Dog Food for convenient poo -

[amyd]

Hi, Everyone!

What kinds (brands) of puppy foods are you guys using? I have to express Brooklyn a few times per day and I just want to make sure I am giving her the right kind of food to make her "going" easier. I read somewhere to avoid corn in the ingredients. I bought her a brand of natural dog food - organic or something. It seems to be doing ok - I just wonder what is best - which ingredients to avoid for constipation without making it too soft to express.

Thanks for your help!! Amy

[amyd]

I forgot to mention that I am looking for something that will help her put on a little weight without just filling her up with corn because it constipates her. I have read that some people feed their small dogs jarred baby food meat - like chicken or beef as a supplement. Anyone have any luck with that? Thanks - Amy

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Gads, been fighting diarrhea for months now with Possum. One thing I have discovered is that low fat and low protein is easier on the digestive system.
Feed your pup at the same times every day. That way a regularity evolves.

[pmilner]

Amy, plain canned pumpkin can work either as a stool softner or hardner. With extra fiber you need to make sure she is drinking adequately or the stools get firm. One way to do that is to add 2x times the amount of water as the dry food at each feeding.

Important to have her eating a good nutritious puppy food. You get only one chance as she's growing and developing to get her the right combination of nutrients. Commercial foods are balanced. You could add people food not to exceed 1/3 the amount of dry and probably not unbalance the minerals, vitamins, etc. in the dry food. Things you can add without problem are canned pumpkin, *whole* sardines packed in water (good omegas and the balance of phosphorus to calcium is perfect), bring egg to boil and let egg sit for 6 mins off the burner (might take her several feedings to consume a whole chicken egg. Quail eggs would be more Brooklyn's speed <ggg>. I use a scissors to snip the cooked egg with the shell into pieces)

Too much fat can cause diarrhea. Protein, in the form of quality meat ingredients, is very digestible. Here are proteins that are not:
1) generically named protein such as animal, meat, poultry, etc.
2) byproducts
3) unspecified animal meal (specified chicken, salmon or lamb meal is good)

The main ingredients of a dog food are the items before the fat. Corn is not bad, just should not be the main ingredient for a carnivore. The starch part of corn is highly digestible and a good source of energy, whole ground corn has a very high fiber content which gives larger stools. If you have to express, smaller stools are better <ggg>

Here's a nice tool to rate your food. Some brands have already been scored.
http://www.bigdogsporch.com/blog/?p=46_