# Scared to change it up!



## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

When I got my one year old greyhound, she'd been on Diamond Chicken and Rice for almost her entire life. I didn't want her on Diamond and she hates eating it so after a week I started transitioning her on to Fromm Adult Gold. Loose stool. All the time was the result. I used a pro biotic while transitioning her as well and continued use afterwards but the stool didn't get better. So about a week ago I tried introducing Holistic Select Duck formula instead, nope, same result. 

So here I am back to Diamond Chicken and Rice. What would be something I could try transitioning her too with success? I understand to expect some soft stool at first...but this was full out diarrhea that didn't let up at all. I was thinking of trying Fromm Classic Adult?

Any other thoughts?

I'm afraid to try something grain free because I feel like it'll just be worse....but one of my coworkers swears that every greyhound customer she's put on Natural Balance has said it works phenomenal. I also considered Fromm Pork and Pea because it's a pretty simple grain free diet.

Basically I need something that won't give her loose stool but that she will be interested in eating. She LOVED the Fromm Gold but loose stool, and she did not really like Holistic Select. I appreciate any input.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I can't feed Fromm unless I give a digestive enzyme with it. I LOVE how it puts gorgeous coat on it but w/out the enzymes, they have loose, big poo. 

You could try Natural Balance, but go with something very simple/similar to the Diamond chicken/rice. 

OR you could stay with the diamond, since her tummy is good on it, and cook/rotate toppers. I put in a pound a ground meat (rotate beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish),⅓ pound mixed veggies. I crock pot this until the veggies are soft and mash with a potato masher. Then add in 900mg calcium (I use Animal Essentials Sea Calcium). 
Then give her her regular serving of dry and add 1-2 Tablespoons of the meat topper. She'll get variety and high quality protein through the topper, but the base of the diamond will keep her tummy happy (and if it doesn't you'll know the meat you used probably isn't right for her). 
Good luck! Sensitive tummies can be a pain.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

Shamrockmommy said:


> I can't feed Fromm unless I give a digestive enzyme with it. I LOVE how it puts gorgeous coat on it but w/out the enzymes, they have loose, big poo.
> 
> You could try Natural Balance, but go with something very simple/similar to the Diamond chicken/rice.
> 
> ...


Even the Fromm Class Line?

I'm scared to try Natural Balance because except for the Lamb, it's all grain free. 

I think for now I'll do what you said and do the canned food toppers on the dry Diamond until I figure out a different dry kibble solution.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I can't do the classic line because of the barley and brewers yeast. I stick to the grain frees 

One to try since she does well on chicken and rice is PetGuard Lifespan, which is chicken rice and a few veggies, but very simple. All my dogs do well on this and no enzymes needed. It's in my rotation frequently. Just the lifespan formula thigh, not their organic or vegetarian ones. I order it on chewy.com since I can't find it locally.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

leaveittoweaver said:


> When I got my one year old greyhound, she'd been on Diamond Chicken and Rice for almost her entire life. I didn't want her on Diamond and she hates eating it so after a week I started transitioning her on to Fromm Adult Gold. Loose stool. All the time was the result. I used a pro biotic while transitioning her as well and continued use afterwards but the stool didn't get better. So about a week ago I tried introducing Holistic Select Duck formula instead, nope, same result.
> 
> So here I am back to Diamond Chicken and Rice. What would be something I could try transitioning her too with success? I understand to expect some soft stool at first...but this was full out diarrhea that didn't let up at all. I was thinking of trying Fromm Classic Adult?
> 
> ...


Frankly, if my dog was having that many issues with a particular brand of dog food, I'd be looking elsewhere. It doesn't really seem as though she is doing well on Fromm.

BTW, loose stool can also come from feeding too much of a high calorie/rich food. Have you tried determining how many calories she needs per day & fine tuning how much you give her? I think you may find that giving her LESS will ease the loose stool issue.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Some Greyhounds tend to be really prone to loose stool. I belong to a few Greyhound boards and it is a pretty popular topic. Most of them feed midgrade foods that people here would never dream of feeding, but it works for their dogs where the high end food do not. Iams, Pro Plan and Purina ONE tend to be the most popular. 

I find adding extra fiber helps too. I give mine ground psyllium seed over his food. And I have yet to have any dog do well on any Fromm food and I've tried them all thanks to my neighbor whose dogs also didn't do well on any Fromm food and she brought the bags over to me since I foster a lot. A lot Greyhound people add beet pulp to firm them up. I personally haven't tried it yet. 

I haven't tried it but Precise either the Foundation (chicken and rice) or Sensicare (Lamb and Rice) is another brand I see mentioned a good bit as having good results at firming up stool in Greyhounds.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

SubMariner said:


> Frankly, if my dog was having that many issues with a particular brand of dog food, I'd be looking elsewhere. It doesn't really seem as though she is doing well on Fromm.
> 
> BTW, loose stool can also come from feeding too much of a high calorie/rich food. Have you tried determining how many calories she needs per day & fine tuning how much you give her? I think you may find that giving her LESS will ease the loose stool issue.


I didn't know that! Good info. I've been feeding her the max of the guidelines, 3 and a half cups a day because she's a little skinny I feel, even for a greyhound...but I think she's so skinny because she isn't absorbing enough nutrition.

Well I was just thinking that maybe she'd do better on the Classic because it's very close in ingredients to Diamond Chicken and Rice...without being Diamond haha.

Is going grain free with a dog who has a sensitive tummy a bad idea?


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

riddick4811 said:


> Some Greyhounds tend to be really prone to loose stool. I belong to a few Greyhound boards and it is a pretty popular topic. Most of them feed midgrade foods that people here would never dream of feeding, but it works for their dogs where the high end food do not. Iams, Pro Plan and Purina ONE tend to be the most popular.
> 
> I find adding extra fiber helps too. I give mine ground psyllium seed over his food. And I have yet to have any dog do well on any Fromm food and I've tried them all thanks to my neighbor whose dogs also didn't do well on any Fromm food and she brought the bags over to me since I foster a lot. A lot Greyhound people add beet pulp to firm them up. I personally haven't tried it yet.
> 
> I haven't tried it but Precise either the Foundation (chicken and rice) or Sensicare (Lamb and Rice) is another brand I see mentioned a good bit as having good results at firming up stool in Greyhounds.


This is what I was reading on Greyttalk as well. A lot of people swear by the IAMS green bag. I can't knock people for doing what works for their dog but I personally just don't know if I could bring myself to feed IAMS. I haven't seen Precise or Foundation around here, I'll have to look into those. And the beet pulp makes sense, I read that is why the IAMS food works so well. It's also why I tried feeding Holistic Select because they also use beet pulp and the food is alledgedly designed for digestive health, and they add the probiotics and prebiotics after the cooking process like Fromm does. 

Goats milk seems to be helping her stool signifigantly though as well as being back on the Diamond Chicken and Rice. 

How long do you guys usually give a food time to work? I feel two weeks is plenty of time to know if it will work digestively, correct me if you think I'm wrong though.


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## domika (Jul 15, 2012)

I agree with Submariner, if you were feeding the max on the bag, I would feed the minimum or less. Many of us on here find the suggested amounts are WAY too high. I would say 2-3 weeks is a good time to know if the food is working out, but I would give it 2-3 weeks after you cut the amount down. Another thing to consider is that both the Fromm Adult and Holistic foods you fed were duck. I think duck is somewhat fatty and not the best for dogs who can get loose stool. Maybe try a different chicken based formula like the Diamond, Dr. Tims or Annamaet could be good choices?


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I would try natural balance sweet potato & chicken.

While it is a grain free food, it's not a rich food, and it's a very popular food with a high success rate for sensitive stomachs for a reason


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## FarminaND (May 23, 2013)

Greyhounds have this issue in Italy as well. We think your success with the Diamond food is probably due to its simple formualtion and the fact is has beet pulp and overall moderate level of fiber.

The problem is due to the greyhounds anatomy and some biochemical differences to other dogs.

We suggest you use a simple formula and use one with beet pulp and/or pysllium with moderate protein and fat.

Our Ancestral Grain foods, especially the mono-protein Cod is something that could work very well.

Single Animal Protein Wild Cod & Ancestral Grain Recipe | Farmina Pet Foods - Happy pet. Happy You.

It has 30% protein, 92% from Cod, beet pulp, pysllium, FOS and MOS, and oats. Oats can be very helpful in reducing inflamation in the digestive tract. Cod protein is very easy to digest. As beet pulp ferments, it supports beneficial bacteria and floods the small intestine and colon with essential fatty acids.

All of our foods have very high levels of pre-biotics. We would also suggest a feeding schedule that takes of advantage of your dogs rest schedule so that the food does not move too quickly through the system.

It does appear that with Greyhounds that the more common foods work well. This is the same as we find. One colleague at Farmina also suggested Eagle Pack.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

leaveittoweaver said:


> Well I was just thinking that maybe she'd do better on the Classic because it's very close in ingredients to Diamond Chicken and Rice...without being Diamond haha.


You know, there are all these "holistic" and "natural" companies and "feed like nature intended" which means ingredient list a mile long with all sorts of trendy ingredients, when honestly I'd prefer a simple few formulations like Diamond makes. If they weren't so bad for the recalls, I'd be trying them- they're simple formulations and the calories aren't outrageous. Things like California Natural with the simple formulations are still well over 500 calories per cup, which leaves my PWD with ⅔ cup for the entire day to keep her from getting fat. And then she throws up bile from being so hungry.  

Just my thoughts.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

keep switching food untill you find something that your
dog likes and something that works for your dog. you 
may want to reconsider giving your dog goat milk or
any other kind of milk. only humans drink milk after they're
weaned.

i've owned 2 Grey Hounds.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Honestly, as much as I really wanted him to, Jackson just didn't do great on Fromm. Poo was never where I wanted, body condition wasn't as good, and just wasn't all that great on his coat either. 

Hmmm... if you want something comparable to Diamond, what about Nutrisource Adult chicken & rice? Or, Precise?


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## Sillydogs (Mar 30, 2013)

If you can find Grandma Mae's Country Naturals... it cleared up my newest pups bout of loose stool in a couple days. If you can't get that I suggest trying Chicken Soup For Dog Lovers Soul, It's similar. All my dogs now eat Acana with great success but it has higher protein %, which is why I'm suggesting these other two brands.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

leaveittoweaver said:


> I didn't know that! Good info. I've been feeding her the max of the guidelines, 3 and a half cups a day because she's a little skinny I feel, even for a greyhound...but I think she's so skinny because she isn't absorbing enough nutrition.
> 
> Well I was just thinking that maybe she'd do better on the Classic because it's very close in ingredients to Diamond Chicken and Rice...without being Diamond haha.
> 
> Is going grain free with a dog who has a sensitive tummy a bad idea?


Often grain free foods use some variety of potato as a carb, so I don't think switching to grain free would be an issue. However, it's really a matter of finding the right calorie level as well as ingredients.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

Thank you for all the replies!

My next step is to try From Classic. It's almost identical to Diamond...however, it doesn't have the Beet Pulp, which may be what keeps her stool so good on Diamond. But she hates the diamond. She won't eat it without the goats milk. The goats milk does help her stool so I'm continuing with that. Since it's raw, it is very easily digested by dogs and even lactose intolerant people.

I have thought about the Nutrisource chicken and rice as well. There are certainly a lot of options out there, it's just finding what works for her. I actually did try Grandma Mae's, but she just wasn't enthused about eating it at all. 

Zignature was also suggested to me on another forum, so that's on my list of things to try as well if the Fromm Classic doesn't do well.

I've read that the lower the fat, the less loose stool? Is this true? Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone! You've all been very helpful.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

My picky pups (italian greyhounds) really like Nourish Zero Grain (Rachel Ray brand) and Authority (regular puppy only). I know neither of these foods are considered "good quality" by some but the pups do well on them and enjoy eating them. These 2 are the favorites out of all the brands I feed.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

leaveittoweaver said:


> Thank you for all the replies!
> 
> My next step is to try From Classic. It's almost identical to Diamond...however, it doesn't have the Beet Pulp, which may be what keeps her stool so good on Diamond. But she hates the diamond. She won't eat it without the goats milk. The goats milk does help her stool so I'm continuing with that. Since it's raw, it is very easily digested by dogs and even lactose intolerant people.
> 
> ...


Fromm Classic actually DOES have beet pulp.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

Jacksons Mom said:


> Fromm Classic actually DOES have beet pulp.


Oh you're right! I didn't notice that. Great! That makes me a little less nervous haha.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

My cousin fed his Eng. Shepherd the Fromm classic and had massive smelly piles of stool. Get a small bag to try first!


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

FarminaND said:


> Greyhounds have this issue in Italy as well. We think your success with the Diamond food is probably due to its simple formualtion and the fact is has beet pulp and overall moderate level of fiber.
> 
> The problem is due to the greyhounds anatomy and some biochemical differences to other dogs.
> 
> ...


Eagle Pack is another good suggestion. I have used it with good results with my Greyhounds. I do plan on trying the Farmina food for my dogs when it becomes available from Chewy.com. Would be nice to have a food they can all eat instead of feeding 3 different foods and the cod formula looks like it may work for all my dogs.


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## rogerharris (Jun 13, 2013)

I would like to suggest you please give him canned pumpkin to your dogs diet without adding pie filler, sugars and spices. Most of the dog like the flavor of pumpkin. It is help to stop loose stool. 
You can also give him plain boiled chicken and plain boiled white rice. 
I hope these will help you.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

leaveittoweaver said:


> When I got my one year old greyhound, she'd been on Diamond Chicken and Rice for almost her entire life. I didn't want her on Diamond and she hates eating it so after a week I started transitioning her on to Fromm Adult Gold. Loose stool. All the time was the result. I used a pro biotic while transitioning her as well and continued use afterwards but the stool didn't get better. So about a week ago I tried introducing Holistic Select Duck formula instead, nope, same result.
> 
> So here I am back to Diamond Chicken and Rice. What would be something I could try transitioning her too with success? I understand to expect some soft stool at first...but this was full out diarrhea that didn't let up at all. I was thinking of trying Fromm Classic Adult?
> 
> ...


My lab is eating Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Whole Brown Rice and Oatmeal formula. That is a good food that sounds similar to what you are feeding and may be an easier transition. The chicken and rice are very easy to digest and the oatmeal actually helps dogs to digest better and helps with sensitive stomachs. That may be something to look into.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

riddick4811 said:


> Eagle Pack is another good suggestion. I have used it with good results with my Greyhounds. I do plan on trying the Farmina food for my dogs when it becomes available from Chewy.com. Would be nice to have a food they can all eat instead of feeding 3 different foods and the cod formula looks like it may work for all my dogs.


Which formula of Eagle Pack do you do?

Also I hear Eagle Pack has plans of removing corn from their food this year. So I don't know if I want to start my dog on something that's going to go through a formulation change this year...but I'm still considering it.

I have tried canned pumpkin with my dog and she actually hates it  I use the Eagle Pack probiotics though, and they do seem to help.


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## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

Okay! So I made a decision after spending a ridiculous amount of time thinking about it and comparing, and I chose Nutrisource Pure Vita Grain Free Bison. I had no intentions of going with this food but after looking at all the LID foods, this one had the highest fiber and wasn't crazy high in protein.

Protein: 26%
Fat: 15%
Fiber: 8.5%

That's pretty darn high in fiber! Hopefully not too high although I don't know if that's possible with this dog haha. So far so good. We're only two days in but she's signifigantly less gassy already. Stool was the same as usual this morning so no change there yet but that will probably take a little longer. And she really enjoys the food. So I'm hoping it helps with the stool. If so, we'll have a winner.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

The lab I had as a child slept in my bed with me. Although she always wanted to sleep on my pillow, not under the covers. Baxter doesn't sleep with me now though. He wouldn't sleep. He would be locking my face all night. Haha.


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## Ignis (Jan 29, 2014)

Totally agree! My dog adores potato and chicken. I am sure many dogs love it too!


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