My puppy's poop is solid then sloppy. Is his grain-free food too rich?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. Diet and parasites are the most common causes of loose stool in young puppies. If his stool is clear of any parasitic, bacterial or viral infection, then I would consider a new diet. I would consider a sensitive stomach formula such as Purina ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. Gradually transition to the new food over 5 or so days. If this does not help within 2 weeks, then you may want to consider a prescription low fat and highly digestible diet from his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for your questions about Koda. I would not say that is normal and I suspect it may be a sign that he does not tolerate the new diet as well. The jury is still out on grain free food, some pets do well on it and other ones develop heart conditions and constipation issues. Most vets generally do not recommend them. I do advise changing the diet again. If you are looking for a nice food, I recommend a brand called Royal Canin. It is generally very easy to digest and most pets who eat this diet have nice coats, good stool quality and low stool quantity (a sign that the diet does not contain many fillers). Change the diet slowly over about a weeks time. If the diarrhea continues, have the stool checked for parasites as this can also cause changes to the stool. I hope you found this helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

Hello, and thanks for your question. The grain free foods tend to be very rich; diarrhea is actually pretty common. I do not recommend grain free food - there is no science to back up any benefits of going grain free in dogs, and there are actually concerns that it is harmful (if you want further information, look into the connection between grain free and dilated cardiomyopathy heart disease). I recommend Purina, Hills Science Diet, Royal Canin, or Iam’s Eukanuba puppy food. Ol’ Roy would not be my preference, but I would still recommend it over grain free, especially since Freya clearly tolerates it better!

Poor Addison! This could be caused by several things from large water intake, parasites, or even her dog food. Blue buffalo can actually be too rich for some dogs. I have also seen other complications from eating blue buffalo like bladder crystals and bladder stones. You some consider switching her to something With less protein like science diet, Royal canin, or Iams. If you want a food with a more “natural” approach, natural balance is also a good choice. When you switch her, I would slowly mix in the new food and gradually transition her over a 10 to 14 day period. Also, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do a fecal to check for worms. I would make sure they also check for giardia and campylobacter as these are parasites/bacteria that commonly can cause similar issues but are difficult to diagnose. Lastly, i would get her started on some probiotics. I like ones made by vetriscience and Thorne. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better.

The ingredients in the diet you are currently feeding are fine and quinoa would not be more beneficial than potatoes or carrots unless there was a known issue with them. I see Luca's stool in the pictures and they are definitely loose. It also appears that he is straining to defecate. Without knowing more, I'm suspicious that there is a problem in the colon causing him to have diarrhea. This could be an infection, or an inflammatory bowel disease. Infection is a common cause of diarrhea in younger dogs. Either way, it's best to have him evaluated by your vet, because I'm not sure that a diet change will help his current condition. A vet can test his stool ( make sure to take a fresh sample with you) and possibly do other testing to help identify the cause. Once the cause of this is identified, the correct treatment and diet can be advised. You can help him get through this by feeding bland food (boneless chicken and rice is good). Feed small portions (1/2 cup or less) three times a day. You can also add probiotics to the food (can get this at the pet store), which has demonstrated some efficacy for improving diarrhea. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available. I hope this helps and Luca gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would NOT switch to grain free as these diets are being linked to heart disease in some dogs. Also, this will not help soften the stool. If you are worried about Deebo’s stool, you can add more water to his diet either to his food or with canned food. Or you can add 1-2 tbsp of canned (plain) pumpkin to his diet 1-2 times daily. Good luck and kisses to Deebo!