My skinny French Mastiff puppy eats poop. What should I feed her?

Make sure you are feeding a good quality food and giving her as much as she wants to eat. Then I would check a stool sample for intestinal parasites. If she continues to lose weight a veterinary exam and lab tests to diagnose the reason are indicated. She is a senior dog and could have a heart problem or organ failure, or possibly cancer. These symptoms are general so an exam and testing are needed for a diagnosis. Once they know the reason then they can start the appropriate treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Georgina.

Especially for large breed puppy is fundamental to provide a complete diet. Good quality commercial diets (Hill's, Royal Canin) are definitively the best choice to make sure you provide all the nutrients Drogo needs. He still need a puppy piet and you can continue with it till he is fully grown. Please post again on the forum if you would like further advices. I hope this answer was helpful.

It may be related to her food. I would recommend a good quality puppy food until Bella is one year old. I have fed my 13 year old Cocker Spaniel Purina ProPlan for her entire life (puppy, adult, and now senior formulation). You may also discuss checking for intestinal parasites that can prevent weight gain or other nutritional supplements with your vet. Here is an article you may find helpful: https://www.petcoach.co/article/stool-eating-coprophagy/

My best recommendation is to have Rocky on a large breed puppy formula of high quality dog food. My preferred brands include Hill's, Royal Canin and Purina. Because all puppy foods differ in their caloric content per cup, feed the recommended amount based on his weight that is listed on the back of the food bag. I would also recommend weighing Rocky every 10-14 days because he will be gaining weight quickly and you will need to adjust the amount of food you are feeding him based on his weight. Eating his poop is a normal puppy behavior and probably not because of hunger or decreased nutrition. It is however this is a habit that needs to be broken so clean up his feces as often as possible and correct the behavior whenever you see it. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I'm glad to hear that Roo is healthy aside from this soft stool. Yes, it's absolutely fine to switch her to a standard grain-containing diet. The FDA has issued warnings about grain-free diets and a concerning link to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), so switching is a great idea. I prefer brands like Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin, Iams, or Eukanuba, as these companies employ veterinary nutritionists and conduct proper testing on their diets. Since Roo is only 6 months old, be sure to look for a puppy food, as these are formulated for growth. When she's about one year old, you can switch her to an adult food. One of the most important things to remember is that anytime you switch her diet - even just opening a new bag of food - it's best to mix the old and new foods together gradually over 5-7 days. Sudden diet changes can trigger some vomiting and/or diarrhea, which is the last thing anyone needs! I hope that everything goes well!

I can’t tell from the photos of the pups are too thin. In general you should be able to see the last rib when the dog is turning his body. If you are seeing more than that, he may be too thin. You should make sure parasites are not a problem as they will cause pets to be thin. It could also be related to diet. Some food have better quality proteins that are easier to digest. I recommend a brand called Royal Canin. Your pup’s are also still growing so they do tend to stay lanky longer. Most giant breed dogs are not physically mature until 18 months old. A visit to your veterinarian can accurately access the dog’s body condition (as well as check the stool for parasites). I recommend to have them examined so that you can get the most accurate information. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

As a half-Mastiff, Ruby is likely going to be a pretty large dog, so I do recommend feeding her a large breed puppy food for the first year of life. Every food is formulated differently with respect to the density of calories in kibble. For this reason, follow the chart on the bag of food to match Ruby's age and weight, as this will provide the amount of food that she should have in a given day. You can then divide that amount into 3 meals as you are currently doing. I typically recommend feeding Science Diet, Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin diets, as these are high quality foods formulated by veterinary nutritionists and backed with clinical trials. If you choose to change Ruby's diet (now or at any point in her life), be sure to do so gradually by mixing her old and new foods together over 5-7 days. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Ruby!