I recently adopted a 5-year-old doggie. She is about 35 pounds and since they were feeding her mixed Pedigree and one other brand, I bought some Pedigree wet and dry for her to eat. She eats all her food and drinks plenty of water and goes on walks three times a day. I have had her about two weeks.
At first her stools were loose (not diarrhea though) and now, they are firm but seems almost too firm and she is passing bowel movements but seems slightly constipated/uncomfortable. Yesterday, I had to take her to the vet for expressing anal glands because she had an infection from licking her anal region since it was inflamed. She is now on antibiotics but I want to know if I should try changing her food eventually to a more high-fiber diet? Also, please give me afforable options as I am a graduate student and on some form of a budget. I’ll pay a little more as long as I can find it in store, though.
Thanks for any helpful answers!
Wow, very helpful answers! Thank you so much!!
Pedigree is a horrible food, along with everything else you buy at the grocery store. They all contain corn, which can upset your dog’s digestion. Blue Buffalo is sold at Petsmart, and is a much higher quality (no corn) and doesn’t cost too much more.
Any time you see your dog having trouble with bowel movements, add a little bit of pureed pumpkin (canned, but not flavored or spiced).
Ask your vet. A higher fiber content may help. Then again, it may not be the solution at all.
Pedigree is a bad brand. Stay away from it!!
I feed my dogs "Taste of the Wild" They love it! And it is full of healthy and nutritious diet.
May be a bit expensive but Nutro is a good brand. It can be found at Petco or Petsmart. It has ingredients to keep the stool hard but not too hard for the dog and also includes vitamins and minerals for the dog. It also makes the coat shiny. I’ve been using it for years and swear by it especially since it doesn’t contain by products like all the other brands seem to.
Check out some of these brands and read about the ingredients, why they are good and just do a general comparison. This way, when you go into Pet Co. or wherever, you will know what to look for and why. I really like Wellness Brand foods, they are a bit pricy but you can find them at the Pet supply stores. They also make really great canned food.
http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/10-best-dog-food-options.html
Pedigree is horrible food as well as ALL grocery store brands. THey are full of fillers and by-products.
I also feed my dogs Taste of the Wild it good and also affordable. Another one that is good and affordabale is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul.
It is common for animals to get loose stool when they are nervous and moving to a new place. If you are worried about your dog’s stools being too firm, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a diet with more fiber.
If her anal glands were enflamed they may have made bowel movements uncomfortable.
Your best bet would be to ask your vet which food s/he recommends. My vet recommends Science Diet, which you can find at PetSmart.
I would compare the amount of food that each brand suggests your dog eats daily for her weight. Sometimes, the higher quality brands make up for being more expensive by providing nutrition dense food – thus your dog doesn’t have to eat as much as with other brands.
First, I’d like to mention the number of walks a day. She needs to go outside more than 3x a day in my opinion. Probably 4-6 times would be better for her.
As for the food, it’s actually a misconception that higher quality foods cost a lot more than junk (like Pedigree, Iams, Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Ol’Roy, Beneful, etc.). When you feed them high quality foods, you actually feed them less. In the end, it costs the same to feed a lot of junk or a little of quality, so why not get the higher quality. She may not need more fiber, but a better food in general can help. This: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ is a great website to find information about dog food nutrition. Believe me, I’m a college student, my husband is in grad school working on his MBA, and we are remodeling our house, so money is tight here, too. I bought my 52 lb lab mix a bag of Canadae All Life Stages ($35) on August 9th and she still has about 2 weeks of food left! That’s cheaper than Purina One ever was.
Someone else mentioned adding pumpkin to the food– it works! And dogs love it. Also apple & banana are welcomed snacks for my dog =)
Yes, Pedigree is a bad brand it has a F rating! I have my 1 year 3 month old dorkie (dachshund/ yorkie) the proplan selects it is like 11.99 at petsmart. It is the all-natural kind the turkey and barley and he loves it and his stool is good on their website they have a $3.00 off coupon so you can print it out! I know what you are taking about I am a graduate student and funds are tight so I enjoy little coupons too!
here is the website and coupon:
http://offers.staging.purina.com/ESurveyOfferPage.aspx?offercode=PPSCO
http://www.proplan.com/products/selects.html
and here are a rating list of different types of dog food:
http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/dog-food-ratings.html
I feed my two dogs Flint River Ranch Organic Food with a sprinkle of Olive Oil. My dogs coats are smooth and they do not get sick at all.
As your Vet what is the correct diet for your doggie?
Good Luck