Chicken causing Diarrhea
 

My little baby Bella is 6 months old. She loves eating her Meaty Mix canned food with some extra chicken mixed in, but the Chicken seems to be giving her diarrhea. Is this because the change in the diet or becuase of the chicken? Should I continue giving her chicken or cut it out?

She only eats it when there is chicken in it, she will skip her food, even if she is hungry, if it doesn't have it. I'm just sick and tired of cleaning diarrhea off the floor and carpets, she still isn't potty trained.

Do you mean you recently started adding the chicken or the canned food? Sometimes changes in their diet causes diarrhea. That being said...I'm not familiar with meaty mix nor it's ingrediants. Reggie has issues with processed chicken in dog foods, but not natural chicken.

To clear up Reggie's chronic diarrhea...I eliminated every type of treat and fed a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for several days...then I started adding canned wellness...and gradually switched over to Taste of the wild kibble. The only treats at my house now...is bites of boiled chicken or wellness bites which don't contain any chicken products.

You can also give her a tablespoon of canned pumpkin, (not pumpkin pie filling) mixed in with her bland diet. That helps clear up diarrhea also.

Is this the "Meaty Mix" canned food you're talking about?
Vets Choice: Holisitic Health Extension Canned Dog Food
Is this and the extra chicken her main diet?

If it is, the diarrhea may be because of lack of nutrition. This canned product is NOT a complete diet and is meant for supplemental feeding only (i.e. as a topping on dry food). It's completely lacking in bones/calcium and organs/vitamins/minerals and if she would continue eating this as a sole diet I'm afraid you'd end up with a sick little pup in no time. It may be a nice food, but she needs something else besides this and more meat.


If you want a high quality canned food she can eat as a regular diet, try Nature's Variety . They have an Instinct line that is grain free or their "homestyle" cans look like chunky soup. The Merrick line of foods also seem to be pretty popular and go over well.

Ooh really? Ive been adding the chicken to the canned food and the newly added chicken is what is causing her diahrea. Ugh.

Ill go out and get that canned food, any other food you can suggest that I can try for her before buying a large 24-case

Make sure whatever you decide to get says that it's AAFCO approved or meets their guidelines or something like that on the bag or can..... There's a few different companies making all meat unbalanced canned foods and it can get confusing. Those ones usually say something about being for supplemental feeding only on the can.


It could be possible that the chicken doesn't agree with her too. You may need to try to avoid foods with chicken in them (read labels, sometimes it's snuck in there further down in the ingredient list). Nature's Variety canned comes in various flavors (other than chicken). Merrick has a bunch of fun flavors too.... (Nature's Variety also has a free coupon offer if you sign up on their website. That way you could give it try without wasting any $$ if she won't eat it: Welcome to Nature's Variety | Nature's Variety)

I mention these two brands because they're higher quality than anything you'll find in a lot of big chain stores, fairly popular and easy to find. There's tons of good ones out there though. The Whole Dog Journal is a nice little magazine that usually has good info about foods. A popular website to "rate" foods is Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble I don't necessarily agree with all their ratings, but it's a good place to start if you're new.

Another option you could try if the canned food doesn't work out is a balanced raw diet. (That's what my kids eat). There's a few commercial brands out there that make it easy. Sometimes picky eaters will suddenly become ravenous when it's put in front of them. There's quite a few threads on here about raw, do a quick search if you're interested.


I would suggest browsing around the forum and doing a bit of research on what makes a good food. In the long run it'll lead to a happier, healthier Bella.

I bought wellness food for her, see how that goes. I hope the diaharrea goes away, the stench and amount of work I have to put in to clean it all up is horrific.

How long has she had diarrhea? It is also possible for her to be dehydrated. After just a few days...Reggie had to get an iv of fluids at the vet's office.

almost 2 days. I do believe its from the food. Just a mommy's instinct.

I understand.

I took Reggie to the vet's because I was having a difficult time getting it to clear up. I wanted to eliminate any medical condition which may have caused it too. He was given the iv for fluids along with some anti diarrhea meds.

You need to clear up the diarrhea before starting another new food. Then gradually switch over.