Let's talk poop

They should just have a poop forum..it's frequently discussed!

 
 LOL; [sm=lol.gif]   You may want to post the same thread in the senior dog section since she's eleven; I've read that senior dogs can have a more sensitive digestive system. Is she acting fine otherwise? If you think it's just the food you may want to change to a different brand. Jessie's not a senior dog but she had soft poops on Nutro Natural Choice and when I changed her to Eagle Pack Holistic they became firm; it's a lot easier to clean up after her on walks now. You may want to try a senior food with less grain and more protein; Eukanuba, Purina, and Eagle Pack have senior formulas that are about 26% protein because recent reearch shows that senior dogs retain more lean muscle mass on a higher protein food.
 
    This is the Nutro Natural Choice Senior; (20% protein)
      Ground Rice, Chicken Meal, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols)
 
   This is Eagle Pack Senior; (26% protein)
   [size=3]Chicken Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Pork Meal, Chicken Fat ([size=1][size=3][/size]Preserved[/size] with Natural Mixed Tocopherols) [/size]
 
 
  Eagle Pack Senior also has digestive enzymes; if you want to stay with Nutro Senior you could add digestive enzymes and see if that helps firm the poop.
 
 
 
      
 
 

I have a 5 year old lab mix and when she was about 4 she suddenly developed food sensitivity.  It was probably brought on from a tummy bug.  She got very sick and when I tried to get her back on her regular food everything made her have runny poop until I switched protein sources.  She went from tolerating numerous chicken based foods very well to none at all.  She got better when we gave her a fish and oatmeal formula and has recently done o.k. with duck too.  In terms of brand I am very happy with Eagle Pack Holistic (fish and duck formulas).
 
I just posted this morning about doing a cold turkey switch of foods with no poop issues

I had the same problem with Nutro when my dog was on it.  This sounds funny, but the poop look grainy and my dog was young when he was on it.

I also think that Eagle Pack Senior is a great food for Senior dogs, so it their Lamb and Oatmeal Holistic formula, which is also easy to digest and a little healthier than their plain old Senior formula.  My dog tend to get loose stools and Eagle Pack Lamb and Oatmeal is one of the foods his stools are firm on.

Jojo, while the lamb and rice has oatmeal in it, it is listed as a "lamb and rice" formula. Just to clarify []

You know you're a dog lover when you have no problems talking about your dog's poop.  []

Thank you all for your input -- Casey thanks you too!

ORIGINAL: kennel_keeper

Jojo, while the lamb and rice has oatmeal in it, it is listed as a "lamb and rice" formula. Just to clarify []

Your right.  The Duck and Fish formulas say oatmeal, but not the Lamb.  Still works well though.

Your right. The Duck and Fish formulas say oatmeal, but not the Lamb. Still works well though.

 
It sure does! I've seen remarkable results (skin/coat wise) with my two Chi's since I rescued them almost a year ago using the Holistic Anchovy, Sardine, and Salmon formula. Tried the other three (chicken, duck, and lamb) but like the results I saw with the fish the best. I do rotate with EVO (at times), but they seem to get a bit "flakey" when I use the EVO exclusively.

We put Simba on Professional in the chicken and rice formula for about 2 months now.  People seem to be iffy about it, but Simba loves it (it's a big step up from Pedigree...)  I notice that his coat has been a lot shinier and softer.  His poop is also firm and darker.  It used to be soft and huge with this gold/yellow color--probably due to the grains.  But now it's a lot smaller and firmer, so clean up is easier.  I don't know too much about dog food, just that Simba seems to be doing well with what he's eating.  I hope you find what's right for Casey.

Yeah, I switched from Beneful (she loved it, but realized it wasn't too healthy) to Nutro Lamb and Rice and she loves it. I mix in a bit of moist with the kibble and she gobbles it down. But, her poops have been bigger, softer and that golden color someone else had mentioned. They are more mushy to pick up during our walks.  Should I be worried? They are NOT runny at all just not firm like they were while on the Beneful.  She's acting fine otherwise.  Should I be worried?

I live by Romeo's poop. lol.
 
I used to worry so much about loose stools, not a whole lot anymore.  His poop is pretty much formed and not too soft or hard.  However, for example is he has had too many dehydrated liver treats this equals soft stools the next day.  Too much raw tripe = black poop.  If it is stinky and cow pie, I know he ate something he should not have had or maybe his digestive system is not the way it should be, so I will give a little more yogurt then usual for a couple of days.
 
My family makes fun of me, because I always want the pet sitter to tell me if: Romeo strained to poop or if it came out easily, color and consistency of the poop and if it smelled at all, and how voluminous.  Romeo is pretty consistent, barely lowers and out comes this beautiful formed non smelling poop, usually not more than 1-2 inches in length and about 1/2 inch in diameter. Anything else other than this, I know something is up, unless he ate too many bones, in which case poop is white and hard.
 
Yes, I love my dog and nothing gives me more pleasure then to pick up those tiny odorless pearls. Actually, they smell like freshly cut grass. [sm=crazy.gif]  Oh no, I am pooped obsessed. [sm=eek.gif]

I'm no food or poop expert, but don't think you should be that worried-- I've heard really good things about Nutro.  How long has she been on nutro?  It took about two weeks for me to notice a change in Simba's poop.  He seems to be doing really well on Professional, so I plan on sticking with that.  Otherwise, I would experiment with different foods until I find one that both he and I like. 
 
Olinda-- I think it's cute how anal you are about Romeo's oop.