How can I add fiber to my German Shepherd's diet for better stools?

Metamucil may help some but I would keep her dose very small like around 1 teaspoon twice a day. You could also try to just add a small amount of canned plain pumpkin instead of the Metamucil. I would also consider trying to add in a probiotic and a sensitive stomach diet. I like a few different types of probiotics - propectalin, vetriscience probiotic chews, purina pro plan fortiflora or proviable. If you decide to switch her food, I would transition her from the old food to the new food very slowly over a 2 weeks period. If you haven't had her examined by a vet I would strongly recommend to have her looked at. There are a lot of things that can also cause loose stools like parasites, food sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial infections, giardia, and much more. Your vet will start with checking a fecal sample. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can make sure that there is enough fiber in his diet. You can add canned pumpkin to add fiber to his diet which may help firm up his stools. You can add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals. You can also add probiotics such as Fortiflora. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. I would recommend switching to a different food altogether like Science Diet or switch to a different puppy formula of Royal Canin that has less fiber. You can also try adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora to see if this helps normalize his bowel movements. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

No you don't have to feed both wet and dry food. If the wet food gives Mercy the runs, then simply stop giving it and stick with the dry kibble from now on. However there is a possibility that the wet food is not to blame for the loose stool, at which point you can try giving her 1-2tsp of canned pumpkin (not the filling) to her food daily to add fiber and help form the stools. If this still doesn't help then it's best to have her stool examined by your vet.

Hi. I would recommend adding a spoonful of canned pumpkin to each meal to increase fiber. You can also add boiled rice. If that doesn't help, i would recommend talking with your veterinarian about possibly getting him on metronidazole to help firm up the stools. Good luck

Chronic diarrhea can be a frustrating issue! In a young German Shepherd, my main concerns for Charlie are that he may have intestinal parasites, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or inflammatory bowel disease. If he has not recently had a stool sample checked for parasites, this is a good starting point. If no parasites are seen, consider discussing blood work (CBC, chemistry, B12, TLI, folate) and an abdominal ultrasound to try to get to the bottom of this situation. Probiotics (Fortiflora and Proviable are two brands) may be beneficial. I hope that all goes well!

I would definitely not add salt as this can cause him to have salt poisoning and subsequent neurological problems. I would suggest adding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his food daily which will add fiber and hopefully allow him to go #2 a bit easier. If he is still having issues then I would have his prostate examined to check if it is enlarged and possible the underlying problem as to why he can't go easily. An enlarged prostate will push up on the colon, making the hole narrower so that poop can't easily pass through. The cure for this is to have him on a laxative through your vet and ultimately getting him neutered can resolve this issue for good. I hope everything works out for your pet Kitty. Take care.