Chronic diarrhea on Wellness--need new food suggestions

[LaurenThig]

We've been feeding Lily Wellness Core since June this year, and from February to June she was on regular Wellness Super5. Since she's been on adult food, she's had bouts of diarrhea that used to be every couple of months but now is turning into every few weeks. I've ruled out (through elimination) that she's getting into anything in the yard or that we're giving her any treats, etc. that are causing the problem. The diarrhea starts out semi-soft, turns into bright yellow liquid, and then clears up after about a day of withholding food. She also throws up a little bit when this happens. I'd like to take her to the vet to do bloodwork, but I'm also concerned that this could just be a diet issue. (She also had routine blood panels done when she was spayed, but everything was normal at that time--not sure if they check liver, etc. then though.) Could the Wellness Core be too much protein and causing the diarrhea? If so, I'd love some recommendations of a lower protein food that is STILL HIGH QUALITY, especially if anybody on here has run into similar problems. I've tried the dogfoodanalysis website, but apparently it's not working tonight.

Lily is about 12 pounds (just bigger, not overweight) and has no other problems that I'm aware of. Her eyes can be a little runny, which I've seen some people on here associate with Wellness too.

THANKS so much!!

[Britster]

I don't know if it's the protein levels or not for your baby but Jackson had issues w/ Wellness
as well. He had TERRIBLE goopy eye boogers that he had never had before. It was awful.
So I switched him from the Super5Mix to the CORE and it still didn't help. He now eats Nature's
Variety Instinct (Nature's Variety) and being a picky eater, he LOVES the food! His
favorite is the Turkey & Duck flavor. He never has eye boogers anymore (I clean out his eyes
maybe 2x a week) and his poops are generally very firm and small. He's been going less during
the day too. I'd highly recommend NV! He's never had a food he's loved this much. It's got great
ingredients. It's still a bit higher in protein at 35% but not quite as high as some other grain free foods.
If you think it may be the protein, NV has a Prairie line which is a bit heavier in grains but still a good
quality food.

[YorkieMax82]

I feed mine Merricks and they love it!

[Pizzi26]

I'm new to this site and have been reading e-mails and came upon yours. I have a 10 mth old Yorkie that I got from my brother (he breeds them) who was feeding them what they thought was a great dog food. I didn't think so since I have fed my other 2 dogs (tea cup poodle and cockapoo) the same food for 7 years and they are doing great. So, of course the new puppy named Daisy Mae was introduced to the new food slowly and does very well. I feed my dogs Exclusive which is by LandoLakes Purnia Feed... Its on the higher end of the food chain and is usually just sold at special stores. My 2 older dogs are on the Senior food and Daisy loves it but I have been switching her to regular food which does have a high protein content.

Maybe you could try a Senior food which is lower in protein but still is good for your dog. My cockapoo has been on Senior food since she was a year old since she is overweight and does very well.

You do have to make sure that when you switch food in dogs it needs to be done on a 5 to 7 day basis. If you don't you will make them sick with diarrhea and upset their tummies.

I hope this helps a little and your baby gets better soon.

[rachelanne820]

I am not a fan of high protein foods for our little guys. I feed mine Innova Puppy - they are both still under a year. BUT most of Innova foods, including the puppy is all life stages approved. Most Innova kibble has about 25-28% protein, excluding the EVO which is their high protein line. My two babies are VERY picky and they like the taste of Innova. I tried Merrick, Canidae, Wellness, Natural Balance and Solid Gold before choosing Innova. All are high quality foods and do not have a high protein content. Also, all will send you samples so you don't have to buy without knowing if your pup will like it. You might go back to Wellness super5 if she was doing good on it, though.

Hope you find a fix soon.

[LaurenThig]

You all are so wonderful- thanks for all the advice.

For those on Innova, what size kibble do you do--regular or the small bites? The small bites of the Wellness were too small for Lily (she likes to crunch, and I know it's good for her teeth). I think I definitely want to try her on something that's on the lower end of the protein scale. I don't want to go back to the Super5 because even when she was on that, she was having the diarrhea spells every couple months. And if it IS food related, then that could very well be the brand she just doesn't do well on.

Still don't know too much about Merricks. Any more opinions or info on that brand?

And does anybody know anything more about pancreatitis? That's my only other concern at this point... no other symptoms except the diarrhea/vomiting, but I know it can also by asymptomatic. I will say that she has mucus-y looking stools when the diarrhea gets started, and sometimes in between too.

[rachelanne820]

I use Innova puppy - the bites are actually a little bigger than the adult small bites formula. If Wellness small bites were too small, the Innova small bites probably will be, too. They are super tiny. BUT the puppy is an ALS formula so you could use that - it has slightly higher amounts of fat and protein, though.

I tried Merrick, also. I loved the ingredients and look of the food. Mine just didn't like it, though. They have 1 pound trial size bags available, which is nice. Several of local stores in my area carry both brands. Pet Supplies Plus has pretty much all the premium brand. I think they are a chain so you might have a local one.

Good luck!

[LaurenThig]

I've also seen on here that you can get samples of Innova. I think that's what I'm going to try, but it still looks like it has close to the same amount of protein as the Wellness Super5 (I could be wrong though--would love to hear from somebody who knows for sure). Anyway, does anybody know how to go about getting the samples?

Will also call the vet this afternoon to see what he thinks I should do (blood tests, switch food, or both now). I'll keep y'all updated!

[Britster]

Innova offers 1 pound bags (atleast in the store around here) for $5 something. Jackson ate the adult Innova for a while and he was never crazy about it at all. He didn't really like it too much. He did well on it otherwise, he just didn't like it that much and refused to eat it after a month. I think it's a very good brand though.

[rachelanne820]

I got free samples from a feed store. They sell 2.2 pound bags, also. You could try emailing the company (that's what I did for several brands I wanted to try) or going to a local feed store that carries Innova. As for the protein, I don't think any brand will be less than 22% - I think some senior formulas offer low protein. Innova puppy has 28% I believe - and the adult is around 25%. You can compare on the brand's websites. All list the guaranteed analysis.

[LaurenThig]

Thanks rachelanne.

All this made me think of another question: If the food is causing the problem, why is the diarrhea coming and going rather than hanging around all the time? It does clear up when I withhold food from her, but then she'll go several weeks with no problems while eating the Core. Does anybody have similar experiences that DID turn out to be food and not other health problems?

Is it kind of like the protein builds up and builds up in her system until her body just can't handle it, and then the diarrhea is a "natural" way of cleaning her back out?