Our chocolate lab is 8.5 months old. We currently feed him on Burns and he seems ok on it but he is notorious for snacking on poop. I’ve read on two seperate pages that dogs on Burns can be more inclined to do this. So I’m thinking of changing his food but am really lost on what food to put him in now. Any help would be great
Hi and welcome ! To be honest , I don't think poo eating has anything to do with what food they are fed , its just a habit and seen as a tasty treat to them ! If you look on the Behaviour Section , there is a pinned article on this problem and how to best cope with it and please don't worry, unfortunately its very common !
Thanks for your reply, I will check out the thread. Other reasons I want to change is on Burns it says to change over to adult food st 9 months but I feel as Besr is still growing surely he should still be on puppy food. Also he seems itchy even though he has been freed regularly.
For the itchiness it might be worth trying a food with a different protein source than the one you’re using. So, for example, if the one you’re using is based on chicken, then try a fish one. You could also try ruling out grains, but to be sure of the cause you need to exclude one food group at a time (unlike me with my last dog when I was quite haphazard about it).
I have fed Arden Grange Lamb and Rice for the last 10 years and very happy with it. I have changed sometimes, but always go back to it, suits my dog fine.
I feed my boy raw meat, organs and raw meaty bones. He also gets fruit and veg snacks, and if am honest, a taste of whatever i’m eating (I’m a soft target!) - although all vegetarian (we are a vegetarian household, except the dog!). We changed him to raw food cos of itching (and the breeder of his father was angry with us when she heard we’d been feeding him kibble). It took years to help him be less itchy. We stopped all fish and fish products, and that seemed to make a big difference. But each dog is different, you need to find what works for your dog. We also don’t feed chicken or duck, only beef, venison, lamb, and ostrich. But he’s a scavenger and picks up lots of chicken bones on the beach (during the summer season you can’t walk a meter without passing discarded bones). First things first though - I’d recommend you bath your dog to give him some relief, like you’d wash your hair if your scalp was itchy. (Is that what you meant by “freed” - typo?) I spot shampoo my boy on the itchy spots - mostly under his neck and back of forelimbs with an antifungal shampoo by Virbac - pricey but v effective.
Thanks for your replies, we moved him on to Orijen and he is thriving on it, maybe a little too well. The itchiness seems to be less now, thankfully.
