I just got my new puppy yesterday.. She will be 8 weeks old in 2 days. I believe the breeder was feeding Nutro (not sure if it was puppy food or not). Things were a bit hectic when I picked her up because the breeder was in between showing dogs at a local dog show, so I forgot to get some food to take home with me (to mix with the food I have). So, she went cold turkey to Innova Puppy food. Today her stools were a mixture of solid and "cowpie", but looked better than the first stools she had (from the breeders food) when I brought her home, which were "grainy" looking, and not firm at all.

I am feeding her 1/3 a cup 3 times a day, with a little plain/organic yogurt in it. I have also been tossing a few kibbles in her outside kennel to "make it a fun place" and a couple Grizzly Treats in her crate when I put her in it. My plan, once her system has adjusted to the Innova, is to gradually switch to EVO, and maybe, after I do much research, eventually to raw.

These are my questions:

1. How often should she be pooping? From all the postings of puppies pooping all over the place, it seems like she should be going more than the 2-3 (1 real good poop) times a day she has been going. She pee's just about every time I take her outside, which is about every 2 hours (no accidents so far )

2. How much yogurt should I be putting in her food? I have been putting about 1TB and mixing it with a little water. Could the yogurt have an effect on her stools?

3. Is there anything else I should be doing (besides going totally raw) right now?

I am just not sure how much of her stool consitancy is:
a) new puppy stress
b) new diet
c) just being a puppy
d) all of the above?

Thanks...

Oh yeah, Since she is without a name...I am taking suggestions

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I am not sure I would be giving her any yogurt being on kibble.
You can put warm water on it and let is soak a bit before giving it to her.
If she remains "loose" try a tablespoon (or less since she is small) of canned pumpkin (not pie filling).
One of my pups has an upset tummy right now so he gets rice, boiled chicken and a bit of pumpkin in his pm feeding.

And my answer would be D-All of the above.

The pooping 2 to 3 times a day, from what I understand is normal for a dog who is fed quality food. My pup is fed raw and poops like clockwork 2 times a day, *maybe* 3.

As for names, I am partial to Cato. Do a google search for baby names, there are gaggles of lists...including meanings.

Just my opinion here, but I wouldn't feed a pup the EVO food. There's some disagreement on whether it's okay for pups or not.

I'm guessing you want to do EVO because you want to be as close to raw as you can but still maintain convienience and have some security about the nutrition while you research going raw.

If that's the case, I would try the premade meat patties from a quality company. Innova puppy food is not a bad kibble as kibble goes, but if it were me, I wouldn't switch my pup to EVO.

I know there is a debate about whether to feed puppies EVO...and I am not sure if I am going to. If I do, I will be adding water to it. This is what they sent me when I requested information about feeding EVO to puppies:

"Innova EVO is formulated for the entire life cycle of your pet. You can feed it to a puppy or an adult. It is guaranteed to be nutritionally complete and balanced for all ages. However, there is a special feeding chart to follow when feeding Innova EVO to a puppy. Puppies are growing, so they require more nutrition for their body weight than an adult dog. Eating the correct amount will ensure proper nutrition."

So, I am still not sure as to what the "real" problem with feeding EVO to puppies is. I have sent them another email asking for clarification on this issue. The main differences I can see in the Innova puppy food is the addition of barley and brown rice and the lower protein (26 vs 42grams). I am also looking into Nature's Variety, which makes pre-made meat patties, but right now, I have ZERO freezer space for any type of raw food.

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Michelle, do you feed your puppy 2 or 3 times a day? What times? I know RAW is supposed to go thru their systems twice as fast as kibble. I am curious about how "close" to RAW a grain free or minimal grain kibble is in the eating to poop ratio . My puppy eats 3 times a day, and poops 3 times a day, the "mid-day" poop, so far being minimal.

As for freezer space, I don't have a deep freeze yet, and even still, so far, so good. I buy bulk for the week and portion freeze about 4-5 days worth of meals. A *bit* more work/time, but well worth it..

I feed 2 times per day around 5 am and then again around 5 pm. He poops around 9 am and 8-9 pm.

Oh, and one more thing while we are talkin poop. THe raw fed poop REALLY does disappear! I tested it, just to see if it disintegrated, and about 2 days, poop GONE. Hmmmm, how cool is that? Still will pick up, but just a plus on the organic side of things.

WOW..it disapears??? I didn't know that was one of the "perks" of feeding RAW. Sounding better and better.

Mishele, FWIW the 6# pakage of natures variety frozen raw patties takes up about as much space as a loaf of bread if you want to figure out how to make space for it

Your pup sure is a cutie! What type of names do you like?