[trkl]

Lacey is having issues with the home cooked food. She loves it, but it gives her a soft poop, which I hate to clean up because it gets her behind all messy.... I tried varying the veggies (carrots peas sweet potato) with same results. Any suggestions? Is this a common problem? Should we stick to commercial food? As I recall she had the same problem with some of the commercial brands in the beginning too. She's a very picky eater. We went through so many brands.

 

[princessre]

Maybe you could try substituting green beans for carrots--- carrots seem to soften poo...

 

[Nikki's Mom]

Carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes are high-starch and high-sugar. Peas are legumes, and sweet potatoes are tubers - not vegetables. Sweet potatoes are in the carbohydrate category, like rice or oats, not in the veggie category. I am not a fan of giving dogs legumes like peas or soybeans. Too many carbs and anti nutrients.

Try substituting zucchini and puree thoroughly.

What types of proteins are you feeding?

What is the ratio of proteins to veggies?

Is you dog in good health?

 

[trkl]

Thanks for your replies. Lacey is in good health. She's a year old and 4lb. Before she got spayed she had bloodwork done that came out borderline for liver functions. But she doesn't have any symptoms and seems healthy.
I did 1/3protein 1/3veggies and 1/3carbs, I added animal essentials calcium to balance the calcium according to instructions.
The stuff that comes out looks greenish orange (sorry for being so graphic) so it must be the undigested veggies?

 

[Ladysmom]

Adding probiotics/digestive enzymes can help with digestion.

Is that Dr. Pitcairn's recipe? Are you adding his Healthy Powder? You need to add more supplements than just calcium to make it nutritionally balanced.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

IMO, Pureeing food well, using zucchini instead of legumes/tubers, and using a digestive enzyme/probiotic (Animal Essentials has a combo product) might help. Your current veggies (except for carrots) really aren't veggies, and they are high in carbs. Then you have another 1/3 carbs. Using lower-carb veggies might help. You can google a carb counter so that you can check the carb count of non-protein foods. Too many carbs can cause digestive issues, imo.