Coat or Stool… What is the best indicator of a dog's health?
I fed my dog Eukanuba for most of her life & her stool quality is fairly good. Now I switched to Purina Pro Plan & she has developed a beautiful soft shiny coat, but her stool is not as good when she was on Eukanuba. (slightly softer)
What is the better indicator of dog's health? Stool or coat?
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Both are a good indicator but what you are feeding is not the best quality food .
You really can't separate the two when evaluating the health of a dog. A dog can have a poor coat, yet be healthy, and a soft stool and be healthy, yet put the two together and both are poor then you no doubt have a problem.
I raised Miniature Schnauzers for over 20 years on Purina Dog chow and Puppy Chow and they did just fine. Of all the dog foods on the market, more money is spent on nutritional research by Purina than any other dog food company so don't be afraid to use it. The company has fewer food recalls than any other dog food manufacturer in the US.
If you switched food to fast, it could have caused the soft stool, so give it a while to see if the stool firms back up. I bet it does.
BTW, the best indicator of a dogs good health is a good result on a full blood panel.
Both actually. Certain foods make a dog's coat soft and shiny (very healthy looking) and while certain foods make our dog's stool loose and odorous. If you switched recently, it might be the reason why she's having loose stool/softer stool. She's probably still getting used to it.
Unfortunately, Eukanuba and Purina didn't do any good to my dog. I've also read they're not a very good brand.
( You were better off with the Eukanuba, Purina is not excellent for dogs) I had fed my two Hills Science Diet and I thought they were healthy, but every now and again they would get runny stool and lethargic. I have changed them to a %100 raw food diet and they have never been better. (The vet said to put them on their advertised stock ' hills science diet' and when they didn't improve from the diet change (supermarket biscuits to hills) they wanted to do surgery, having a mother who believes all we should eat comes naturally, I tried them on raw food. I am sorry this doesn't answer your question but I never knew how good this new diet would be and I am letting everyone I can know about it. And, the stool goes white after a day, and is always firm and small ( indicator of decent health)
The Flat Coated Retriever is a hardworking and generally healthy breed; they have a naturally strong stamina and will stay most healthy with plenty of Exercise and rest. Still, it is important to note that cancer is quite common in this breed. Regular tests and clearances for hereditary conditions are important, and these dogs will require these on a regular basis. There are also some special medical conditions to be aware of. Hip dysplasia: Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) can cause mild to severe lameness. Diabetes: this is occasionally found in the Flat Coated Retriever. Epilepsy: a neurological seizure disorder. There is no test for this. Deafness: Congenital Deafness can be a problem. The most common types of cancers in these dogs include hemangiosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, malignant histiocytosis, and osteosarcoma. These seem to occur at higher rates in Flat Coated Retrievers than other breeds, and it is important to note that almost 75% of deaths are actually due to cancer. Hope I helped x
I would say both. a good coat and small firm stool. Their breath should also not be foul smelling.
To be honest though, purina isn't really a good brand. I would try a grain free brand such as taste of the wild, wellness core, orijen, or acana regionals.