# Fish4dogs - Very thirsty puppy - Vet says salt content?



## MeowPurr (May 30, 2011)

I feel a bit silly asking this but here goes, does Fish4dogs contail salt? . The reason I ask, the vet said that's why my puppy is drinking more... she hadn't ever heard of Fish4dogs by the way, or so she said.

Sorry for the mahoosive essay but here's some background info - pup was on a horrid food from the breeder causing runny poop, very smelly poo, frequent pooping, itching and more so I changed his food to Burns and all his symptoms disappeared completely, it was brilliant and me and puppy were so glad. Anyway, 2 months later and his poop starts getting soft again (but not runny, just very soft) and VERY smelly causing messy bums and lots of baths which = poor stressed puppy . So I decided to do some research into a better food that didn't contain rice or chicken (I thought maybe chicken didn't agree with him) and I came across Fish4dogs, the ingredients looked brilliant and I went and ordered some in from a local pet store. I gradually mixed it in with his Burns over a week period then on Tuesday this week it was the first day of 100% Fish4dogs and no more Burns and his thirst increased considerably, but at the time I didn't think anything of it. Tuesday night he peed in his crate which is not like him, he's been able to go 6 hours during the night for weeks now without one 'accident' (I go to bed at 12am and I put him in his crate just before I go up to bed and then I come down at 6am to let him out to pee and he and his bed are always dry, then I put him back to bed until 8:15am). I didn't worry about it and thought it was a one off, but the next night the same thing happened so again I just ignored it and tried not to worry, but then he urinated in his bed again between 6:15am and 8:15am (so twice in one night). The 3rd night (last night) he did it again, but instead of leaving him 6 hours I set my alarm for 4 hours because I thought maybe he's having troubles holding it in for some reason so I'll shorten the time. I couldn't sleep properly so I ended up coming down about 3 hours and 45 mins after he was put to bed (and had his last pee) but still I found his bed wet again. I cleaned up, put him back to bed at 4:30am and got up at 8am to find his bed soaked again!

I sat down and watched him all day today and he's definitely drinking A LOT more than usual since being on this Fish4dogs, he's going to his water bowl very frequently and gulps lots down, which obviously means more comes out the other end. 

After a 3rd night of him peeing in his crate and it being unusual I phoned my vets first thing and got him booked in for an appointment today. I went to the appointment earlier and explained the above to the lady vet and she said it sounds like it's the food because it started when I changed his food and that it's probably got a high salt content and therefore I'll need to change his food to see if it helps, I thought to myself "huh? I didn't think dog food would even contain salt?" but I wasn't 100% sure  so didn't say anything. But I did ask whether a higher protein content could cause a dog to be more thirsty as the Burns is 21% and the Fish4dogs is 30% but she said no it wouldn't cause him to drink more and that pups need a high protein content. She then went to get me a sample of food to try him on and came back saying they had none left but could order me a 3kg bag to buy and that it was Pro Plan... "NO thanks!" I said (she gave me a funny look), "I'll find something myself". 

I got home to check the Fish4dogs ingredients and can't see salt or sodium on there so I have no idea what she was talking about? and I have no idea why this food is making my dog extremely thirsty, but one positive thing is his poo's are now perfect, nice and solid! argh I'm at a loss what other brand to try now but he's gotta go on something else. I feel like I can't win. So many dry foods contain utter crap! I'm going to gradually change him back onto the Burns and see if the thirst decreases, if it does then it definitely was the fish4dogs food which is weird and also a shame. If it doesn't improve then back off to the vets for tests. I did mention a UTI and she said it didn't sound like one, I would have thought that too because his pees are big and he isn't doing drips or drops or acting stressed when urinating (I've had a cat with a UTI so have seen the symptoms before). I also mentioned diabetes and she said it she highly doubts it because it's odd how the thirst increase started when I changed his food and it's very rare in a puppy of his age (nearly 20 weeks).


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

As far as i know most dry foods contain some salt,usually between 0.36-0.5%.

The only difference with F4D (or fish based kibble) is that it is naturally occuring from the fish ingredient, rather than any additional salt being added.

F4Ds salt content is 0.45%

I dont think this is anything to be concerned about,F4Ds is a very good food!


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## MeowPurr (May 30, 2011)

Staffybull said:


> As far as i know most dry foods contain some salt,usually between 0.36-0.5%.
> 
> The only difference with F4D (or fish based kibble) is that it is naturally occuring from the fish ingredient, rather than any additional salt being added.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that info Staffybull! I couldn't see it on the bag so was unsure.

I'm rather confused as to what's going on. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was that I didn't feed my puppy his breakfast or lunch this morning because he was going to the vet and I wasn't sure what they would want to do and whether the food would interfere with the test results. So from 8am until 1:30pm he only had a few drinks which is how it's been since I got him nearly 3 months ago. When I got home from the vets I fed him a small amount of his Fish4dogs and there he was gulping water down once again :shocked:. It's strange and a bummer because he really enjoys this food and like I said it's sorted out his poo issue but is causing him to be majorly thirsty, thus wetting his bed at night.

I'll still try the gradually switching back to Burns just to be 100% sure and see what happens. I'll check back in a about week to update on what's happening.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

I wonder if it would be worthwhile contacting F4D to see if they can advise anything. Not good to keep changing puppy's food as that can lead to upset tums but if it's not suiting, you wont have a lot of choice.

Have you considered soaking the kibble a bit before you feed it? Perhaps that may help. Instead of taking water that perhaps other organs had earmarked, it will be going in already hydrated??


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## OllieBob (Nov 28, 2010)

I have had dogs that fill up on water if they are still hungry. Try upping his food abit first to see if the water guzzling stops.


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## Scottiegal (Oct 4, 2011)

If your vet hasn't checked for a UTI or something else, find a new vet fast. They shouldn't be putting the blame on the food without eliminating medical reasons first.

One of my dogs was doing the drinking tons and literally flooding my kitchen. My vet did a urine test as well as a blood test to check kidney function and blood sugar (she is an older dog though).


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## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

Are you feeding the recommended guideline amount for him? Different food brands have different amounts to feed your dog. Maybe that could be a reason.


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## MeowPurr (May 30, 2011)

Good idea Mum2Heidi. I think they have a phone line so I might call them or at least email them to see what they say. I agree it isn't good, but I do it gradually rather than bam onto one then onto another.



OllieBob said:


> I have had dogs that fill up on water if they are still hungry. Try upping his food abit first to see if the water guzzling stops.





SEVEN_PETS said:


> Are you feeding the recommended guideline amount for him? Different food brands have different amounts to feed your dog. Maybe that could be a reason.


I'm feeding him what the Fish4dogs bag states for his age and weight, which is more than what the Burns bag recommended weight wise but I guess that might vary depending on the kibble size. He actually seems more satisfied on the Fish4dogs than the Burns.



Scottiegal said:


> If your vet hasn't checked for a UTI or something else, find a new vet fast. They shouldn't be putting the blame on the food without eliminating medical reasons first.


I agree, but it's such a coincedence that he only drinks big amounts of water when he eats the fish4dogs food so a part of me is thinking it isn't a UTI as it would be all the time and he only uriates more often when he's drinking more water. When my cat had a UTI she wasn't drinking more than usual but she was constantly trying to pee, only doing drips and she would cry out whilst doing it, my pup isn't doing any of that. But I do realise the blood/UTI tests needs to be addressed. It's so frustrating because in the 11 years of owning my own pets I have been to 4 different vet practices in my home town and all of them have multiple vets at each practice and you don't see the same vet each time you go back . The vet who gave him his first puppy vaccine was brilliant, so kind and helpful, it would have been much better if I got to see him today. The guy who gave his 2nd lot of puppy vaccines kept calling him a female , although he was kind too and took an interest in my puppy unlike the lady I saw today, she only touched him when she weighed him.

I'll call up again tomorrow to get him looked at again to ask about the tests. I wonder if I can request not to see the same person I saw today though... Oh I didn't get her name, maybe it's on the receipt!


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

So you're putting the food down dry?

I feed Fish4Dogs, to 2 adult dogs. I always put warm water with it. Unless it's very warm weather, or they've been running round like nutters, they drink very little. Each has around half a mug full of food, twice a day. I add a little over the same volume of water.


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## Staffybull (Jul 23, 2010)

MeowPurr said:


> Thanks for that info Staffybull! I couldn't see it on the bag so was unsure.
> 
> I'm rather confused as to what's going on. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was that I didn't feed my puppy his breakfast or lunch this morning because he was going to the vet and I wasn't sure what they would want to do and whether the food would interfere with the test results. So from 8am until 1:30pm he only had a few drinks which is how it's been since I got him nearly 3 months ago. When I got home from the vets I fed him a small amount of his Fish4dogs and there he was gulping water down once again :shocked:. It's strange and a bummer because he really enjoys this food and like I said it's sorted out his poo issue but is causing him to be majorly thirsty, thus wetting his bed at night.
> 
> I'll still try the gradually switching back to Burns just to be 100% sure and see what happens. I'll check back in a about week to update on what's happening.


Are you feeding the regular sized F4Ds kibble?

I personally think the kibble is a bit larger than some other dry foods,so this may be why your dog is drinking more water!

As some others have said,you could try wetting the kibble before feeding,or you could try the small bite F4Ds http://www.fish4dogs.com/Categories/Dog-Shop/dog-food-small-bite.aspx

I hope you stick with the F4Ds,as i think this is better than burns.


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## cbrookman (Jun 12, 2011)

I found exactly the same thing with my 8 month old pup when he was on Fish4dogs. He was drinking excessively and weeing a lot too. I have now started to gradually swap him over to workinghprs food which is grain free and much cheaper then Fish4dogs. I am feeding him 1/3 fish4dogs and 2/3 working hprs at the moment. I am also soaking his food first too and this has cut down on the excessive drinking.It was getting so bad that I was thinking about taking him to the vets in case he had diabetes ar a water infection when he was drinking so much but it seems the change of food and the soaking is doing the trick and has saved me on vets bills too


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

I feed F4D and wean my puppies onto it. One of my dogs drinks more on it and I've never understood why. None of the others do.


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## [email protected] (Nov 22, 2010)

The salt content in Fish4dogs and some other good diets are naturally occurring salts found within the ingredients used. Some dogs fed on dry completes do just require a lot more water. I havent noticed it in mine but then they've been on dry complete Fish4dogs for years but sometimes my mate waters her dry completes down for her dogs to ensure they drink enough fluid. Its often commented on by cat owners about dry diets isnt it but then when you think of the amount of water that goes into a can of dog/cat food, its easy to see why some dogs need to have their water bowl ready and full at all times.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Dogs fed dry tend to drink far more water than those who are fed raw, home cooked or wet foods as of course the moisture content in the latter is higher.

It is possible to drink too MUCH water and thus upset the electrolyte balance n the body so if you feel that this particular food does not suit your particular dog you may need to change.

Not ALL foods suit ALL dogs.


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

The dog I have who drinks more on F4D doesn't drink more on any other dry food.


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## red angel (Jun 22, 2012)

Hi, Could you let me know please how you got on sorting this out. I have had similar problems with two young dogs whereby their stools only became solid when I put them on Fish4fogs. So I thought meat was the issue. However one of them drinks excessively but instead of wetting himself he retains his wee and then cant pee the next day. He has just been to a referral clinic and they think he having bladder spasms because his bladder is being over stretched. The rest of the day when he has access to outside he is fine. I soak the food overnight but he drinks alot straight after each feed. Ive tried feeding smaller meals but still have the problem. The other dog seems ok. Did you try another food?


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## cbrookman (Jun 12, 2011)

TBH I found that once I started soaking the Fish4dogs before feeding it the excessive drinking and weeing stopped, so I have stuck with the Fish4dogs even for the dog that seemed to drink so much when he was younger. He seems to have grown out of it now and he is 16 months old.


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## MeowPurr (May 30, 2011)

Sorry I haven't replied and updated, I hardly log on to the forum.

red angel sorry I cannot update you as I decided to stop feeding the Fish4dogs and just stuck with the Burns Mini Bites. I did however switch him over (over a 2 week period this time!) to the Burns Fish & Brown Rice. All went very well, his poo was a bit runny for a couple of days but it soon got better. He's now been on the Burns Fish & Brown Rice since mid May. I will eventually be trying out the Fish4Dogs again as the ingredients are much better. Maybe this time he'll do better as he is now over 12 months old, where as when I tried him on it last time he was about 5 months old. Also, I will try the suggestions of adding warm water to the kibble too this time and see how we get on. I am not sure when I'll try to swap him over as I want to do it very gradually and I do not have enough of his Burns left in the food bag, so I might try it when the next bag I buy is half empty. 

I mentioned in my first post on this thread that his poop started getting soft on the Burns Mini Bites and that's one of the reasons I wanted to switch him onto something else (Fish4dogs) but once I put him back on Burns his poop went back to normal, so maybe it wasn't the Burns causing it. I actually find on the Burns Fish & Brown Rice his poops are a little soft for my liking and prefer the consistency of them on the Burns Mini Bites (chicken & brown rice).


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## springfieldbean (Sep 13, 2010)

Is it possible it's the fact that it contains fish rather than other meat, and fish are naturally salty because of the sea?

That could be complete rubbish  I don't eat fish or meat, so I don't know if it tastes salty, but I always thought that they naturally ingested salt from sea water, so it stands to reason fish would be a salty meat!


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## red angel (Jun 22, 2012)

I have taken my two young boys off fish4dogs and am giving them Duck (Bob & Lush) and the excessive drinking and the bladder problems have stopped. I think maybe the high salt content in the fish plus the added salmon oil just doesnt suit all dogs. The excessive drinking is only an issue if the bladder cant cope which was the case with my boy. But I know myself if I eat something salty and want to drink alot its not something I would want to be eating every day.


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## [email protected] (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Red Angel, out of curiosity, what sort of dogs do you have?


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