sorry to post on an icky subject but we are 1st time puppy parents to a black lab & it feels like we are chasing the battle of gushy poop non stop. Our puppy is 16 weeks old and ~19lbs. We have had her at the vet and there are no issues that they can detect (tested for everything). She is eating Fromm puppy formula (kibble only - no wheat/grain, no dairy) since we are training she does get treats and plain cow hoof or antler and regular toys for chewing. Any suggestions? Trying to keep the yard from getting too stinky and her from tracking it into her bed. Thank you!
You may be feeding her too much. How much kibble is she getting? I had a similar issue when Sparky was younger. Found that feeding him the bag suggestion plus treats is way too much. I dialed it back to 60-70% of the recommended serving and instant solid poo. I weigh his food with a kitchen scale and I had an Excel file with the exact amounts calculated per weight. Now I don't even follow that and just give 100 grams twice a day plus all the treats he gets throughout the day.
Hi. It could be the amount of food as said above, but it could also be the cow hoof / training treats. A lot of pups have sensitive tums and certain foods can make them poorly. If you cut out the cow hoof and reduce the amount she is having at meal times it may resolve itself. If not you will need to go down the route of taking treats away and introducing one at a time to see which ones affect her.
Agree with Naya. The cow hooves could be irritating the gut. Kongs filled with soaked kibble are a great alternative! Adding a bit of fibre may help, like Protexin pro fibre for dogs, although I only used for the odd tummy upset that young pups are prone too until their gut becomes more robust as they mature. It may be worth checking that it's not the kibble itself causing the issue, as although wheat/dairy can be cause sensitivity, chicken and beef can be culprits too, and this is more common then you would think. Switching to a novel single source protein, such as fish, venison, lamb .... if all the tips above don't help with the problem.
I have had similar problems with my puppy now 5 months. She has been on Hills Prescription i/d which is turkey based which suited her perfectly but horrendously expensive. Think it was chicken she was reacting to but not totally sure. Been a lot of trial and error. Just transitioning her to Symply puppy food which is turkey based - a few loose poos but not the diarrhoea she was really suffering from.
