[LifeOfRiley]

How long does it normally take for their system to adjust to an abrupt food change and for how long should I expect the pudding poop?

I've always changed foods slowly, over a week's time, sometimes two. But since Riley (and Gunner) flat out refuse to eat the Orijen, switching slowly really isn't an option.
I don't want to mix meat or whatever into the food to get them to eat it, given the way the lamb fiasco worked out. And I don't want to coax them to eat food that they clearly don't want, anyway. I figure they're trying to tell me something and if they don't want it, I'm not going to force the issue.

We went back to the food that they both loved and did very well on, and they're both diving into their bowls. But now, like I said, we have a loose poop problem.
Is there anything I can give them in the meantime, to help their stomachs with the transition? Would pumpkin help, maybe?

 

[coppers-mom]

Oh man, be real careful. I changed Copper from a chicken based food to a lamb based 5 - 6 weeks ago. I thought I was doing good. I mixed it for 4 days and he liked it so much I just gave him the lamb.
36 hours later we were at the ER vet with a severe case of pancreatis. he almost died.
He is on W/D now and no more changing for me. the lamb did have more fat, but the multiple vets he saw that week believe it was because I changed his protein base.
he is an older dog, overweight and had had pancreatits 3 years ago so he was predisposed.
Just keep a close eye on your pups please! I hope they adjust quickly.

 

[LifeOfRiley]

Oh man, be real careful. I changed Copper from a chicken based food to a lamb based 5 - 6 weeks ago. I thought I was doing good. I mixed it for 4 days and he liked it so much I just gave him the lamb.
36 hours later we were at the ER vet with a severe case of pancreatis. he almost died.
He is on W/D now and no more changing for me. the lamb did have more fat, but the multiple vets he saw that week believe it was because I changed his protein base.
he is an older dog, overweight and had had pancreatits 3 years ago so he was predisposed.
Just keep a close eye on your pups please! I hope they adjust quickly.

Oh god... I'm glad he's okay!

Now I'm a little nervous.
We're not changing protein source with the foods - they're both fish-based, so is that a good thing?

I was reading the symptoms of pancreatitis and it really doesn't sound like I have anything to worry about, right now. His appetite is normal, he's drinking normally, behaving normally, and was just rolling over for a belly rub. I was pushing and prodding and it didn't seem to cause him any discomfort. He's all curled up in a little ball right now, in "his" chair.
Gunner seems to be acting completely normal, too.

I will definitely keep a very close eye on them, though.

And yeah, I thought I was doing good, too. I wanted to put them on what I thought was a better food. So much for that! Now I feel like the worst mom.

 

[Abbydabbydo]

Throw in a tablespoon or so of plain pumpkin, that ought to help!

Good luck!

 

[coppers-mom]

And yeah, I thought I was doing good, too. I wanted to put them on what I thought was a better food.
Me too. I bought what I thought was a better quality food....... The ER vet and specialist believe Copper's pancreatitis was brought on primarily by the change in protein and secondarily from the higher fat content.

If your guys are acting fine then they are. There is no doubt when they have pancreatitis. Their stomach bloats and is hard and they are in so much pain they can barely walk.

I see that riley is only 2 gunner is 6.5 so they are much younger than Copper. I didn't mean to terrify, but wanted you to keep a weather eye on them until they adjust.

Copper had problems with diarrhea after he snacked on some couch. My vet gave me a tube of paset (and I don't remember the name) and it settled him right down. You might check with your vet if the pumpkin doesn't do the trick.

teresa

 

[LifeOfRiley]

And yeah, I thought I was doing good, too. I wanted to put them on what I thought was a better food.
Me too. I bought what I thought was a better quality food....... The ER vet and specialist believe Copper's pancreatitis was brought on primarily by the change in protein and secondarily from the higher fat content.

If your guys are acting fine then they are. There is no doubt when they have pancreatitis. Their stomach bloats and is hard and they are in so much pain they can barely walk.

I see that riley is only 2 gunner is 6.5 so they are much younger than Copper. I didn't mean to terrify, but wanted you to keep a weather eye on them until they adjust.

Copper had problems with diarrhea after he snacked on some couch. My vet gave me a tube of paset (and I don't remember the name) and it settled him right down. You might check with your vet if the pumpkin doesn't do the trick.

teresa

Okay, well we definitely don't have anything like that going on. It seems to be just the poop issue at this point. I'll probably give it about 24 hours, give them a little bit of pumpkin, and if it doesn't at least start to look better, I'll give the vet a call.
The protein sources are pretty much the same between the two foods and the one we're going back to (Core) is a bit lower in fat than the Orijen, so that's good.

With Riley, especially, I'd be amazed if he didn't have poop issues at this point. He's had three different foods this week because of my screwing around. Small amounts, but still. I had started switching him to Fromm whitefish & potato from the Orijen, but as soon as he realized the Orijen was still mixed in, he didn't want anything to do with it. Thought about just going to Fromm, but not knowing if that would work for him or if it would be another failed experiment, we decided to just go back to what we know.

And believe me, I'd rather be a little scared and know to watch for something than to go along blissfully unaware and have something bad happen. What are a few more gray hairs, right? That's what they make L'Oreal for. :

 

[hotel4dogs]

the easiest thing to do when you want to make a sudden transition is to suddenly transition to boiled chicken/rice or boiled beef/rice for 2 days instead of the different food, then start to reintroduce their original food into the boiled chicken (beef)/rice mixture. Much easier on their stomachs that way!!

 

[coppers-mom]

Thanks Barb. I don't plan on changing food again EVER, but this is good info.

 

[hotel4dogs]

to digress from another thread....you'd be amazed how much knowledge owners of boarding kennels have when it comes to dogs.....

Thanks Barb. I don't plan on changing food again EVER, but this is good info.

 

[LifeOfRiley]

the easiest thing to do when you want to make a sudden transition is to suddenly transition to boiled chicken/rice or boiled beef/rice for 2 days instead of the different food, then start to reintroduce their original food into the boiled chicken (beef)/rice mixture. Much easier on their stomachs that way!!

Thank you. That's good to know, should we ever have to make a quick transition again.

It looks like they're adjusting pretty well. Gunner is completely back to normal and Riley's poo is almost completely normal again.

I'd still like to transition Riley over to Fromm eventually, but I'm going to give him a good few months before I even consider it. And when we do, it'll be done VERY slowly. lol.