I have a few questions, my puppy has been having some diarrhea and the vet suggested a bland diet, so I've put him on eggs and carrots (grains give him terrible gas) but I am not sure how much I should be feeding him. He is currently 4 months, 25 pounds, and I've been feeding 6 eggs and 2 cups carrots total for the day. Is that too much or too little?

I'm awaiting his results from the vet about his stool but the bland diet has definitely firmed it up overnight. That kind of led me to think that it might be the kibble I'm feeding him, which is TOTW pacific stream all stages. He did fine on it for like a month and then runny stool.

So I was thinking that if his results come back clear and instead of playing the which kibble can my dog eat game, I might just switch to raw, I've looked around and we can get meat pretty cheaply as well as organs. So anyway I'd like some thoughts on this and how much I should be feeding him in carrots and eggs. Thanks!

I'm not sure on the carrots/eggs diet- but when you're ready for raw I can certainly help...

TOTW worked fine for some time in our house and then abruptly we had huge issues, dogs wouldn't touch the food (my dogs are NOT picky) and runny stool. That was the last bag we ever bought.

When will you get the results?

A bland diet is not meant to be long term (hence amounts are not quite that important that you really need to worry about it) so I would expect to be starting raw very soon since you've indicated that his stools have firmed back up.

you can also add some green beans, every time i feed carrots they just come out the other end and are not digested.

I think you're fine with the amount that you're feeding on the bland diet.

If this helps any, when I had Ginger on a bland diet, she got 3-4 eggs and 1 cup of carrots, 3x a day - she was around 4 years old and about 55 lbs then.

Ginger also did not tolerate TOTW Pacific Stream very well either, but she does well with other fish protein based kibble such as Orijen, Nature's Variety and Ziwi Peaks Venison and Fish. She also does well on The Honest Kitchen Zeal with is their fish protein based formula.

If it is kibble in general that is causing a tummy upset for your puppy, maybe raw might be the better route to go from a bland diet.

I just got off the phone from the vet's office and it looks like he has giardia, but I'm still thinking of switching to raw once its treated. Ya him on TOTW, the stool has been inconsistent. I have been reading up on raw and that was going to be the plan for the future, so I might just start him now.

So after a bit of deliberation with my boyfriend and visiting the vet yesterday for boosters, I talked to the vet about Rue's stool not getting better when transitioning back to TOTW, but doing fine on carrots and eggs he suggested I feed him science diet id formula for a few weeks. I know it's not the best quality right? And we fed it to him yesterday and today but his stool didn't get much better. Not like on carrots and eggs where it was firm instantly and easy to pick up. I was thinking of feeding him the id for a week or so and then just going to raw, or should I just make the switch? He's taking his giardia medication and all that but I don't want to leave him on less desirable kibble for too long.

I dunno but Science Diet canned ID saved my greyhound life several years ago! And no I'm not really an advocate for their food, it just really worked that time.

Balonsmom wrote:

I dunno but Science Diet canned ID saved my greyhound life several years ago! And no I'm not really an advocate for their food, it just really worked that time.

Just out of pure curiosity, but how do you know it was the food that saved his life? I'm curious, not being a jerk. Promise.

BTW, I still suggest raw. We didn't even have digestive upset with Cato, who is sensitive. We switched Cold Turkey and he had GREAT poops. So far, raw is great for my two. I owe a lot of that too the people on this forum.

Callicocat wrote:

So after a bit of deliberation with my boyfriend and visiting the vet yesterday for boosters, I talked to the vet about Rue's stool not getting better when transitioning back to TOTW, but doing fine on carrots and eggs he suggested I feed him science diet id formula for a few weeks. I know it's not the best quality right? And we fed it to him yesterday and today but his stool didn't get much better. Not like on carrots and eggs where it was firm instantly and easy to pick up. I was thinking of feeding him the id for a week or so and then just going to raw, or should I just make the switch? He's taking his giardia medication and all that but I don't want to leave him on less desirable kibble for too long.

I had Ginger on eggs and carrots and when I tried to switch her back to TOTW, her stools went back to being soft/diarreha. It may be something in TOTW or the 'cooking process' that your pups cannot tolerate. Have you tried another kind of grain free kibble? Otherwise, going raw is also an option.

Listen to your vet. Giardia is a difficult parasite and no diet in the world is going help with stools until the medication gets the numbers of the parasite down to a level your pups immune system can handle. This could take quite a while to clear. Even clear tests can be misleading.

What medication is your vet using? Drontal?

The medication he is on is fagyl and panacur. I'm not questioning the meds per se, just the science diet ID formula. I was going to wait and see how he does on the ID but so far it's been the same and on carrots and eggs his stool was better that is all.

Claudia he has been on Evoo which gave him awful gas, TOTW High Prairie and Pacific Stream, and Merrick whole food but he never had consistently good stool on either of them.

Maybe once the two weeks of medicine is done I can go to raw instead of another kibble? I was just expecting his stool to get better after being on the medicine for about a week now.

FWIW- EVO and TOTW high prarie didn't sit well with my dogs. Merrick isn't grain free (unless you specifically buy their grain free forumla- black bag)

If you are up for raw that's certainly a great route to go down. Are you looking at premades or home prepared raw?

As much as I don't like THK (The Honest Kitchen) you may want to try that as an alternative. You can always add raw to that (they also have some specific formulas which are designed and meant to have raw/cooked meat added to them as their main protein source.)

...

Edit Due to Negativity - I did speak to my vet, I promise, who stated raw was the best option. I am not playing doctor, but the doctor I see with my dogs gave me her opinion. She is very knowledgeable and I went for Cato's Heartworm test, so I was there anyway.

I see no reason why a kibble which is over processed and has preservatives would be better for your dog than it's natural diet. Good luck dear.

Kristina- I'm looking at probably home prepared raw, maybe some premades but mainly just buying stuff at the store.

Megan- Wow thanks! I suspected as much, thankfully I only bought the small bag of ID and I can return it if he doesn't like it Which I plan to do.

I will go out tomorrow and get some meat for him. I've done raw food research, I have a question about chicken backs though since that's what most people start out feeding to their pups right? Where would I get those? The butcher?

Thanks a lot for your help! I just want Rue to get better, he doesn't seem very happy with the ID food and doesn't seem like he has much energy. I'll switch him to carrots and eggs for tonight.

I have a very chicken intolerant dog and she started on duck necks and ground turkey/bone/organs. We didn't do a gradual switch. We talked about a lot of my questions in this thread:

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t5370-lots-of-raw-questions

oh yes, I have been following the thread, I will review it thanks Megan!

Honestly, I have been calling a lot of area butches. i can get 30lbs on Turkey necks for about 40 here, from a butcher. I started on necks and I would suggest that as a RMB at first, because it's not too big

I'll start the search of area butchers, I know we have some nice ones are here

You may need to start out on something easier (bone wise) such as chicken wings since your pup is young. I'd give the backs a try but I have a feeling it may be too hard to chew. Necks may be easier.

I checked and oma. Raw pet food has quite a few distributors in Washington. We hot our suck necks from them to start so I could switch Delilah over immediately.

I can start on wings and necks, those are easier to find around here anyway Should I give him all of the wing?

And I will look into the distributor thanks Megan

Sorry about the typos. Darn phone

mheath0429 wrote:

I have been doing a lot of reading and spoken to my vet, because I was concerned about your pup!

She said that switching to a raw diet would actually help the issue and clear it up faster than if you stay on a poor quality vet kibble. Apparently, that can lengthen the issue and thus, you will need more medication. She said that if you aren't comfortable switching right away go back to the bland diet, its much better on the digestive system than the very processed kibble.

That is rubbish. I know half a dozen vets , both large and small animal. It is clear you don't know a thing about a giardia infestation in a puppy. It is total BS that dry food even something like SD will make the recovery period longer. In fact it is common accepted medical practice to use certain fiber like beet pulp to help rid the parasite.

OP listen to your vet until your puppy is in the clear not the raw feeder agenda. There is nothing in accepted medical practice that recommends raw feeding for anything. There are all kinds of studies on unconventional treatments for things like giardia and none of them do a darn thing.

The last thing a 4 month old needs when it is loaded with this parasite and has a stressed and weakened immune system is a dose of bacteria from raw meat.

Stop playing Dr. I can tell your story is made up because no ethical or competent Vet would ever make any recommendation about an animal it has never seen.

By the way OP, Drontal Plus is generally better, but that is yours vet's call.

Are you kidding me? You are so rude