# Feeding help



## FrancoD13 (Aug 9, 2012)

Hello, I've gone through most of the feeding threads here and some great advice, but I have a question that I can't seem to find in the Search fields.

I have a healthy intact 14 month old male. His weight is ideal (a little on the skinny side, but not an issue) who is currently eating 2x a day, morning and evening. He is very active and very food motivated, so eating has never been an issue. He does however have very soft and frequent stools. We have started an elimination diet and moved him off of turkey/chicken kibble to a salmon grain free formula (Fromm Salmon tunalini). We are researching a BARF diet, but still researching, not quite ready to go there. 

Even though we are early in the new kibble, the stools are still an issue. Also, he recently has started to skip his morning meal. Not all the time, but occasionally, 2x-3x a week he'll skip then eat that devour his dinner meal (consisting of his leftover breakfast plus normal portion). He also has been eating lots of grass, bugs etc throughout the day. 

I've read that eating grass is normal, but they do it for digestion issues or something lacking in their diet. Have any of you heard this as well? Also, do any of you feed your dog 1x a day? We are going to purchase a Salmon oil and probiotic to start with him as well. Just trying to solve the soft/frequent stool issues. thanks


----------



## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Have you been through cycles of feeding boiled chicken and rice yet?

My boy did this for ages too until we switched to raw food diet. We had extensive allergy tests done and he is allergic to all farmed meets. So only good on duck, fish, turkey, venison and rabbit. 

All raw now and poo is perfect. 

I would take him to the vet to rule out any intestinal parasites or infection and then consider allergy testing or raw food or both.


----------



## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Wilson is 10 months and has solid poo, so I can't speak to the allergy issues (he's on TOTW, Salmon), but he does like to munch on grass. He and his mixed schnauzer friend both sit around and eat grass all the time, which isn't the most pleasant when it gets stuck coming out the other end. I have read that they do this to supplement something missing in their diet, so I try not to get too upset about it. I'd probably be more concerned and do more research if he didn't have healthy poos...

Wilson gets fed twice a day. I know of some people who feed their pups once a day, but I can't imagine it's good for their stomach or digestion to take in that much all at once. Wilson did go through a period around 6 months where he wasn't eating in the mornings, so we'd mix his foods with plain yogurt -- he loves yogurt and the probiotics are good for digestion too!


----------



## datacan (May 15, 2011)

*
SEE RUDY's VIDEO, please. *

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,9658.msg73688/topicseen.html#new


----------



## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

You're on a good track with a pro-biotic. (we use a daily scoop of plain greek yogurt) Try adding some fiber to his food to firm things up. We use a sprinkling of oats. (with some chicken broth for moisture. He coughs otherwise) Try the oats. It sometimes takes a little while to adjust to a new food.

We feed morning and evening and then a before bed snack. Like mlwindc, I can't see 1x being good for a high energy breed. (low energy breeds are another matter) We have a hard enough time keeping weight on our boy as it is.


----------



## FrancoD13 (Aug 9, 2012)

Thank you. I just saw the video after I posted this. Very helpful. 

We do supplement his food currently with pumpkin and/or oats. They both help, but still, 5x a day and as long as he isn't offleash exercising relatively firm, but once exercising very soft and hard to pick up. We have also tried a limited ingredient food, also no success. Tried yogurt, but that is probably the only food Bryce doesn't like that much, but also the results weren't great. He has been to the vet a couple of times and everything checks out, so she recommended to try the elimination diet which is where we currently stand. As I mentioned we are still researching the BARF diet. 

Just working through, will get there. Question is about feeding 1x a day. Anyone do that? and I want to thank everyone for all the help, this forum has been fantastic, so much knowledge here.


----------



## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

Gus had the same problem when he was a puppy. We eventually switched to a sweet potato and salmon food, and that seemed to help with his poops...although could just have grown out of it coincidentally too. Don't know if you've tried that, but wouldn't hurt


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

A lot of people that trial or hunt their dogs hard, go to feeding 1 time a day. They don't want the dog having anything in its stomach/colon when they are running them. Others feed 1/4 the food ration in the morning, and the rest in the evening.


----------



## Laika (Mar 3, 2013)

Laika was going through a period of time where she was not eating in the morning--no matter how much exercise she had before we left for work, so we were feeding her once a day in the evening. 

She did fine: we just made sure to do her evening meal after all her outside play was done, and she was ready to settle in for the night. I admit to being a little concerned about all her food being given at one sitting, but it didn't appear to affect her at all.

She has since returned to a more normal twice daily eating schedule (there are still days where she only eats a little in the morning, so her dinners are bigger on those days).

I would think if your pup is skipping morning meal a few times a week, but eating the normal amount in the eve he will probably be fine.


----------



## Carolina Blue (Sep 20, 2012)

datacan said:


> *
> SEE RUDY's VIDEO, please. *
> 
> http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,9658.msg73688/topicseen.html#new


Kiya will not finish breakfast on occasion, I just scoop it up and put in the fridge for a mid day snack. I would not worry so about that. I do not like that she turns into a cow when she goes outside. She gets freeze dried lamb with veg, fruit, flax seed and chickpeas (she cannot eat sweet potatoes), fish oil or a couple sardines, or raw meat (like to make meals a surprise). So after watching Rudy's video, I'm going to give the Green Dog Naturals a try and see if that helps with the grass and the occasional soft poops. Apparent something is off track. ???


----------



## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

I have gone through the same problems with my V. She is 1.75 years old and I have had problems with loose stools whenever i feed her premium dog food. I fed her blue buffalo wilderness. mounds of poop everywhere. soft pudding like poop. I decreased the amount, same results. And she would poop three to four, sometimes even 5 times a day!
So I decided to go to RAW diet.

WOW!!! Firm small tight poop that disintegrated within a day or two. no poop clean up in 8 months.
Cost about 120 a month. I fed 2 lbs a day. Pound in the morning, pound in the evening. life was great in the poop world but my pockets were extremely lighter. 3.50-3.75/ 2 pound tube.

so due to financial reasons I went back to blue buffalo this last monday. 60.00/ 24# bag lasts a month. 
Soft huge mounds of poop. poop in the morning, poop mid morning, poop before walk, during walk, after walk, and before bed. THe poop is more than i feed her.

I am starting to think commercial pre packaged dog food is not the way to go. what do you think?

Maybe its just blue buffalo?

I would like some feedback also.


----------



## MCD (May 4, 2013)

There are some really good forms of kibble out there. I have heard that Kirkland is not so good and neither is Blue Buffalo. My puppy gets oven baked and so do my cats. No problems with them eating it. Just the puppy gets an upset stomach from giving her anything other than her food or chicken. She sometimes has solid poo, sometimes it is soft. What can I do?


----------



## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Savannah doesn't do well on Blue Buffalo, either. She is currently eating Nutro Max with no problems. 

She also used to skip breakfast occasionally. I adjusted and gave her a smaller meal in the morning and a larger meal in the evening. Maybe not quite TexasRed's proportions, but close. All that sort of resolved itself when she was around two years old.


----------



## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

So, maybe i shouldnt give up on kibble just blue?


----------



## Capa (May 19, 2013)

Where are you located? Do you have any raw food co-ops? We belong to two and the prices we get on raw food are very reasonable. We also buy chicken backs locally from a butcher for about $0.59/lb. 

I would investigate various raw options in your area if your dog was doing so well on raw.


----------



## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

We struggled with kibble for a long time where I wasn't comfortable with some of the ingredients and the girl wasn't interested. 

We couldn't ever revert back to anything other than raw and guess what? It has turned out to be more economic. The butcher gives all recreational bones for Nelly for free. 

I noticed she would become sluggish after eating a bowl of kibble and didn't have great bowel movements. Now she is full of life, sparkly eyes, great coloured gums, blinding coat and most importantly feeling healthy. 

I do agree with you OT but it can be a daunting task to delve into. Spend a couple hours on a Sunday preparing meals - fridge some and freeze the rest. 

It's more interesting too


----------



## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Oh and buy anti-bac wipes or be prepared to wash your cloths every meal time!


----------



## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I have to go the kibble route because of many time constraints. But am definitely feeding a quality Canadian made food and getting results from both my cats and my puppy.( puppy has a really sensitive stomach) Tried a vet recommended kibble on the cats and ended up switching back to the old brand. Took the puppy off of what the breeder was feeding too. there is no wheat no corn no soy and no gluten in this kibble. It is described as holistic. No reactions to it and she eats it no problems. Only thing is that the smaller pet food suppliers carry it and I have to order it in advance if I need it. I don't think our vet is too familiar with it either. I saved my last empty bag to take to them next time I go.(Monday). All I know is that the puppy is eating well and putting on weight and no side effects.


----------



## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Oh and I should probably add that a steady diet of kitty litter fixin's probably doesn't help the situation either! Awful how that always comes up again and again?LOL


----------



## Kamikaze6rr (Jul 22, 2012)

I live in Charlotte, NC area. I am researching now.


----------



## Carolina Blue (Sep 20, 2012)

Kamikaze6rr said:


> I live in Charlotte, NC area. I am researching now.


Hello neighbor! I have not found a co-op close by (hazards of living in a city), but I can tell you there are many holistic pet stores around. They can help guide you to in making feeding choices. If you find any co-op locally, please let me know!


----------

