I have a large (105lb, 30 inch at shoulder, 3 1/2 year old, neutered male german shepherd. His stools were soft on Eukanuba lamb and rice, improved slightly when blended with Iams lamb and rice, and I recently tried Royal Canin which also produces soft stools.

I am looking for suggestions of a commercial dog food, or an additive, to help this problem. (I do not have time to place him on a "natural" diet.) Thanks

Those are three foods that would be way up on the crap-in-a-bag list.

Of course, they have the money for great advertising, so it's hard to tell that the ingredient list bears no resemblance to the verbiage in the commercials.

Here's a good list:
http://www.leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm

Also, by soft, you do not mean watery, right?

And he has a clean bill of health (parasites, etc.)?

I would not go the pumpkin route yet, because that's for the occasional bout of gut distress. You want a history of firm stools without the aid of pumpkin.

Also, when you get a better (and lower grain) food, if you are feeding one meal, I'd switch to two.

Is he overweight?

 Quote: ken kuznetsky

I have a large (105lb, 30 inch at shoulder, 3 1/2 year old, neutered male german shepherd. His stools were soft on Eukanuba lamb and rice, improved slightly when blended with Iams lamb and rice, and I recently tried Royal Canin which also produces soft stools.

I am looking for suggestions of a commercial dog food, or an additive, to help this problem. (I do not have time to place him on a "natural" diet.) Thanks

And welcome to the board!

His stools are soft, difficult to pick up, but not watery. He is healthy and parasite free according to the vet. He is not overweight and looks very lean. He was only mildly interested in Eukanuba, but really likes the Royal Canin. I have only had him for about 10 months, but he comes from nice eastern european lines with ofa excellent and good father and mother.

I would switch to a better food.
http://www.leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm

Grain-heavy foods have lots of negatives about them, but one is cow-plop poops for some dogs.

Also, I'd switch to two feedings a day.

Ken, welcome aboard!

I would really recommend researching Raw diets, first and foremost. I wish I could feed raw, as it really is the best for our dogs. Check out the link Connie posted.

If you still choose to feed kibble, a good rule of thumb for kibble selection is this:

Read the ingredients list.

If the first ingredient isn't meat- it's probably crap (unless it's a raw premix). I prefer the first three ingredients to be meat.

If you don't know what all the ingredients are, it's probably crap. For example: What is "chicken digest"? (Every time I read that, I picture a chicken reading a magazine...)

If you wouldn't feed the ingredients to your family, it's probably crap.

If grains are a main ingrediant, ie, high up on the list as opposed to the middle or end of the list, it's probably crap. (Again, this doesn't hold true for premixes that are made to be mixed with raw food.)

If there is ANY BHA/BHT in the food, it is super-crap.

If that company had any of their foods recalled in the big melamine scare, it's crap.

And there are many manufacturers that list grain fractions and different grains separately. That way they are not on the top of the list where they would be if combined.

 Quote: ken kuznetsky

. . . I am looking for suggestions of a commercial dog food, or an additive, to help this problem. (I do not have time to place him on a "natural" diet.)

You won't find a better recommendation for commercial food than Ed's list of all-natural kibble at the above link. Once you get your dog squared away with one of those choices, take a look once in a while at some of the threads/posts re: raw feeding. No need to commit to anything, just read up on it. I've fed a couple GSDs raw food for almost 8 yrs (along with a little Orijen in case of travel/boarding) and don't know of a better way. Concerns about the time involved should also be weighed against the noticeable improvements in health, decreased feeding costs and the decreased cost and frequency of vet visits.

JMO

Mike

Hi Ken,
I am new to the boards here as well. I know exactly what you are talking about. I had my 7 month old GSD on Natural Balance and then Halo and she had enormous waste that was both soft and very stinky!
She has snubbed both foods and I had been interested in getting her on raw. I have every intention to do the whole home prepared raw diet eventually, but for now I have her on
Nature's Variety, fresh raw frozen patties. It could not be easier. All I have to do is thaw them out the night before.
It has only been 3 days and she has transitioned perfectly.
But I have to tell you she LOVES this food, and consumes every last spec, licking the bowl clean.
Her stool has dramatically changed. It is nothing short of amazing to me. Now she has one, firm stool in the morning and at night, and it hardly smells.
If you won't consider going raw, then I would start with the
'Honest Kitchen here at Leerburg. At least this way, you would know that your dog would be getting dehydrated raw. It looks easy enough or try the Nature's Variety frozen raw patties.
Good Luck to you and your big fella!

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

. . . Her stool has dramatically changed. It is nothing short of amazing to me. Now she has one, firm stool in the morning and at night, and it hardly smells. . .

Joyce, Joyce . . .people are starting to point!

JK!

Mike