Questions about Dog Poop

carolina

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I know this is a cat forum.... I need your help guys!
I am pet sitting, and I think one of the babies I am taking care of has poop issues.... I don't think he is agreeing with his food...
It is a little Maltese...
His poop is yellow, and today he couldn't hold it - he kept walking and stopping and pooping.... it is not really runny, but pretty soft... Is this normal?

He is eating Beneful, and he hates it - he runs from the food... So sad... He likes little Caesar better, but is not crazy about it either...
Is it rude to advise the parents about food? Provided that he is obviously not doing well in it? What is a good food for a little breed like that? Do dogs need slow transition as well?

Sorry, but Thursday I will leave, and I would like to recommend something to make his life a better.... $$$ doesn't seem to be an issue for the owners, and they are super nice people too

Thanks!!
 

strange_wings

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Could be a food intolerance, a bacterial problem, or if it's a brighter yellow something wrong with the dog's pancreas or liver (causing bile issues). You might want to mention to them their dog was having problems pooping and might need a vet visit.
 

Willowy

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Well, Beneful is about the worst dog food you can get.....maybe Kibbles 'n' Bits is worse.....but it's pretty bad. All that sugar and artificial coloring, no wonder he's having tummy trouble. I don't know how open his owners are to suggestions, though.

My suggestions for dog food would depend on the stores available to them. There are tons of great dog foods, so to list them all would take too long. Of course, having meat as the first ingredient is important, and no sugar, artificial coloring, BHA/BHT, or unnamed "meat" sources, at the minimum. Taking a step up, avoiding corn, wheat, soy, and any by-products would be better.

For now, a bit of canned pumpkin (not pie mix, just pumpkin) might settle his tummy. Not too much, just a small spoonful, or he'll go the other way and get constipated.
 
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carolina

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Well, Beneful is about the worst dog food you can get.....maybe Kibbles 'n' Bits is worse.....but it's pretty bad. All that sugar and artificial coloring, no wonder he's having tummy trouble. I don't know how open his owners are to suggestions, though.

My suggestions for dog food would depend on the stores available to them. There are tons of great dog foods, so to list them all would take too long. Of course, having meat as the first ingredient is important, and no sugar, artificial coloring, BHA/BHT, or unnamed "meat" sources, at the minimum. Taking a step up, avoiding corn, wheat, soy, and any by-products would be better.

For now, a bit of canned pumpkin (not pie mix, just pumpkin) might settle his tummy. Not too much, just a small spoonful, or he'll go the other way and get constipated.
So... pretty much the general guidelines for quality cat food?
IMO they are pretty open for opinions, but I don't want to be rude... I already "changed" quite a few things... For example:
They have 2 dogs and a cat - 1 rat terrier, one maltese, and the kitty.... The Dogs are extremely high energy, and the water for the cat was kept with the water for the dogs... Result: The cat never got to the water... When I got to the cat, he would hiss and spit at me me and the dogs- so stressed out!
I saw they had a baby gate around, not being used, and decided to set it up on the room the cat spent the most time in it... In addition I brought in her own water and food bowl into the bedroom, and created a window perch with a box on the top of the guest bed... I went there today, and the kitty is doing SO MUCH better!!!!! Not stressed out at all anymore... purring, meowing... (BTY - I told them what I did, and they were happy with it)
I also noticed that both dogs were sharing one food bowl for their wet food - the rat terrier who is not finicky at all, was eating the whole food, while the Maltese, who is finicky, was barely eating.... I went to a pet store and bought some cheap food bowls, and started feeding both of them in separate rooms. They are both eating now - one slow, and one fast, but both eating nonetheless.

There are still some things I would like to advise with, but I don't want to be rude, you know? Like.... Kitty is eating purina cat chow
, and also not using must of the house because of the dogs... If he had a cat tree on the living room where he could share the family life with everybody...
Would it be ok to make a word doc with some suggestions for them?
As far as what they have available for them? Everything - they are in a great neighborhood in Dallas. I don't think $$$ is a problem either.
So, what do I do?
I am tempted in going to petsmart and buying some cans of Wellness for them...
Do they need transition like cats do?
 

marinewife05

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Well, Beneful is about the worst dog food you can get.....maybe Kibbles 'n' Bits is worse.....but it's pretty bad. All that sugar and artificial coloring, no wonder he's having tummy trouble. I don't know how open his owners are to suggestions, though.

My suggestions for dog food would depend on the stores available to them. There are tons of great dog foods, so to list them all would take too long. Of course, having meat as the first ingredient is important, and no sugar, artificial coloring, BHA/BHT, or unnamed "meat" sources, at the minimum. Taking a step up, avoiding corn, wheat, soy, and any by-products would be better.

For now, a bit of canned pumpkin (not pie mix, just pumpkin) might settle his tummy. Not too much, just a small spoonful, or he'll go the other way and get constipated.
My thoughts exactly. Our Dane has always had a sensitive stomach. He gets one tablespoon of pumpkin a day....works wonders. It could also be a seperation anxiety. Dogs are just like humans and their stomachs can give them problems if they are upset.
 
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carolina

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Originally Posted by marinewife05

My thoughts exactly. Our Dane has always had a sensitive stomach. He gets one tablespoon of pumpkin a day....works wonders. It could also be a seperation anxiety. Dogs are just like humans and their stomachs can give them problems if they are upset.
what food do you recommend?
 

marinewife05

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

what food do you recommend?
Honestly it depends on the dog. We started out on Chicken Soup, then Solid Gold Wolf King.....but neither seemed to work for him. We use Eukanuba Large breed adult...Danes can't have puppy food. Eukanuba is a mid-line food, but the higher end ones didn't agree with him. I say find one that works and stick with it. But like someone else said it's about the ingredients. One with a meat as the first ingredient is the way to go....unless of course he's allergic to a specific meat. My sister's dog is allergic to Chicken.
 

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Most of the high quality cat food brands also make a line of dog food. Good foods that I suggest are Innova, California Natural (might be a good option for sensitive stomache prone dogs), Natural Balance, Canidae, Nature's Variety, TimberWolf Organics, Taste of the Wild, Orijen, Before Grain, etc.
 

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No, that is not normal as far as the puppy's stool goes and doesn't sound fun for the puppy either. You do not know the vet history on the dog I assume, as far as fecals and deworming and vaccs. It could be many things causing the stool issue.

The food is of very poor quality IMO. Many formulas are ground heavily processed from who knows where corn a bag

Here is a good site:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Here is that particular product
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f...t=1871&cat=all
Another site
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index....e=labelinfo101
 
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carolina

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Thanks guys - for what I see, the guidelines and the brands are much the same as cats, so I am ok now.... But one question I have still is:

How is the transition?????

Can I get there with a sample bag and start feeding them? or they need to be transitioned slowly like cats?

Thanks!
 
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carolina

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Thanks Nat!!!

What about wet food - can I change it immediately?
 

Willowy

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Depends how much canned food they get every day. If it's a large percentage of their diet, changing slowly would be best. If it's just a little bit, changing quickly would probably work, though that depends on HOW sensitive his tummy is.
 

momofmany

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I just got my sister to transition her dog from Kibbles and Bits to Merrick. She claimed he was a very picky eater and so they fed him what they thought he would eat. Guess what? He liked the quality food better than the junk food, and his skin allergies have started to clear up already. So if they push back on you for recommending a better food because the dog is picky, tell them to try it anyway. And if the dog has stool problems, changing the diet probably won't make it worse.

My dogs are on Orejan (breakfast) and Merricks Grammy's Pot Pie (dinner). Both are decent foods.
 

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FYI : UNLESS this is YOUR dog DO NOT change its food....

It could be a liver issue or the massive amount of food coloring in the food...

A VET is the one who should see the dog ...

Since you are sitting I am sure you have a letter stating you can get vet care for the animals ... call the vet and the owners and discuss this

as for food choices... YOU know my thinking go up in quality gradually until something works well... for this dog purina naturals is a HUGE step up.. nutro , chicken soup and diamond would be where I suggest starting
 

Willowy

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Do they have Purina Naturals for dogs? I should look around, LOL. I was going to suggest starting with Purina ONE, but if they have Naturals for dogs, that would probably be better.

I agree; the dog should be looked over by a vet first. Bloodwork would be a good idea. It could be a liver issue and you don't want to mess around with that.
 
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carolina

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I did not change their food, BUT - I did give them both a dose of bene-bac... Their poop were better tonight after the bene-bac, so I am happy about that.
I also bought them a Bag of Wellness 5 Star complete health, and did advise them to seek a vet for little Jasper, if the problem continues....

The reason why I bought the food is that they are getting home tomorrow late at night, know NOTHING about food, don't have a vet in Dallas yet (are brand new in town), don't know any pet stores, as they just relocated to Dallas.... Little Jasper needs to eat more... and I just don't want them to wait that long you know... I don't care - I spent from my $$$, and If I help the little guy, GREAT!

So - I am going to leave the bag closed for them, and will give another dose of Bene-bac tomorrow....... I think I will pick up a little caesars on my way in -he will eat that - he HATES HATES beneful....

IMO he is not sick, he just plainly hates the food..... I never seen anything like that... You put the food down (wet), and he jumps back and runs away! And yes, all that junk can't be good for him...

He is feisty, happy, funny, full of energy, cute, cute little doggy!

I wrote a nice doc with some suggestions for them - I hope they like it.... if not....... I will miss those little doggies!!
 

katkisses

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You sound like a great pet sitter!


As far as the bag of food and info you have for them, tell them to truth:
The dogs yellow poo worried you, so you did some research and found out some info that you thought they would like to have. You found out that Beniful has many ingredients that do not help with sensitive stomach, so you picked them up a bag of Wellness to try.
 
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carolina

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Originally Posted by KatKisses

You sound like a great pet sitter!


As far as the bag of food and info you have for them, tell them to truth:
The dogs yellow poo worried you, so you did some research and found out some info that you thought they would like to have. You found out that Beniful has many ingredients that do not help with sensitive stomach, so you picked them up a bag of Wellness to try.
Yeah - I did that.... Plus I put the information for my vet in there, the pet store with a great food selection and a nutrition specialist that is truly great, suggestions of food, how to transition food, info on bene-bac and pumpkin, etc etc...
I also put some info. for the kitty too - i.e. more wet food, creating a safe place away from doggies (which i kind of did with a baby gate
) nutrition basics, etc...
The puppies are soooooo sweet - they make me happy... I will miss them.......
Luckily this couple is really really nice.... It is sad to see them as an example of so many people who are misguided by pet food advertisements on TV!
 

katkisses

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The doggies sounds cute!

I understand you feeling a little weird giving them the info... Its tricky to help someone see that you have their best intrest at heart, and that you are not forcing your ideas on them. The people you are helping sound resonable so far!

Some people mean the best but are clueless(them, not you lol), most of us have been there at one point. I use to think Iams was high quality, until I came here & people informed me that I could find much better food for about the same price.
 
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