Loose stool

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Sunflower77

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My 5-month old Sheltie girl has loose stool quite often. Usually her stool is nice and firm in the morning. But in the afternoon or evening, it starts firm, then turns to mushy or loose at the end. Her fluffy pants often get stained. I’ve been feeding her Fromm Gold puppy kibble food because it was recommended by her breeder. I don’t think I’m over feeding her either. The instructions on the bag says 1.25 to 1.75 cups per day based on her age and future weight. I’m feeding her about 1.5 cups per day. I sometimes mix her dry food with boiled chicken breast or canned dog food. If I do that, I’ll reduce the amount of dry food. In the past several days, she was only given dry food, nothing else. But there’s no improvement in terms of her stool consistency late in the day. She’s very healthy and thoroughly checked out by her vet.

I’m considering changing her dry food and may try pumpkin too. I wonder if anyone else had similar issues with their Shelties and were able to resolve the loose stools with a different brand of dry food? I’m not considering a raw diet at this point. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
 
I'd definitely try pumpkin and see if that helps, I'm also wondering if the Fromm is perhaps too rich for her?
I'd also not go by what the bag suggests, I'd rather feed a little less and keep an eye on their weight that feed too much.
When Piper was young I fed him 1 cup per day of dry (he's 13 3/4" tall full grown) and this was plenty for him.
Most Shelties are food hounds and won't complain if they're fed too much lol.
 
Piper's mom said:
I'd definitely try pumpkin and see if that helps, I'm also wondering if the Fromm is perhaps too rich for her?
I'd also not go by what the bag suggests, I'd rather feed a little less and keep an eye on their weight that feed too much.
When Piper was young I fed him 1 cup per day of dry (he's 13 3/4" tall full grown) and this was plenty for him.
Most Shelties are food hounds and won't complain if they're fed too much lol.
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Thank you for your input. My breeder also suggested 1 cup per day. However, when I sent my dog for checkup at her vet, the vet said she was under weight. She was 13 inches tall at that time and weighed 9.4 pounds only. She pointed out that her pelvis and ribs all indicated she’s too thin. So I started to feed her more and she subsequently gained some weight. Based on the growth chart, looks like she will be about 16 inches tall at shoulders when fully grown.
 
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I’d consider taking a sample in to the vet. My puppy boy had similar symptoms years ago and it was giardia.
 
Most puppies have giardia or coccidia. Even though breeders worm them it's just hard to avoid. Giardia can be hard to get rid of, so a few follow up fecal tests are also necessary. I had one that had it for nearly 6 months before we got rid of it. You'll need to take a fecal sample in to your vet for testing.

You're feeding an excellent food. My go-to when they have the runs or soft stools is to feed a combination of boiled chicken breast and white rice for a few days, or until the stool firms up. It's not a long-term diet but it's good to rest the system while they recover. Also, add a good quality probiotic to your puppy's food daily. It's one of the best things you can do for their digestive health. I like Natures' Farmacy Probio Max.
 
Thank you all for chiming in. My puppy’s test result came back negative this morning. She doesn’t have any parasite or worms (including giardia and bunch of others). I decide to try a limited ingredient diet (lamb) to see if her stool will get better. I read some old posts in the forum. Some dogs with similar symptoms were allergic to chicken and once the owners switched their food, their stool firmed up. I’ll see how it goes.
 
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I also had trouble recently with a puppy who had loose stools. All tests were clear other than her insides were inflamed (which makes sense). I put her on a really easy to digest food by Royal Cabin— Canine Gastrointestinal High Energy. It was just what she needed to reset her upset insides.
 
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