# How long should i try new food?



## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

I've had Olive on a new food for 2 and a half days, but she hasn't gone a whole day since i got her where she ate 3 full meals! I think she is going to eat all 3 today since she has eaten 2 already. She seems to like the new food. I had wanted to switch her over slowly, but that didn't work because the new food was much smaller than her old food and she just picked the new food out of the bowl. Her stools are not consistant at all right now. The other day she pooped non stop. At least 7 times. Today she has pooped 3 times and i'm sure she'll poop at least 2 more times before bed. In the morning her stool is firm, but as the day goes on it gets looser. It hasn't been watery yet, but it ends up being more like pudding (sorry!). I'm not sure how long i should give the new food. I was thinking of giving it 10 days because i don't want to start switching her food every couple of days and cause even more issues. Is 10 days ok? Or should i try something else sooner if it doesn't get better?


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

She is probably still adjusting to the food. as well she isn't drinking at night,,,but is during the day which could if she is drinking alot make her poos looser throught the day, I would give it at least a week for her to normalize on the new food, don't worry about not switching her slow...some are fine going for the new food all at once. 5 poos is probably normal for right now, it will get less and less. Lady is now a 2 times a day pooch, tho ocasionally 3 times a day.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

what food is she on, pooing 7 times for a puppy seems a bit much. 

some puppies just arent big eaters, from a very erly age Echo cut herself down to one meal, simply because she wouldnt eat unless the others were eating with her. 


but the amount of poo doesnt sound right.


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

Yesterday was the day she was pooping non stop. Not every poop was a large amount and sometimes it seemed like she was forcing it out and only a tiny bit would come out. She wasn't constipated though. She's had a rough go of it digestion wise since we brought her home so i'm hoping if i keep things the same right now she'll adjust. She vomited the second day we had her here, but that was before she even had the new food. The only new thing i had introduced at that point was a tiny bit of freeze dried beef liver as a treat. I stopped giving that when she threw up and had stomach upset (her stomach was making awful noises and she was very sleepy). I have no idea if she ate something outside that i didn't see or if the small bits of liver upset her stomach. That is under control, but now we have the loose stool. She was also given a worming pill on saturday because the vet wasn't sure why she was feeling sick. During one of her many poops yesterday she pooped out a long white thing that to me looked like a worm, but when i called the vet to ask he seemed to think it wasn't a worm. 

Just to make this even more confusing, could she be forcing poop out to get a reward? She picked up on pottying outside within 3 times of going outside. I've started varying giving her a treat and just pettng her and saying good girl because as soon as she pees or poops outside she comes running to me for her reward. I just took her out 10 minutes ago and she forced another tiny bit of loose stool out then came running to me for her reward. She hasn't pooped in the house at all yet and never has to go in the middle of the night. It makes me wonder if she really has to go as often as she is going.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

oh rught lol im thinking she was doing the same size everytime. 

is she grazing during the day or do you have set meal time. ?


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

I would give it atleast four weeks, she needs to get used to the new food, new home etc, I think you will find she will settle down down with her feeding and pooing.
I had a 12 week old puppy here the other day and she poo'd 5 times and was only here fron 10 until 6 so would have done more before bed. You just have to think how much is going in and how often and so quite alot has to come out.
Don't be tempted to change her food again too soon as you will just prolong the unsettled tummy. Try not to worry, it sounds like she is eating well today and drinking so she isn't ill, its all just so new. Time will help her settle in every aspect of her new home.


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Lots is going on .. she is settling in to her new home .. she is changing food ... just keep an eye on her poo, look out for blood and very watery poo, it sounds like she does likes the new food so I think you should continue the change over ... but 7 poos is alot for a little puppy ... as always if you are worried a trip to the vet will settle your mind... 

Puppies do pick up thing when young as they eat things in the garden etc ..


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

Forgot to say she is on Acana small breed puppy. I think it's a decent food. It's made by the same company that makes Orijen. I know Orijen is a good food, but i wasn't sold on a grain free food. It ws more expensive and i wasn't sure if grain free meant it was better.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=2245&cat=all

That is a link for the analysis on the food. Ingredients don't look bad. 
Lady didn't do great on Origen as it was too rich for her...she had soft poos for a while. I switched her to a fresh food where the only grain is brown rice, and it is rich in protien it is called Deli Fresh, She just loves it!


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

A little update....it's not going so well with the food. She's still loving it and eating every meal, but her poops are getting looser and sometimes she actually has the runs. On average she is pooping 6 times a day. Now those aren't all huge poops, but obviously it's going right through her. I e-mailed the breeder to find out if Olive had any issues adjusting to the food she had her on and she said she did fine on that from day 1. She did say the food i have her on is a really good quality food and better than what she had her on, but if she's getting the runs from it then none of that really matters! We compared the content of the foods and her food only had 15% fat and 25% protein. The one I have her on is 20% fat and 33% protein. She said the extra fat might be why she is having a hard time adjusting to it. 

I'm not sure if i should just leave her on my food or try to gradually switch her back to the breeder's food. The breeder didn't have her on a bad food. Just not as good as i'd like. My vet said to add a bit of pumpkin to her food for a few days and see if that helps until she adjusts. Is that ok for dogs? You can tell i don't trust that vet anymore!


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Sorry little Olive is still having a few problems with her food. There have certainly been a few pups on here that found Origen too rich for their tummys and it sounds like your food may be similar. You could put her back on the food she came home on and I have never heard of pumpkin to settle a tummy before but many on here swear by a dollop of natural probiotic yogurt, or yakult or similar probiotic drink. Or just give her boiled fish/chicken and rice for a few days, this will settle her tummy before you put her on a more suitable food.
Good luck and keep us updated.

I would also suggest thinking about a new vet, if you don't trust your one.


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

Definitely getting a new vet. I'm just trying to figure out which one based on people i know who use them. I'm goign to have to drive at least 30 minutes for a new vet so i want to make sure it's one i like. I'll decide before her next shots though!

So the pumpkin did firm her stools up. I gave her about 1/2 a teaspoon with lunch yesterday and the 2 poops she had hours after that were solid. This mornings poop(which has always been the most solid do to no water at night) was actually hard like it should be. I can't keep giving her pumpkn though!


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## Amh59 (Dec 22, 2011)

I know when my son and his girlfriend had their new pug puppy her stools did get loose as the day went on because she was getting too many treats for going to the loo. I don't know what sort you are giving but it might be a cause. Apple and carrot also upset the pug's tummy. When she was off colour the vet recommended scrambled egg or a bit of chicken and rice. Hope she is ok now.
Andrea x


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

I'm starting to get stressed out about this. After i posted this morning that she had a solid poop she cried urgently to go outside. I got her outside and she had a pure liquid poop that was mostly mucous. 10 minutes after that she pooped in the house, but it was just a light coloured liquid. She didn't eat this morning (I offered food before all of this happened) and right after all of that happened she went to sleep. 

I'm going to call a vet once they open. The thing is I can't afford to keep bringng her to the vet every week over this. I mean i'd bring her ot the vet no questins asked for a true emergency, but last weekend when i went it cost me $150 and they did nothing for her! I can't spend $150 a week on vet care for her. They did tests last week and they were all clear. I guess something coud have come up this week, but I'm going to have to wait this out. If she continues to have the moucousy loose stools i'll definitely bring her in. I'm going to stop this new food though. Hopefully the vet will tell me over the phone if i should put her back on her old food, withhold food the day or give her a bland diet for a few days


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Mucous in poos is a sign of colitus. Do the chicken/fish and rice food. Just boiled and cooled is fine and take her to the vets.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

wellerfeller said:


> Mucous in poos is a sign of colitus. Do the chicken/fish and rice food. Just boiled and cooled is fine and take her to the vets.


I didn't know that. I'll bear it in mind if it ever happens to Millie


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## jaimebpa1 (Nov 8, 2011)

Well i wasn't able to get in to the vet today. My hubby was called in to work and we are down to one car at the moment. Olive is fine now though. I'm definitely going to look in to this, but if she continues to be fine i'm going to wait until next week when she goes in for her shots. I didn't have chicken or rice to feed her at home so i offered her the breeders food mixed with a bit of plain yogurt. She ate about half of that early this afternoon and just now had a very normal stool with no mucous that i could see. I guess i'll just leave her on that until we go to the vet. Unless we have an issue sooner and then i'll get her in asap.

I'm kind of bummed out she didn't take to the new food. It's going to be harder for me to get the food the breeder used as well. I'll have to drive 45 minutes or order it at my local pet store. I'm willing to do that if we can get her stablized though. I don't want to start trying her on a bunch of different foods. Maybe after a few months I'll try again.

I've never had issues changing my dog's food. Of course i've never had a puppy. Our last 2 dogs were older rescue dogs and I didn't know any better so i used to just buy whatever was on sale (I know horrible. I feel so bad about that).


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