Poopy Chronicles

Almost immediately upon adopting Nicki, i noticed he had poopy problems. They persisted even when i switched from the complimentary bag of Krappi Kibble to a better brand.  I will forgo the details of midnight walkings, morning surprises and dribbling all over town.  Suffice to say that nothing really seemed to work, including the hassle of home-made mush.

All this was particularly stressful because Li'l Roski had rotted away from the inside like this.  

Then one morning, Nicki just upchucked his entire breakfast. It was so undigested it could almost be put back in the bag.  Instead i put it in a blender and chopped it up.  This stayed put.  So i decided to switch to mini-bits.  

Trader Joe organic small no-corn kibble made a big improvement, at least in terms of midnight outings,  but rear end results were otherwise mixed.   

Finally, on the separate recommendations of two dogpersons, i tried a ZERO GRAIN  Taste of the Wild.  Almost overnight Nicki's poop went to small, firm, dry.  He also lost his "doggie breath" or at least traded it for one that was light and pleasant.    

Taste of the Wild comes in Fish, Foul and Hoof versions.  It basically consists of dessicated meat with some veggies and potatoes as well as mineral and vitamins. As it turns out, Labs do have a tendency to sensitive stomachs, so i grind half of the portion in the grinder, add water or broth and make a meaty smelling mush-with-chunks.   

It's $6.00 to $10.00 more expensive than a good no-corn brand, but it's worth it.  Aside from the fact that Nicki loves it, his coat (which was always shiny) has gone to sparkling.  He was never fat, but he's gotten even leaner in a good way.  My suspicion is that this will save vet bills later on; and i wish this sort of kibble had been available earlier.  It's a jolt to think that when we got Fips and Rosco years ago we thought Science Diet, which I have referred to as the Krappy Komplimentary Kibble, was a healthy brand.  :(