Food transistion underway!

[Stub]

Susi, I don't know how you feel about raw feeding, BUT - I have been raw feeding Gus since I brought him home. He has always had runny stool. If I fed him more bone in an effort to firm it up (what they recommend) then he just had runny poop with chunks of bone in it. Or he threw up the excess bone he could not digest. Monday I took him to my holistic vet for a wellness check, and the vet recommended a new pre-made raw called 'Answers'. I found a local Agway that sells it and got a box for him to try. His very first poop on that food was PERFECT. No smears after pickup! It's expensive, but wow, I can't tell you how nice it is to have solid poop after almost two years!

 

[Cami]

I would love to feed my pets raw but unfortunately I don't have near enough time to learn how to do it correctly or time to prepare or store the ingredients!
Pre-packaged would be a nice alternative but I thought even those needed various things added to ensure the correct nutritional content?
Perhaps a little more research is called for!
Thanks for putting it on my radar again.

That being said.....two days of no sandy poop and the firmest it has ever been. DH even mentioned how one of her #2's was "standing up"!

 

[Stub]

The 'Answers' food does have stuff added - it is meat and bones and organs but also some vegs and one or two other things. If you are interested it has ingredient lists on the webpage. Just google 'answers dog food'. I think I REALLY like it for Gus! So far I do, but it's only been a week. I wanted to switch because I felt like he probably wasn't getting enough variety/nutrition in me just tossing him a chicken leg or hunk of pork loin. (I do give him other things but mainly he was only getting that) I feel better giving him this for sure. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people feeding kibble, but with all Raine's poop problems, or more likely sensitive system, it's an option for you to consider.

 

[Cami]

Increasing the Metamucil to just a tad of 1/4 TSP with each meal created nice poo however the obnoxious, eye burning, nausea inducing, haze of gas can't continue! My entire house smells horrific when I walk in from being gone for a while. There is no amount of air freshener capable of even temporarily masking the stench.
I'm sure she must have some cramping at minimum with this much gas.
Removed the Metamucil last night and going to let her system clear out.....my house too!
Our journey continues.....

 

[whiskers]

I wonder if her issue could be with a certain protein source too. Juno's most awesome poops () have come when she's on a red-meat based diet. With the exception being duck, I'm pretty sure that's considered a red meat but she's never done well on duck based diets. I have her on Natures Logic Beef formula right now and I'm hoping I never have a reason to switch her off it - her poops are firm, small, and not as frequent.

 

[Cami]

I wonder if her issue could be with a certain protein source too.

Could be a possibility but she has had chicken, turkey and salmon based diets so far and the issue is the same. I know for sure she has a mild allergy to beef. She scratches at her face after having a bully stick or a RMB (beef). Took me a while to figure that one out but she has no issues with dried beef liver treats?
I was going to try her out with a lamb based RMB to confirm my suspicion but it happens every time so I am pretty sure of the culprit with the itching. It is very mild but obvious. I'm sure she won't mind the lamb bone at any rate.
I thought sticking with fowl would be the least "rich" for her but of course if she has issues with the protein source it could very well curb the issues if it is removed from the equation.
Now something else to think about!!
Do I switch the protein source altogether or continue to try and find another version of fowl and or fish with a higher fiber content.
Decisions, decisions!

 

[Cami]

Here we go again.....

Picked up some Earthborn today (Coastal Catch). Of course Raine and the cat loved it (they will eat anything).
Started with 1 cup of Acana and 1/3 cup of Earthborn.
Poop can't get much worse so didn't feel the 1/3 cup was too much for the start of yet another transition for dinner tonight.
DH says she has "fish breath".
Well.....anything is better than obnoxious gas and splatter poo. I haven't smelled the fish breath maybe I shouldn't say "anything" is better than that!
This entire process is getting very tiring. Good thing she is cute.:D

 

[cooper22]

Potatoes?

This is only a thought, but maybe she is sensitive to potatoes? My middle boxer has recently started Innova Prime Salmon. Now I know that Innova has been taken over by Proctor and Gamble, but I will tell you that this food has been great. It is salmon and lentils. I have done thousands of dollars of allergy testing, desensitization injections, food trials, biopsies etc. . . . Cedar has been on: Acana, Orijen, Earthborn, Wellness, Back to Basics, Nature's Logic, etc. . . . In the end I don't think Cedar can tolerate grains or potatoes. The Innova Prime has been as good as we have ever had. The other food that worked somewhat for him was Wellness Core Ocean. The high fiber content was a life saver. I do also give Cedar a rounded teaspoon of straight psyllium fiber (not Metamucil) twice a day in his food. All of this results in very easy to clear up yard piles except when he gets something he shouldn't. No gas either I have battled his loose stools and red/irritated feet for two years and Innova Prime Salmon has been great. Just my two cents. Good luck.

 

[Cami]

My house stinks. I mean it really stinks. I can't stand to be here!
While eating TOTW Raine had normal amounts of gas but no smell.
When I added Metamucil to her food while transitioning to Acana (after other failed foods) it was terrible and was a large reason in discontinuing adding fiber.
Now with just a couple meals of adding a small amount of Earthborn Coastal Catch to the Acana the gas, which I didn't think could get worse has.
It is indescribable. It is seemingly constant. Every 30 seconds or so you hear a soft "poof" noise and before the noise is over the smell engulfs the entire room. Walking into the house after being outside is enough to stop you in your tracks. I mean I seriously went looking for a pile of poo yesterday when I came in thinking she had just had a terrible bout of diarrhea all over my house. Luckily she had not and all was good but the smell is so completely overwhelming I won't allow anyone inside.
Consistency of her stool *might* be a tad better but the jury is still out on that.
I don't know what I am going to do if it gets better with the switch to Earthborn since we really won't be able to live here with her if this gas continues. I don't even know how she stands herself.
The tiny amount of pro-biotic in her evening tablespoon of yogurt is way outnumbered and perhaps I should find something more potent to possibly combat the effects? I know her digestion is just so completely out of whack right now.
What are you using for a pro or even pre-biotics?? I'll probably go with a human product but there are so many things to choose from it makes my head spin.

 

[Gatorblu]

I know that feeling of walking in looking for a pile somewhere. Thor was that bad a while back. For the probiotics I just used acidolphilus caplets.