Help Please with Chow's diet. Desperate SOS

[QuonShen's Mama San]

Hi Everyone. I just bit the bullet and adopted a black Chow from an animal shelter. He is 9 years old and beautiful. I know that is a bit old for an adoptee but I just couldn't imagine him not living out his days being loved or not having the opportunity to be loved by him. He loves getting/giving hugs, is a bit stubborn but that doesn't fizz me, I am patient and don't surrender.

I have been trying very hard to learn and be an excellent Chow Chow parent to Quon Shen. He is very lovable, well socialized, surprisingly obedient (he has challenged but we've been firm and calm) but the shelter has left him insecure, fearful and a little disorientated. He has had trouble adjusting to being crated - extremely stressful with panting and marking but we've been working on giving him confidence. We always remain quiet and confident around him to give him confidence in us. We think the crate issue could come from his time in the shelter with all the stress that entails. We also suspect his previous life was spent tied up or kenneled outside as he has extensive rusting on his black fur and had to be taught to ask out.

But....HELP!!! Please help me. I went looking for a reasonable dry food for him. My understanding of Chows is they are not high energy/active dogs so they function better on lower proteins. So, I tried him on Taste of The Wild fish but he hated it. Loose, watery poos...ew...in a poop n' scoop community....ew. Wiping his breeches....ew. So we tried him on the lamb version. A little bit more success. Then I read that it is often better to serve the dry kibbles wetted down with water (and only water) as this expands the food and reduces the bloating and gas he might experience if he ate it dry them drank. He seemed to like it soupy, if the water was warm, but his stools remained soft (ok, ew, they were squishy but not watery and no breeches wiping, yay) and sometimes he farted. (Occasionally "squeaks" and "squirts" sounds). Then he stopped eating and we got worried. He came to us a little underweight, very thin, so we had hoped to thicken him a bit. So hubby mixed the dry Taste of the Wild with Ol' Roy canned Chicken chunks and he ate it down, slowly but he liked it. But now a few days later he is squeaking and squirting out farts, asking to frequently go out, bending over as if to poop but no poop comes out and when he does go it is very soft. I think his tummy is off. He wants the food but looks at it as if it is the most mixed blessing he could be faced with. Weight was dropping. He gets desperate and anxious to go out, panting and trotting around but outside...no poop. Squats and bends, might fart, no poop. We don't hurry him, just wait, finally he gives up, no poo. It is setting back his routines that he was succeeding at. I felt so bad for him. He actually looked depressed. I want him to be proud of himself, confident and balanced.

Tonight I gave him 2 cups dry Taste of the Wild, made it soupy with warm water, half a cup of cottage cheese, a raw egg and a tablespoon of tuna and mixed it all together real well. He loved it. I was thinking I could add a little rice and vegetables, keep the occasional raw egg. Raw or cooked veggies? Can I try a little plain probiotic yogurt for his digestive track? Are fruits any good for Chows and if so what would be ok? Can I give him a little hard cheese as an occasional treat? What about a tad of natural peanut butter as a reward? Raw vegetables...any I should avoid? I want to find a diet that is successful and comfortable for him.

You are all experienced Chow Chow owners with well adjusted happy dogs so I just can't think where else to turn. My vet has no experince with Chow, just another dog and looks at me like I am crazy to think a Chow is any different from any other breed. I want to be a most excellent Mama San...please help us

[oceans]

I feed my 6 month old female Matilda Natural Balance- Sweet Potato and Venison. I actually switched her from Eukanuba. She seems to like this and poo is fine. I had actually tried to switch her before to Blue Buffalo and she got the poo just like you described. I have never tried this but a vet had once told me that when a dog's digestive system is messed up try boiling some hamburger and rice together and keep this as there only diet for a couple of days and that should help calm the stomach. Hope this helps. Thanks for adopting out an older dog sometimes they are the last to be adopted. I'm sure he will settle down in time. If you get a chance post some photos I would love to see them.

[Sarahloo]

Take a stool sample to the vet so they can check it for parasites and giardia. Take him to the vet with you, because the vet can help with his upset stomach. While there, get him tested for allergies!!! Loo has had many episodes like the one you describe and it turned out he is allergic to almost everything! I think that might Quon Shen's problem too!

[TyChowgirl]

I just saw this. With switching up a diet in any dog it can result to upset stomach from one day to about a week. That typically includes loose or runny stool and farting. Yes, introducing something better is good, but it must be done gradually. A day or two may not make a difference in his stool enough to figure out if its the food or the change of diet, you have to give it more time. Hope he's doing better!