Problems with new food.

Jager08 · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:25 am Post subject: Problems with new food.

Jager was eating Caindae until they switched formulas he got massive diarrhea. I have had him on Innova for about 2-3 weeks now and he still has loose stools. Should I think about switching foods again or should I give it time?

weimdogmom · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:52 am Post subject:

Which Innova food is he on? Did you do a slow switch from Canidae to Innova? Or just start with Innova without mixing? Are the stools very loose? Getting a firmer? More like diarrhea?

Is he still active?

Sometimes it takes a while to adjust to a new food, and some dogs take longer than others.

Jager08 · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:07 pm Post subject:

He had diarrhea so bad when we had gotten the new bag of Caindea that they lady at the store recommended that I switch right away to a new food.
I picked Innova Large Puppy Breed and she gave me some stuff…sheesh I don’t know what it is now to sprinkle in the food to help with the transition.
And his poops fluctuate to very very loose to diarrhea.

I figured I would ask here to see how long to wait to see if it is a transition or if its the food.

iris · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:16 pm Post subject:

Try smth that has a very limited ingredient list such as California Natural, i had a foster over the weekend and she had been eating God know what in the shelter.....so i was trying to make sure whatever i gave her did not upset her tummy even more. I got California Natural bc i could not feed her what i feed Rocky, he is on a raw diet, so i though if i keep it as simple as possible it would be best. The fist day with us she had the diarrhea and the most horrible smelling poop i have even smelled, my yard still smells and i am praying for rain, then by the second day she had her first solid poop, that was the last poop of the day. I was very impressed. Ohhhh and Rocky got into her food and even though he is so used to raw and has such a sensitive tummy, California Natural did not give him diarrhea.

thestig · Puppy Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Memphis, TN

I would try making chicken and rice for Jaegar until he does not have loose stools. Then slowly integrate dry food back into his diet. Innova might be too rich for Jaegar. CN might be a better choice.

Schatze · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject:

We are going through the exact same thing right now. Schatze was also on Canadae until the new "improved" formula, Poop turned to mush so we were forced to switch immediately. I came to the conclusion that we would go to California Natural. We are on day two. I'm mixing a little food with chicken and rice to ease the transition. She seems to love it. She was refusing to eat the Canadae so this is already a BIG improvement.

hoochmamas · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:08 am Post subject:

i'm so surprised that all the pups are having a hard time with the new canidae.. my understanding is that they made it a better food. the only difference with hooch is the color of his poop.. and he is more consistently firm.. hmmm..

weimdogmom · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:38 am Post subject:

A couple of years ago, we were feeding Jazz Canidae. They made a change then, again without any notice on the bag. Jazz had terrible diarrhea. At first, I never thought of the food since she had done well on it and we didn't know about the change.

Not here, but on another forum people are dismissing the idea that some dogs were not taking the change well at all. But when Jazz went through this, she was on medication and had soft stools or diarrhea for a month. One a special diet for a while, and as soon as she was back on the Canidae, the diarrhea came back.

I finally called Canidae and was told about a small change for the better. She has been off since then and it is unlikely that we will try it again.

The companies really need to understand that the changes, even small ones and one that are 'for the better', can be a big change for at least some dogs. Some dogs are OK, with others it's just like a change from brand 'A' to brand 'Z'.

weimdawgs · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:11 am Post subject:

I think the formula change is why Silkie stopped eating the Canidae. Good thing I feed Jake something different and had food for her. She just turned her nose up one day...refused to eat it. She is now eating Wellness Core with Jake and their occasional raw meals.

Jager08 · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:23 am Post subject:

That's what made me change so immediately is that Jager refused to eat his food. And for a dog that eats cardboard that made my decision Very Happy

DucksWild · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:30 am Post subject:

I found a couple of websites with information on the changes Canidae made. It's so frustrating to not have had a sticker or something on the bag to indicate that it was a new formula!
Gracie's breath changed and she got gassy, so I donated the remaining food and switched back to Orijen. I feel lucky I noticed after only 4 days after reading how some dogs have suffered diarrhea and vomiting.

Here are some links about it:
http://forums.dogfoodproject.com/showflat.php?Number=33166
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/canidae.html

karen9497 · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:46 am Post subject:

Try some canned pumpkin on his food too, that usually helps firm my babies up within a day or 2...it has to be canned pumpkin though, NOT the canned pumpkin pie mix stuff.....
I agree with the boiled chicken and rice for a day or 2, gradually adding kibble in, and canned pumpkin! Very Happy

Schatze · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:30 am Post subject:

This exact thing happened to Schatze. Even though we changed her food to California Natural it didn't help because she had already gotten sick from the change in Canidae.

She has pancreatitus now and we're dealing with that. She's on 3 meds and prescription food to get rid of this and then we have to slowly put her back on her normal dog food.

I'm telling you the truth. This has been a nightmare for us. Before my baby is better we will have spent 1000 bucks and I've missed 2 days of work with this sick baby.

She's getting better very quick now that we know whats going on so I'm not complaining just still a little pissed about the change in food when she was doing GREAT on it the way it was. Just seems senseless to me...

Schatze · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:34 am Post subject:

One more thing- pancreatitus can be very dangerous and needs to be caught very quick. I tried all the home remedies to stop the upset tummy and nothing worked so I went to the vet pretty quick. You may not want to waste too much time with the boiled chicken, rice, and pumpkin if you don't get good results very quick. Our vet did a blood test to check the enzymes to diagnose Schatze.

hoochmamas · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:48 am Post subject: