Dog food and shedding

[pzarazua]

When we got our pup in December, we were feeding him IAMS large breed puppy. That was not working so well for us, as he had really loose stools. I then switched him to Nutro Naturals Lamb and Rice - LB Puppy. Well, Nutro was having some bagging issues, so we went with the L&R Adult, which we were told was fine for him, as there was little different between the adult and puppy. He was better, but still had semi loose stools. "I" had the brilliant idea to switch him to the Kirkland brand Chick, Rice and Vege. I may have mixed too heavy, BUT, he now has very loose stool, and is shedding really bad. Not to mention he is also very gassy.

I am going to switch him back to the Nutro L&R, but was told by my trainer to add pumpkin to the food to help firm up the stool. Is this correct?

Will change in diet cause them to shed a lot? It seems like is is mainly his undercoat, which could just be his puppy fur, but I need to know for sure.

Thanks!
Paula

[gjrupert]

Hi, I had a dog with similar problems and he at the time was on Nutro L&R also. I had him vet checked & nothing was wrong, but the vet suggested a "LITE" formula, as it was higher in fiber. I then switched him to the Nutro L/R Lite & his stools drastically improved. The lite formulas, being high in fiber, bulk up the stool. She also said I could add a Metamucil capsule to his daily diet if needed. Hope this helps!

[pzarazua]

Thanks for that information. I did not even realize they made a Lite L&R formula....... I wonder if it is okay for an almost 8 month old to eat that though...... I may try that next time I buy food!

[gjrupert]

Hi, my vet said that since it was a high quality food, it did contain all the needed nutrients for a growing pup. You might ask "your" vet, to be sure. Good luck!