Info desperately needed on diet change (again)

[Horsefeathers!]

Due to my regular and consistently unreliable supplier, I wasn't able to get the Canidae my dogs have been eating. Now, they've been through diet changes in the past with little problem, so I wasn't too worried... just ticked off at the inconvenience.

I bought a bag of Solid Gold and did the traditional gradual food change with the Canidae I had left. This is the first time I've ever fed Solid Gold. In the past, I've fed everything from Ol' Roy, Dog Chow, Purina One, Eukanuba and other garbage until I started feeding stuff like Wellness and then Canidae. I've heard Solid Gold was good and it was about the next best thing available to me at the time. Anyway, I've never had a real problem changing over from one food to another.

Most of my dogs are having real problems with tummy upset right now. We were up and down all night last night letting dogs in and out and a few times. Some didn't make it :oops: . We've been battling pudding poops in the floor all day and night as well as some vomiting. We've never had such a problem with diet change and don't know what else could be wrong, but could it be possible that so many of my dogs (at least half of the ten) have the same problems with it? They did all have turkey necks yesterday morning. As soon as I get brave enough to try that again, something happens. I don't know what to think.

I've been giving out a little canned pumpkin, but I need to know if perhaps I should fast them for 24 hours. I don't know what to do. In all these years, I've never had this problem before. We haven't fed them for the evening yet and I'll just hang around until I hear some feedback. We are considering just fasting them for 24 hours. Help? :-?

[TDG]

fasting can help, it gives the digestive system a rest and time to recover. ther eis absolutely no problem with fasting as long as a dog doesn't have health issues like diabetes, hypoglycemia etc.

just curious what type of solid gold you are feeding? i've read various complaints recently (since SG apparently changed to having their foods produced at a different contractor plant), especially about the bison-based variety, but also about others.

is it possible for you to get healthwise (made by the same company that makes innova, karma and california natural)? it's a really pure quality food but less rich as the innova, which seems to cause problems with some dogs.

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='TDG']just curious what type of solid gold you are feeding? i've read various complaints recently (since SG apparently changed to having their foods produced at a different contractor plant), especially about the bison-based variety, but also about others.

It's the Hund-N-Flocken. The stuff comes in a vacuum sealed, foil type bag.

is it possible for you to get healthwise (made by the same company that makes innova, karma and california natural)? it's a really pure quality food but less rich as the innova, which seems to cause problems with some dogs.

I really don't know. It seems like I can get anything for a minute or two and then they start having problems getting it in. I had this problem with Wellness as well. I don't mind driving a bit for food (I drove an hour and ended up with the Solid Gold), but even then it seems hard to find anyone that can carry a good food consistently. As soon as I count on someone having it, they don't. I was REALLY happy with Canidae and it's such a bargain for the amount you get, but it's just my luck for them to shrug and tell me "it didn't come in." It helps me immensely to be able to get something in a 40 lb size since I'm feeding 10 dogs right now. I had even considered internet ordering, but from what all I've seen, the shipping charges would eat me up.

I will fast the dogs until tomorrow. They act like they are starving to death tonight and I hate to do it to them, but I don't think I can stand another night of up and down and up and down, letting dogs in and out and cleaning up gross stuff. The thing is I'm stuck with 33 lbs of Solid Gold. When I start feeding them again, I'm wondering if it's going to just start all over again unless I change foods yet again. :-?

[Malamum]

I'm no expert but I would only fast the dogs if you think it is some sort of tummy bug.

If it is purely the food that is causing the upset then it's just going to start again as soon as you feed them.

What about just feeding them a small amount of something very bland such as some cooked chicken and rice. I can imagne that would be hard with 10 dogs but if they manage to keep that in then at least you know for sure that it's the Solid Gold.

[Horsefeathers!]

Thanks, Malamum. I'm not sure if it's a tummy bug, the food, the turkey necks, or what. Even though they were sick last night, they ate this morning, but were still sick today. I just skipped the evening feeding and will resume tomorrow morning. Hopefully, whatever it is will have run its course. I just can't imagine what would have so many of them so sick. One or two, maybe, but at least five of them are sick and spewing from one end or the other.

They're going to have Solid Gold in the morning because it's all in the world I have to give them and it'll give me a chance to see if it's the problem. It would just surprise me to see so many dogs reacting aversely to a change in food. I mean, I could see it not agreeing with one or two, but so many? Maybe it is just a bug.


If the dogs keep that down, I'll just assume it was some sort of bug. If not, I guess I'll ditch the whole bag of Solid Gold and see what else I can find. :-?

[Horsefeathers!]

Well, neither of us has slept much through the night. We didn't feed them last night, but even more dogs are ill. I don't know what's going on! Surely it's not the food at this point. This is the thing I fear most with so many dogs... an outbreak of some kind. It's also the reason I have such fits when I see people letting their dogs just crap all over the unfenced portion of my yard. I worry about things like giardia and coccidia. I reckon all I can do at this point is have a fecal done with one of the sick ones. Surely what's wrong with one of them is the same that's wrong with all of them. :-?

I don't know what to do this morning. I reckon I'll just feed a little canned pumpkin just so they have a little something on their stomachs. Their stomachs are boiling and grumbling and I know they have to be hungry. I just don't hardly know what to do about feeding them. I'm even scared to try chicken and rice at this point, but they can't fast indefinitely. :-?

[Malamum]

:( :( oh no - not a good sign. Keep us posted on how they all are.

[TDG]

if it's a digestive problem, you can fast dogs a lot longer than just a day or two. sometimes they need the time to let their intestines calm down and heal, without having to work on digesting any solid food. the thought is very scary to many people who are not familiar with what happens in the body while fasting. many sick animals do it by instinct and refuse any kind of food until they feel better.

but from what it sounds like, you are definitely right, it probably isn't just a simple tummy upset, especially since all your dogs are affected.

is there any chance something was wrong with the turkey necks?

i'd definitely take in stool samples for a test. this sounds scary. :(

[Horsefeathers!]

TDG napisał(a):

is there any chance something was wrong with the turkey necks?

Actually, that's what I was wondering. Go figure that as soon as I'm willing to try that, they would get sick. The necks smelled ok and they felt ok (not slimy) and they didn't appear discolored in any way, but who really knows? I'd been very briefly boiling them, but I didn't do it to these. :oops:

After the long night, no one has been ill or passed anything nasty today. We are going to try for a light dinner and see how it goes. They all seem to be feeling ok, up running around and energetic. It's just the nighttime diarrhea that's wearing us out. :-?

Thanks, guys! :)

[Malamum]

HF, how are all the kids doing?

[Horsefeathers!]

They're doing great! Whatever it was seems to have passed (literally... ha :o ), but things have settled back to normal, thank goodness. I'm glad the weather has been mild and breezy because we sure did have every window in the house open for some fresh air :-? .

I reckon maybe it was the turkey necks. It's the only thing I can figure.

Thanks for asking! :)

[Malamum]

Good to hear :thumbs: