dog food for large puppy

Question
Hi Catherine,
I have a 9 month old 60lb. lab mix named Duke.  He was found at about 8wks. old abandon and tied to a tree.  I actually got him when he was about 4mos. old.  He has been on Blue Buffalo for large breed puppies - chicken and brown rice but has soft/sometime diarrhea poops (especially his afternoon poop - the a.m. is usually a little more firm).  He has received two different dewormed medications (at different times which did not affect the consistency of his bm) and just recently was given Metronidazole 250mg.  This helped but I was also feeding him only half of his dog food and half white rice twice a day. When I decreased the rice and added more dog food the problem started to come back.  My dilemma is I don't know what food to feed him.  I like an all natural food but reading the labels can be very overwhelming.  I have a friend who uses Wellness but the ingredients like very similar to Blue Buffalo and I don't know if it is worth the change.  Also, my friend adds about a teaspoon of beet pulp to her dog's food daily.  Would this help and would you recommend it?  Duke's activity/energy level, coat, etc... has always been very good.  He does not have problems in any other area except the consistency of his bm.     
Thanks so much!

Answer
Hi Mary,

You know, reading this over I think I really would try the Wellness. I'm not a great fan of Blue and there ARE significant differences. Many things can cause loose stool and adding fiber can help, but don't overdo it or it can worsen the problem, I prefer well cooked brown rice or sweet potato to beet pulp. You can try the fiber, but a food switch might be the ticket. I do like Wellness Superfive an also have been seeing great results with both Acana and Fromm FourStar products.  You might want to try one of the sensitive lines; Wellness Simple solutions, or one of the Natural Balance sensitive foods.  Pups need a lot of nutrient so you want to get him on something he can tolerate asap. I know it's a lot of information to take in; if you're a yahooperson, I run a very active and informative group that can help you with your educational process.
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition - we'd be glad to help you decipher this bewildering problem.

You might also try a probiotic; Monica Segal makes an excellent one you can order at www.monicasegal.com or simply pick up a product in the healthfood store, I like Udo's Choice but there are many good ones, and sprinkle one capsule a day over food.

Hope this helps and let me know how you get along if you switch! I've raised a pup like that myself, so I know firsthand it can be frustrating.