Hello All!

Athena is a 7 month old husky/candadian eskimo currently weighing 38lbs. We got Athena when she was 3 months old and are still trying to find that perfect food.

The breeder had her on Science Diet puppy and we initially had her on that when we first got her. We noticed very quickly that her stool was always runny. So we slowy switched her to TOTW puppy. Athena ate TOTW for a few months and then suddenly she refused to eat it anymore. Her stool on TOTW was formed, but still soft. As a result we took her to the vet to test for parasites, and her tests came up negative. She is also on Triflexus, a flee and heartworm control pill, once a month.

Then, we put her on a bland diet and her stool was firm and great! We are currently in the process of transitioning her onto a mix of Earthborn puppy and Earthborn primative from the bland diet. Today is day 3 of the transition, and her stool is back to formed, but not solid.

Any suggestions as to what we need to do to get her stool firm? A new brand? Add supplements?

I'd add a little bit of canned pumpkin to her food as she is being transitioned (the non-spiced kind). Kale has extremely sensitive intestines as well and it usually take me 2-3 weeks to fully transition to a new food. My advice would be to not rush it, feed the same amount of bland and kibble till the stools are normal, then increase the kibble slightly and repeat. I tend to be more of a "tough love" dogmom, and don't give into my dogs when they refuse to eat. A healthy dog/puppy will not willingly starve themselves. If you constantly change the food when they refuse it, she will do it whenever she feels like she wants something different, and she'll hold out till she gets what she wants. Constantly switching foods will inevitably create a picky eater.

It takes me about 3 weeks, maybe even 4, to transition my female to a new food completely. You may need to also take it this slow to make a transition. I see Earthborn Puppy Vantage has grain in it. This may also be a cause of soft stools. Maybe try just the Primitive and go slower with the transition and see how it goes.

Pumpkin can help firm up stools, however, if you keep adding pumpkin, you won't know what is causing the issue. I don't like to have to rely on pumpkin to get normal stools. But that's just me. Also, too much pumpkin can also cause soft stools.

Try going grain free first and see how it goes, and make the transition slower, taking at least 3 weeks to fully make the transition.

Awesome, thanks for the responses! We will definitely slow down the transition process.

In my post, I forgot to mention that we have been giving Athena a little bit of organic pumpkin with her bland diet and she gobbles it right up.

Cmanding, I didn't even realize that Earthborn Puppy had grain in it! Athena is 7 months, do you think it is ok for her to go off puppy food all together? In other words, what is the benefit of keeping her on puppy food at this point?

How do you guys feel about Earthborn Primative and/or Earthborn Coastal Catch vs. Orijen 6 fish?

I know some people will opt for an all-lifestage food vs. puppy food. I think you'll be ok as long as the Ca:P ratio isn't too high for a puppy. I checked and it looks like Earthborn Coastal Catch has a Ca:P ratio of 1.3:1 which is Ok for puppies. I did not see calcium and phosphorus listing for Primitive so I'm not sure if it's higher than we'd like to see for puppies.

Earthborn Holistic is rated high:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/earthborn-holistic-grain-free/ (5 out of 5 stars)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showcat.php/cat/3 (5 out of 6 stars)

I, personally, do prefer Orijen 6 Fish over Earthborn Coastal Catch because of the fish variety and a little higher protein content, however, it has increased in price and they are still catching up with production since the fire in one of their manufacturing plants so it's harder to find (in my area). But, if you do the cost comparison, my guess is that Earthborn will be more affordable, but just as good.

Update: We actually decided to go with the Orijen 6 fish. We put Athena back on a bland diet only, for 2 days so her stool was firm. Three days ago we incorporated 1/4 cup of the Orijen in with her bland diet. She loves it and gobbles it up! We are still on the same feeding ratio of 1/4 cup and the remainder bland diet and her stool is formed, but not quite solid yet. We are taking your advice and not bumping the Orijen amount up until her stool is firm. Hopefully it will firm up here in the next few days and we can increase her Orijen intake to 1/2 cup.

If she doesn't firm up after 2-3 days of 75% bland/25% Orijen, it may be too rich for her. It's considered an adult food but the Ca:P ratio is OK for puppies.

This is day 3 of the 25% Orijen:75% bland. What do you think, too rich? What good dogs foods are less rich?

Maybe go back to 100% bland to get her back to firm, normal stools and try something else.

Acana is the less expensive line that Orijen by Champion Pet Foods, so you could try that. Check the Ca:P rations in the formula you chose if you go with Acana (Calcium % divided by Phosphorus % = what it ends up should be close to 1.2).

Other members feed Taste of the Wild which is an 'all-lifestage' food. Earthborn, Nature's Variety, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, are just a few to name.

Update: We have kept Athena on the 25% Orijen, 75% Bland for about 6 days now and her stool has firmed up nice! Yesterday we increased her Orijen intake to 50% Orijen, 50% Bland. It went back to formed but soft, but we're hoping it will firm back up again in the next few days of the transition.

thanks for the update!

If she doesn't firm up, go back to 75% bland and 25% Orijen. If she firms up with that, then Orijen may be a little rich.

Way to be patient with the transition! My female takes 3-4 weeks to transition to a new food. And it took me MONTHS to figure out what she has slight intolerances to, but in the end, you will have your pup's food dialed in to precise!

Thanks Cmanding! Its been a long road, but like you said once we have it down, we'll know her diet precisely. What do you feed your huskies?

Have you ever considered raw?

I feed used to feed my female The Honest Kitchen Zeal (fish protein based) and Orijen 6 Fish, but I just recently transitioned Grandma Lucy's Artisan Venison in place of Zeal because I needed a second protein for her in conjunction with fish.

I feed my male, who is borderline hypothyroid, Grandma Lucy's also, but his Orijen is the Senior formula as it has less fat and calories but still a good amount of protein. The Senior formula is to help maintain his weight as he was extremely overweight when we adopted him.

I have also tried raw, but it gave my hubby a scare when Storm almost choked on a chicken wing while I was out of town. So hubby says if I want to go back to feeding raw, I would have to do it.

All their treats are freeze dried, dehydrated and usually only one or two ingredients.

How about grinding the meat? I'm sure you can get a decent grinder for cheap, it would greatly reduce the chances of choking. Plus you get all the bonus of raw! The great coat, the great teeth and the great poop

Update:

Athena is on 100% Orijen and her stool is 100% solid! Thanks everyone for all the advice! It was a long road, be we're so happy that we found a food she loves and is healthy for her digestive system!

Good to hear!