soft stool - food related?

[kmann]

Ever since Griffin came home his stool has always been on the softer side. The vet didn't seem to have any worries as long as it's tubular shaped, which it is. He was on a chicken based food and I thought this might be the cause so I switched him to a fish based food, and it has gotten slightly better but they are still not nice and firm. Other than a few dog treats (made in the USA or Canada) he'll get half a teaspoon of peanut butter once a day for a treat and occasionally a piece of fruit or veggie (ie. a small piece of banana or baby carrot). Should I add a small bit of pumpkin to his food, change him to a grain free food, try a different meat based food? Or are some dogs just prone to have softer stool?

 

[charlieinnj]

When you say, "Ever since Griffin came home....", do you mean from when you got him from your breeder?

Is the color of the stool usually consistent? If it's 'formed' and you can pick it up to dispose of it easily, I wouldn't worry about it. However, if it's gloppy and hard to pick up, I'd suspect something he's eating doesn't agree with him. So instead of adding pumpkin or switching his food again, I'd eliminate most of the 'extras' and then while monitoring how things progress, re-add things back.

One other thing that can cause looser stools is actually feeding too much....especially if it's a high-protein food. What brand are you feeding and how much does he eat per day?

 

[kmann]

If my memory serves me correctly it's been this way since I got him from the breeder. The stool color is always same and I can pick it up with a shovel but it's a little messy. He's currently eating ~6 cups of Holistic Select anchovy sardine & salmon meal a day, which has 22% protein. He's almost 9 months old, weighs 95lbs and I can feel his ribs and back bone no problem.

 

[takemebacktotulsa]

First, love your new avatar with Griffin on the couch!

Second, we found Willis had very loose stools when he was on a salmon-based, grain-free food. I know a lot of dogs do very well on it, but mine never did have a really good poop until we switched back to the food he did very well on as a puppy. I agree with eliminating one thing at a time instead of trying to change too many things at once. Good luck! Runny poops are no fun.

 

[charlieinnj]

Is he fed twice a day now? If so, it could be that 3 cups at once is just a little too much. Can't say for sure....but it's a thought.

 

[kmann]

He's getting 2 meals a day. I'll see if cutting the "extras" out helps.

 

[jane]

My Merlin always had softer stool on kibble. No matter what I tried his stool was soft. I eventually went raw with him and never had a problem again.
Is the stool stinky, does he pass gas etc..? Does he go frequently? Those would all be signs to me that something does not agree with him.