Alaskan Malamute Stools and Diet

Question
Own 8 month old Malamute with pretty much consistent soft stools, not frequent, just mushy piles.  Has has numerous stool samples, dewormed just in case, antibiotics just in case and given antidiarrheal with no luck.  Tried pumpkin as well.  Tried numerous quality foods--Fromms duck and sweet potato, Eukanuba large breed puppy, Canidae, Native lamb and rice, Natural Balance sweet potato and venison, Purina One sensitive stomach.  Acting fine and gaining weight, just concerned about stools.  Had a span from about 6 to 7 months on Eukanuba with firm stools.  Any ideas would be appreciated.

Answer
Hi Cindy,

I see a lot of this in many young dogs; it may be diet-related or it may not be. My own pup had soft stool for a while no matter what I fed, and I was using mainly home made, so able to adjust the fiber and fat all the time, but his stool was continually too soft. In Danny's case I am sure it was a clostridium overgrowth; I resolved it by adding a probiotic to the food (one Udo's adult twice a day).  I also discovered a carageenan sensitivity, so I have to be careful ever using canned foods. My point here is that this does happen to the experts too,and that each case is unique. Many purebreds have sensitivities and you may find your dog does better on one of these:


http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_index.html

http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=3

or my current favourite:
http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=plb


But overall, I hate to say this since I really don't like Eukanuba, but sometimes we have to go with what works. I might keep this dog on the Euk until he is fullgrown and then go back to seeking a premium quality food. Your other option is a home made diet, but I don't recommend that at this time unless you have professional guidance. Growth diets are simply too complex for laypeople to formulate correctly and I would worry about your dog getting all the nutrients he requires.


In short, if you have ruled out things like coccidia and parasites, if you have worked with several premium foods and only one seemed to work, you should probably stick with it. Another option is to try a few more of the sensitive foods, and add in some tripe and/or probiotic, plus a little extra soluble fiber, to see if that helps. (Many people swear by canned pumpkin, but I find any sources of fiber helpful and you can avoid the hazards of the canned foods; I might try a little cooked mashed sweet potato, some well cooked brown rice, or a Tbsp or two of cooked oat bran)   I would really prefer to see a sensitive dog NOT eating gluten every day, as in the Eukanuba, if possible. A Rice based food or grainfree is ideal.

I'm hoping some of this helps - in the absence of a diagnosis such as IBD or coccidia, it's often a matter of trial and error. I've worked with dogs like yours who are just plain sensitive and do best on a limited ingredient home made diet, based on unusual protein sources and a lot of supplementation. Others seem to resolve with the additional fiber and probiotic. Still others are helped by the addition of slippery elm,  which is available at your healthfood store and soothes the intestinal tract.  I can't say which of these might be the ticket for your dog, but only that they are all worth a try. Some fish body oil is anti- inflammatory and may be helpful as well.

Please let me know if I can help more, and how your dog is doing. I have a number of members on my yahoogroup who are dealing with this problem, perhaps you might join us there and discuss this with everyone, too.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition

All the best, Catherine
ADDITION:

PLEASE do NOT add a supplement containing extra vitamins and minerals to your pup's commercial diet. One of the chief problems we encounter with nutrition and pups is over supplementation. You can create serious problems doing that. If someone is trying to sell supplements they need to do so with knowledge and responsibility. Here at AllExperts I place a high value on actually possessing the expertise that people like you come here in search of. Adding a vitamin and mineral supplement to a commercial diet is a bad idea for ANY dog, but for a pup I would have grave concerns.  I looked at the NuVet site and had a very hard time ascertaining the levels of each nutrient, which in itself is a bad sign. Lower levels will not be as harmful as high, but I do NOT feel this product should be added to your pup's diet. While it's true he may not be absorbing all the nutrients he needs for growth - WE DO NOT KNOW THAT.  Therefore I strongly advise against throwing a supplement like this into the mix. The goal here is to provide correct nutrition while controlling symptoms, during this critical period. I hope you will not add a multi vitamin with various ingredients and unknown levels, at this point.


I feel that your first goal is to get your dog on afood that controls his symptoms and provides correct nutrition for this critical stage of life. Loose stool especially of the type you describe is often a food allergy or intolerance, so hence my suggestion that you look for a limited ingredient product. Fiber can be an issue here as well as previously mentioned. You can experiment with different products, or you can stick with the formula that's been working, and add in supplements SPECIFIC to intestinal problems. Once your dog has grown,  you might want to experiment with higher quality foods, but during the first 12 months I prefer to emphasize symptom control along with correct nutrition. It can be a fine balance to walk, but throwing supplements at him that may further unbalance his diet is a very bad idea.

I will continue to look for the actual nutrient levels in "NuVet" but I am not encouraged by the fact it's so difficult to find the information on their site.

Sorry for the length of this, my conscience just dictated I pass more information along to you.