# Please help me figure out what to feed these guys



## erinself (Jan 20, 2013)

Hi guys,

So my pups have been having diarrhea so I gave them chicken in rice with canned pumpkin for about 3 days. It had gotten better so I thought I would slowly wean them back to fromm. I put some kibble in their meal last night- maybe 1/4 kibble, 3/4 mixed chicken, rice, and pumpkin. This morning I woke up to a mess of about 5 or 6 piles of loose stool. What do I do now? I know it would not be healthy for them to be on a diet consisting of over half grain for the rest of their lives! They have not really had solid stools since I got them so is it the food that doesn't agree with them? I thought at first it was switching from pedigree to fromm, then I thought it was a reaction to their parvo/distemper shot. Now I don't know what to think  Anyone else have a problem with fromm?


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Did you transition them slowly off pedigree? Like 7 to 10 days? What formula Fromm are you feeding?


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## erinself (Jan 20, 2013)

I did the best I could with it. It was about 7 days with Bitsy only like 2 with Benny because we were almost out of the pedigree they gave us and I didn't want to buy another bag. I thought It might only upset their tummy for a day or two. Should I just give them more time to adjust to it? It is fromm gold puppy food. It is all they have available for puppies at this store. They also have arcana and orijen but I think those are a bit more expensive. We could try it but would switching food again upset their tummy more?

For the sake of being thorough, they have also been chewing on a bully stick spiral, sweet potato chews, and a duck foot and have picked up tiny bits of food my kids have dropped on the floor, and they could have been exposed to some spot remover from cleaning up after them or some lysol spray (although I try to be very thorough cleaning it up). Would any of that do this to them?


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

You bet it can!

Remove everfything but chicken and pumpkin for now. That is all way too much stuff for young transitioning pups. You may also want to add plain pedialyte. They could have grain issues so I would drop the rice. Plain, boiled chicken and pumpkin until you see better stools.

Then I would add the Fromm back in but literally a few pieces a day until you see things are fine. Gradually you will reduce the chicken.


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

I think maybe food switch too fast. Plus the stress of coming to new home. So many things. Is the rice the old fashion kind or instant, cause instant rice will not help at all. When my dogs have been ill like, that, I gave them old fashioned rice cooked in chicken billion, then slowly added some chicken, then slowly added their food. Ike does real well on fromm. Also you can give them a half teaspoon of Pepto Bismol, after they poop, but not more then 3 times a day.


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## erinself (Jan 20, 2013)

So my question is, If I just stuck to the fromm would their gut eventually sort itself out. Giving them all the chicken and pumpkin, etc, it seems like I am just constantly switching their diet and it will never have a chance to settle down. I mean suppose I give them just the chicken and pumpkin til it clears up and then I start switching to Fromm, won't that just upset their tummies again?


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

When you have a pup/pups that are eating several things, their food, different treats, crumbs, etc., it's impossible to narrow down the cause of tummy upset. I would do as Karen mentioned. No treats, etc. Cleaners can be fatal to your babies. I would be 150% sure that they can't get to anything toxic like that. It would take a minute amount to cause big problems. Karen gave great advice, I'll echo what she said. Hope your babies are doing better real soon. If the diarrhea continues, I'd see a vet. It takes such a short amount of time for any vomiting or diarrhea to be very taxing on these lil guys. xxx


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## erinself (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks they have seen a vet and she basically said she didn't know what was causing it. It is not extremely liquidy and their energy level is great. How solid should it be? Right now (tmi) it is about the same constancy as the canned pumpkin like it is going right through them.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Try the chicken and pumpkin for 48 hours. Once you see firm stools, add in 5 kibble. Everyday that they tolerate that amount, try increasing it by 3 pieces. It might take 2/3 weeks to get them completely on the Fromm. But you also might find out it's too rich. Which means another switch. But sometime it takes that to get them on the food that works for them. If it were me, I'd get the food issue sorted before giving anything else. Like chewies, etc. This will also be your Vets advice most likely. Once the food is sorted out, add one chewie at a time. Wait 2 weeks to add in anything else. If they are sensitive to it, it will show within that period of time, then you know that's something they can't have. It can be time consuming and a bit frustrating to sort out tummy trouble. I've been there. Hang in there.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

You can buy Fortiflora online. It's a probiotic. It's good to use during food transitions and tummy upset. Just a lil bit sprinkled on their food will help.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

erinself said:


> Thanks they have seen a vet and she basically said she didn't know what was causing it. It is not extremely liquidy and their energy level is great. How solid should it be? Right now (tmi) it is about the same constancy as the canned pumpkin like it is going right through them.


It should have the appearance of like a tiny tootsie roll. Firm, not hard. It will be solid if everything is working well.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I'd be very careful about Pepto. It has aspirin in it, I believe. Just be very slow in adding back the fromm. Most of the kibble (good kind) are for 'all life stages'. My gal in the boutique pet shop says puppy food is good for the consumer, but the puppy doesn't need it.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

TLI said:


> Try the chicken and pumpkin for 48 hours. Once you see firm stools, add in 5 kibble. Everyday that they tolerate that amount, try increasing it by 3 pieces. It might take 2/3 weeks to get them completely on the Fromm. But you also might find out it's too rich. Which means another switch. But sometime it takes that to get them on the food that works for them. If it were me, I'd get the food issue sorted before giving anything else. Like chewies, etc. This will also be your Vets advice most likely. Once the food is sorted out, add one chewie at a time. Wait 2 weeks to add in anything else. If they are sensitive to it, it will show within that period of time, then you know that's something they can't have. It can be time consuming and a bit frustrating to sort out tummy trouble. I've been there. Hang in there.


Agree with every single word. Have been there as well.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

A 'healthy' poopie visual. :lol:

My pups poop once or twice a day. This is what you want to see.


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