Puppy food question from a newbie:) (labs, clean, poop, vet) - Dogs - - City-Data Forum

twingles · 04-06-2013, 02:32 PM

Hello all,

We just adopted an 8 week old Black Lab Ret/mix from the SPCA. We were advised to look for puppy food with proteins as the first ingredients; picked up Hill Science Diet puppy formula and he likes it, but his stools are super mooshy - formed, but mooshy.

I've never owned a dog (had cats growing up...and they bury their waste!) - DH had a dog as a kid - a loooong time ago.

I know there's going to be a million opinions, but what do you all think of this food? Are the mooshy stools common at this age (I have more experience with newborn humans!).

He's a great dog so far. Just want to make sure he's comfy.

straw71 · 04-06-2013, 02:39 PM

Could just be his stomach adjusting to the new food. Anytime you switch foods for puppies it is a good idea to ease them by mixing some of the old with the new. Since you probably don't know what they had him on, I would give it a little bit of time.

talloolla · 04-06-2013, 02:55 PM

Congratulations on your new best friend! Please share a picture if you are able and welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of very knowledgeable and friendly people here that are more then happy to help you.

The answer to your question about how normal is it for a pup to have mushy stool is no. Normal stool should be firm but there are a few things that may be causing it. Straw71 is correct - it could be just the change of diet. Ideally, whenever you change food you should start by adding in the new gradually and phase out the old food but sometimes that is not possible. It could also be caused by excitement of a new home and routine. Many shelters will worm pets routinely before they are adopted and that can cause soft stool and just as possible is that he may have worms that is causing the same symptoms.
Here is a site that gives you ratings on food that will help with your decision on what to feed Dog Food Reviews by Brand. IMO, Hill's is not a great food although I know many people still recommend it. If you do a search on hear, you will find a lot of postings where people shared their thoughts on food.

Good luck to you and don't forget the pictures~

PS. Thanks for adopting from a shelter.

TinaMcG · 04-06-2013, 03:08 PM

I'll bet he's an adorable puppy. Lab mixes always are, congratulations!

I would be surprised if he didn't have loose stools at 8 weeks. He may still be getting used to solid foods. He may also have worms, because all puppies have repeated bouts of worms, which cause diarrhea. Or if could be all the corn and other grains in the Science Diet food. I think it's a bad food and you can do much better for your puppy. The protein sources in it aren't great. There are too many cheap grains.

In the last five months, we have adopted two puppies. The first was 7 months old and was eating Science Diet. She was a poop machine, and we could not believe what came out of that dog. And it didn't look very healthy. We transitioned her to a much better food right away, and it made an enormous difference, not just in what came out of her, but also in her overall appearance and her coat condition.

Two weeks ago, we adopted a little 8-week old boy puppy who had also been eating Science Diet. He had just been dewormed, but he still had runny stools for several days. Then we switched him over to the puppy version of the food we're feeding our other dog, and I guess if they gave prizes for perfect looking poops, he'd be a winner!

Seriously, if a food is sold in a grocery store, it's best to stay away from it. I know SD is sold by vets, but there is a financial incentive there. There are many many good foods available to y ou now, so please consider looking into them.

twingles · 04-06-2013, 03:18 PM

Thank you guys. We took him to the vet the day after we got him and he (thankfully) does not have worms. I suspected it was just him adjusting to his new food so I'll give it some more time. He didn't really eat the first day he was with us....guess he was adjusting. Since then he has become more comfortable with us and has been eating more and more, so I will give it some more time. I don't want to keep switching him up (this reminds me of having newborns!)...but I know a lot of people don't seem to be a fan of the Science Diet so I'm willing to switch if I think it's a problem.

twingles · 04-06-2013, 03:19 PM

PS - I'm technologically challenged but will try to post some pix as soon as I can!

TinaMcG · 04-06-2013, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twingles

Thank you guys. We took him to the vet the day after we got him and he (thankfully) does not have worms. I suspected it was just him adjusting to his new food so I'll give it some more time. He didn't really eat the first day he was with us....guess he was adjusting. Since then he has become more comfortable with us and has been eating more and more, so I will give it some more time. I don't want to keep switching him up (this reminds me of having newborns!)...but I know a lot of people don't seem to be a fan of the Science Diet so I'm willing to switch if I think it's a problem.

That's fine, but I just want to give you a heads up. In 3-4 months when you start picking up gigantic "Poophenges" in your yard, that will be because of the food, not the dog. A more digestible food produces far less poop. Less stinky, too. Way less stinky!

Dogmama50 · 04-06-2013, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

That's fine, but I just want to give you a heads up. In 3-4 months when you start picking up gigantic "Poophenges" in your yard, that will be because of the food, not the dog. A more digestible food produces far less poop. Less stinky, too. Way less stinky!

Funny you should mention that. My husband was cleaning up the yard now that the snow has melted and commented that the neighbor's "puppy" must be eating cheap food or they have a 200lb mastiff that they are hiding.

OP congrats on the puppy! Just like with humans the better the food put into the body, the better the body is. Labs do have a tendency to overeat and can get chunky, so good food with less filler is always better for their health.

twingles · 04-06-2013, 04:36 PM

Poophenges, LOL. Like I said, reminds me of when my twins my newborns - I just knew something was not right with one of them and the formula he was on - instinct was correct. I will keep a close eye on this situation.

bmw335xi · 04-07-2013, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twingles

Hello all,

We just adopted an 8 week old Black Lab Ret/mix from the SPCA. We were advised to look for puppy food with proteins as the first ingredients; picked up Hill Science Diet puppy formula and he likes it, but his stools are super mooshy - formed, but mooshy.

I've never owned a dog (had cats growing up...and they bury their waste!) - DH had a dog as a kid - a loooong time ago.

I know there's going to be a million opinions, but what do you all think of this food? Are the mooshy stools common at this age (I have more experience with newborn humans!).

He's a great dog so far. Just want to make sure he's comfy.

This is the best stuff ever!

Amazon.com: Merrick Puppy Plate Dog Food 13.2 oz (12 Count Case): Pet Supplies