Feeding the Dog

Question
I just switched my Lakeland Terrier, Chester McDuff, from IAMs mini-chunks
mixed with pedigree wet to INNOVA dry.  Of course, terriers always seem to
have a propensity for nervous stomachs.  My research shows the INNOVA is
much better nutritionally and I wanted to go to something that's easier to
handle and better for him.  We switched him a couple of weeks ago and he
started out with vomiting, diarrhea and upset stomach and now he seems to
be better, except his stool is still a bit loose.  On the old food he fluctuated
between loose stool and "lincoln logs" and since he's been on the new food
he's fluctuated between vomiting, diarrhea, "lincoln logs" and loose stool.  
Haven't seen the "lincoln logs" in a while and he seems to be stuck on thick
goop for the last week or so.  My goal is to turn him into a reliable producer
of "lincoln logs".  So, 1) do you consider INNOVA a high quality food; 2) is
there another dry food you would recommend trying if the INNOVA doesn't
catch on?; and 3) how much longer should I give the INNOVA before I move
on to something else?  

Answer
When switching over to any new food, be sure to do so gradually (over a week or two) to avoid intestinal upsets. Also, be sure you are not overfeeding him as that can also produce loose stools. A dog fed a premium product requires less food.

The fiber level is a bit low in Innova and that could be why he is not having firm stools. Iams certainly has more. Also, it may be that the fat level in Innova is too high for your particular dog.

Innova looks to be a pretty decent food, but I would rather the meat ingredients be meat meal rather than whole meat as meat meal means that 70% of the water in the meat is removed, and more meat is then available for the dog. What I recommend is Eagle, Wellness, or Solid Gold. Try Eagle's Holistic Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal Formula or Natural Formula, or one of Wellness' products with lower-fat formulations. I think most of the Solid Gold products are lower fat.

Usually it takes a couple months to evaluate a new food, but if my dogs were doing what yours is, I would try something else.

You could also try giving your dog a tsp. of canned pumpkin (the real stuff, not the pie filling) to help firm up his stools. You might also try adding some probiotics to his food if you feed a food that does not contain probiotics.
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_DigestiveAids.html

http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/EP_PetHealth.html