I am trying to switch from kibble to a different diet. There is a great store here (also where I do training classes) that sells all different kind of food. I was going to try raw, but am starting out with a cooked Chicken & Veggies mix.

I've been trying to slowly incorporate it into Jax's diet and he has had some major runny stool! It's been a complete nightmare! Runny poop and a long coat DO NOT go together. One day it won't be runny and the next it is, even with no change in the diet.

I'm thinking of just switching back to the kibble, but I know it isn't as good for him - I'm kind of at a loss. I've tried adding some digestive enzymes, pro-biotics and other stuff that is suppose to help digestion - but it isn't helping at all.

I try mixing the cooked food, but he won't eat the kibble - he'll spit it back out. I even used his kibble for training yesterday to get him to eat that so he isn't switching too fast.

What should I do?

Should I just give up and stick with the kibble? Ditch the kibble completely and deal with runny poop for awhile and hope that it goes away? Or try to incorporate it even slower?

I am a kibble feeder.

My last two dogs don't/didn't like canned or homemade foods. They wouldn't eat the canned and homemade was okay but they like kibble fine.

Wolfie does best on one particular kibble and when I have tried switching him even quite gradually, we have digestion issues.

Raw food diets are great in theory but I know a couple dogs who have gotten ill on them.

I feel your pain Mandy about runny stools and long coat! What I think is most important is feeding your little one what works for them even if it isn't the best food on the market.

Personally, I would back off on the home cooked to try to let Jax's tummy and intestines have a break. I am sure that he doesn't like having the runny stools either. I would also be sure to make sure that he stays hydrated.

Has Jax been to the vet lately? He could be having a lil bout of colitis.

Hugs to you and Jax!!!! I know exactly how you feel!!! We just want to do the best that we can for our lil fluffs!!!

I feel your pain Mandy!! I would probably hold off on the homecooked for a while until his tummy feels better! Mia had runny poo while I was trying to switch her to Merricks BG and I stopped and took the food back! She hated having runny poo and I bet Jax does too!

If you really want to feed raw or homecooked make sure you add probiotics and mix in some rice or pumpkin. It will help with the runny stool. Also the runny stool should only last for 3 or 4 days max while his tummy get's used to it.

Leslie

Was Jax on a kibble that included chicken? If not he might be allergic to chicken. You may want to add can pumpkin to his veggies & chicken. I always switch mine cold turkey and never have had a problem. What veggies are you feeding him?

Stop copying my pumpkin idea Leslie.

My saying is "Don't fix it if it isn't broken". Kibble is fine to feed your dogs, especially the premium ones. I would stick with what works and not mess with it. JMM, gave me this advice, and I its true. I tried switching Clifford to something I felt would be better for him, but he was just a mess, and so I went back, and now he is back to himself.

Jax ate a fair share of Nature's Variety Prairie while he was staying here and it never affected his poop. It sounds like it might just be that particular brand. I tried to keep him from eating it, in case he did have intestinal issues over the different food but since I free feed, it was pretty much impossible, LOL.

Why are you switching?

I wanted to switch so he is eating healthier food. I know the premium kibble isn't that bad for them, but I also know that there is others that are better!

But, it just isn't going well and as much as he enjoys eating it, I'm sure he isn't enjoying the end of the process! I just bought some more, but I think we're just going to go back to his kibble and hope his belly goes back to normal.

I feel bad for the poor guy.

I switched brands of the home cooked stuff, but it didn't help either. It's only been about a week or so. He's always had chicken, so I know he's not allergic to that. I'll talk to the people at our store here and see what they say too.

I just really want what is best for Jax.

Not everything, even the best, agrees with every dog. What I have found is that the higher your go "premium" wise, the less grain and fiber sources are in the food. I have a dog on plain old Eukanuba because it has beat pulp in it and the dog has normal stool on it. Sometimes you have to stop looking at labels and feed what your dog does well on. If his kibble worked, I'd leave it at that.

What are you trying? By brand of home cooked do you mean a premix like Dr. Harvey's or Sojo's? What kind of kibble was he on before?

Aw, I hope Jax's tummy settles down soon and he starts feeling better. I was never able to do a gradual switch with mine - they would always pick out the new stuff and leave the old and they never had any tummy issues either, thank God.

I was trying different foods to try to get them on a "better" food when I would read different posts about different foods. I even had them on Wellness canned for a while, but it was getting rather expensive with two. So, now that's just for a treat some evenings. I've since decided to just go back to the kibble and let them be and give up all the switching everytime I read a post on a new food, plus I've run out of room in the pantry with all the different foods. Embarassingly enough, I'm not even sure what they're eating right now as it was stored in a sealed plastic container and I forgot to cut out and keep the label. I think its NB venison and sweet potato which they always did great on. I suppose I am too easily influenced.

Anyway, didn't mean to ramble. I really hope the runny poops go away very quickly and Jax feels better soon.

Linda

I agree. Check out this website: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ You'll notice that the very top foods many are totally grain free. Anyway, you'll be able to get some great info from that site as far as kibble goes and maybe you can find a new kind.

I recently switched Ollie from Natural Balance Duck and Potato to California natural lamb & rice. He'd been on NB for a long time and I've noticed over the months his stools getting more and more soft. I tried a few other flavors of the NB and it didn't seem to help any. Ollie has a very sensitive tummy. Also, chicken bothers his tummy the MOST.

I don't know enough about raw and homecooked I just don't have time. Sometimes I will give him small bites of what we are having for dinner--we tend to eat somewhat bland stuff b/c that's what my young kids like. So I'll give him a bite of steak and a plain green bean, etc. That's about it.