Bad dog food?

[fitz19d]

So my new shepherd hank has settled in but still has about weekly bouts of diarhea. Fortunately outside usually no problem. Vet gave us some dewormer/parasite stuff to try in case it's that. Well, now today I come home to his crate as well as the Rottie mix who has never had an accident before also having a milder mess in hers.

Starting to wonder if the newest bag of food is off or she's been less sensitive to problems with the food. Thought I heard somebody say something about a new round of problem dog food or something. This is the costco Natures Own stuff (Sweet tater and meat, no corn) that was recommended by some on here. (For my previous sheps problems)

Any recommendations on something decent quality but also not $50/bag like the fru fru all natural quinoa shit they sell in the new boulderfied sections of the big petstores? (Scared to try the standard costco dog food bit their fancy natural sweet tater and meat food is causing issues. 110lb shep and 75lb rottie go through a ton!.

[Irving]

Currently half way through the standard Costco bag with no problems.

[henpecked]

12 hours only water then give them bland food turkey, rice if you think they got parasites then mix the food with pumpkin.

[HoneyBadger]

I've had success with the regular costco dog food. Try what henpecked said.

[Ah Pook]

Always had good luck with Froom's Classic. 30lbs runs about $40. 70lb dog eats about three cups a day.

I always looked at as "garbage in, garbage out", so spend a little more and clean up less.

[Erni]

My shep is on Taste of the Wild which was breeder recommended. Unless he gets stupid and eats something he shouldn't he is rock solid. He gets the foul formula 2 cups with 1/2 scoop of Nupro twice a day, mixed with some water to make gravy and half a can of grain free wet chow. Also some snacks through out the day. Sheps have finicky stomachs, good food is cheaper than new carpets so choose wisely. Any kids feeding him scraps? Is the other dogs poop missing?

[Wulf202]

If its worms just feed them tobacco.

[asmo]

Eukanuba is what has always worked for all my dogs, including my Shepherd, my Mastiff, and my Rottie.

[TheGrey]

Sounds like they both got into something. Did you start them on this new food within the last week? Don't switch them to something new abruptly- you're supposed to mix new food with their old stuff for 7 to 10 days to give their systems a chance to adjust. If it's been over a week and the shep is outside most of the time, then they likely were given something by a neighbor or a passer-by gave or gives as a treat. Check with neighbors to make sure they're not giving them Milk-Bones or treats. Otherwise, a mix of cooked burger and rice should help to firm up their stools and help their systems get back on track.

[mountainjenny]

I feed Taste of the Wild as well. I used to feed Costco brand, but somewhere along the line it changed and the dogs weren't doing as well on it.

[colorider]

If it were me I would GET MY DOGS OFF OF COSTCO DOG FOOD RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have absolutely nothing against costco dog food and in fact, had both my beagles on the stuff till one passed away and the bags were simply too big for the 1 beagle that remains.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LINK AND ALSO DO YOUR OWN GOOGLE SEARCHING ABOUT RECENT DOG ILLNESSES WITH DOGS EATING COSTCO DOG FOOD.!!!!!
read several of the comments. There are a lot of bad experiences starting around the 1st of the year and dating backwards.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/kirkland_pet_food.html

[stenz]

What ever you do don't feed them OL' ROY or something equivalent. That would be like you eating fast food, top ramen, and candy bars your entire life.

I feed my dogs Purina Pro Plan. Seems to be a decent kibble.

[fitz19d]

My shep is on Taste of the Wild which was breeder recommended. Unless he gets stupid and eats something he shouldn't he is rock solid. He gets the foul formula 2 cups with 1/2 scoop of Nupro twice a day, mixed with some water to make gravy and half a can of grain free wet chow. Also some snacks through out the day. Sheps have finicky stomachs, good food is cheaper than new carpets so choose wisely. Any kids feeding him scraps? Is the other dogs poop missing?

We were off treats to help make sure it's not that. They have antler chews only. He does occasionally go out to eat frozen turds. (Unsure if hers or his)

[fitz19d]

Sounds like they both got into something. Did you start them on this new food within the last week? Don't switch them to something new abruptly- you're supposed to mix new food with their old stuff for 7 to 10 days to give their systems a chance to adjust. If it's been over a week and the shep is outside most of the time, then they likely were given something by a neighbor or a passer-by gave or gives as a treat. Check with neighbors to make sure they're not giving them Milk-Bones or treats. Otherwise, a mix of cooked burger and rice should help to firm up their stools and help their systems get back on track.


Been onto it for months, only outside to do business otherwise indoors. They do have milk a bones, what's the problem with those?

Also, her mess in kennel as I cleaned it up was pretty formed and fine, I think she just being wierd sometimes didnt go. (Pretty princess hates the cold)


I did find a penny in the middle of one of his splats. So going to make sure we dont have any loose coins he's nibbling on. May have just happened to have landed there in the basement where he splashed.

[68Charger]

A friend of mine at work saw his dog go into seizures when eating Beneful, and stopped when he switched to something else.

[Erni]

We were off treats to help make sure it's not that. They have antler chews only. He does occasionally go out to eat frozen turds. (Unsure if hers or his)
The turds are probably it. My shep was horrible about it as a puppy, and would go for the cats Almond Rocha if we didn't keep an eye on him. After one he would get all explisive the next day or two.

As for snacks I switched to real dried meat snacks like chicken or duck. It's like crack for dogs. And as a bonus training is much easier. The 1lb size bags are competitively priced compared to cracker type snacks as there is a lot of pieces in a bag, and they are grain free. (Not sure if grain free is really important but thought I'd try it with this guy)

[TheGrey]

Been onto it for months, only outside to do business otherwise indoors. They do have milk a bones, what's the problem with those?

Also, her mess in kennel as I cleaned it up was pretty formed and fine, I think she just being wierd sometimes didnt go. (Pretty princess hates the cold)


I did find a penny in the middle of one of his splats. So going to make sure we dont have any loose coins he's nibbling on. May have just happened to have landed there in the basement where he splashed.

Milk Bones are fine, in and of themselves. I've found people use the term "milk bones" like they use "Kleenex"; as a generic term to cover all treats. Some treats are better for the dogs than others. :)

[Monky]

My block head is on Orijen.. but you don't want to spend that much I'm guessing.

Blue Buffalo is good too.. He just seems to prefer the really $$$ stuff.

[Erni]

My block head is on Orijen.. but you don't want to spend that much I'm guessing.

Blue Buffalo is good too.. He just seems to prefer the really $$$ stuff.
It's funny but my last two dogs hated blue buffalo treats. They would spit them out.

[Monky]

Haven't tried any of their treats. He is kind of snooty with treats and food.


Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.

[mightiestmouse]

I give my dog Acana (no grain) food but she is only a 35lb heeler so she doesn't need much in the way of food which is nice since Acana is on the pricier end. Another way to look at dog food is by protein content. First three ingredients should be protein based if you can find it as most foods use fillers which are not part of a dogs diet if they were running wild. The higher the protein, and also where it is coming from in the ingredients, will typically have your dog eating less food during the day as long as you manage how much you are giving them. It will also be absorbed by the dog better during digestion, which means less coming out later and typically a bit more on the firm side. I'm a believer in spending a little more for quality food, if you can afford it, simply because that's how I treat my own body. A dog is like a kid to me, and I want to get as many years out of them as possible.

As recommended by others, mix pumpkin into the food. I've always started with half of what they would eat mixed in with half of their kibble and slowly get back to only kibble. Make sure the pumpkin is pure pumpkin without any additives, spices, etc...

[brianakell]

try feeding a bit less, 10-20%. Had similar symptoms with a dog, fedd a bit less, issues stopped completely, and good for years after. Just eating a bit too much, and weekly diarhea