning. I feed him and then he poops when I get home from work. I feed him again and then he goes around 8 - 9pm. Am I just taking him out too early and that's why it's soft? I've thought about pushing his dinner back and not taking him out at night to give his stool at chance to harden. Most adult dogs that I've had poop 2x a day. I'm not sure when a puppy transitions from 3x to 2x a day. Maybe that's what's going on.

Brutus doesn't ring a bell or signal at the door. I break up the day in equal parts and that works for us. He doesn't have any accidents in the house and is crate trained when my wife and I go out and at night.

 

[Cbrugs]

Couple different things pop into my mind. First, since he was just boarded he could have picked something up so you can take a stool sample in to your vet and have a fecal test done to test for parasites. You can try giving pure pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his meals. Was his poop normal before he was boarded? Second, I know with my 2 girls, as they got older and got soft poop, I cut down on the amount of food and that helped. Too much food can cause soft stool. Ella gets 1.5 cups split into two meals and Darla gets 2 cups split into 2 meals.

 

[Vabulldog]

His stools were fine before he was boarded. He was eating the same type of food and the same amount. I thought about parasites as well, but his stools are fine, solid at 7:00am and 5:00pm. I would think parasites would impact him all of the time.

I will try canned pumpkin to see if that helps.

One more thing. I measured out enough food to last him and then I added an extra scoop. When I picked him up the tech said he ran out of food and they gave him Hill Science. I asked her to repeat herself, she went into the back, and then said that she made a mistake and that he had the last of his food that morning and didn't have any for dinner. That was fine since I picked him up at 6pm. That left me wondering what really happened. I would NOT give a dog random food. I'd rather let him skip a meal than to give him a random food. I'm still not sure that a different food would affect him in this way.

 

[Cbrugs]

A sudden switch in diet can definitely upset their stomachs. I’d try the pumpkin for a few days, maybe 1 tablespoon in the am and 1 in the pm. You can also try a bland diet for a few days to see if that helps. If no change in a few days, maybe do a fecal test.

 

[2BullyMama]

I agree try the pumpkin for a few days. And, yes a sudden change in type of food or amount of food would cause soft stool.

 

[helsonwheels]

Hill Science is full of grains. Usually when we feed kibbles n feed another brand there’s a transition to do so stools don’t get affected. In your case, they ran out of food n straight to a grain kibble. That definitely can be the culprit. Like mentioned, pumpkin purée.

 

[RiccardoVasquez]

Sounds like you're keeping a close eye on Brutus. It's possible that the change in food at the vet's might have affected his stool temporarily. As for the frequency of pooping, puppies often have more frequent bowel movements than adult dogs. It might be worth trying to adjust his feeding schedule slightly, like you mentioned, to see if it helps his stools firm up. And keep an eye on how the probiotics work too – they can take a little time to show their full effect. Best of luck with Brutus!

 

[Vabulldog]

Next time I will pack more than enough food when boarding my dog. I don't think they watch the portion sizes closely and ran out of food. They either gave him other food or they used one scoop for different types of food. I hope they did the latter because giving a dog random food can reek havoc on their system. I'd literally prefer they didn't feed him at all instead of doing that.

 

[Cbrugs]

Next time I will pack more than enough food when boarding my dog. I don't think they watch the portion sizes closely and ran out of food. They either gave him other food or they used one scoop for different types of food. I hope they did the latter because giving a dog random food can wreak havoc on their system. I'd literally prefer they didn't feed him at all instead of doing that.

Sounds like he is all back to normal now!

 

[oscarmayer]

One more thing. I measured out enough food to last him and then I added an extra scoop. When I picked him up the tech said he ran out of food…

I suggest measuring out the amount of food and put each meal in individual ziplock baggies. Mark each bag AM and PM and include any oral medications right in the bags. Include 2 extra meals in case something comes up and you are delayed picking up your pup.