One of my two pups has constantly sloppy poo. (I mean kind of semi-solid -not liquid but not something you easily bag either.) The other is fine. I'm starting to think that James Wellbeloved isn't agreeing with him -has anyone else had a dog that it did not suit? Obviously he's been wormed etc.

Hi MarianneB

Yes ES pup had this too! Shortly after Khan had settled into our lives I decided that JWB would be the better food after reading all the negativity against pedigree. It's taken us a long time to realise he's poos were not normal for a pup, we put it down to everything else first! My OH came home with a bag of Hills science plan (as recommended by vet - also gets discount due to pet plan thingy) and we slowly introduced it by mixing it with JWB. The rather 'soft' poos gradually reduced and also he became calmer and less 'bitey'. (Although I knew this would happen with maturity it did seem food related) We think the change in food satisfies him more and because of this we are less likely to overfeed which can also be a cause for yucky do dos!

Obviously I'm not suggesting Hills is ok for your pup but somewhere in one of the feeding posts it was mentioned that certain breeds benefit from less cereal and more protein in their food - or something like that.

Hope this helps and that your poo pick ups become easier too handle!! We became quite obsessed with Khan's poo texture for a while and thankfully a sturdy turd is now the norm!!

It did not suit my old terrier but in the complete opposite direction!  She got constipation so bad she wept as she pooed :-(

Ohh bless her Isabel, terrible state to be in poor thing...:-(

Thanks both. Might be an idea to try something else then -trouble is, I really need it to be high enough quality for me not to worry about any bone problems (this is going to be a big boy and I've got past bad experience here) and it needs to be available from our wholesalers.

What about Wafcol, it is supposed to be really nutritious, my breeder recommended it to us if we decided not to feed a raw diet.

Have you tried Arden Grange? Our (dogs) poos are fine on it and it seems to suit them :-)

> Might be an idea to try something else then -trouble is, I really need it to be high enough quality for me not to worry about any bone problems (this is going to be a big boy and I've got past bad experience here)

When I first had Buster I tried him on a few different complete foods, all gave him 'sloppy' poops. It wasn't unitll I started feeding 50:50 of complete & tripe that the consistency got better. Maybe if you have no improvement with other completes feeding part tripe may be something to consider? I know it's a popular diet for growing Mastiffs.

AG really firmed up Milo when he was a youngster. He had periodic bouts of squits on his other food. Berriewoods sells it cheaply; less than direct. Who is your wholesaler?

JWB fish variety had one of mine with sloppys, wont feed it again and its too expensive to buy 1 15kg bag a week!!

Ive gone on to BARF now and not had a sloppy one since also less of them. Poos and pennies that is

Louise

I use Batleys Lori and sadly they don't stock AG which otherwise is a food I'd be very happy to try -been recommended to me by plenty of people I trust well. (And now 2 in this thread on top! :) ) However I may well look into Berriwoods (otherwise order my raw for the cats from Prize Choice/Natures Menu.) Perry -will have a look at Wafcol as well. And whoever said it (sorry, brain not in gear here) thanks for the tripe tip -that would be easy enough to add!

Louise how do you manage to feed your dogs CHEAPER on BARF? The reason I don't do it is it would at least triple my food costs for the dogs. We currently use roughly 3 15 kg bags a week plus cans plus the packs of NatureDiet (different dogs, different foods). As we buy wholesale it isn't really expensive.

For 27 kgs of tripe is costs me 15.66
Chicken carcass 5kgs 5.08
lamb bones 6 kgs 5.78
heart 6kgs 9.80
beef ribs 5.25

that lot lasts me ages and compared to £120 a month for buscuits alone im saving loads. Only been on it a month but when i have been doing it for a few i can total it up.

Louise

Chicken carcass 5kgs 5.08

We have a local butcher who gives us these (for nothing)! About 20 odd at a time in a box.
Perhaps if you have one near you, you could ask? :-)

Marianne, have you tried Berriewoods?

http://www.berriewoodwholesale.co.uk/

or Vet uk?

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/

Both stock AG at competitive prices :-)

I feed JWB to one of mine and found she also got loose on it, so tried the JWB  turkey and veg and she has been fine on that. I personally think the rice seems to upset them.

Marianne,

Not sure this is of much use... as every dog's different!
But a friend of mine had problems with one of her young Sibes (rest of her dogs have JWB) she switched him onto the JWB lamb and vegetable (contains no grain, Sibes can be adversely affected by Maize) about 6 months ago and is thinking of switching the rest of her dogs onto it now.

(I had to leave Storm with her yesterday as OH and I weren't sure if we'd get back from work at a decent time due to London grinding to a halt in the 'adverse weather conditions' ;) and she gave him some.... He's a total weather vain anything that doesn't agree with him and its explosive bottom time within hours!! but he was fine)

edited to add: didn't see Goldie's post before I posted.... so second that!

both my cockers had sloppy poos on JWB - changed to Burns lamb and rice and now poos are small and like rocks !!!!!!!!  Wouldn't feed any other dried food now.  They only have it in the morning though - naturediet lamb for tea which also really suits them

Butcher round here supply to restaurants ive asked!! berriewoods dont deliver to my area either boo

Louise

Cheers everyone! Now when you mention it........... Rocco's mum can't take rice! And it is lamb & rice JWB he's been on. Interesting!!!

Drat JWB PUPPY only comes in the flavours with rice. And same with AG! All the puppy varieties have rice. I don't want to change to adult yet as he's only 5 months old and has a lot of growing to do -this is going to be a big boy.  But it's got to be worth a try to see if any food WITHOUT rice in would make a difference. Wafcol might be the answer here then.

What about purina pro plan. I've used this for a few years now and my old extremely fussy gordon would eat it.

Hi Marianne

just catching up with this :) 

I'd not get over anxious about staying on puppy food TBH.  My first male, a big lad by anyone's standard, never had a taste of puppy food in his life :)  He was fed solely on fresh meat/poultry/fish and biscuit mixer with bone meal added or SA37.  He had excellent substance in proportion to size and a fab coat.  I wasn't consciously feeding a raw diet, simply following his breeder's regime and her dogs were known and admired for having good health, substance, coat quality and, importantly, long lived :)

I'd go down that route with this boy if I were you - it need be no more expensive (probably less) than some of the more recommended puppy brands and IME will not have an adverse affect on his development.

HTH,
regards Teri
 

Wafcol do a junior salmon and potato  thats very good Marianne if thats any help.
I put Sengi on it at about five or six months old when she had a spotty belly it was really good and her poohs were always loveley (in a manner of speaking).

Thanks Teri. I've been so worried about feeding pups right ever since I had Rambo -you may remember the story, his feet started to turn out, he developed panosteitis and all sorts of other problems,  was in constant pain and I lost him aged just under 2, and I am sure it was diet related as he was the only one in the litter affected -and the only one fed on a very cheap food. Ever since then I have not dared to feed anything but the best complete foods to growing pups. I was only saying the other day though that I'm probably irrational -because I only need to look at the 5, 7, 9 and 13 year old large dogs I have that weren't fed JWB Puppy or similar as pups and their legs are as straight as they come!

Hi again Marianne

I remember the problems you had with Rambo :( 

> I only need to look at the 5, 7, 9 and 13 year old large dogs I have that weren't fed JWB Puppy or similar as pups and their legs are as straight as they come!

Exactly - I think your confidence has (understandably) taken a knock here but you know what your doing and how to raise healthy dogs :)  FTR not a single one of mine has eaten much at all by way of 'recognised' puppy food (and as mentioned one absolutely none LOL).  I personally think you are more than able to go by your own judgement after all this time and you just have to try and let go of the doubts that are niggling at you because of the recent past.

I definitely agree that pups need good quality nutritious food but it doesn't have to come from a known or any 'brand'.

If space permits see if your wholesaler can supply blocks of frozen meats, poultry, offal and tripe and mixer plus occasionally adding sardines, fresh eggs etc and also find a source of cheap chicken thighs/wings, breast of lamb etc (as opposed to Asda where I get mine LOL).

Above all don't worry - enjoy your puppy ;)

It was me that mentioned the tripe.
I took the vets feeding advice over the breeders and fed Buster on complete puppy food (breeders instructions was junior complete with tripe DO NOT USE PUPPY FOOD). Buster feet started to turn out, he went down on his pasterns, developed a limp on the front leg (which turned out to be ED) and had trouble using his back legs, it looked like he had bad HD. But no problems were found with him other than the ED in the 1 elbow. HIs walking was so bad he could hardly make the 4 yd trip for the kitchen to the livingroom.

I got in touch with Busters breeder, who thankfully didn't get mad at me ignoring his first advice, he gave me a new feeding plan - tripe & plain terrier biscuit, he swore it would rectify the walking problems, pasterns & turned out feet. It was a hard decision for me to make as I couldn't understand how tripe & plain mixer would support the nutritional demands of a growing giant breed, but I put my faith in the breeder and went with his advice. The vet had told me his legs would need opperating on to straigten them out - how wrong he was - within a couple of weeks of the breeders new diet and Busters feet started to rectify. A few more weeks and I switched him onto adult complete & tripe (he was about 6 months old by then). Now Buster is 18 months old and his pasterns are fine, his feet are turned out slightly but nothing to worry about anymore.
Once you have a pup with growth problems, feeding them seems like a mine field.
I hope Teri's post has given you a bit of confidence back, I can imagine how daunting it must be making the decision to switch your big pups diet.

We did exactly same mistake with our first Leo, put her on puppy food when our vet was horrified that she was fed adult food...
Ended up with wonky legs and elbow problems.
The same correction of diet: Very plain food to stop her growing too fast and the legs did correct themselves(but never completely straight).

Forgot to add my girl got very very weepy eyes on JWL...
To the point she had tears dropping down her cheeks like she was crying.
I have not had that reaction with other chicken/rice foods I have tried so not sure what in the food it was that caused it!

My boxer had very loose stools when on jwb and hills science plan,both recomended by well known pet supermarkets and vet. i now feed wagg chicken and frozen tripe. vet said how well shes now doing , her poo is firm and she put her weight back on. remember to feed your dog what it likes not what other people tell u to feed

can i just add many years ago dogs got feed meat and mixer there wasnt puppy meat and adult meat just dog food lol (so my nan always reminds me lol) so im sure even for a puppy some adult food (good food) that hasnt got rice in it will be as good for him ? xx

If space permits see if your wholesaler can supply blocks of frozen meats, poultry, offal and tripe and mixer plus occasionally adding sardines, fresh eggs etc and also find a source of cheap chicken thighs/wings, breast of lamb etc

Cheers Teri -and everyone else. I may well do the above -the cats are already fed partially raw so we always have a freezer full, adding a couple of pups onto it would work just not *all* the dogs LOL. (Might as well feed them both the same.)

Very interesting comment about the runny eyes -he has this too!!

At first I thought it might have been the weather that made her eyes weepy(very windy)....
I took her off the JWL and tried again a week or so later and got exactly same reaction.
My friends dog has slightly weepy eyes on it as well as when I was looking after him for 3 weeks I actually had to call my friend to see if it is normal for him.
The eyes were nowhere as bad as my girls but weepier than I would like to see my dogs eyes. They never though about it being his food that caused it, being good quality food...

Saying that I was told JWL recipe is not set and does change slightly(e.g grains is a wide description and could mean many different grains).
Not sure if it is true as I never looked in to it any deeper as the food obviously did not suit my girl.
She has been on Eukanuba, RC and AG (+Meat/veg) and none of the others have caused her any problems so she definately is not "sensitive" dog in general.