# How long do you give a new kibble a shot before giving up? "bad poops"



## dredges (May 18, 2012)

We got our 20 week old pup and our 3 year old Brussels Griffon switched over from Acana to Farmina Grain Free for 2 to 3 weeks now and they both have really stinky loose poops. 

I feel like a dope because I bought the big bag too. They totally love the Farmina too. They gobble it up, where they needed a canned topper for the Acana they don't with the Farmina chicken. I was really wanting this to work but I'm starting to wonder. Potty training is hard enough with out the pup having soft serve poops. The older dog seems to do better, at least the poops have form, but they're still too soft.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

dredges said:


> We got our 20 week old pup and our 3 year old Brussels Griffon switched over from Acana to Farmina Grain Free for 2 to 3 weeks now and they both have really stinky loose poops.
> 
> I feel like a dope because I bought the big bag too. They totally love the Farmina too. They gobble it up, where they needed a canned topper for the Acana they don't with the Farmina chicken. I was really wanting this to work but I'm starting to wonder. Potty training is hard enough with out the pup having soft serve poops. The older dog seems to do better, at least the poops have form, but they're still too soft.


You may be giving them too much food. The "recommended" amounts on the bag(s) are just that -- recommended. How much food your dog needs depends on the calorie count of the food & their actual activity level.

Try giving them less. If the problem persists, then you probably will have to switch.

FWIW,


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Oh wow. Generally before that time you would start to see the stools form a bit more. You may want to add a little canned pumpkin or plain yogurt to help your dog to digest a bit more. If that doesn't help, the food might be a bit too rich for the dogs and you may need to try another. I hope you find something that works!


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I don't monkey around too long. I give it a week before I find a solution, usually.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Did you switch gradually or cold turkey? Some dogs can't handle a sudden switch. You could try digestive enzymes. I have my boxer on them now and it's helping. I use Dr. Mercola Digestive Enzymes for Pets, but there are others. Also good advice, IMO, to reduce amount of food a little to see if that helps.


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## dredges (May 18, 2012)

Yep we use digestive enzymes and I switched over a couple weeks, they did real well on half acana and half farmina, maybe I should go back to that for awhile, atleast till the farmina is gone.

I feel like the grain inclusive might work well, too bad they don't sell it in small size kibble


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## FarminaND (May 23, 2013)

dredges said:


> Yep we use digestive enzymes and I switched over a couple weeks, they did real well on half acana and half farmina, maybe I should go back to that for awhile, atleast till the farmina is gone.
> 
> I feel like the grain inclusive might work well, too bad they don't sell it in small size kibble


Please come over to "Farmina USA" on Facebook for help. It sounds like you are feeding too much.


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## dredges (May 18, 2012)

Yeah, thanks but we did talk before I ordered and I'm following the guidelines. I think the kibble is great stuff, my dogs love it, but my dogs also have diareaha :-(


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I might be wrong but the Acana seems to have more fiber in it than the Farmina. This could be contributing to the loose stool, especially if your pups haven't eaten other "low fiber" foods. Personally, I would go back to feeding 1/2 and 1/2 and keep them at that for at least a couple of weeks. Then a tiny bit at a time start removing acana but increase the farmina by 1/2 the Acana amount. After, completely removing the Acana, I would slowly increase the Farmina amount up to a "full serving". Fiber amounts can really affect the gut, especially the bowels. Too much, too little and just right amounts are a bit subjective, being determined by diet.


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## keylohsierra (Jul 10, 2014)

I agree with the amount of food being served. My 3 do best and several small meals each day of the Farmina. My young male GSD gets the runs if I feed too much at a meal, much better on one cup 4x a day...


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## dredges (May 18, 2012)

1/2 acana and Canned pumpkin is helping


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## dr tim (Mar 27, 2011)

The way I try and see if a food is being overfed versus a food intolerance is pretty simple. Feed half the amount for 3 days and see if the stools firm up. If they do it tends to mean it was being overfed for that dog or situation. If it does not there is either an intolerance to that food or something else is amiss with the dog. If the dog was fine before new food then an obvious intolerance to an ingredient/ingredients or how the food was produced(uncooked starch, for example) would be the idea. Change back or try another food.


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