So discouraged!!!

I'm having the hardest time in the world getting to happy-poop-land. It's like I'm stuck in flegmy-liquidy-poop ville!

Ok, I'm completely at a loss......this isn't the first thread I've started about Buster's digestive problems.

So here's his history :
he's a rescue so for 2 years he was eating God knows what.

When we got him, we started him on Eagle Pack. We tried a few different ones, with always the same result : explosive-butt poo. We tried 2 different flavors : Holistic Select Chicken Meal & Rice Formula and Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal w/Oatmeal Formula -- we fed each for a month and a half. No improvements.

We then tried Nutram Lamb and Rice for a while. Poops were good (actually...poops were awesome), but his fur wasn't as shiny and he got a distinkly 'doggy' odor. I decided to try hollistic again.
We then switched to Wellness : Super5Mix Chicken for almost a month and the fish one for another 3 weeks. Explosive-mucus poop.

So, I bought some Wolf King. He's been on WK for a little over 2 months. the poops are still REALLY soft (but they aren't runny or explosive) and his coat is absolutely beautifull. But I still think I should be able to pick them up (without a shovel).

Soooo, today I drive ALL the way into MTL, with the intention of buying Canidae All Life Stages. I talked to the lady there, and she says I should feed Buster a lower quality food, and wait 3 to 4 months for his poops to firm back up. Then gradually (over the course of like a year) work my way up to a better quality kibble. So she sold me a bag (a BIG bag) of Nutro natural Lamb & Rice. I'm not sure I want to feed it to Buster. I also have a small bag of Evo in my pantry that I'm afraid to feed to him (because of the high protein....I know Ontario Greys'll tell me it's all hype...but I'm still scared!!)

So I guess I'm wondering if you guys would feed the Nutro...or should I return it and get the stuff I actually wanted to get him (Canidae)...or do you think she's right, that I should feed low quality for awhile.

:yell: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH is this supposed to be this confusing?????? :frustrated: :confused:

Why not add the Evo to the WK? Evo is lacking in fiber, which might help him keep it in longer...

How much WK are you feeding?

It took Jemma and Boo seriously 4 months to get great stools again after I switched.:shrug: :o

I went all the way down to like 1 cup and a half....but there was no improvement. The only difference was that Buster was STARVING!! So he's getting 2 cups and a half.

So I guess you would return the Nutro? It's a crappy food, isn't it?

Yeah, I would and I'd try adding Evo to the WK.:shrug:

It's like I'm stuck in flegmy-liquidy-poop ville! Is that a town outside of Montreal?

I used to have a Coupe De Ville that we named the Poop De Ville! Sorry,(as President Clinton used to say "Ah feel your pain!")I couln't help it.:yuck:

hi meb, so sorry for poor buster! i've had great success with canidae, the only thing is that for sensitive guys, there are a lot of different protein sources there... Canidae also has a chicken and rice formulation I think, but I haven't tried it.

My first food for Sam was Nutro. He was smelly and had dandruffy fur. I didn't really like it much.

Personally, I would return the Nutro and get the Canidae All Life Stages.

Buster sounds just like my Shotsy .. he just couldn't seem to digest the WK and had the most disgusting runny poops I've ever seen :yuck: (for close to 5 months!!) and he was getting so skinny (and he is super skinny to start with!) . I switched him to Canidae and right away I saw a difference in the poops - like the same day! It was awesome!

Evo has been known to cause constipation in dogs, from the lack of grains in the recipe :shrug: dakotah never eats it straight up, always mixed with a grainer kibble (btw i do feed some of that nutro and he loves it, many akita breeders swear by it...). mind you... i'm always adding a ton of stuff to his meals so not sure which kibble exactly is doing the right thing, LOL! he also had the WORST digestion up until age 2 or so, i understand your pain and frustration. NOTHING WORKED :yell:

i would suggest one of two things: either add some EVO or other grainless kibble to the dry food you choose PLUS some digestive enzymes (in capsule form), OR make the jump cold-turkey and put him on a proper raw diet. some dogs just can't do kibble, period. i'd get some pre-ground raw patties, to start with, thawed & fed room temp like canned food. fast him for 24 hours first to get the kibble out of his system. if you want to try this, i can guide you.

have you considered consulting the holistic vet near Laval, that we went to? there is perhaps an underlying cause that could be easily treatable...

whatever you choose GOOD LUCK and be patient... happy poops will happen!!

I must admit...I'm a little scared of raw. I've tried it twice with disasterous results. The first time, I gave him a chicken back (with skin removed) and he puked and was sick for 2 days (he was all disphoric...really mellow ---and he's NEVER mellow!).

The second time I fasted him for 24 hrs first, and then fed him one of those pre-packaged raw foods...I forget the name. He had vomiting AND diarhea (like horrible, gotta-go every 2 minutes type of poo).

I know I didn't give it a real chance, I'm still researching, and waiting to get a nice big freezer before throwing myself into raw. (I'm also waiting to finish school....I feel overwhealmed already....without the added stress of finding meat deals, cutting up raw meat, making portions, etc, etc....)

marie-eve, you're not alone :grouphug:

we'll help you find the magic recipe for now!

I'm not a raw kinda girl, but if I were you, I'd wait another couple months on the WK. :shrug:

I had my guys on Nutro when I first got them and it wasn't too bad. Sophie can eat anything but Benny's really sensitive and gets the splats on a regular basis if I'm not careful. His poops were good on the Nutro, but because I had to feed more of it than other foods it meant more poops too. He used to poop 3 times a day every day. I now have them on Holistic Blend Lamb and Rice and his poops are great. He goes once a day, and it is a small easy to pick up lump. I feed him 2 and 3/4 cups per day as opposed to 4 and 1/4 of Nutro. I would try to find something your dog does ok on and stick with it for a few months at least. Changing the diet so often can cause digestive upset from any food so it may not be the food so much as the change that's causing your poo problem. So yes, I would return the Nutro and get the Canidae.