posted 03-01-2004 09:16 PM         

Secondly it sounds to me like he might have swallowed something like a toy or other foreign object that might be blocking his stomach or intestines or something to that effect. Or maybe since he isnt vomiting anymore...that he might have had that in the past and finally pooped it out one day recently (as disgusting as it might be its sometimes a good idea to watch stool carefully.

posted 03-01-2004 09:32 PM         

I have an AB myself. He's about 19 & 1/2 months now, i think. He can be a finicky eater too sometimes.

But i've had a more similar experiance w/ are Chinese Shar Pei.

I'm thinking just try & find a food (kibble)he likes. Since he's ready & willing to grub down the canned food & treats, it seems as though he's beeing picky.

Are you feeding any table scraps or human food??

At such a young age, the pup should not know anything yet about variety. He should'nt know that theres actually options of food and definately should'nt know about human food. Yeah he can smell it in the air, while you humans are eating & stuff, but NEVER let him taste it, y e t (and for a w h i l e).

I say just try and find something (kibble)that he likes, and one that his GI tract & Digestive System agrees with.
I think the reason why SD made his stool more solid than before is because of the high corn volume in the ingredients.
Personally, i would'nt recommend SD.
That stuff is nasty (unhealthy in the l o n g run).
Since you guys were even considering that you were gonna feed strictly canned food (to me meaning that you can spend a little more on food), i'd go w/ a more quality/wholesome/holistic type of food.

Personally, i'd recommend Wellness Super5Mix Puppy. Then after 2-3 months on that, i'd switch to Innova Puppy, or Chicken Soup Puppy. These foods are pricier, but well worth it. Shop around & try to find your cheapest retailer, it'll be worth it.
Innova is very high on caloric intake, so it can help w/ the weight loss situation you have.
Keep in mind that when changing dog foods, to do it in a gradual switch, you know??
And most dogs will develope diarrhea when introduced to a new food.

Are you also giving like multi-vitamins?
If so, this could be the reason for the Diarrhea.

What kinda AB do you have?
Bully, Standard, or Hybrid???

Mines a Bully.

posted 03-01-2004 10:05 PM         

I don't know much about diseases so I can't help you there. My advice would be to find a good quality food that he likes and give him that. If he doesn't eat it, and all the other problems persist for an extended period of time (over 1 wk) then go back to the vet.

posted 03-02-2004 03:15 AM         

Feeding him canned food will not hurt him,The easiest way to get him back onto dried food is simply add a small amount of dry to his canned and every day increase the amount of dry and reduce the canned you will find in about 2-3weeks he will be eating hard food again.

Have you tried soaking the dried food in a little warm water this is usually enough to get a puppy to eat it as its not so hard.

You can also give him puppy substitute milk aswell as water for a couple of weeks this will give him extra vitamins and minerals to help boost his digestive system up, You can but it from any petstore of vets its designed for bottle feeding and weaning puppies.

Also i have had problems with SD and Eukanuba with my dogs and puppies so i stay clear of it the same with IAMS.

Like i say if you try a combination of things he will soon be back to eating his usual feed and be back to normal in no time.

Hope this is of some help .

posted 03-02-2004 06:32 AM         

Most people, and I am assuming AtlantaBulldog is one of them, assumes they are good foods because they DO come highly recommended by vets. But the vets get their knowledge of nutrition directly from the kibble companies, which means their information is biased and incorrect.

To get the real story, you have to do your own research (or find a vet that has done his own research and doesn't care about kickbacks from the companies). Eukanuba and SD have inferior ingredients and offer poor nutrition for your dog. GoodboysBaddogs had some good recommendations of other foods to try.

I would be careful of giving the pup whatever he wants - this is setting him up to be a picky eater for life. However, you also cannot let the little guy starve. As far as that goes, I think Mike's answer seemed very reasonable - just make sure the kibble you choose is a GOOD one - Innova, Canidae, Wellness, Healthwise, Chicken Soup, Natural Balance, etc.

Canned food is known to cause tooth decay, but then again so is kibble. I think canned is supposed to be even worse in that regard than kibble.

If it were my pup, I would put him on a raw diet.

posted 03-02-2004 08:58 AM         

Wellcome to the forum!!!! There was a great post called FOOD FOR THOUGHT written a while back, I bumped it up for another poster a couple of days ago. Scroll down until you find it, I know it will be very helpful to you!

You sound like a very concerned pet owner who wants what is best for your new family member, and because you are doing the research, I know you'll get the answers you're looking for.

Enjoy your pup! Aren't they so much fun?