Gun Dog Forum

My GSP, 22 mos, male, seems to be a picky eater. Haven't found a food he'll eat consistently and not get diarrhea. I've owned him for a little over 4 months. I've taken him to the vet and he recommends uber expensive Science Diet, Digestive Aid, at $2.95 per can! That'd add up in a hurry feeding this dog. He'll eat it, but I'm looking for something more sensible, price wise. I've tried a variety so far and he still gets diarrhea, vomits, eats grass, etc., all the signs of digestive issues but vet check shows nothing other than I should feed him better quality food. So what do you all feed your GSP's or other gun dog breeds that are mega high energy like mine? I've tried wet food, dry food, etc. but can't seem to settle on one that he'll eat well and not show signs of digestive distress. Energy wise, he's fine, looks good, hunts hard, etc. Maybe this is just due to his makeup, he's wound pretty tight and is a blur of activity most of the time, so perhaps this is normal. I don't keep him in a dog run much, he usually has the full run of my big back yard and we go on frequent jogs and walks, so maybe he's still adjusting to his new normal, before I got him he spent most of his days in a 10 x 10 run.

Purina makes a sensitive stomach formula. Check TSC or Chewey.com Sometimes good deals on dogfood on Amazon also.

When your dog vomits, is it undigested food or is it yellow phlegm-y stuff with/without grass in it?

What is your feeding regimen? One big meal a day, or two smaller meals?

Eating grass doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem, lots of dogs graze especially in the spring.

FWIW I had a dog who had problems with loose stools. My vet told me that sometimes dogs get an overgrowth of the wrong bacteria in the small intestine that upset the whole tract. He put the dog on metronidazole (Flagyl) for about a week, and the dog straightened right out. Over the course of his life the problem came back a couple times, but cleared up with the antibiotic treatment.

How long has he had the runs? Giardiasis can be difficult to diagnose if they miss the shedding cycle. Stay away from high protein foods. Give it a week after changing food to see if it makes a difference.

He's had the runs off and on since I got him in late January. His vomit is foamy white/creamy with grass in it. I feed him twice a day, morning and evening. He's a GSP, 22 mos, 50 lbs. I think I'm going to take him to a different vet and get a 2nd opinion. He might have a parasite as this has been going on since I got him. I bought him from a game preserve where he was a guide dog. Who knows what he could have picked up there, he was one of about 15 guide dogs they kept.But they kept each dog in a solo run so they only mixed when hunting. Seeing how high strung he is I figured he'd be a voracious eater but he's not, he tends to nibble and leave much of his food. He'll return to it throughout the day and slowly eat it down, but usually leaves a fair amount behind. Maybe I need to add another dog to the mix, huh? He doesn't have any competition. Maybe he'd eat better then. I'm probably switching it up too often, trying to find something good quality that he'll eat well and consistently. I'd like to see him put on a little more weight. I've hunted over him a half a dozen times since I got him and been pleased with his performance, he doesn't lack for energy and drive and loves to hunt. So his diet and digestive issues don't seem to affect his performance.

I would cut the food back till he started cleaning it up within a few minutes and see if that doesn't help. There are a thousand good foods out there and I am sure you have fed some of them. The one thing I wouldn't buy or feed is a wet canned food. Stick to the dry kibble

Ezzy

What has worked for me with dogs who are picky eaters is to put the food down and give them 15 minutes to eat, then the pan comes up whether it's empty or not. Two or three days of being hungry enough to build up an appetite turns them around.

I top dress my dogs' food with a little bit of canned food. The stinkier the better. Sometimes I give them sardines after draining the oil. They'd run through fire for them.

My young dog gets worked hard, and gets a bit skinny. Feeding even more isn't an option. He gets a supplement called Impact, a high protein, high fat powder that adds calories without the bulk of extra portions of food. It's made of fish and eggs basically, and stinks to high heaven, but the dogs love it. Impact goes on the kibble, and add water to dissolve it. I found the best price from Chewey.com

Changing feed often could be contributing to your dog's problems. Their guts get used a feed, and grow bacteria that digests it best. Then if you change the food, the bacteria aren't the 'right' ones for digestion, and the gut has to start over growing ones that work. in the meantime, diarrhea. IME best to choose a good dog food and stick with it.

When I use to feed lesser food (kibble)my dogs would eat grass when I let them out and within a few minutes they would vomit up a yellow slime. That behavior completely stopped when I started feeding Farmina (kibble). I've been feeding it now for almost a year, but, Interestingly, I wanted to feed some pups a food with a little less protein and fat and during the transition to the cheaper food (which is a decent food) I noticed my female this morning vomiting the grass and yellow slime. I believe she eats the grass on purpose to clear out her stomach. I feed two different kinds of Farmina, one is N&D chicken and pumpkin 30-20, and the other chicken and "Ancestral" grain 30/20. I buy them 10 bags at a time from Farmina. If you buy it from Chewy or Amazon it's like $85 a bag, but I get it from Farmina at $50-$57 per bag (26.5 lb bags). Most people aren't going to pay that much for dog food, but I do. I've found it helps with fertility and since I started using it I've had bigger, healthier litters with it.

My French Brittany seems to like small kibble better than any larger variety. I’ve also moved back away from the whole grain free thing I had previously bought into. My dog is extremely picky and I had to try different foods to find something it would eat. I don’t know if I would call it the best, but I’ve settled on Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult (for the small kibble), in the lamb and rice or chicken and rice formula. He handles it fairly well.

The best food you can buy is one that is readily available, your dog does well on it, and it is affordable. I have always found that any dog that is a picky eater isn't hungry. Cut them back a little or skip a feed or two and the pickiness disappears. More often than not it is the owner who wants the dog to eat a little more that gets it started. You need to remember that a young fast growing pup will normally be a little thin which is great for the dog, especially the hips and other joints. I have found if you want to feed a little extra is add a couple of splashes of an oil instead of feeding more. I have used an oil I buy at TSC that is near 50% flax oil which is the highest omega vegetable oil you can find. Works well for me. I too, have ignored the marketing fad of grain free as I want corn to be the second ingredient listed. That normally will get you a food that will provide the energy that hard working dogs need along with the fat that is included in the feed.

Ezzy

I have found that over feeding is the biggest cause of loose stool. Changing feed often doesn't help. You might try feeding less and follow the tips given by the other respondents.

porochi wrote:He might have a parasite as this has been going on since I got him.

By this, may we assume that your vet has not run --- and run again -- fecals since you got him six months ago?

Porochi,
Get a complete stool sample exam from your vet to rule out any kind of parasites. Thats #1.

Follow what Ezee333 posted.

I would be curious to know Exactly what food brands and formulas have you used and exactly how much food did you feed each meal? You must measure with a 1 cup measuring cup. If dogs don't have parasites then dogs can get loose stools from feeding to much food, high fat foods they cant digest, and foods that contain wheat its rare but I've seen several times. Never seen food with ground corn causing diarrhea. I personally won't use foods with wheat or corn.
One of the best foods I have ever used was Canidae Original 4 protein 24% protein 14% fat.

I would also research (google search) digestive aid products like: Prozymes, Digest Forte, Nzymes, or Total Zymes. They provide good bacteria in the dogs gut. I have personally used Prozymes for 30 years raising and training dogs.

If your interested in talking more feel free to e-mail me. thedogtrainer@yahoo.com

Hope that helps.

Look into feeding raw, it's much easier on a dog's digestive system.

Urban_Redneck wrote:Look into feeding raw, it's much easier on a dog's digestive system.

I think this is something you can not prove or find any real research that even suggests it.

Ezzy