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  #1  
Old May 25th, 2005, 08:54 AM
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How to harden stool?

What can I use to harden my pup's stool? We switched his food from Eukanuba to Nutro Nat Choice almost 3 weeks ago and its been soft ever since possibly causing his anal gland problem.
Is there anything I can add to his diet? Will it ever harden up on its own? Does it usually take this long before it hardens up?

Nice topic, I know!

Thanks in advance!
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  #2  
Old May 25th, 2005, 09:03 AM
Eleni Eleni is offline
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is it diarreah? or just soft poop?

I know when I switched my dogs food he ended up with diarreah on and off for a few weeks, till we figured out he was sensative to the chicken in his food,

we now have him on a food without chicken and his poop is perfect.

Id say for poop problems food is normally the culprit if the dog is otherwise healthy.

however if the dog has diarreah a visit to the vet with a fecal sample might be a plan, they can help you get him back to feeling his best


i have also heard that pumpkin helps firm stools up but some beleive its only masking the symptoms of whatever it is thats causing his poop to be too soft in the first place


Eleni
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Old May 25th, 2005, 10:18 AM
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I think Prin said that when switching food, it can take up to 6 months for the poop to get good and solid...I think that's what her vet said for her dog who had allergies.
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Old May 25th, 2005, 10:49 AM
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In another thread I asked about this too - the general consensus was that it takes time, and that if they are eating too much, the poop will still be soft. I had also switched to Nutro Large Breed Puppy formula, and had expected to see lots less and firmer poop quickly. It's been 3 weeks, and the puppy is still a poop machine and most of the time it's still pretty soft, although it isn't as soft as it was when she was eating the pedigree crap. I think part of Hazel's problem is that she and Parker are together all day, and they each eat more than they probably need to because they don't want the other to get it. I had always heard that you should watch the dog, not the bowl - and neither of them is getting fat (in Hazel's case I don't think she could get any fatter, the little pudget her height is still catching up to her weight) so I'm not worried about the amount they are eating right now.
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  #5  
Old May 25th, 2005, 12:59 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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Also, with "more natural" foods, if you're overfeeding, the stool will be soft.

What we use too is Solid Gold Sea Meal. It has vitamins and enzymes and help with digestion and absorption.
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Old May 25th, 2005, 01:01 PM
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Prin, we just bought that yesterday!! It smells like Greens Plus to me! Odin seemed to like it a lot too.
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Old May 25th, 2005, 01:36 PM
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We felt like celebrities when we saw the big jar of it on "Shall We Dance". My man noticed it first. We're like "Look! Our Seameal is in a movie!!"

Just don't put too much because it's not that tasty... I put about half the recommended amount.
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Old May 25th, 2005, 02:50 PM
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I think for 50 lbs they recommend 1/2 tsp per feeding..so 1 tsp per day right? Odin seems to like it acually. He gobbled up his food last night and this morning with it in it.
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Old May 25th, 2005, 08:26 PM
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lucky for you... My doggies spit the food out if there's too much sea weed on it... You wet it though, right? I think I just don't feed enough food in comparison to the amount of sea weed they are supposed to get. 96lb Boo only gets 2.5 cups now. Really not much for a doggy his size and I'll bet the seameal doesn't take smaller portions into account...
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Old June 21st, 2005, 09:02 AM
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Would Bran work? As in from Raisin bran? I know raisins are toxic, I would never feed him raisins, but what about the bran in it? Wouldn't that help his poop when its soft? If so, how much should I give him? He's is around 20lbs.

Thanks!
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  #11  
Old June 21st, 2005, 09:32 AM
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How much do you feed a day? We switched Toby from Euk, to gastro (to calm the tummy), and now to Wellness. His stool is beautiful! At first, it was on and off a bit soft, so I reduced the amount we gave him by a bit and now it is magnificently firm (but not hard) and nicely formed. He poops 2 - 3 times a day.

He now eats a touch under 1/2 cup 3xday - total 1.5 cups (minus a few kibbles).

You don't need as much of the natural food to keep your pup well fed!
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Old June 21st, 2005, 09:45 AM
Eleni Eleni is offline
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when i started giving sam yogurt i noticed that his poops firmed up significantly

it was great, I wasnt expecting such a change


Eleni
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  #13  
Old June 21st, 2005, 09:52 AM
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Hi Tracy, I feed him Nutro Natural Choice. I started it I guess a little over a month ago. He never had anal gland problems until he changed food. The only thing I can think causing it is the new food since nothing else has changed. He too was on Euk puppy food. I think I'm feeding him a little less than 3 cups a day. maybe 1 1/4 morning and night. I'm using the feeding guidelines on the bag. I want to prevent those loose stools so we have no more problems! There are a couple of stores across the city that have Wellness. I couldn't decide between Wellness and Nat Choice at the time. I decided on Nat Choice since its almost just as good and more available. I don't know what the cost difference is. I wonder if I should switch him to that? He liked Nat choice at first, now he just picks at it. I almost wonder if he gets tired of eating the same thing all the time.
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  #14  
Old June 21st, 2005, 01:19 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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Don't worry too much. Soft stool for a long period of time can cause the anal glands to not empty properly. Ask your vet to show you how to empty them. The thing is, your dog went from a commercial food with stool hardeners in it to a natural, more dense food with no stool hardeners in it. It's going to take a while for the stool to normalize. 3 cups is a lot of food though... How much does this doggy weigh? The feeding guidelines are terrible. Most people on this site don't follow them at all. Dogs tend to become overweight if you follow those guidelines.
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Old June 21st, 2005, 01:34 PM
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Hi Prin! He is 6 mts and 20lbs. I can't imagine him gaining more than 5-7 more and that is kind of big for his breed. (just more to luv, I don't mind! )
How much food do you suggest a day? He's currently on Nutr Nat Choice for Puppies (Lamb and rice). Why do the commercial brands put stool hardeners in it?
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Old June 21st, 2005, 01:39 PM
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Stool hardeners are placed in foods that have high corn content I believe. I would suggest trying a bit of pumpkin or some yogourt. Bran is too hard a fiber for a pup and may have the reverse effect.
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  #17  
Old June 21st, 2005, 01:45 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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20 lbs!! Wow, I thought we were dealing with a big puppy!! Is he thin or gaining weight? Obviously puppies are supposed to grow, but not get fatter. I would say with Nutro, between 1.5 and 2 cups, if he's not going to grow too much more. What breed is he? Did you post that already? More active doggies might need a bit more too (like if he's a beagle or Jack Russell...)

Why do they put stool hardeners? Because one measure of a dog's health is the firmness of the stool. If you overfeed with a more natural food, the stool ends up soft, and right away, you think the dog is not doing well on it. With the stool hardeners in there, you could feed a dog double what he should be eating and the stool will probably be firm, so you think he's doing really well on it.
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Old June 22nd, 2005, 12:24 PM
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Hi
I would change food. In three weeks if my dog still had loose stools and I had done a proper and slow change over, its just not the food for his sytem. Every dog disgests the food different. Sounds like the ingredients just aren't his cup of tea! And the amount your feeding does sound like an awful lot for a 20lb dog. My dog is 60lbs and gets 2 1/2 cups divided per day. I actually cut that back to even 2 cups most days lately since he is getting quite rotund. You have so many foods to choose from that I am sure you will find just the right one to get a nice firm stool and end that anal gland situation, good luck!
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Old June 22nd, 2005, 12:28 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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The thing is though, I know with Solid gold it takes at least a couple of months for the stools to get firm again. It's a harder adjustment when you completely change the ingredients.
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Old June 22nd, 2005, 08:27 PM
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Loose stools

The loose stools may be caused by the food but I would wait a few more weeks before doing another change. In the mean time try some raw pumpkin (not the pie kind). Add a few teaspoons in her food. Dogs usually like the taste and it will firm up her stools. I would also cut down her food to about 1 1/2 cups per day.
A few years ago I fed my dogs Nutro, Natural Choice. Both dogs had problems with this food. They would vomit yellow bile daily sometimes both dogs at the same time during the day. I switched them back to their old food and the vomiting stopped. While my dogs did not do well on it does not mean that others will not. I don't remember the ingredients in the Nutro but I seem to remember there was corn.
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Old June 23rd, 2005, 09:21 AM
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Nope, no corn.

Lamb Meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Rice Gluten, Ground Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Dried Egg Product, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganous Oxide, Garlic Flavor, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.

I will give it a few more weeks and see what happens. I did start giving him less food, hopefully that will help. I never realized I was over feeding him!
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  #22  
Old June 23rd, 2005, 07:56 PM
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Like Eleni I found adding a little plain yogurt (Danone Probiotic especially) to Montana's (10 month old Golden) food has really helped. Also, when switching food, do it gradually - don't just go from one brand to another right off - start say with 1/4 of the new food to 3/4 of what you have been feeding and then 1/2 and 1/2 and so on over a period of time.
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Old September 15th, 2010, 10:54 AM
dawnybabe dawnybabe is offline
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Soft stool

Can anyone help me here with any suggestions. I currently feed my 4 mnth Boxer that is 35lbs 3 cups a day of Acana - Large Puppy Breed formula. WE just switched him from Orijen - large breed puppy and he had really soft stool all the time with it so the pet store recommended us trying a lower protein diet. After reading other posts, does anybody recommend I should maybe try cutting back the amount he's being fed a day or what?? It is getting frustrating not always being able to pick up all his stool especially when we take him to the dog park. At a last note, He was just at the vet for his last set of Puppy shots and said he's healthy puppy. Please help me out if you can... Thanks
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Old September 15th, 2010, 10:58 AM
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Maybe he had loose stools because he was still getting use to the Orijen ?

How many times per day does he eat ? Sometimes splitting it between 3 meals a day helps.
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Old September 15th, 2010, 11:01 AM
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he was on Orijen since we got him at 7 weeks... He eats 2 times a day.
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Old September 15th, 2010, 11:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dawnybabe View Post
he was on Orijen since we got him at 7 weeks... He eats 2 times a day.
maybe try feeding him 3 times a day , you could also add a little pumpkin puree into his meals , one tablespoon maximum. If you want to try it , don't buy the pie filling , you must use the pure , pumpkin puree.
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Old September 15th, 2010, 11:08 AM
dawnybabe dawnybabe is offline
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Quote:
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maybe try feeding him 3 times a day , you could also add a little pumpkin puree into his meals , one tablespoon maximum. If you want to try it , don't buy the pie filling , you must use the pure , pumpkin puree.

Okay, Maybe I'll try the 3 times a day instead of just 2 and see how it helps and if its still fairly soft then I'll go buy some pumpkin puree.. Can you get it at any grocery store or will I have to go to a Pet store for it?
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Old September 15th, 2010, 11:10 AM
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Grocery store
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  #29  
Old September 15th, 2010, 11:11 AM
dawnybabe dawnybabe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frenchy View Post
maybe try feeding him 3 times a day , you could also add a little pumpkin puree into his meals , one tablespoon maximum. If you want to try it , don't buy the pie filling , you must use the pure , pumpkin puree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastifflover View Post
Grocery store

okay, Thank you!!
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  #30  
Old September 15th, 2010, 11:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dawnybabe View Post
Can you get it at any grocery store or will I have to go to a Pet store for it?
Yep , at your regular grocery store. It's in the pie mixes alley. (usually) The one I find here is from ED Smith. Since it's a large can , and my dogs usually get better after 2-3 days on it , I put the rest of the puree into ice cube trays and freeze them. Then if I need some , I just take one and unfreeze it.
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