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High fat food cause stool issues?

Posted : 7/31/2011 11:51:13 PM

I am currently feeding Echo a food (fromm surf n turf) that has 30% protein and 19% fat. She is having loose, slimy stools. SInce she is my walking buddy, this means I have to pick up after her and... uck. That's just gross!

Curious if the higher protein or fat could be causing this? I am thinking about getting a mid level food, something that's around 24/15 or so to see if that helps.

THoughts?

Thanks for the help :)

Cita

Posted : 8/1/2011 10:05:42 AM

When Rascal was on Innova EVO Red Meat (22% fat) he also got fairly loose, slimy stools. I switched him to a lower protein, lower fat foot and the stool problems went away. I think a mid-level food would definitely be a good idea to try. Rascal's on Acana right now, 33/18, and no stool problems.

JackieG

Posted : 8/1/2011 1:19:23 PM

Mine all eat Evo with no problems in stool consistency. 42% protein and 22% fat. Maybe you're feeding too much. That food has a pretty high kcal per cup.

shamrockmommy

Posted : 8/1/2011 1:57:03 PM

The suggested amount for her weight is 3 cups per day, which would be 1 1/2 cups per meal. I've backed off to 2/3 cup per meal and still having slimy poo issues. Makes me worry that she might not be getting the nutrients she needs, you know?

Going to try her on Tuscan Natural Chicken/Rice (very similar to California Natural) for a while and see if that helps her.

kpwlee

Posted : 8/1/2011 2:58:52 PM

agree with Jackie - first step would be to reduce the amount you feed her. A friend of mine kept over feeding Orijen and couldn't understand why a) the dog's stool was always soft and b) he wasn't keeping weight on given how much he was eating. When she finally reduced the amount she was feeding it cleared up and he gained weight.

Bugsy gets Orijen fish which is 38/18 or so and typically has very compact firm stools

BUT grain free high protein doesn't agree with all dogs

shamrockmommy

Posted : 8/1/2011 3:43:05 PM

Backed her off to 2/3 cup each meal for the last couple days. Slimy gooey poop still :( If I back off more, say to 1/2 cup each meal, then that is only for a 25lb dog. Hmm.

JackieG

Posted : 8/1/2011 4:09:50 PM

FWIW, Twister weighs 15lbs and he gets 1/4 to 1/3 cup twice a day because of the high calorie content of Evo. As Karen said, not all dogs do well on what seems to be a good food. I wouldn't worry about the nutrition aspect as she is getting the balanced nutrition just in smaller quantity, similar to a human on a balanced diet but eating less total calories.

kpwlee

Posted : 8/1/2011 6:19:37 PM

I don't know how much she weighs but that doesn't seem to be much for say a 40-45 lb dog so may be the food doesn't work for her. As Jackie says even if it's a small amount if her stools were ok and her weight was good so be it. Foe a large dog Bugsy eats quite a bit ( large dogs tend to have slower metabolism than small ones) but in the heat of summer he only gets 3- 3.5 cps. In winter he gets 4.5-5 cps.

jessies_mom

Posted : 8/1/2011 6:39:47 PM

shamrockmommy
Backed her off to 2/3 cup each meal for the last couple days. Slimy gooey poop still :( If I back off more, say to 1/2 cup each meal, then that is only for a 25lb dog. Hmm.

You're right to worry about him getting enough nutrition if you're feeding less than half of what's recommended for his weight. I fed Jessie California Natural Low Fat Rice and Lamb for awhile. She only needs about 750 calories a day and at that amount of CN, I had to supplement her B vitamins and protein or she wouldn't have gotten enough of what she needed. Thankfully, I know her nutrient requirements for her weight, and Natura gives very detailed nutrient information on their website. The usual mantra is to ignore the feeding instructions and only feed them enough to maintain their weight, but that can sometimes result in deficiencies.

shamrockmommy

Posted : 8/2/2011 12:30:20 AM

So I got ahold of some samples of Tuscan Natural Lamb/Rice (very similar to California natural, and according to my pet food store, is supposedly one of the people who used to do work for Natura and wanted to get away from P&G). Had enough samples to feed her last night, today and one more for tomorrow. Zero transition, just onto the lamb and rice. Picked up poop on our walk tonight- SMALL, pretty darn firm and just about no odor! I think we have a winner :) Pretty funny thing to be happy about, I'd say LOL. I know my first suggestion for folks whose dogs have diarrhea is to back off on feeding amounts but it appears Fromm Surf N Turf isn't for her. Thanks for letting me bounce this off you guys (again!)