# Cockapoo 'poo!' How should it be?



## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Hope no-one minds me talking 'poo' but I'm a bit concerned about my poo's poo!

We only brought them home today, so appreciate it's been a day full of changes and new stuff, but even when we went to visit (a fair few occasions) his poo was very runny.  Today he has been at least 8 times, and its always very runny, and sounded quite yucky too (lots of wind and splatty noises.) Sorry to be so graphic, but I wondered if that's 'normal?' He's 9 weeks old and has been eating Heritage food (mixed with water.) Any advice gratefully received...


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## Sumes (Aug 3, 2013)

That's a coincidence - my dog has the same ...


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## SamRinde (Jun 10, 2013)

I'm no expert, but runny poo is never a good thing. 

Now, it could be caused my different things. It could be something medical, or like you said, could be just because of the transition and all of that. Frankie had runny poo one afternoon and we were worried. The vet told us to fast him for 12-18 hours and see if he continues to poo. (If he does, theres a problem.) If the poos stop, then feed him boiled chicken and rice (we fed sweet potato as well to give him some fiber to solidify it up, I heard canned pumpkin works as well) until his poo is back to solid. The chicken and rice is bland so it doesn't upset his stomach. 

Again, this is my very limited knowledge. But just some thoughts and experiences to hopefully help.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

It's quite common in Cockerpoo puppies. Having said that its not normal and you need to be careful. Sometimes it's because the food they are in is not of the right quality. Too much cereal. Infact you want a kibble that is cereal free. There are some good quality ones on the market. If your Poo has the runs boiled rice, chicken and a teaspoon of probiotic natural yoghurt work well. Keep them on this for at least a week and then slowly re introduce the food you want to feed them. Some never do well on kibble, so then you need to decide what else to feed them. I went to wet with Max, then home made and now he is on raw tripe ( it's a complete food for dogs, gives them everything they need) he loves it and looks forward to every smelly mouthful! Lol. If the runs don't clear up or they get bloody and mucusy get them to the vets pdq. Hope this helps. I believe there is a sticky on here about feeding puppies.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Thank you both for that; we have checked his food and its definitely cereal free, a good quality one. Tonight we gave the kibble dry rather than mixed with water and he seemed much more interested in it like that as opposed to the porridgy (?real word?!) version...I did read to reduce the amount of water mixed with the kibble if they are a bit runny (and add more if constipated) so will see if that helps.

Thanks again, really appreciate your help/advice.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Do alialfie and sumes have litter mates??


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## Lynn<3 (Jul 4, 2011)

RuthMill said:


> Do alialfie and sumes have litter mates??


Husband/ wife team, maybe?


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## NikkiB (Jan 16, 2013)

Samson was like this when we first brought him home but it settled the next day. His poos were never quite solid though and then after a week I slowly changed his food to a better one and it cleared up.
I would wait and see if it gets better tomorrow, it could be the car journey and everything. It's such a big thing for them leaving their mum and coming to a new environment.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Lynn<3 said:


> Husband/ wife team, maybe?


Lol!!! Got it in one!


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Thanks everyone....they are still quite runny today but other than that everything seems fine (although neither of them is eating the recommended amount.) I think we will have to slowly introduce a different brand of food and see if that makes a difference (unfortunately my DH was eager to get food sorted and ordered a huge bag of the same food they came home with, so it will be a VERY gradual process.) Having said that, if a different brand means it improves then we'll just get rid of it and chalk it up to experience.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

What food are they on. My Max was on Fish4puppies...he hated it. He never ate enough and it did nothing to entice I'm to eat either. Now he is 1 he eats well....but not sardines. However give him Salmon and wow! . It's all trial and error and a lot of them lose interest in their food. Sometimes you have to feed them by putting it in a kong, dropping it on the floor, making them search for it, all sorts of things.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Cat 53 said:


> What food are they on. My Max was on Fish4puppies...he hated it. He never ate enough and it did nothing to entice I'm to eat either. Now he is 1 he eats well....but not sardines. However give him Salmon and wow! . It's all trial and error and a lot of them lose interest in their food. Sometimes you have to feed them by putting it in a kong, dropping it on the floor, making them search for it, all sorts of things.


Thanks for that. We have been discussing whether to try a different food but didn't want to do it too soon; its hard to know what to do for the best.  They're definitely not eating enough. We have given some kibble in a puppy kong, he liked the kong and ate a few bits of the food but wasn't all that interested. Will see what happens tomorrow then if still not eating much will maybe consider introducing a different food...?


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

How big are they? The recommended amounts tend to be more than they need and too much will also cause runny poo. I thought someone previously had posted the recommended calories per the vet was significantly less than the bag numbers. My two weighed 4 and 4.5 lbs at 10 weeks and were eating 1/3 cup twice a day. At 14 weeks they were around 8 lbs and was feeding them 1/2 cup twice a day. I tried increasing it by 1/3 cup and their poos were a hot mess -very loose, almost liquid. Cut it back down to 1 cup total per day and poos were back to normal. The vet never said anything about being underfed as they were growing and they had enough chub around their ribs. Oh, and they always act like their starving.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Lexi&Beemer said:


> How big are they? The recommended amounts tend to be more than they need and too much will also cause runny poo. I thought someone previously had posted the recommended calories per the vet was significantly less than the bag numbers. My two weighed 4 and 4.5 lbs at 10 weeks and were eating 1/3 cup twice a day. At 14 weeks they were around 8 lbs and was feeding them 1/2 cup twice a day. I tried increasing it by 1/3 cup and their poos were a hot mess -very loose, almost liquid. Cut it back down to 1 cup total per day and poos were back to normal. The vet never said anything about being underfed as they were growing and they had enough chub around their ribs. Oh, and they always act like their starving.


Thank you, another useful and informative post ...interesting to hear the bag recommendations are higher than needed; must say I was surprised at how disinterested they seem at mealtimes, from what I remember of watching dogs eat they usually seem much more enthusiastic and eat it all up very quickly!?! We did think the recommended amount seemed a lot (I _think_ its about 200g a day, which seems _*loads!?) *_We have just ordered some Barking Heads food after reading lots of posts on here and are going to gradually swap to that as it seems like a popular and good choice made by lots of you on here....we trust your judgement and value your experience totally.


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## SidneyM (Jun 15, 2013)

Hi, Sidney wasn't interested in his food at all for the first couple of weeks of settling in. He'd have a nibble here and there and never asked for it. I put that down to the adjustment period. He was on Arden Grange and just didn't care for it. We changed him to BH and he wolfs it down in 5 seconds now and actually wants to be fed! We put a tiny bit of nature diet in with it a couple of times a day just to make it more interesting and he's a happy chunky little chap! X


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## Faybee (Jul 30, 2013)

Hi, 
I only brought Betty home on Saturday and although she was eating all her food very happily her poo's were very runny. 

She was being fed Purina Beta which has a very high cereal content, on Monday I went and bought Burns puppy and she is currently on her 2nd full day of eating 1/4 burns with 3/4 Purina. I can't believe what a difference it has already made, poo's are much firmer, less frequent and definitely has got into a routine. 

I was also shocked at the difference in amount on the feeding guidelines, we are now feeding her much less and she is fine. 

I wouldn't worry about changing so soon, I'm so glad we did! X


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Wow, that sounds as if its made a huge difference already! Ours seem to be getting worse, I know they were wormed last Friday which can cause blood in the stools, and ours have both had that today (though not before...?) Today I added a spoonful of probiotic yogurt to their breakfast kibble, (as suggested on here,) and it helped them to eat a bit more, although they mostly licked the yogurt off and left the kibble  This evening I added a little Nature's Diet 'wet' food to it, and they really enjoyed that...wolfed it down really quickly!  We are going to start introducing the Barking Heads kibble which seems popular on here and see how it goes. I don't think they are poorly, as they are bright-eyed and full of fun, very happy little chaps apart from not liking the food and having runny bums all the time.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Faybee said:


> Hi,
> I only brought Betty home on Saturday and although she was eating all her food very happily her poo's were very runny.
> 
> She was being fed Purina Beta which has a very high cereal content, on Monday I went and bought Burns puppy and she is currently on her 2nd full day of eating 1/4 burns with 3/4 Purina. I can't believe what a difference it has already made, poo's are much firmer, less frequent and definitely has got into a routine.
> ...


Really glad to hear Betty is doing so well, amazing how such a small change can make such a big difference: hopefully we'll be saying the same soon.


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## Faybee (Jul 30, 2013)

I'm sure you will find something to suit them! 

My problem is that now she's settled in our home she has become very very energetic! Also isn't able to hold her poo in all night (understandable) but if we wake her to let her outside in the night she won't settle. So far we have had her 5 days and have given her 4 baths!


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Faybee said:


> I'm sure you will find something to suit them!
> 
> My problem is that now she's settled in our home she has become very very energetic! Also isn't able to hold her poo in all night (understandable) but if we wake her to let her outside in the night she won't settle. So far we have had her 5 days and have given her 4 baths!


Oh dear, poor you (and Betty of course!) Have you thought about giving her her last meal a bit earlier (don't know if you're doing that already...?) but as they seem to poop after eating, it might help her to empty her bowels before bedtime and if there's no more food working it's way through her, maybe she'll not need to poop during the night? We do let ours out once during the night as they are still only youngsters, and they know to settle straight back into their crates afterwards...P Just remembered we've only had them 2 nights so are by no means experts, although it feels as if they've always been part of the family already!!!)


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## Faybee (Jul 30, 2013)

Oh no I spoke too soon! Just had a runny poo, gave her a yogurt and dry food stuffed kong earlier so that might have been it. Definitely trying to feed last meal earlier. We got up in the middle of the night on the first night and she wouldn't do a poo. Then she freaked when we tried to put her back in her crate, now I feel really uneasy about disturbing her. Really not sure what is or the best! Day 5 and I'm starting to feel like a new mum, tired and worried!


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Faybee said:


> Oh no I spoke too soon! Just had a runny poo, gave her a yogurt and dry food stuffed kong earlier so that might have been it. Definitely trying to feed last meal earlier. We got up in the middle of the night on the first night and she wouldn't do a poo. Then she freaked when we tried to put her back in her crate, now I feel really uneasy about disturbing her. Really not sure what is or the best! Day 5 and I'm starting to feel like a new mum, tired and worried!


Oh no!  Might just be a one-off? Hope so. Fair enough about not disturbing her, we only let ours out if they wake and ask, I wouldn't wake them on the off-chance. I know what you mean about feeling like a new mum, I fell asleep on the sofa for half hour this afternoon, feel exhausted! Also, good to hear that everyone seems to go through some kind of similar scenario one way or another, we aren't alone and I am assured it DOES get better!  Hang in there.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

So I wanted to switch their food to a higher quality one right away. Their poos were a mess went back, firmed right up. After one week of good poos I started the transition. 

The other thing I did to make sure they ate was to use their kibble for treats and reward. A friend said at the time that you want their food to be the highest reward treat. That made sense so training was all only their normal food. It also associates lots of positive with the food. 

Oh and one more thing (I'm sure there were a lot) but both seemed ok at first about eating and all of a sudden wasn't eating at all. I couldn't figure it out then ended up using a regular bowl for some reason and he ate all of it without any coaxing. Something about the plastic. Eventually changed to metal bowls and wipe it dry rather than air dry. 

Ah, thought of another thing. My friends dog only eats when others are eating. He is a social eater. That might be a factor too. 

Whew. I've sputtered everything I is coming to mind right now. And now I must feed them their dinner before they get mad at me.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Luckily Molly has never had a runny poo. It's a miracle since she is 10 months now. If she had I would of taken her to the vets. I have changed her food since we got her from the breeder's at 8 months but only did it at about 10 months old as to not upset her tummy. I did it very gradually it is better to do it slowly cause if you do it too fast it can upset their tummy. I never gave her any human food except for fruit (small pieces of banana, blueberries, sweet potatoe, carrot, apple) she is on a good quality food and her treats when training are very small. She has never had any junk (human food) ever and when we eat she gets nothing.

Sounds strict but I don't want her to have chips etc..some people eat and give the dog fried chicken etc...my puppy will never get any of that. I made rules when we got her an everyone has stuck by them.


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

Some more great advice...thanks ladies.  I will definitely be using their kibble as treats, that's a great idea. :twothumbs:

I'll definitely be introducing some fruity bits n bobs once their tummies settle down, same as you will keep it 'healthy' with apple, carrot, sweet potato etc. 

We too have decided no 'junk food' for ours, it'll be the kiddies who want to sneak them a bit of sausage or something at a BBQ I bet, but NO! Also, we always pop ours into their crate at our meal times, they can see us but we don't want them hanging around/begging for our food. We then feed them their meal once we have finished (another tip we've picked up along the way, we eat first, then they do; helps to establish who's boss!)


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## AliAlfie (Jul 29, 2013)

*Poo's poo update *

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has offered support and advice on this (I see there has been quite a lot of lavatory discussion on the forum!)  We have swapped our boys onto Barking Heads and a little Nature Diet 'wet' type food, and already (within 24hrs) their poos are SOOOOOO much better. :whoo: Not only are they much firmer, but instead of going 12+ times a day, they've only done 3 today...WHAT a difference!  They seem to like the BH better, and we've worked it so they have a little bit of the Nature Diet wet with one of their 3 meals, and it seems to be really helping. 

I'll be honest we are also considering raw, but certainly won't change them yet, and need to look into it a bit further...do any of you combine raw with kibble, or would you advise against it? So much to consider, and I wouldn't be doing anything yet....maybe in a few weeks once we know their tums are properly settled we might introduce a raw element/meal to replace one of the others? But we don't want to unsettle them again.


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