[mrichards1771]

I changed my dogs food and she seems to be pooping three times the amount that she use too. She use to go 2 maybe 3 times a day now she goes like 8 times a day. Could this be due to the new food?

[Wondergirl]

What goes in must come out. Unless she has a secret food source, the new food is what you see in its final form. Check the label on the box or bag. Is there a lot of fiber or filler in it?

Why did you change her food?

[mrichards1771]

I have two dogs and I had to change the older dog from puppy food to adult food. Money is little tight so I went with the store brand (petsmart) instead of the Pro Plan that I was feeding them. The vet said that my older one was just a little over weight so I decided to get her food for weight management. (I did mix it with some of their old food). I was told that the store brand was better then the Pro Plan anyway because it had no by products in it so I went with it. Cheaper is just not better in this case. I would like to find a good dog food that I could just get from the grocery store or from Walmart instead of having to travel to go to the pet store to get their food. Any suggestions on what might be good from walmart or the grocery store (that is better then what I have)?

Thank you!

[Wondergirl]

Any suggestions on what might be good from walmart or the grocery store (that is better then what I have)?

Thanks for the very good explanation of why you changed the food and what you're up against.

I just happen to be a cat person answering basic questions on the Dogs board. With naming dog food brands and sources, I'm out of my league (although I could fill you full of info about cat food!). Please be patient. We have some wonderful, caring, and very smart dog experts on this site; they usually come online after supper and into the evening. Please check back in a few hours to see what is being posted to help you.

[Alty]

Dogs react very badly when their food is changed abruptly.

The best way to change foods is to start small. Mix new food with old food, and gradually reduce the old food until you're only feeding the new.

If you don't do this it will upset the dogs stomach. The fact that she's only pooing more is actually good. Most times a dog will vomit, have the runs, and seem ill from an abrupt change in diet.

[shazamataz]

Do you have PAL Natural over there?
I find it's a decent cheap food, not regular PAL, only the natural variety which doesn't include colors or preservatives.

I feed Supercoat, it's a middle of the range food commonly sold in supermarkets (in Aus anyway). And mine all do well on it. In saying that though, every dog is different.

Some grains and fillers are OK, some dogs can't handle them but the majority seem to do all right (yes, they will poop more though) I just steer away from colors and preservatives mostly as they are the biggest allergy triggers.

[paleophlatus]

You're seeing one of the main differences in pet foods, having gone from a premium food (Pro Plan) to an inexpensive one. The name of the difference is 'digestibility'. Pro Plan is made of premium ingredients and is quite completely digested and absorbed by the intestine, leaving little indigestible materials. Hence, little to have to excrete. Cheaper foods are that way precisely because they use lower cost ingredients, which are usually lower in nutrient value. Oh, the labels all say, and are probably accurate, that they have a balanced food. But they never accurately describe how well utilized it can be by the animal's body. Hence, these foods have quite a bit of 'bulk' left over after digestion is complete. Compare 20 lbs of premium food, vs 20 lbs of store brand, or 5 lbs for a small pet. Which food lasts longer, regardless of how much they eat. Often, the less expensive food is 'less satisfying' and the pet just eats more of it. This gives a better picture of how expensive your pet's food really is, and it may be surprising.

One good measure of how 'efficient' the food is to a pet is the amount of waste it produces... less is better. The best way to judge a food's value to the pet is by how well the animal does, in appearance, performance, reproductive results. Of course most people aren't going to be able to fully evaluate their foods in this way.

All foods meet minimum standards, and they are closely monitored by the AAFCO(American Association of Food Control Officials) and the FDA. The FDA is as concerned about the safety and quality of foods for people as animals. Whether it's true or not, we were told that pet food must meet strict standards as people foods because some people may feel forced to have to eat it because of their financial predicament.

At any rate, animals can get just as sick on improperly prepared foods, or bacterial contamination as we can. I can't think of a standard food that does NOT have 'by-products' in it, but saying that any dog food has contaminated byproducts, such as diseased or dirty parts is false. Makes good selling points, but 'taint so. For the same reason those things don't make it into our food. However, you will find edible pieces of things that most of us would not eat, such as 'lips', lungs, tongue, large blood vessels and other 'delicacies', especially in canned food. All the diseased and inedible rest goes into what is called 'tankage' and is utilized in a variety of products NOT INCLUDING anything to be consumed by man or beast.

Which is better, dry or canned? Nutritionally, they provide the same thing, but with canned, you are paying for a product that is 80% water, while the dry is only about 10% so. Organic foods are just more expensive because of being organic. If it makes the consumer feel better, then it is automatically 'better', at least for the consumer. The animal doesn't appreciate any difference. Designer foods? Many dog food manufacturers conduct feed trials on kennels of their own dogs, and have food scientists who develop doggy diets that are both nutritious and the dogs will eat and thrive on. Wal-Mart has Ol'Roy to show 'em what their food will do. What does **** Van Patten have or do? I'm sure he has a few dogs, but I bet he uses the FDA guidelines and hires a chemist to develop his foods. Science Diet used to be THE ABSOLUTE food 30 years ago, but the company was sold and 'market demands' caused it to change it's custom of never changing ingredients because of market available or pricing. Now it is just good food, no better or much different than other foods such as Pro Plan.

When trying new foods, start with small amounts, in case your dog doesn't like it, or it doesn't like your dog. Any abrupt overnight change in foods may reward you with loose stools, or even diarrhea within 24 hours or less. Mix the new with the old for a few days, winding up with all new. If all goes well, see how it works out. If your dog eats it, and all goes well, he will not suffer, nutritionally. Some foods produce more intestinal gas than others, some cause more odorous BM's than others, There is no benefit to colored dog food, which is done by food dyes, for guess whose benefit? If there is to be any staining of anything by an accident, it will be the fault of the dyes.

So much for the tour through some of the unadvertised parts of the food industry. Ask your vet what is recommended for your pets besides, or in addition to, what he sells. Pick what appeals to you and hope your dog likes it too. If not, change. Expect that she will turn her nose up at what she is eating, especially with a new bag of the stuff... Slight changes in the ingredients can taste differently, and may not be to the pet's liking. Switch to the other food that she likes.