# Poop.



## sophiedb (7 mo ago)

Sorry for this pretty gross dinner time post. But we’re having big poop problems with our 5 month old boy Disco…

he always seems to have had a sensitive tum. Prone to good poops in the morning and then gradually deteriorating throughout the day and getting more loose. We were recommended a good natural (grain fee) high protein kibble by our trainer which we give him as breakfast and then use the rest of his allowance as training rewards throughout the day. He also has veggies like carrots, cucumbers and the odd bit of apple. He’s been on this diet for the past 2 months but I wouldnt say we’ve ever had a good run of good poo-ing.

we had to switch onto white rice and a good quality meat (the UK brand, Butternut) for a couple of days as we ran out of biscuits and the new order was delayed. He seemed fine on that and it’s been a week now of him being back on his kibble but has had a noticeably upset tummy with the odd ‘normal’ poop thrown in.

I’ve read great things about raw diets, especially for loose stools, but a bit unsure where to start. We have cut out the extra apples/carrots etc to see if that makes a difference but have half a massive bag of this kibble still to go through and wary of changing again.

Any tips or similar experiences?


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

It is usually a process of trial and error to find the type of food that works best for a dog. Sometimes we get luck and other times it is a real hassle. If the current food hasn't shown improvement in a month or more, I'd say its time to try something else. Cut out all other foods and treats and start with a blank slate. Slowly start switching to a different kibble, use that new kibble as treats for awhile as well. I personally don't buy into the "grain free" requirement with dogs, just as long as legumes (pea, lentil protein etc) are not present or are super low on the list of ingredients. I suggest something with chicken or beef as the meat base. Meats like duck, turkey, fish in my experience tend to have higher chances of causing gastro issues in sensitive dogs. It is very important to add in a probiotic here, I use ProBios powder but there are plenty of good ones out there. Don't rely on the "built-in" probiotics some dog food markets. Give it a month and see, if you still have problems, try again. Of course if you think something else is amiss, a vet consultation is always in order as you may be wasting your time if there is something medically wrong.

I find it normal with Ellie in the morning to sometimes poop 3 times. 2 normal, and the last after she runs as soft-serve. She's been that way from the start and I've heard it from other V owners too, so don't think a soft poop a day is wrong or bad.

Good luck!


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## sophiedb (7 mo ago)

Dan_A said:


> It is usually a process of trial and error to find the type of food that works best for a dog. Sometimes we get luck and other times it is a real hassle. If the current food hasn't shown improvement in a month or more, I'd say its time to try something else. Cut out all other foods and treats and start with a blank slate. Slowly start switching to a different kibble, use that new kibble as treats for awhile as well. I personally don't buy into the "grain free" requirement with dogs, just as long as legumes (pea, lentil protein etc) are not present or are super low on the list of ingredients. I suggest something with chicken or beef as the meat base. Meats like duck, turkey, fish in my experience tend to have higher chances of causing gastro issues in sensitive dogs. It is very important to add in a probiotic here, I use ProBios powder but there are plenty of good ones out there. Don't rely on the "built-in" probiotics some dog food markets. Give it a month and see, if you still have problems, try again. Of course if you think something else is amiss, a vet consultation is always in order as you may be wasting your time if there is something medically wrong.
> 
> I find it normal with Ellie in the morning to sometimes poop 3 times. 2 normal, and the last after she runs as soft-serve. She's been that way from the start and I've heard it from other V owners too, so don't think a soft poop a day is wrong or bad.
> 
> Good luck!


That’s super helpful thanks Dan. Good to know it’s not unheard of and may just be their little digestive patterns… my next step was probiotics. Reluctant to do raw as we’re an all veggie household and it would be a bit of a shock to the system. Will give it some more time (cutting out anything else so we can work out the lie of the land) and then go from there.


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## lw19 (10 mo ago)

When Penny was 5 months she was very similar to what you describe. For her at that age the pattern seemed to be first poop in the morning was almost always solid. Then they seemed to progressively get looser as the day progressed... not fun haha. Now that she is approaching 1 year old she only ever has loose stool occasionally during heavy exercise (as Dan_A explained) or if something is actually upsetting her stomach. This is my first Vizsla, but based off my experience maybe this is something normal in their development.

TLDR: At that age Penny frequently had loose stool but ultimately grew out of it without me changing hardly anything in her diet.


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## sophiedb (7 mo ago)

T


lw19 said:


> When Penny was 5 months she was very similar to what you describe. For her at that age the pattern seemed to be first poop in the morning was almost always solid. Then they seemed to progressively get looser as the day progressed... not fun haha. Now that she is approaching 1 year old she only ever has loose stool occasionally during heavy exercise (as Dan_A explained) or if something is actually upsetting her stomach. This is my first Vizsla, but based off my experience maybe this is something normal in their development.
> 
> TLDR: At that age Penny frequently had loose stool but ultimately grew out of it without me changing hardly anything in her diet.


Thankyou! Really good to know. Maybe we'll stick to our guns rather than messing around with his food too much and hopefully it'll settle as it grows.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

This is what I use if one of my dogs stools are not firm. Heifer is five months old, and gets tons of treats on class days. I already know it’s going to cause her to have a looser stool, no matter which treats I use. So I use the paste after we get home, and it’s helped a lot. The capsules are a good probiotic, and I always like to keep them on hand. You can order the Proviable kit at a lot of different places. 








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## CindyandIvy (Oct 28, 2012)

I could have written this post a month ago. Since we got Rocky at 2mo he has started with a firm poop in am and gradually got to soft serve by the end of the day. I tried adding in veggies and taking them away and still the same. Without my changing anything in the last month (now 6mo) his poops have been firm all day. I have no idea what to account it to except maybe his digestive system is more mature? 
I hope you find what works!


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