GI Issues

[Cgamble718]

Hello, I found your forum and am hoping that some smart experienced people can help me a bit. I have a 2yr old Cane Corso named Samson. He is 135lbs and looking at him seems like a model of health. Shiny coat, still developing heavy muscle that seems to be getting more defined by the day. I am extremely proud of my boy as he gets more and more excited to see me and take his walk as each day goes by.
We have recently been having issues, he eats his 7.5 cups of food split into 2 daily meals as recommended by our vet and has been eating Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato from Costco since he was 6months old. The past month he has had real issues where he looses control and goes in his crate, goes around the house, and it's pure liquid. Our vet checked him out and finds no problems and can't seem to offer any real advice. Has anyone else had issues with a food after their dog has eaten it for nearly 2yrs? Is this a grain free issue? Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? Anything would help, I greatly appreciate it.

Thank you

 

[musicdeb]

First of all, welcome aboard to you and Samson~ 7 1/2 cups of food per day sounds like a lot of food for a 2 year old mastiff.

Sounds like a food allergy. Generally, mastiffs are allergic to grains and chicken in kibble. Find a grain and chicken free kibble. Check out Earthborn Holistics Grain Free, Fromm's or TOTW.

Before starting new food, reset his system. Feed him boiled white rice and boiled hamburger, chicken (generally mastiffs are not allergic to fresh chicken) or turkey for about 4-5 days until his poop firms up.

Check out Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor for dog food ratings and customer feedback.

Keep us posted on Samson. Pics are appreciated.

 

[Cgamble718]

Thank you for your reply and will add pics once I'm on my computer, using my phone now. The amount of food was something our vet calculated using a program she has. He is currently on a grain free food that is Salmon and Sweet Potato. I will definitely try your advice on the boiled foods. Thanks again

 

[musicdeb]

Generally, food is given based on weight. Titan weighs about 120-130lbs and he would eat 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 cups of food per day.

They may changed the formula to the food that is causing the problem. Check the ingredients for any chicken by products, like chicken meal.

Slow and steady growth is key to a healthy mastiff, as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age. A month before Titan turned 3 years old, he gained 10 lbs.

How much does your guy weigh?

 

[DennasMom]

Ditto Deb's comment about the food's formula... dang manufacturers are always trying to "improve" their formula, and inadvertently triggering GI upset in our pups! (one reason we went to raw... to have personal control over the "formula").

How often are the diarrhea episodes?

You can try adding some probiotics, or slippery elm bark after an episode, too... help calm the GI tract and reset the gut bugs.
We've used onlynaturalpet.com's "GI Support" pills. But there are lots of options, and you can use human versions of the supplements, too.