Skip to content

Food making stool too soft

Basenji Feeding
  • I have a 7 month old basenji and currently giving him dry food but his stool is so soft it’s so hard to pick up. Can anyone give me some good name brands of dry food ? Vet said change his diet and I have and still can’t find the right dry food that doesn’t make his stool soft.

  • What are you currently feeding and what have you tried?

  • Oftentimes switching foods abruptly will create "digestion issues". It may be eased if you combine new and old foods together for a week or so before you officially start the new food.

    Personally, I would add a 1/2 teaspoon of pure pumpkin to the food to help settle his stomach. My local WalMart sells it on the baking/spice isle it for ~$1USD. Do not get "pumpkin pie mix" as there are seasonings that can kill(?) your pup. Pure pumpkin, however, is a very healthy addition to their diet.

    There is a lot of pumpkin in the can! I recommend putting small dots of it on a cookie sheet, then freeze it for an hour or so. Store them in a zippered freezer bag and thaw out a few at a time (as needed). Or, toss them in the dinner bowl frozen.... something I've done recently which "doodle" seems okay with.

  • You also might try limit ingredient from Natural Balance. Try the Duck and Potato, I use the small bites. Also switch slowly. That said, I change food every 3 to 4 weeks and have always done so. My Basenjis are very used to change so I never have to worry about changing food or what I add (veggies/fruits, etc). Adding pure pumpkin is a good thing too as noted by elbrant. Have you spoken to your Basenji's breeder? Are you feeding or where you feeding what they fed? I also do not use puppy food either in raising a litter of pups and do not recommend that new owners use puppy food either. If you are using a good quality well balanced kibble, puppy food is not necessary

    https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas?gclid=COaD3M_31-MCFcOmxQIdTrAL6w&gclsrc=ds

  • @elbrant I second Elbrant. Canned pumpkin is supposed to be regulating, whether the problem is diarrhea or constipation. Personally, if you try this and your pup tolerates it but you don't see any improvement, I would up the amount every couple of days until you do see some change (+ or -). Your dog probably will find it quite acceptable.

  • Have you considered feeding him raw food? If you decide to do so make the change gradually. A raw fed dog has much firmer stools and fewer of them.

  • @elbrant
    I also give my dog pumpkin when she has stomach issues. I like your recommendation of freezing “dots” of pumpkin and zip lock freezing them! I’m definitely going to do that - a can of pumpkin goes a long way - freezing “dot” will keep it fresh.I find that the pumpkin does keep my dog’s digestion in check! Thanks for the great suggestion!

  • @elbrant thanks for your helpful suggestions! I am deff going to try the pumpkin dots!

  • @patty what raw food can I give?

  • @tanza I’ve read in the feeding forum lots of people have been using blue buffalo. Do you suggest that name brand for dry food?

  • I'll third or fourth the pumpkin suggestion though I'm probably more in the 2 tsp area than 1/2 a tsp. You could also try Hill's Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care with Turkey Canned Dog Food. You can just add a little every night, just like you would do for the pumpkin. In both cases you're adding bulk to the stool.

    It can also take some dogs a while to adjust to changes in their food. If this is the case, then experimenting with different foods in an effort to find the right one is likely to make things worse. You might also want to feed what the breeder was feeding. It's possible -- though not likely -- that he's not quite ready for some adult foods.

    I'd assume that, as with people, dogs need to match their microbiome to their diet. So quick switches can result in a mismatch.

  • @marisap914 said in Food making stool too soft:

    @tanza I’ve read in the feeding forum lots of people have been using blue buffalo. Do you suggest that name brand for dry food?

    Hi Marisap914 - I did indicate trying Natural Balance Limited Ingredients in my other email. I have never like Blue Buffalo nor have my Basenjis

  • My Basenji mix has been eating Orijen Original for over three years and his stool is normal. I can tell when he eats something different, (visiting relatives) because then his stool is soft and mushy and hard to pick up.

    Orijen Original Ingredients

    85%
    POULTRY | FISH | EGG INGREDIENTS
    15%
    VEGETABLES | FRUIT | BOTANICALS
    0%
    GRAIN | POTATO | TAPIOCA | PLANT PROTEIN CONCENTRATES

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    11 Posts
    12k Views
    Buddys PalB
    wow, read all through that facebook link you gave, so scary! thanks for the flag to be watched, definitely!
  • Raw food

    Basenji Feeding
    28
    0 Votes
    28 Posts
    13k Views
    L
    We switched our 2 boys to raw from kibble about 6 months ago. The switch came because we were simply exhausted from walking them 3 times a day because they had loose stool (we don't have fenced in yard, so we need to walk them to go to the bathroom). Our vet recommended more fiber in their diet to help with loose stool. This intuitively just didn't resonate with us. Basenji are one of the most ancient breeds of dog… why on earth would more fiber be a solution to their problem (I know the theoretical why, but logically it was counter-intuitive)? We read many sources or literature on the raw diet and thought this would be a good switch for them. Again, they are an ancient breed so moving toward raw foods seemed appropriate and logical. It took that about a month for them to get really accustomed to eating raw chicken quarters, rabbit halves or pork shoulders but now they have no problem gulping their meal right down, bone and all (for those of you who don't feed raw, gulping is a normal behavior and bone is an essential part of the diet). Their digestion issues have vanished and we've even seen marked improvement in their destructive behavior. Two super happy boys now, two super happy Basenji owners!!
  • Making my Basenji's food better…

    Basenji Feeding
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    6k Views
    sabaS
    In Australia, (especially in Tasmania :rolleyes:), we have none of the brands of dog food that you guys are talking about… We feed a premium dry food to our 2 B's, in the morning, which I might add, neither eat much of :). In the evening they get dry with a little wet food mixed in, also warmed up. Both of them get a 1000mg Omega 3 capsule, and the difference in their coat is incredible. Both had quite dry, flakey, scurfy coats, and our Vet suggested this, and I couldnt be happier with the results. Im new to the breed, and my mentor lives interstate, so all that I am doing, is trial and error ;). Just a couple of weeks ago, I was showing Ochre, and the judge was going over her coat, again and again, on the table... I was thinking she didnt like her coat, and was dreading what she might say to me !!! I was pleasantly surprised when she actually said that Ochre had the most correct coat that she had touched in the last 12-18 months :D. Thankfully the sun was out, just long enough for the B judging, and she literally glistened in the sunshine. This judge also commented on her bright whites, and shiny red colouring. She said, I dont know what you are doing with her coat, but, please keep it up... I was over the moon with these comments :).
  • Poisonous foods

    Basenji Feeding
    37
    0 Votes
    37 Posts
    14k Views
    Robin_n_JackR
    Yeah, Jack is like that with broccoli- when he sees me pulling it out of the fridge to cook for me, he gets all excited and trembly with anticipation. He immediately sits and watches until he just can't stand it anymore and then he's HANGING TEN COUNTER SURFING!!!!!!
  • What Food And How Much??

    Basenji Feeding
    22
    0 Votes
    22 Posts
    9k Views
    MacPackM
    Topper,12; Nicky 10, ; and Eddie 8 all eat a combination of 3/4 EVO by Innova, and 1/4 regular adult Innova. We free feed, dry kibble is down all the time, but I think I put about 3 cups out a day, some days they eat it all but some days I don't add kibble at all. Mine do get a bit of whatever we have for dinner, mostly veges, they love all veges as long as they are cooked, especially broccoli and sweet potatoes. IT acts as an appetizer, as soon as they finish their plates they run to the kibble bowls to finsih their dinner. We used cheaper grocery store foods for many years but I felt my dogs deseerved a better quality food so tried several premium brands and settled on Innova. Then when they came out with EVO, I slowly added that but when I went 100% EVO, their poops were a bit loose, so we re-added the regular Innova and it seems to suit them perfectly. Eddie's coat was very coarse when we rescued him, he is soft and silky now. Even though it costs about twice as much as the cheaper stuff, I know they are getting good nutrition and their coats glow and their teeth are clean, so it is worth every cent to me. We are what we eat, and if we eat 'animal by products' (hooves, bones, feathers and even sawdust in some) sprayed with flavors and dyed with food colorings, we may be saving money now, but inviting health probelms in the future. Just MHO, but strangers compliment my dogs on their gloss and vigor! Anne in Tampa, off the soapbox
  • Homemade food…

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    youngandtiredY
    I have now switched from Blue Buffalo food to Merricks wet and dry. The Blue Buffalo was hard to get, I had to buy it out of town. I get Merricks locally, and Sahara absoutely eats it better than all the rest. She is a picky eater and doesn't have a big appetite, but man oh man is she waiting when it is meal time now. She cleans her dish, a new thing for her. I am very happy, I use the dry also with about 1/4 cup of wet mixed in. I add alittle warm water to the dry (it makes it's own gravy) heat the wet alittle and add to the dry. Yes, I know Sahara is spoiled b/c I heat her wet food but what the heck, she is worth it, only takes a few seconds. Merricks is pricey $2 per can but I make it last for about 4-5 meals. Anyways, if you read the can and bag of the dry you will see what I mean, it is very good dog food and the family that has the company has been in business for 3 decades.