Puppys loose stools

[sonyajoy]

My 5 mont old akita has had loose stools since I got him. He has been to the vet & has been check out. Dr said he is healthy but maby I need to change foods. Breeder had him on purina puppy chow but I wanted him to eat something healther so I weened him off of that to Buffalo Blue Large Breed, he still had loose stools so I weened him off of that & now he is on Solid Gold Wolf Cub (Large breed puppy) & he still has loose stools. Can anyone help? I don't want to keep switching him & the internet had these 2 as top foods for large breed puppies. He is a very happy playful puppy this s his only problem?

[sonyajoy]

He is doing good so far. I only gave him the pepto twice. He is such a good smart puppy-so full of life. Thanks for all the great advice :-)

[Margot49]

I never heard of the Nutra Source food but worth a try.  I hope you picked up canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.  LOL!!
I've never heard of adding Pepto Bismol to the drinking water.  I always just give it out of the bottle with a syringe (no needle on it, of course!!)  It's okay to use on occasion but I wouldn't make it a routine over a long period of time.  Too bad they didn't have the Eukanuba.  Did he happen to carry Pro Plan?  
And, just a thought..............I know you took him to the Vet and he checked out okay but (and you may not need an actual appt for this), I think I'd try taking in one or two more fresh stool samples for the Vet to check for parasites and/or Giardia. Some of those don't necessarily show up in every sample. If I ever suspected Giardia in my dogs, I always had 3 stool samples done on 3 separate days.
Good luck. Keep us posted.

[sonyajoy]

I went a Local Pet Store that has been in business for 20 or more years. I told him my pupppies problems & told him what you had suggested. He agreed with the pumpkin & he said pumpkin will also help keep worms away. He did not carry Eukanuba but he carried Nutra Source along with a few other premium dog foods. He said his daughters dog had the same problem as my puppy & he started feeding her dog the Nutra Source & added pumpkin & it not only stopped the loose stools but the dogs coat & skin started looking alot better. He also suggested that I put a cap full of Pepto Bismol in his bowl of water.
So I bought the food then went to the grocery store & bought the pumpkin & pepto. Within a couple of days his stools were a litte firmer.  We are taking it one day at a time but I hope this is the solution. Thanks for all your help.

[Margot49]

Probably a food thing and food issues can be so hard to deal with.  Yes, I would try the Eukanuba puppy food (but get the small bag).  Before all the fancy foods came out, many of us used Eukanuba puppy food with good results.  Or, you might try the Natural Balance foods and try staying away from meat possibly.  I am feeding our Grey (who has protein issues in his old age) the Fish and Salmon food and his stools are good and firm on that food.  
Yep, can be a trial and error thing.
Keep us posted.  We all learn from each other.

[sonyajoy]

I had been mixing youart, it did not help. Yes mam he has been to the vet & checked out. He is so happy & full of so much energy. The vet just told me that there may be something in those foods not agreeing with him & like you said it is just trial & error. I slowly change his food by adding the new food a little at a time. I will try the Eukanuba & the canned pumpkin, hopefully it will help. Thank you so much. Have a great day!

[Margot49]

Whoops!!  Good thing I reread this.
It should say    I know others will probably suggest probiotics and/or yourt, which MIGHT help.  
Sorry about that.  LOL
I think I need more coffee this morning.  

[Margot49]

Welcome to the forums.  I see he has been to the Vet. I can assume the Vet checked stool samples for any parasites, giardia, etc?  
Purina puppy chow is not a good quality food and glad you are trying to switch.  Looks like you aren't having much luck.  When switching foods, do you make sure to mix the old and new, half and half, at least for 2 or 3 days?  You don't want to do an abrupt food change.
OK, and I may need my flame retardant underwear here for this suggestion.  :-)  Go pick up a small bag of Eukanuba puppy food.  Try adding that for a couple of days then switch over.  You can also try adding some canned pumpkin (NOT the pumpkin pie filling). Sometimes, this will help firm up the stool.  I know others will probably suggest probiotics and/or yogurt, which wouldn't help.  I'd opt for the probiotics before trying dairy.  
Keep us posted and good luck.  Sometimes these issues just take trial and error to resolve.  Of course, if it gets too bad, back to the Vet.