Food suggestions? - Page 1

So we have been feeding our puppy a blend of Orijen and WolfCub. She was doing great on it. She started having bad stool had her tested, prognosis was"high bacteria". They didn't tell me what exactly. She was on metronidizole and it helped a bit but didn't do quite enough. I was giving her yogurt with her food and while her stool wasn't great, it was formed.  We raised her food to get a bit of weight on her, ran out of yogurt (I kept forgetting to pick it up) and the diarrhea came back full force. Had her tested again, this time at MY vet, it came back negative. They gave me Tylan powder and recommended I feed her something with more fiber. I have cut out the Orijen (2.5% fiber) for fear it is too rich for her, between the WolfCub (4% fiber), tylan, and yogurt her stool is improving but not where it should be. The weight we put on her is also gone again, she isn't underweight but getting close to it. Her coat is great, energy is fine. Any recommendations?  I am considering putting her on Canidae, which the rest of my dogs eat with great results.

I wonder if your pup had cocidia? I have a pup that had the same problem but the yogurt and switching kibble cleared that up. If your feeding Canidae to the rest of your dogs I would just feed the pup Canidae and add the yogurt.

Pumpkin's high Vitamin A content makes it potentially useful in bolstering the immune system and combatting immune system disorders. It can aid in providing for healthy membranes, and even the possible prevention of certain types of cancer.

More good news for the digestive system, a decoction (boiled down concentrate) of the pulp has been used traditionally to relieve intestinal inflammation. Additionally, pumpkin has a high concentration of the amino acid glutamic acid, a compound known to accelerate the healing of gastric ulcers and other disorders of the gastro-intestinal lining. In Surinam's traditional medicine, a decoction of the leaves is also used to treat stomach inflammation.
 

The most common medicinal use of pumpkin pulp is not obvious from the nutrient content, that is in treating diarrhea. Pumpkin can be a safe and effective treatment, especially in dogs with sensitive stomachs. For small dogs, try 1-2 teaspoons of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) twice a day. For large dogs increase the dosage to 1-2 tablespoons twice a day. Adding a little mashed banana to the pumpkin may prove useful in treating some cases. You will have to experiment a little to find out exactly how much works best for your dog.
 

One thing for the guys to remember,,,,,,never mess with a pumpkin, that a gal is bringing home to feed her GSD

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 We had cases of diarhea before but since we have put every one on raw..I have had maybe two or three times in almost 3 years..Even the bitch who are nursing have great stools too. things we didn't have before feeding them the puppy food for nursing..they we're almost in diarrhea for 2 to 3 weeks..

You should see with your vet what kind of bacteria was there.  metronidazole is very good but sometimes you need to give something else with it like Clavamox.  Also I don't know if you can find a product name Forti-Flora..it is very good natural pre-biotic and it works very good..must be available at a vet somewhere.  We have very good result with it.

Or give chicken and rice (home made) or hamburger meat and rice for a couple of days..usually works! 

I was concerned about Coccidia or Giardia as well...but the last sample came back negative. The first sample was done with a vet who not my normal office.  I'll try the pumpkin!

My dogs had diarhea on both Solid Gold and Innova.  I switched to Royal Canin and they have had solid stools ever since.  I think the higher end foods are just too rich for GSD's.  Other GSD owners I know had the same problems with Innova.   

It all depends on your GSD. Innova Evo has done wonders for my 15month female. She is gaining the weight she lsot when she had kennel cough. She is full of energy and stools are rock hard and small. But i will add the foods like orijen, evo etc are a liitle to much for puppies. Try Canidae it has 24% protien(if im not mistaken). My 6yr old lab is also doing VERY well on evo!

I have been feeding my pup  Canidae since right after I brough her home at 8 weeks.  She is now almost 18 weeks and is doing great on it.

I've had my 9 month old pup on Innova, Canidae and Wellness.  He had very soft stools (cowpie) on all 3.  I added metamucil and it helped some, but the amount of metamucil I needed to feed for his weight was not cost effective!  He's now eating Royal Canin large breed puppy, and finally has normal stools.  Seems like a lot of GSDs don't handle these super-premium foods very well... My theory is they don't have enough bulk...

Giardia is famous for the "false negative". Metronidazole is only somewhat effective. I had a dog with chronic giardia for almost two years before I got it diagnosed by insisting on an antigen test-it was positive. I treated it with several courses of panacur.  She then tested negative on the antigen test. She lived a long life with a VERY happy tummy.

I use acidophilus pearls by Enzymatic Therapies. I had a dog who got diarrhea from milk products.

Michele and Pharaoh