I switched my dogs food...how come they poop twice as much?

Question

I switched my dogs food from Iams to this all natural brand called Natural choice. Ever since my dogs poop a lot more. I was told that this Natural Choice would make them actually poop less because it is all natural. There poop isn't diarhhea, it's just really big piles. I switched the foods slowly like you're supposed to. Should I switch back to Iams?

Answer 1

Your probably feeding too much. If the dog food is a high quality dog food and doesn't have a lot of fillers in it then you should be feeding your dogs less then a more inexpensive brand that has more fillers. I have my dogs on a high quality pet food and they need a lot less then they did on the first brand I had them on. Don't switch back, try cutting back a bit and see what happens, just monitor their weight. Also, dog food bags indicate how much you should feed a dog based on their weight but after speaking with my vet they said this can be misleading because dog food manufacturers will tell you to feed more then what your dog actually requires to get you to buy more but also because people feel they need to feed their dogs more then they need to.
Call your vet and ask how much you should be feeding your dog.

Answer 2

My dog is on Nutro Natural Choice. It has made her poop much smaller and easier to clean. I'm not sure if your Natural Choice is the same brand that I feed my dogs, though. Check the label. If the food contains corn as the first, second, or third ingredient, then the dog food is actually mostly corn. Corn is a filler in dog food, to take the place of more expensive and healthier ingredients. If the dog food contains corn, then that might be why your dogs have bigger poops. Iams is an OK brand (there's a lot worse brands out there). If your dog does better on Iams, then I would go ahead and switch back. Some dogs do better on certain foods than others. Iams does have fillers in it, but it is certified as nutritionally complete. I fed my cats Iams for years, and they did great on it!
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

The less fecal matter that the dog eliminates, the better for not only clean up reasons. The less that comes out means they get more out of the food in terms of nutrition.
Personally, I have always fed Eukanuba..... my Dad fed Euk as far back as the 1950's and swore by it. Some of the so called Natural products.... don't have a great result with some dogs but others........ do well on it. The best thing I can tell you is to stick with what works to keep your dog healthy. Iams is a good product! Why did you switch? Was there an allergy to it? Dog not wanting to eat?
Was there a reason for the switch? If not, go back to what worked.

Answer 4

Go for Natural Choice Ultra, by Nutromax. I feed raw, and if you can do THAT, then your dog will poop out stools that disintegrate after a few days. If you can get your hands on Newman's Organic, then DO it. Researh the food you feed! Look up the ingredients, I would not feed Iams anymore after researching the ingredients. Do you know that SOME dogfoods actually get their protein from shelter dogs and cats that have been euthanized??? Everyone has the Internet at their disposal. USE it! Feed the best food you can afford. I can get chicken ribs for .05 a lb - 40 lbs for 8.00 and then I add veggies and organ meat,etc. I STILL feed cheaper going raw than I did on kibble. My dogs can't be persuaded to eat kibble anymore. DO the research and find out what the best options are for YOUR dog! My dog's skin problems are going away, she has hair where she was bald before.

Answer 5

Don't switch back to Iams. They have some decent products, but Natural Choice nutro is by far the better brand. You're dog may be having a hard time adjusting to the Nutro even though you switched him over gradually. Iams uses a LOT of by-products (chicken beaks, feathers, feet etc) and is not nearly as nutritious as Nutro. It may just take some time for your dog to realize that he doesn't need to eat as much to have more nutrition and thus he is passing more waste then on the IAMS. I would give the Nutro a few weeks at the least. Nutro also has a money back guarantee where you can take the unused portion back to the store and get a different bag. If you aren't already, you may want to start feeding them the Chicken and Oatmeal until the dogs are used to the food.

Answer 6

If the food isnt great quality, has a lot of fillers and not so much protien the dog will poop more because he cant digest the fillers and has to pass them. If I were you I would switch back to Iams since that seemed to work better.

Answer 7

I think your feeding the dogs too much. Iams is full of fillers and other bad things for your dogs. Talk to your vet about how much your dogs should be getting. Nature Choice is a good dog food. Last thing you want to do is go back to Iams. It's one of the worse dog food. It has beaks and toe nail ground up in it for filler.

Answer 8

Most likely if thats the only difference even though I don't like iams because it makes dogs shed more (I know, I take care of a dog on that brand and she won't stop shedding.). they probably also poop more because there is either more stuff in it then they need or some other reason.

Answer 9

Iams is the best food for a dog. When you switch their food you should mix one cup of the new food to the rest of his regular food and slowly add more of the new one everyday till its all the new food. And his body will have the chance to get use to this new food. A dogs stomach is very sensitive.

Answer 10

Digestibility
The natural may be natural and still have fillers or more fiber.
You dog was digesting more of the iams them the natural.
Your dog food many have more protein and protein can not be stored so it goes to waste.
If your dog was as healthy on Iams as on the Nat I would go back to Iams
Choose what food your dog did best on not the size of pile