[SyFer]

I'm not terribly concerned, but I would be interested in opinions on this subject!

Holly is now 10-weeks old and growing like a weed! We have had her since December 27th and she is doing great...with a few exceptions...

She is being fed Eukanuba Large Bree Puppy Food, as recommended by our breeder. The breeder recommended feeding 1 cup per feeding mixed with a table spoon of cottage cheese. Three feedings a day. Holly wasn't eating all of the food, but she got most of the cottage cheese !

After meeting the Vet. we cut her food potions back to 1/2 to 3/4 cups per feeding and weaned her off of the cottage cheese, as the Vet felt she was getting too much food. So currently she gets the dry kibble and occasional treats (Nutro Apple Crunchy Treats). OK, maybe more than occasionally.:wave:

Holy eats regularly, three time a day, on a set schedule. She eats vigorously when we feed her, and eats nearly everything in her bowl. She does not appear tired or lethargic. In the two weeks shes been with us she has put on about three pounds per week (weighed 11 pounds when we got her, and weighed 16.5 pounds last night at the Vets).

Given her diet, is it normal for her to have five to six bowel movements a day? The bm's are rarely firm/hard. Most of time they do have "shape", they are just not firm. Other times she has periods of very loose stool where she needs to go out every hour or so.

Her stool has been checked twice for parasites (recently) and both times she was clean. I'm wondering if the food is just not being adequately digested, or if there is another issue, or no issue at all.

Another question. Is it normal for a 10-week old puppy to have to poop four or five times a night? We are literally up every two hours through the night, to let her out. She does her business, comes back in, goes to sleep for 2 hours and she's up again...wash, rinse, repeat.

During the day she is home for three to four hours at a time when she does not poop. Some times she will go all day without pooping, if she pooped in the morning. Other times, after she has the very loose stools, and we have fed her a bit of rich and chicken, she can go a whole day without pooping.

Just looking for input. Is what we are experiencing normal?

Oh, by-the-way, the Vet gave a pro biotic powder to mix with her food once a day, to try and get her back on track. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Gerry

 

[revkev6]

nash was the exception when it came to poop and pee. right from 8 wks when I got him he could hold it as long as it took to get outside on some grass. he refused to go in the house and would whine and cry at the door. I have grown up with dogs and KNOW how lucky that is!

as for the stool, I have noticed that treats can have a big impact on Nash's belly. it took me several tries before I found a treat that wouldn't cause "issues" on heavy training/treating days. have you noticed any correlations there??

 

[Rainheart]

Usually a pup should go however many times they are getting fed + 1 (so she should be going about 4 times a day). It is not normal, however, for her to have to get up every 2 hours at night. Are you setting an alarm or does she get you up that often? Are you sure she is going poop each time at night? Maybe she just has to pee. Beamer would sleep at at least 8 hours at night after a week or so of getting him. I would check another stool sample and if that is negative, still get a dewormer anyway.

Is she on any kind of heartworm prevention? If not, that will also deworm for certain parasites (depending on the brand). Maybe even consider checking a urine sample because she really should be sleeping at least 6 hours through the night.

 

[Ada's Mom]

The first couple weeks Ada's poop was pretty loose, but not diarrhea like and I want to say she went 3-5 times a day at first, but I don't remember 100%.

I'm assuming at night she's in a crate, has she taken to her crate well? I would guess that it's just stress/anxiety from being in the crate that's causing the diarrhea at night, but I'm not a vet.

Ada had a bout of diarrhea recently after her spay and between the probiotics and a stool firmer she's back to normal now so hopefully the probiotics help your girl.

 

[Ranger]

My one little foster pup - a JRT X - would poop something like 6-8 times a day. I'd heard about the number of meals + 1 thing, but he didn't. I ended up switching his food when the pet store was out of his old stuff and voila - he was only pooping 3-4 times a day. Smaller poops and less smelly so I assumed the other food just wasn't a good match for him, despite not seeing any other issues.

 

[rhondas]

@ Ada's Mom

First I love your puppy's name. It was on my short list if the breeder thought one of the females was a match.

The breeder was feeding Adin's litter a mixture of Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken (Lamb & Rice), pumpkin and rice to firm up stools. So I continued with it and still noticed it was soft. I also was transitioning to Acana Grasslands. When I talked to the Integrative Vet she wanted wanted me to phase out the pumpkin & rice and start using immediately a probiotic (Wysong Pet Inoculant which she personally thinks is the bets one on the market for puppies).

And lo an behold it is working (so far) He is only getting his kibble (all Acana) and the probiotic twice a day - he's getting three meals a day for another 2 weeks). He is also going only 3 times a day vs about 6.

 

[jpajinag]

I too am curious if the treats are causing it. Before switching foods I would try cutting out treats ( maybe use food instead??) and continue with the probiotic the vet recommended. I also think the deworming suggestion is valid, sometimes the parasites don't show up in the stool. Our vet deworms at all puppy visits reguardless. If after deworming, probiotic, and treat elimination the extremem pooping continues I would then recommend food change. If you change food now and lots of soft poo continues you may not know if it is treat or food related. I have also found that my pups poop after exercise. If it is a long walk / exercise session he could sometimes go 3 + times with each pile smaller and softer. He would then not go for hours or late that night. Good luck.

 

[SunGold]

Hi Gerry,

Sounds a bit excessive... I might think about trying a different food. I also like this digestive enhancer: Nature's Farmacy - Store - Product Details

K

 

[klke]

We had the same issue. Our puppy is almost 14 weeks. She was on meds for loose stools and some probiotics. The vet sent away the stool sample and ran it for a bunch of things. The test came back ok. The vet switched her from Science Diet Puppy (she was on this at the breeder) to grain free. We only had one choice in our area, Natural Balance. We picked the sweet potato and fish. Her stools are firming up and she only goes out once during the night. She used to have to go outside every 2 hours or so to poop and she runs to the door. It has been 5 days and she is getting better. We are hoping it is the grain free food.

My dad has a bernese and his breeder recommends some canned pumpkin (not pie filling) and vanilla yogurt to help firm them up. Good luck!

 

[SyFer]

It is not normal, however, for her to have to get up every 2 hours at night. Are you setting an alarm or does she get you up that often? Are you sure she is going poop each time at night? Maybe she just has to pee.

No alarms. She wakes us up with barking. She is definitely pooping, as I have to pick it up in the morning!

Is she on any kind of heartworm prevention? If not, that will also deworm for certain parasites (depending on the brand). Maybe even consider checking a urine sample because she really should be sleeping at least 6 hours through the night.

She started her Heartworm regimen on the 30th.

I'm assuming at night she's in a crate, has she taken to her crate well? I would guess that it's just stress/anxiety from being in the crate that's causing the diarrhea at night, but I'm not a vet.

She has slept in a crate since we brought her home. She seems to be comfortable in it. She goes in and out on her own.

I too am curious if the treats are causing it. Before switching foods I would try cutting out treats ( maybe use food instead??) and continue with the probiotic the vet recommended. I also think the deworming suggestion is valid, sometimes the parasites don't show up in the stool. Our vet deworms at all puppy visits reguardless. If after deworming, probiotic, and treat elimination the extremem pooping continues I would then recommend food change. If you change food now and lots of soft poo continues you may not know if it is treat or food related. I have also found that my pups poop after exercise. If it is a long walk / exercise session he could sometimes go 3 + times with each pile smaller and softer. He would then not go for hours or late that night. Good luck.

OK, We will lay off the treats for a few days and see how that goes.

Hi Gerry,

Sounds a bit excessive... I might think about trying a different food. I also like this digestive enhancer: Nature's Farmacy - Store - Product Details

K

Hey Kara! We will try the treats first. We planned on switching the food once she got accustomed to things. I will look into this. BTW, I just wanted to say thanks again for your help and advice while we were selecting a breeder to find Holly.

I'm really begining to suspect the food. The stools have a "grainy" texture. It almost like it is not all being digested. I wonder if its too early to try switching her over to something different?

Gerry

 

[SunGold]

Hey Kara! We will try the treats first. We planned on switching the food once she got accustomed to things. I will look into this. BTW, I just wanted to say thanks again for your help and advice while we were selecting a breeder to find Holly.

I'm really begining to suspect the food. The stools have a "grainy" texture. It almost like it is not all being digested. I wonder if its too early to try switching her over to something different?

Gerry

You are very welcome. I am glad things worked out!

It's not too early to switch, but maybe just try getting a new food and slowly adding it... see if things change at all.

 

[Lucky Penny]

It is probably has something to do with the food the pup is eating. My almost 6 month old pup is on Wellness Puppy and poops 3 times a day. It has been like that since I got her at 8 weeks.

 

[Swampcollie]

SyFer,

You're probably overfeeding the pup. The pup is pushing so much food through its' digestive system, so quickly, it isn't getting the chance to digest it completely. Cut back a bit for a while.

 

[Dakotadog]

I do not know what to do about the "issues" but perhaps in regards to her eating so fast I would think about stuffing a kong. It will help slow down her eating and perhaps that will help with the digestive system. Also the puppy training book I just read suggested measuring out the food for the day and using kibble as treats so the pup isn't overweight. I would think cutting down on the treats would probably help too. Or maybe using a more natural or healthy treat?

 

[Swampcollie]

The speed at which the puppy eats isn't the issue. It is a matter of how much. Keep the treats to a minimum until you get the digestion issue under control.

 

[OutWest]

I agree that all the pooping sounds excessive. The other suggestions sound like good one--I suspect you need to switch foods. Good luck with the switching and testing...it can all get onerous and seem to take forever to resolve, but will work out in the end... (pun sort of intended ).

 

[luverofpeanuts]

and using kibble as treats

I bought a small bag of different flavored, and the smallest kibble available .....but the same brand as the normal food the pups eat. I use this kibble as the 'frequent' treats when on walks or whatever. I think it works well, and I feel better about giving them this for frequent treats or getting their attention.

 

[SyFer]

First day with no treats. Just pup food. I'll let you know how it goes!

We have a Kong, and I've tried filling it. She just does not seem interested. I tried filling it with kibble and topping it off with peanut butter. No dice. I even stuffed it with a bit of cheese, which she goes crazy for, and she didn't even make an attempt to get at it. I guess right now the Kong's not her thing!

I thought it might be overfeeding as well, that's why we cut back the food as per the Vet. Right now she only gets 1/2 to 3/4 cup per feeding, with three feedings per day. Her weight gain appears to be normal (2 to 3 lbs per week) for a pup who is expected to double her weight between 8 and 12 weeks. So I'm not sure about the over feeding at the moment.

We also had a new wrinkle last night. From approximately 4:00 to 4:45 AM, Holly threw up three times. This is the first time she has ever vomited. What to know what was in it? Rocks! She coughed up six 3/8 to 1/2 inch sized crushed rocks. She must have eaten them from the landscaping. We try to be very vigilant about keeping her out of the rocks, but obviously she snuck a few. Since her last vomiting, there have been no other signs of distress. She ate her breakfast with gusto! Same with lunch. She had a BM this morning which was firm and shapely. ( I just re-read that last sentence and had to to laugh at how casual that sounded!) No other BMs since, and its 2:00PM.

I am keeping a sharp eye out for distress, but I'm wondering if the rocks were part of the digestion problem?

 

[Faith82]

My 8 month old has had loose stool issues ever since we got him 6 months ago. He's tested negative for parasites several times so we thought it was his food that wasn't agreeing with him. We had him on a high quality food which we thought was too rich for him so we switched him to Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach. His poop issues did not improve. The vet put him on 2 differen types of antibiotics and a probiotic. His poop would improve while on the meds then immediatly get worse once he was off them. FINALLY we went to a different vet for a 2nd opinion and he did a fecal smear and sent off his poop for "special" tests. Our pup tested positive for Clostridium, a bacteria in his intestines that a "regular" stool sample wouldn't test for. I am so thankful to finally have a diagnosis!!!

 

[Wyatt's mommy]

I wouldn't change her food, I would cut back on it. Sounds like she is just getting too much to me.

Oops just read where you cut back.....now we just need to wait and see.