DoctorPup Complimentary Service

Changing food

Q: I changed my puppy's dog food about a four days ago, we changed it from Eukanuba to Blue Buffalo because I wanted a healthier choice of food. Plus we heard from other French Bulldog owners that it helps with skin allergies. We've noticed that's it's helped on that regard. But today he got diarrhea, we did notice that his stool had been a little loose after changing his food. Is it normal? He really likes the food, I was just wondering if it was an adjustment period.

A: Adjusting to a new food does take time. If you changed from Eukanuba to Blue Buffalo all at once it may take up too 2 weeks for the puppy to adjust. Changing food types can lead to major shifts in the normal bacterial population in the intestine which can result in changes in stool consistency. A new balance will develope in the bacterial population over time. Mixing the 2 foods and gradually changing the proportions over a week or so can sometimes avoid this problem.