Orijen LB puppy food and loose stools

[Lauren Woodward]

I made the switch about 2 weeks ago for my now 12 week old puppy.  She seemed to do fine on the switch at first.  She did not eat as much, but her stools were easy to pick up.  Now she is eating a bit more at each meal and she had a very large solid poop followed by another large very soft poop.  I needed 2 bags to clean it up.  Sorry to be so graffic, but I was shocked at her output.  I did give her 1 tsp of pure pumpkin this am to see if that helps her out.  Should I cut down her servings or switch her food again?  I know Orijen kibble is on your list if preferred foods, but her poop is difficult to clean up and I have kids running around my yard all the time.  Any thoughts are appreciated.

Lauren

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You may be overfeeding her. Depending on what she was eating prior to the switch, you usually feed less Orijen than most other foods. What does she weigh, how much are you giving her, per day, and what was she eating before the switch? What else does she get in the way of treats?

Also, this has nothing to do with the poop problem, but you don't need a large breed formula.

[Lauren Woodward]

I did just check and it is just Orijen Puppy (gold bag).  She was on Puppy Chow, healthy morsels.  I feed her  1/2 a cup 3 times a day.  I leave it out for 10 min and then pick it up.  Her bowl is rarely empty.  She usually leaves some in her dish.  Lately I think she is having a growth spurt bc she has been eating more food at each meal.  She is gaining about 1 pound and a half a week.  She weighs about 15 pounds at 12 weeks.  She was holding out for treats, so I have really been using praise instead of treats during our interactions.  Today we are starting Invisible Fence training, so I know she will get more treats today.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It doesn't look like you are giving her too much of the Orijen. Be sure that her treats are grain-free, that may help. Unless the poop is very soft, the pumpkin won't help as far as reducing stool volume, it may even increase it. I'd stay with the Orijen for another week, limit her treats to grain free, and be sure that she isn't getting anything else to eat from the kids, eating anything in the yard, etc.  If the poop continues to be very soft or gets worse, I'd bring a sample in for testing. Orijen usually helps reduce stool volume and firms up the stool in most dogs. Switching from junk like Puppy Chow to a high protein grain-free is a huge change and she might just need more time to adjust. Orijen doesn't agree with every dog, but I'd give it a little longer before switching again.

[Lauren Woodward]

Treats are grain free, I just checked.  She really seems to like to eat grass and bark.  So far we have been very good about people food and items.  No socks or toys ingested.  I will keep a close watch.  thanks for the help.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The grass & bark can definitely cause very bulky, soft stools, as that's a lot of indigestible plant fiber passing through her digestive system. Keep us posted on how she does.

[Karen Kramer]

We seemed to have this problem in the past too and I had posted about it....this post might be helpful...

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/orjien-...

After our Orijen attempt, we had switched to Acana Grasslands and Zoey seemed to do fine with that, but Tucker's poo was still mushy.  So, after talking to the gal at the store where we buy our food, she recommended a new version of Acana that they came out with--she said specifically for doodles with tummy problems.... Acana singles--(http://acana.com/products/singles) and they both seem to love it and their poo is perfect!   I know that most people think grain-free is the way to go, but it sure didn't seem to work well with our dogs.  But, we have finally found a high quality food that works for them!  :)  Hope this helps! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think Acana is a great alternative, and there have been several dogs here in TFG who did better with Acana than Orijen. The limited ingredient Acana formulas are also highly recommended for dogs who have sensitive tummies.

Grain-free diets are not right for every dog. The one thing we do try to do here is give people options and not be dogmatic (no pun intended) about any one feeding method. I am glad that the Acana is working for your dogs!

[Lauren Woodward]

Thanks for the thoughts.  i will keep this in mind.  Another friend feeds her dog one of these LID foods and her dog does well and the poop in just right.  Good to know there are foods for every type of tummy. :)

[Lauren Woodward]

UPdate-

Well, Sadie must be going through a growth spurt because she is eating much more of her 1/2 cup per meal and seems to be looking around for more.

 Her stools are sometimes firm and sometimes too soft to pick up.  Plus the volume/aroma is too much.  Not sure orijen puppy is for us (by that I mean me :) )  I

s there a high ranking food that produces less poop with a less offensive odor or is this just what dog poop is like ?  lol!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's just what dog poop is like...it stinks, lol.

In my experience, Orijen produces less stool volume than most other foods. You can try Acana next bag and see if that makes a difference. If she is eating grass, bark, etc., though, that's most likely what's causing the problem.

[Lauren Woodward]

I think I may try Acana for the next bag of food.  Just have to find it.  I really try to distract her from the grass eating and if she does not stop, I just bring her inside.  She is not yet outside on her own, so I am sure she is not eating more grass than food.  But she really poops a ton!