Sorry! A question about poo....

[Goldencity1]

We have a 7 month golden retriever bitch...she is healthy, active and growing fast!
But she is a poo-factory, she does lots! 7 yesterday, including asking to go out at 2.15 this morning [she does this 3 or 4 nights a week].
And whats worse is it is revolting, sloppy and smelly...I am pretty immune to most things but this just makes me heave.

She has always done this, it's not a new thing. I asked the vet a while ago and she said she would grow out of it, but when!

She was on Arden Grange puppy when we got her, but is a fussy eater [a fussy Golden?? ] and won't touch it now. I have tried her on Collards but she spits that out as well...she will go hungry rather than eat it. After trying Bakers [she sort of likes that but the poo is even worse] we have settled on Skinners, which she likes .

She seems to worse when she has had anything other than dog food, for example when MIL has fed her dog chews...

Any ideas to make her more "normal"? Our other Goldie does "nice" firm poo....

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Honestly? Raw! My pup was like yours and I switched at about the same age 10 month ago and never looked back. He is a teeny once or twice a day firm pooper now

[LadyTurmoil]

If it's revolting, sloppy and smelly then something is wrong with her diet. I second fans support of raw feeding.

I did it with my foster dog a couple of weeks after I got her. Her poos changed from being very smelly and fairly loose to much drier, smaller and fewer! What's not to like?!

It's really easy, doesn't take up much room in freezer (we only had 1 drawer to spare in smaller freezer) but it was fine unless you want to buy in bulk online. The dog loved it, and I found it was fun finding new things for her to try. Picking up poos became so much easier and if they get too dry and white, you know you're feeding too much bone and adjust accordingly. Great group on FB with all the info.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

[Goldencity1]

I have had a quick look at raw feeding and don't think I could cope with it TBH. I don't have a freezer and really don't want big lumps of possibly smelly meat or fish being munched in the house....
We have 2 dogs, the other is 11 yr goldie and she is fine on the skinners, but would be very much put out if pup were given big raw bones! So it would mean changing her food as well...

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

It isn't for everyone I do accept that. But it is not impossible, I don't have a 'dog' freezer either and it is as complicated as you make it. The only 'smelly' meat I have dealt with is Tripe. It does stink, but is fine if sealed up. You can buy it sealed packs from p@h for 89p for a pack which I think would be a Goldies daily allowance. You could get by feeding a mixture of those prize choice packs with a bit of liver/kidney if you don't fancy bones as some like chicken do contain minced bone. Companies like Nutriment and Natural Instinct do 'complete' frozen raw.

I'm not trying to force you honest! Just wanted you know it doesn't have to be as scary as it initially looks.

[Frettchen]

Could it be that you're over-feeding? I was over-feeding my pup when he was 5 or 6 months and he would poo a lot, and it would be rather loose. I cut back a little on what he was eating and he's kept to a good weight, and is now a lot better - poos on walks and the consistency is much firmer.

I wanted to do raw feeding, but - like you - I think it's just too much at the moment. My pup's on Barking Heads / IAMs (I tend to get my animals used to two or three varieties of food just so they can cope if I can't get hold of one or the other) and gets the occasional raw treat - a chicken leg, or some scraps from whatever I'm cooking for dinner (before I cook it)

[moosemama]

I agree with others that raw feeding would be the answer, but also understand it isn't possible for everyone to do. I have done both raw and kibble feeding over the years, mainly because I don't have large enough freezer to store enough to feed two (used to be three) large dogs and also because I went from having a really friendly, generous butcher, to not being able to source bones easily when we moved house.

If you can't do raw I would look into what's in the food that she could be reacting to. Many dogs react to grain, some just wheat, but some almost any kind of grain, including rice. Then have a look at the Which Dog Food? website and see which foods exclude that ingredient.

I'd also ban all treats and chews. Most of them are just junk food for dogs and some contain all manner of nasty ingredients. For training and treats etc, I would go for fresh cooked chicken in the first instance - as long as you're sure she can tolerate chicken - some dogs can't.

If her poo has always been that bad, I would be asking the vet for a stool sample to check for the most obvious causes (this will cost about £100 though) and putting her on some over the counter canine priobiotics for a while to help improve her gut flora. Long-term loose stools are likely to mean she has unbalanced gut flora and the probiotics will help her to generate more of the friendly bacteria.

My pup (a rescue Lurcher, also 7 months) came to us with a nasty campylobacter infection and whilst the antibiotics killed the infection, I swear it was probiotics that made the biggest difference to him. He went from explosive diarrhoea to normal poos within the first 24 hours of starting the probiotics. Prior to that he couldn't absorb any nutrients from his food, as it was rushing straight through him and he was emaciated as a result. He started to gain weight almost as soon as he started the priobiotics.

Our vet gave us Canikur at the first appointment, but I sourced it online here for half the price the vet charged. I'd recommend getting the largest size for a Goldie as they get through it quite quickly. Dogs love the stuff, as it's palatable, so much so that I was able to use my pups dose to plug the top of his puppy kong when he was younger. He still gets excited if he sees the syringe. I always keep a syringe of it in these days, as it sorts digestive upsets really quickly.

When our boy was ill, we stopped all kibble and fed only fresh cooked chicken, plus probiotics for a couple of weeks. We only started to introduce kibble once he had had totally normal poos for a week and then really slowly - as in a couple of nuggets per meal to start with, increasing it very slowl from there over a couple of weeks. Once he could tolerate half a feed of kibble, we switched him completely over and he's been fine ever since.

My dogs are on Canagan, which has a high quality protein source and is grain free. It's expensive, but worth it, as it suits them both and they're in great condition on it.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Our 9 mth old lab had masses of sloppy poos until we changed him Onto Millies wolfheart countryside mix a few weeks ago. They disappeared within 3 days, and also stopped his smelly wind too.

We had tried probiotics, feeding less/more, feeding slow etch but it was finding the right food that did it in the end.

[Goldencity1]

It doesn't help that she is picky as well, the Arden grange, collards and wainrights all are supposed to be hypoallergenic and wheat/gluten free but she just spits them out and goes hungry.
Talking it thro with DH and she is always worse after the weekend when we have been to his mum's, she has a box of dog treats and just won't listen when I say "no", or if she has managed to scrounge bread or human food from the grandkids.
I have tried to cut down her food, moving from 3 meals to 2 per day, but she tells me she is, hungry!

[moosemama]

If the food is moving through her system quickly and resulting in very soft stools or diarrhoea, she will be hungry, as she's probably not absorbing the nutrients she needs. My boy is still on three meals a day at 7 months, I don't think that's a bad thing with larger, deep chested breeds. They still have a fair bit of growing to do and are at a high risk for bloat, so keeping them on three meals is actually preferable at this point, imho.

I have heard good things about the Millies Wolfheart food WeAllHaveWings mentioned. It's pricey but apparently worth it. As I said, Canagan suits my dogs, but it doesn't suit everyone, so it's really a case of trial and error until you find one that suits your particular dog.

If she's turning her nose up at kibble, you could try dampening it with a splash of boiled water, so it develops a bit of an aroma, that might encourage her - but to be honest, she's most likely to be happiest eating the kibble that suits her best. They often seem to instinctively know when a food is good for them - although they can be fooled by modern flavourings and enhancers etc. Unfortunately, you said she has had Bakers, which is absolutely terrible, full of fillers, chemicals and flavour enhancers, which make it attractive to the todg, but really poor nutritionally. Many dogs have developed behaviour/hyperactivity problems when on it and some have to be weaned off slowly because they're addicted.

Skinners is quite popular and seems fairly well tolerated generally, but does contain grain, so it might be worth having another go at a grain free kibble. I would highly recommend doing the exclusion diet and probiotics first though, so that she's starting from a point of good gut health before you introduce a new food.

[Goldencity1]

She only had bakers for a few days, as it seemed to make her worse! She does like warm water on her dinner, but she is by no means a "greedy" dog and will just refuse to eat what she doesn't like. The more " grain free" types of kibble all seem to look ( and taste?) alike; boring Brown pellets which she just spits out.
I have never had a, picky golden before, not one in the last 30 years has turned its nose up at its dinner! Oh well, they are all different!
I think I will have to have her checked out at the vets, something's not right and in the mean time a strict dog food only diet (foresee trouble with MiL!)

[BullyMom111071]

Hi, I am a mum to two bull breeds and have had all sorts of probs in the past. I would steer clear of Bakers, avoid it like the plague. I have had my dogs on Arden Grange and they did double the amount of poo. Wet foods produce more poo, but a really good dry food that produces small stools is Fish4Dogs you can buy it on the internet and get it delivered. Skinners is also quite good for smaller stools. Make sure you are not feeding more than the measured amount suggests and no other titbits. Its amazing the difference the food makes, I was horrified the amount of poo Arden Grange produced. Fish4Dogs will defo do the trick though but make sure you introduce it gradually over a few days, any new food will give squits if you change straight away. Good Luck x

[mygrandchildrenrock]

I sympathise with you Goldencity, my puppy is 5 months old and for the last week has done nice, firm, not foul smelling poos! She's still doing 4 or 5 a day, but like your dog, they were loose, horrible ones up until a week ago. She gets loose if she has too many treats or any other kind of food, cheese etc. I'm hoping she'll grown out of this.
She is now on James Wellbeloved puppy food, and has been for a couple of weeks, I think she is what has made the difference plus age and her digestive system maturing.
I am so happy that I don't have to clear the garden of her loose poos any more!

[LST]

My vet told us to try chappie with our collie. He loves it and it agrees with him. You can get tins or kibble

[Floralnomad]

I feed Barking Heads lamb and it really smells lamby , it might be worth trying that as it's the first kibble I've tried that actually smells of what it is supposed to be . Ours has raw breakfast and kibble for tea as I can't do a raw variety but he loves raw chicken .His poo is firm and non smelly and he goes once or twice a day .

[Goldencity1]

I have tried the James wellbeloved kibble, and she won't eat it. She is hungry , rushes to her dish, sniffs it then wont eat it. She can pick out the bits she doesn't like and spit then out if you try to mix them with another food. Her breeder uses Arden Grange, she won't eat that. She went back to the breeder for 10 days when we went on holiday [too early to get a passport] and lost weight as she won't eat Arden Grange. She won't eat Collards either...
She likes [yay!] Skinners but her poo is still pretty horrid. Since 6pm last night she has done 4 piles....11pm, 2.00am, 6.45am and 8.30am. It is a bit firmer, sort of like Mr Whippy ice cream [only brown!]. becoming obsessed with poo

Oldergoldie eats anything, and has eaten up all the food pup won't touch. Even the sight of Greedy oldie waiting doesn't encourage her.

She is happy, fit and active and growing....just rank! Think I am going to have to talk to the vet...

[HotPanda]

I know you said you don't fancy raw, but what about the blocks of frozen food you can pick up? You just leave on a plate to defost and decant to bowl at feeding time - no bones, no mess.

My dally is a real pain for feeding, annoyingly the real crap he seems to get on with. Purina Beta sensitive suits him as do the Chubb rolls. I hate feeding him those though, but we only get 2 poos per walk now, so 4 per day. Much better.

I spent £800 at the vet on medication and food before they gave up and said "can you live with it?". Waste of time/effort/money.

[Goldencity1]

A quick up date, as I have noticed a couple of other threads with the same sort of question
Jessie is now laying perfect "barkers eggs"!....not too smelly [sorry tmi] and not getting up in the night.
She is on Skinners ruff and ready, but I have cut down the amount slightly, in 2 meals. She has a spoonful of chappie mixed in. Just a taste, 1 tin lasts both dogs 2 days.
She is now really keen to eat her dinner, poor Oldie goldie, no left overs now!