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Cleo is 18 weeks now. She had a bout of giardia when i brought her home at 11 weeks, and had meds for that (she's been clear for a while). And since then she has been on a probiotic. She recently had to take Clavamox for a couple days due to some lady problems... That led to very loose movements (had to hose down the lawn where she went--but that happened occasionally before). To get her gut straightened out again, the vet told me to feed her a limited diet for a few days: white rice, chicken breast, and super lean ground beef. She said she might not go at all for a couple days because of the rice, so not to be alarmed, etc. But, lo and behold, after the very first meal, she started having totally normal firm stools, twice a day (she missed one in the past 2 1/2 days), like i have not seen in the whole time she's been home. Cleo loves this diet. Can't get enough of it. Although some of that may be that i cut out treats almost entirely, except plain Charley Treats, so she might be more hungry!
The vet agrees that the stool situation probably warrants trying to change her food. When i got her she was on something with a lot of legumes, so i changed her to Wellness Complete puppy (not grain-free) about 5 weeks ago. It has peas, but a lot less, and the vet said as long as it wasn't grain-free, it was okay. Now, i think i want her off legumes entirely, for one thing. The vet recommends the usual (Pro plan, royal canin, hills, in addition to Wellness). While i get the whole "many years of research" thing with those companies, I'm trying to avoid wheat, corn, and soy in her regular food, but not the other grains. That was why i chose Wellness to start with. I know those foods work for a lot of people, but don't want to trade a food that seems to have good, fairly simple ingredients for a food that has more fillers and additives, especially since it seems Cleo is sensitive to something. But maybe that's the wrong way to think about it?
One thing I wonder, is it the kibble i'm feeding her, or is the problem really the training treats? (I'm guessing it's the food, because i've changed the treats now and then, and the stools have always been soft.)
The vet would like me to keep her on puppy kibble, not all life stages, so that eliminates a number of brands, and i'm having a hard time figuring out what to do. A lot of the brands I often see recommended either don't have a puppy food or they were on the list to avoid because of DCM. I'm also confused about large breed vs regular puppy food. The vet said to get regular (cut off being 60 lbs?). Last time i was there, Cleo weighed 25.5 lbs, and the vet said her adult weight will be at least 50lbs. With standard poodles, i don't see how they can go by weight, though. They're on the thin side, but they're large. i will go with what the vet says, but i still wonder what is best in that case.
So--anyone have luck switching to something that kept the stools firm? Please advise!
The vet agrees that the stool situation probably warrants trying to change her food. When i got her she was on something with a lot of legumes, so i changed her to Wellness Complete puppy (not grain-free) about 5 weeks ago. It has peas, but a lot less, and the vet said as long as it wasn't grain-free, it was okay. Now, i think i want her off legumes entirely, for one thing. The vet recommends the usual (Pro plan, royal canin, hills, in addition to Wellness). While i get the whole "many years of research" thing with those companies, I'm trying to avoid wheat, corn, and soy in her regular food, but not the other grains. That was why i chose Wellness to start with. I know those foods work for a lot of people, but don't want to trade a food that seems to have good, fairly simple ingredients for a food that has more fillers and additives, especially since it seems Cleo is sensitive to something. But maybe that's the wrong way to think about it?
One thing I wonder, is it the kibble i'm feeding her, or is the problem really the training treats? (I'm guessing it's the food, because i've changed the treats now and then, and the stools have always been soft.)
The vet would like me to keep her on puppy kibble, not all life stages, so that eliminates a number of brands, and i'm having a hard time figuring out what to do. A lot of the brands I often see recommended either don't have a puppy food or they were on the list to avoid because of DCM. I'm also confused about large breed vs regular puppy food. The vet said to get regular (cut off being 60 lbs?). Last time i was there, Cleo weighed 25.5 lbs, and the vet said her adult weight will be at least 50lbs. With standard poodles, i don't see how they can go by weight, though. They're on the thin side, but they're large. i will go with what the vet says, but i still wonder what is best in that case.
So--anyone have luck switching to something that kept the stools firm? Please advise!