Hi folks,

I have a question regarding diet and soft pudding like stools.

My pup, who is now 17 weeks old, is on Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy food. His transition off his old food took 3 weeks as I didn't want to rush it.

Once he was completely on Blue he began to have soft stools. Even the "regular" stools are soft, but he frequently follows them up with a very soft pudding like stool. I did some research on this and found that I should add some canned pumpkin to his food.

So this is what I've done. I've added a heaping tablespoon (kitchen style not cooks measurement) of canned pumpkin to his food which at the moment is 2.5 cups per feeding twice daily. This seems to help but isn't resolving the problem. It still exists. Should I use more pumpkin?

He's been checked for that various parasites and worms etc - he's free and clear.

I thought to reduce the amount of food slightly but if I remove .5 cups per feeding he begins to show ribs. When I add the .5 cups back - he looks good. So, I'm hesitant to reduce his food.

I know I should be on a raw diet - but have more research to do and some convincing to do with the wife. In the mean time, I need to do something.

Any suggestions?

Peter, how long has he been on this food? How long has he been having pudding stools? What breed of pup do you have? You tried removing the 1/2 cup with this food, or with the old food?

Try removing 1/3 cup per feeding and see how it goes.
You could also add a tablespoon of plain yogurt daily; this will put some beneficial bacteria in his gut, which may aid in digestion...

He's been on this food now - with 3 weeks transition time - for about 5 weeks.

He is a Doberman.

How about adding probiotics?

Yes, too much food, more than likely.
Foods that are low in grains (aka fillers) and high in protein can and should be fed in smaller quantities than their high-grain counterparts.

When they are NOT fed in smaller quantities, the dog often has loose stool.

Ditto the yogurt suggestion. The goal is to aid in complete digestion, so less food is passing out of the dog in the form of loose stool. A good yogurt high in live cultures, with no flavoring, should do the trick nicely.
If you cannot locate a yogurt in your local stores, I highly recommend the "ProBios" brand of probiotic tablets and powders. I believe Leerburg carries them here on the site. I have had great success using them with my dog.

I just looked at the specific Blue Buffalo food in question.
While it is not full of "cheap grains" (like corn byproducts) it does contain some grains. Namely, rice (which most dogs tolerate well), barley and oatmeal.

It is possible that your dog simply cannot tolerate any grain whatsoever.

For a puppy food, it is slightly higer in protein, 28%, so I would first try reducing the ration slightly.

If after a week of reduced rations loose stool has not resolved, add the probiotics. If after a week of reduced rations AND probiotics (yogurt or otherwise) the pup continues to have loose stool, I would consider a grain free food.

I know many folks are going to say that grain allergies don't necessarily cause loose stool, but it's been my experience that dogs can have a grain intolerance. They aren't necessarily allergic, but they don't digest it well and they don't thrive on it.

My dog is that way with corn- no out and out signs of allergy, but boy will her stool get soft and her ears smelly, if corn appears, even in something as small as an Everlasting Treat Ball refill.

The grain issue was something I was thinking about but....

his previous food was beneful puppy - which is just full of grains - and on that he had NO loose stools whatsoever - they were very nicely formed (for a stool that is) LOL.

I have tried to reduce the amount of feed he is eating and that when I reduce by 1/2 cup per day I can begin to see his ribs. When I add the 1/2 cup back in - he looks good - not chunky - just the ribs are not as noticeable.

Still reduce the food OR shoudl I just jump right in a do a raw food diet - just make the switch cold turkey? (Can't believe I just said that - the wife would kill me)

Define seeing his ribs.

Seeing a hint of rib is good, especially with a growing puppy.
If people aren't constantly telling you your dog looks too thin, it's probably overweight.

Note the slight hint of rib on this year old female:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Pkt7d5EeSAw/Sc0S3z1vF9I/AAAAAAAAAEI/PvEjHn3fJmE/s1600-h/Herding13.jpg

I would rather have a dog too thin than too heavy, especially as a young dog.
A healthy dog WILL NOT starve itself to death when presented with healthy, adequate food.

Personally, I say go for it with the raw food if you feel you've done your research and lined up food sources.

In the meantime, know that you have to rethink your idea of what a healthy dog looks like.
How much does he weigh?

Seeing his ribs means I can see the intercostal space between the ribs and when I look down from the top I can see the intercostal space and a well defined collapse from his lower ribs to his abdomen.

The "slight" hint of ribs in the dog in the pic would look overfed on my dog. (Now my lab is another story and she is overweight).

He is 43 pounds at 17 weeks. According to the vet he's at a good weight - but that is with me feeding him as I described.

43 lbs is good for his age. Sounds like you've got a good feel for where your dog should be.

My advice? Go raw.

I just wanted to give you moral support on switching to raw. Mine has been raw fed for a year.

Best decision I EVER made for a dog's health.

Do your research and there is abundant information here on the web site as well as many experienced people from whom you can illicit advice. They are a Godsend.

Good luck.

ps

Tell your wife it's not as yucky as it sounds. I'm a girl (old woman?), too, and many of these wonderful raw fed pet owners are, too.

You can start with ground and/or lightly browned seasoned slightly with garlic powder. I did. After you see your dog dig into something they really like and that is good for them, then you see the good poops (my dog's looks like tootsie rolls) and they are consistent, you will be glad you did. Then, you usually know exactly how the food needs adjusted so far as runny poop. They also get that satisfying and nourishing bone.