Blue Buffalo high protein puppy food and gas

[MariaGL]

We've had Oliver, now 6 months old, on Blue Buffalo Wilderness high protein grain free large breed puppy food since we got him at 7 weeks. My vet keeps saying it is the very best food he can be on but Oliver has HORRIBLE gas, and loose stools most of the time. I'm thinking about switching to another type of food to see if it helps this problem. Anyone else have this problem with this food? Or any food for that matter, and what helped it?? By the way, we have had multiple stool samples done and everything is fine there. My husband and I have also made sure to not feed him ANYTHING but his food for periods of time to see if that helps, which it doesn't.

Thanks!!

 

[Cami]

Changing foods will more than likely help IF you are not over feeding (and that is the culprit). The problem lies in finding the food that best suits him. I've been dealing with a food transition for multiple months now. I know it isn't always an easy thing to do!

*Most* puppies DO NOT do best on a high protein diet but a high quality one. Think of a high protein diet as a "rich" diet. Sometimes too much of a good thing can have disastrous results (loose stools/diarrhea). Try to find something between 28-32% for at least the first 1-2 years of age (for a Boxer). Other breeds and even some Boxers of course, might fare better with a higher protein diet (larger breeds). Boxers are NOT a large breed dog but a medium breed. For large breeds think Great Danes, Mastiffs, Saint Bernards, etc....

Too much fiber can also cause issues with gas (based on my experience with adding fiber to my own dogs diet). You want enough fiber to keep the stools bulked up but not so much as to create gas issues. I've been finding that a good portion of healthier choice foods contain 2-4% fiber content....others up to 6%. You won't know what works best with your own pup until you hit on something that works. There isn't a "one food is best" so it really is trial and error. What you are feeding isn't working so I'd agree that it is time to make a change.

Hopefully you have better luck than I am having with my girl. Some days are better than others but we still haven't nailed down what works best for her.

 

[MariaGL]

Thanks!! I really think that the food is the problem. The food he is on now has 36% protein and 6% fiber. If I switch him to the Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free food, its only 27% protein, but still 6% fiber. Do you think the fiber content is still too high? I don't think over feeding is the problem. His weight is perfect, he's all lean muscle and insanely handsome, iiiiiif I don't say so myself

Is there another brand you've had any luck with with yours? And how long do you try the new food before trying something else?

Thanks!!!

 

[doofershuman]

We use the Freedom and his stools are pretty firm. He gets gassy, but its not horrible...usually worse at night, but not as bad as he was when he came home and was transitioning food.

 

[KingGeorge]

George is 5 months now and we had him on the blue buffalo and had the same problem. Lots of gass and loose poop. I recently switcheched to Innova Large Breed (it is true boxers are not large breed dogs, however pretty much all dog food companies consider a dog over 50 pounds a large breed). When talking to my vet she suggested to find one with 24-26% protein which the innova is. The kibblel is also a larger size which slows George down a bit.

Since we switched about a month ago his poops have firmed up and the farts are all but gone.

 

[xJazerx]

In addition to the food ingredients being a problem, how fast does he eat? Gulping air while wolfing down mouthfuls will add add air to his system.... It has to come out somewhere! To help with the gas maybe try a bowl that forces him to slow down. I used to put two tennis like balls in Dante's food but they got so slimy so easily I just bought a bowl designed for the fast eaters. It certainly slows him down. Should help with the air intake.

 

[LILYLARUE]

I have found that high fiber causes smelly gas, where eating fast and intake of air causes noisy gas. LOL Yes, with four dogs, I have had my fair share of transitioning and what each food does to them. I would try a lower protein, lower fiber food. A good resource is dogfoodanalysis.com for ingredients and percentages.

Remember though, a transition can take up to 3 months for it to show it's true effectiveness. But you may see an immediate change in the obvious like diarhea and gas. More internal changes take a while to expel the toxins and get the organs working properly again.

 

[dora]

I have had good luck with the blue buffalo wildnerness version with my current boxer puppy and my last boxer too. I found innova gave them loose stool and gas.

Go figure! it really does seem like every dog can be different and react different to the foods, like KingGeorge above posted the opposite luck with the buffalo vs innova.

Trial and error is the best way it seems! My previous boxer also had loose stool and gas on taste of the wild and wellness. I never tried any of the other blue buffalo except the wilderness (puppy and then the adult, both dry and wet), it is the metalic looking bag. Good luck! It can be frustrating with the loose stool especially while potty training!!