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My 6-week Golden Retriever puppy has loose stools. What food to give?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 18 days old | 5.5 lbs

I have a 45 days old Golden Retriever which does not Royal Canin Maxi Starter when given with Luke warm water and if I give cerelac to it, it's suffering from loose bowels. It seems to like milk a lot, please provide me a detailed feeding guide for one and half month old Golden retriever puppy

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 11th, 2019

At 6 weeks old, your pet should be well on puppy food with no milk. You should go ahead and go forward with Royal Canin regular puppy large breed food with no additives. If Arjun happens to be having a hard time eating the kibble, then you can certainly add in some canned food at this point, but most puppies this age can no longer digest milk or cerelac, so it should not be given to them anymore.

If your puppy just seems to not like Royal Canin anymore, then some other suggested brands are Hill's Science Diet, Eukanuba, or Purina.

The amount to feed should be based on the guideline on the back of the bag, but it isn't a perfect science. Pay attention to your pet and feed less than what is recommended if he seems to be leaving a good amount still in the bowl. A good rule of thumb here is that whatever is suggested on the bag is likely going to be an over-estimate of the amount of food he will likely consume.

To help with the loose stools, you should add in a probiotic such as Fortiflora or over the counter Culturelle for the next 7-14 days. This should help resolve it, but if not, then a vet visit is recommended.

I hope that this new formulation helps Arjun keep normal bowel movements moving forward. Best of luck and take care. : )
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 30th, 2017

    I would try sticking with the puppy food as best you can for now. Dogs can become very finicky and if you start offering him different things like people food now, he could become very resistant to eating dog food later in life.

    You can try to moisten the food with warm water before feeding it and/or a little canned food to entice him to eat it. He is also at the age where you can begin meal feeding him about three times a day. He may be more likely to eat if you knows he has to eat during a certain period and doesn't have access to the food all the time.

    Congratulations on your new puppy. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Penelope Graben, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 8th, 2018

    Hello!
    You did right with switching the food! Raw diets are clinically linked to heart and gastrointestinal disease in dogs, and Royal Canin is an excellent diet. Many dogs have sensitive stomachs and a rapid change to a new food can upset them. I would recommend feeding his previous diet tomorrow and then slowly transitioning the food over one week by adding slightly more kibble every day. This gives his body time to adjust.

    I hope this is helpful!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 19th, 2017

    If your puppy is less than 6 months of age, I would divide the daily allotment of food into three equal portions and feed him morning, noon, and evening. You can try mixing in some wet food to make it appealing to him, and over time decrease the amount of wet food until he is eating the dry food only. Excellent choice of food!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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