Just an observation

WildFlower2350 · September 2013

The people that work in the pet food stores are almost always more helpful than the darn vet! My dogs poop was not right for a while, we had her tested for parasites and all that other stuff and she was fine..trial and error through different foods but it was the pet store worker that suggested changing the protein (we went from chicken to beef in the end) and wouldnt you know that did it? She is fine now! The vet never once mentioned protein as a possible cause for loose stool. Anyone that is having a hard time with food, try the pet food store, those folks are really knowledgeable!

LuckyAngel07 · September 2013

This is because vet's actually get very limited education in nutrition. Maybe 1 or 2 classes out of their entire vet school coursework. I'm always hesitant to discuss diet with vets, because I just don't think they're going to be as informed as I've made myself when it comes to ingredients, proteins, etc.

ETA: Glad you figured out the problem and have fixed the issue!

aggiebug · September 2013

I would say a vets education is better than an 18 year old pet store employee (:|

I am curious what you switched from and to because there is a lot more to it than chicken and beef. But I am really glad you finally found something that works.

I can tell you changing a diet is the #1 reason for diarrhea in a pet so it is typically to try and rule out other basic problems before switching foods and quite probably exacerbating the problem.

NalasMomma618 · September 2013

I would suggest finding a new veterinarian. Pongo has IBD, and instead of treating long-term with antibiotics and steroids, he suggested a diet change, and that's been perfect. He initially dropped 8 pounds in two weeks, so we did some bloodwork to rule out EPI, which made sense with his symptoms. After finding that it wasn't pancreatic, the doctor immediately suggested food trials, as opposed to the medications often used to treat his condition. We ruled out chicken entirely, and went to the opposite end of the spectrum to be on the safe side - sweet potato and fish. Pongo went from 42 pounds to a healthy 60 in a matter of weeks.

We switched to California Natural, but after the constant recalls we began looking for something new. After explaining this to the workers, they recommended a food to me saying it would be perfect - lo and behold it's 3rd ingredient was chicken fat. My veterinarian on the other hand found us a food that's been perfect.

Janessadawn · September 2013

I'd second the idea of finding a new vet. While we have cats and not dogs, and see a cat-specific vet, ours is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to nutrition advice. It may be true that vets don't get a whole lot of nutrition education, but the good ones do their own research. Just like with a vet, some pet store employees will know their stuff, some won't. (Don't even get me started on the brand-specific reps that Petsmart allows to hawk their wares in their stores. So annoying.)

Just an observation

Re: Just an observation

Choose Another Board

Search Boards