My English Bulldog's stool is hard. Should I try grain-free dog food?

I'm glad to hear that Roo is healthy aside from this soft stool. Yes, it's absolutely fine to switch her to a standard grain-containing diet. The FDA has issued warnings about grain-free diets and a concerning link to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), so switching is a great idea. I prefer brands like Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin, Iams, or Eukanuba, as these companies employ veterinary nutritionists and conduct proper testing on their diets. Since Roo is only 6 months old, be sure to look for a puppy food, as these are formulated for growth. When she's about one year old, you can switch her to an adult food. One of the most important things to remember is that anytime you switch her diet - even just opening a new bag of food - it's best to mix the old and new foods together gradually over 5-7 days. Sudden diet changes can trigger some vomiting and/or diarrhea, which is the last thing anyone needs! I hope that everything goes well!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Beuno. Stool problems in young dogs are most commonly caused by parasites or diet. I recommend having his veterinarian perform in depth stool testing to assess for parasites or other causes of gastrointestinal infections. If there is nothing found, then you may need to consider a diet change. I would recommend a prescription gastrointestinal diet that is formulated for use in puppies such as Purina Veterinary Diet EN. This is a highly digestible diet and many times can resolve the symptoms. You need to be careful with grain free diets as some have been associated with heart disease. They also tend to be quite high in carbohydrates which can lead to weight gain over time. I hope this information 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The soft stools are not normal. Also, the most important thing is to feed a low fat highly digestible diet. My own dog has a long history of pancreatitis so I have been through this for a long time. The best diet out there for dogs with pancreatitis is the Royal canin gastrointestinal low fat diet. I would recommend that you consider switching to a more balanced prescription diet like that one. There is no known benefit in feeding a grain free diet. Good luck and have a great day!

As long as Gary isn't straining to defecate or having other problems I wouldn't worry about his stool seeming to be small or firm. The typical frequency for defecation is once a day to several times a day, and some dogs may not even go once a day. If Gary is straining to defecate or has a history of anal gland problems or constipation this may not be ideal, but otherwise you probably don't need to make any changes to his diet.

Rex needs more fiber in his diet to bulk up the stool and make it softer. I would give a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin with each meal. It will add both fiber and fluid. I recommend adding additional water in the food also as dogs that are dehydrated will also have hard stool. Make sure he’s not eating dirt and feed a good quality dog food two to three times daily. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rex.

Poor pup! If his stool seems too hard, you could try mixing a spoonful of canned pumpkin into his food at every meal to see if this helps. Switching from dry to canned food may also be helpful, since canned food has a higher moisture content and usually results in softer stools.