# Sensitive stomach puppy



## jaclynw (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi everyone! i am new to the forum so if this has previously been posted, please direct me somewhere else, as i'm just taking my first look around 

i would be VERY grateful for any advice and help you can give me.

we have a 4 month old english lab. we got her from the breeder just after 8 weeks. until that point, she was fed diamond naturals. when she came out (even after the initial stress period), her stools were always formed but soft.

we SLOWLY transitioned her to fromm gold large breed puppy. she initially did well and then developed diarrhea...the wake you up every hour overnight, liquid squirts type.

we went to the vet, fecals were negative, she was put on a course of flagyl, probiotics and hill's prescription i/d formula. she did GREAT. her stools were perfect!

we slowly transitioned back to fromm and she again developed diarrhea. we stopped it and put her on a bland diet of rice/yogurt and she did well. 

i think i became a little overzealous and then started her on nutro natural choice wholesome puppy food (chicken-which we know she tolerated as that was the only protein in the prescription food-, oatmeal and rice). i titrated it up very quickly and she has continued to have loose stools, 1 week later.

i stopped it again and am doing 24 hours of rice/yogurt and am planning to SLOWLY work in the nutro again. 

how long should i expect her stools to firm up if they are going to on this new food? anything else people would recommend? thanks so much for your help!!!!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Your poor puppy's been on several foods already, which can be upsetting to a dog with a sensitive system. Maybe she needed to stay on the Hills (can't believe I'm saying this!) a little longer to let her tummy heal. After that, I'd recommend a limited ingredient (LID) grain free, low fat kibble. Natural Balance makes several of these. Many people have had success with the Potato and Duck. It has lower protein and fat, which sometimes helps dogs with sensitive systems. 

Has she been tested for pancreatitis or IBD? I'd ask your vet about this possibility if the problem continues much longer.

Not sure about the yogurt for a rumbly tummy. I've always heard boiled chicken and rice (4 parts rice/1 part boiled, shredded, skinless chicken breast. Some people use boiled, strained hamburger meat in place of the chicken instead.


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## jaclynw (Jun 27, 2013)

she is in great health, otherwise growing well and happy as can be, and doesn't care at all about the loose stools. this is food # 3. our vet thinks it's a food intolerance and recommended going to the single protein food. 

has anyone had to switch cold turkey? if so, how long did you blend in the new food with rice? how long should we expect her GI tract to be irritated and therefore her to have loose stools? 

also, for puppies, are there sensitive stomach puppy foods that you have had success with?

thanks for your help georgiapeach, and hopefully others too!


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Why not go back to diamond naturals? If that was working? IMO I wouldn't go crazy changing a puppy's food, they are growing and need their nutrients...perhaps in a couple of months when she's a little older you could try to switch her to a limited ingredient dog food.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Personally, this is exactly what happened to my female when she was a puppy. Only thing that helped her was going on a r** diet.....


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## domika (Jul 15, 2012)

I had the same thing happen to my puppy when he was that age and we had switched him to Fromm GF Game Bird. He did well for about a couple weeks then liquid squirts multiple times a night. We got the hills rx but he threw up all the science diet (we didn't get any meds though) and I switched him to a pre-made raw from a local company. His stools firmed up within a 3-5 days. He was on the raw for about 9 months. Now recently we have switched him back to a half kibble half canned food and is doing fine.

Good luck!


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

One of my dogs also is an English/conformation lab. She will be 6 yrs. old soon and I found along the way that she did better on foods that do not have oatmeal, barley or flax. Those ingredients can all tend to produce gas or soft stools in some dogs. Since my golden doesn't tolerate grains at all, I feed both of them grain-free formulas.

I've found that labs seem to thrive on foods with a minimum of 26% protein and 16% fat. It just seems to give them the proper energy, muscle tone and good coat and skin.

A bland diet is good for a couple of days but I would definitely eliminate the yogurt. Commercial yogurt (as opposed to homemade) still has quite a bit of lactose and puppies often don't do well digesting it. Maybe a mixture of 2/3 over-boiled white rice with 1/3 cooked chicken or turkey (fat drained off) would be a good starting point. Once you have a decent stool from you puppy, start adding in a bit of kibble with the rice - only 1/4 cup at first. This could be an entirely new kibble since your dog will have been on the bland diet. A tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin can aid the digestive system during transition.

Although not limited ingredient formulas, you might want to take a look at Acana Regional grain-free formulas or Dr. Tim's grain-free Kinesis.

Acana Regionals | Acana

Premium All Natural Pet Food | Dr. Tim's


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Generally the Wholesome Essentials part of the Natural Choice line is a good choice for sensitive stomach dogs. I would definitely slowly introduce the food. Also maybe put some of the yogurt and rice and put more food and less yogurt each day. Are youfeeding the large breed formula or the regular Wholesome Essentials line? I fed my lab the Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy in the Chicken, Whole Brown Rice, and Oatmeal formula too. He always did well on that food and never had any sensitive stomachs. I hope your pup starts feeling better soon!


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## jaclynw (Jun 27, 2013)

So it's been 1.5 weeks on nutro natural choice wholesome essentials puppy and so far so good. Poops are great and her coat is nice and shiny. Let's hope it continues. Thanks for all of your advice everyone... I'll keep you posted!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Glad you found a food that works. It's not the best food out there, but if it works, it works. I have a boxer that can't eat the premium high protein grain free foods either - they make him have bad diarrhea, even when fed the correct amount. I feed him Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. If I feed him a kibble with ANY grain at all in it, he itches like mad. Every dog is different, that's for sure!


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

I'm glad to hear that your dog is feeling better so far! I hope it continues to work for you!


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