# Food for Baby Having Diarrhea



## murbanski (Sep 25, 2012)

I have a 3.5 month old Cane Corso puppy. I usually feed raw but my free meat stash ran out and I haven't gotten any 'scores' lately. My hours were severely cut at work so I can't afford raw right now. 
My little guy has been on two, to be honest, shitty foods. He was weaned on to Diamond Puppy food by his breeder, and since I am short on money I transitioned him to 4Health. It is also a Diamond product but a little better ingredient wise. He started losing a lot of weight even when I increased the recommended 3 cups (for his age/size) to 6 cups. The entire time I have had him he has had chronic diarrhea and it is difficult to keep weight on him. I did a slow transition over two weeks, multiple fecal checks, urinalysis, and blood work. Everything came back normal and he is parasite free. I'm guessing he has some type of food allergy or something. I had a lot of issues with my Aussie on kibble with having frequent diarrhea and it instantly cleared up when we switched to raw. It sucks because I know that's what's best for my dogs and they really do thrive on raw. But it just isn't in the budget right now (yes I know you can get free meat, but everyone seems dry right now). 
Does anyone have suggestions for a kibble I can put him on that is good for sensitive tummies? I want to stay away from Orijen since they added a buttload of pea protein my dogs have not done well on it and they hate it. It doesn't matter how good it is if my dogs refuse to eat it. Same with Acana. I unfortunately need to stick with a cheaper brand of food for now. $2/lb and under. Since he eats a lot I would like to stick with a brand that has larger bags 27 lb.+ It also needs to be as high calorie as possible because he has problems gaining weight. Could that be from having diarrhea every day? I can't imagine he is really absorbing much. I have talked to the vet and he has chalked it up to food allergies. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Personally, I like to recommend the Natural Choice Chicken, Whole Brown Rice and Oatmeal formula. I am not sure if that is in your budget or not, but I feed my lab Baxter the Large Breed version of that formula and he does extremely well on it. That is generally what I recommend to customers coming into the stores I am in.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i feed my dog a variety of brands. i top his kibble with can food
and a lot of other things.

have you had your dog allergy tested?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

A friend of mine was having puppy dire-rear problems and put him on Nutro Natural puppy. I don't feed Nutro myself, but it stopped his horrible tummy issues.
Another one to look at is Natural Balance limited ingredient line, too.


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## murbanski (Sep 25, 2012)

He has not been allergy tested. I also have a mini Aussie that I had sooooooo many problems with cannon butt when she was a puppy and we did everything except allergy test. The vet chalked it up to a food allergy and we did an elimination diet sortof. We didn't really find out what she was allergic to, just tried a bunch of different foods until we found one that agreed with her. I talked to the vet about allergy testing for food and he said besides an elimination diet the other method (I guess a lab test of some sort) isn't very accurate. 

I would be open to Nutro the only thing I'm worried about is feeding an adult food. Do they have a puppy variety? I want to make sure he is still getting the calories he needs. Thanks for the suggestions guys!


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

murbanski said:


> He has not been allergy tested. I also have a mini Aussie that I had sooooooo many problems with cannon butt when she was a puppy and we did everything except allergy test. The vet chalked it up to a food allergy and we did an elimination diet sortof. We didn't really find out what she was allergic to, just tried a bunch of different foods until we found one that agreed with her. I talked to the vet about allergy testing for food and he said besides an elimination diet the other method (I guess a lab test of some sort) isn't very accurate.
> 
> I would be open to Nutro the only thing I'm worried about is feeding an adult food. Do they have a puppy variety? I want to make sure he is still getting the calories he needs. Thanks for the suggestions guys!


There is a puppy formula in the Natural Choice line. A few actually. We have both a Lamb and Whole Brown Rice and a Chicken, Whole Brown Rice and Oatmeal formula. And of course there are large and small breed formulas as well. For a dog with sensitive stomach issues, I generally recommend the chicken formula. That one is usually easier for them to digest.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

If you overfeed, it can often cause diarrhea, especially with a high protein/fat kibble. Too much intake overloads the system and the body gets rids of it as fast as possible; ie cannon butt. Whatever you decide to feed, go low and slow, adding a little at a time as it is tolerated. Having the diarrhea will of course, cause weight loss, so it's better to feed less and have it stick with the dog.

I also have a very sensitive dog who can't tolerate chicken, duck, lamb, eggs, alfalfa, grains of any kind, or potato (white or sweet). Kibbles that have worked for her are not the cheap ones. Hopefully your dog isn't quite this sensitive. A kibble that has worked for a sensitive stomach boxer I used to have is Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. You don't need a puppy food, as long as the kibble is all life stages. It's fish based and has moderate protein and fat (25/15). Remember, don't overfeed.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

Georgiapeach said:


> If you overfeed, it can often cause diarrhea, especially with a high protein/fat kibble. Too much intake overloads the system and the body gets rids of it as fast as possible; ie cannon butt. Whatever you decide to feed, go low and slow, adding a little at a time as it is tolerated. Having the diarrhea will of course, cause weight loss, so it's better to feed less and have it stick with the dog.
> 
> I also have a very sensitive dog who can't tolerate chicken, duck, lamb, eggs, alfalfa, grains of any kind, or potato (white or sweet). Kibbles that have worked for her are not the cheap ones. Hopefully your dog isn't quite this sensitive. A kibble that has worked for a sensitive stomach boxer I used to have is Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. You don't need a puppy food, as long as the kibble is all life stages. It's fish based and has moderate protein and fat (25/15). Remember, don't overfeed.


This. 

Also keep in mind that treats and chews will add to daily calorie intake as well.

What foods or stores do you have access to in your area?

Also, please keep in mind that an allergy and an intolerance are two different things. It sounds more to me like your dog has an intolerance.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I feed Authority puppy (not the grain free version) since my dogs prefer the puppy food. It has a fairly simple ingredients list and no peas. The food is pretty reasonably price.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

You could also put some plain yogurt on your dog's food yo help with sensitive stomach issues.


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