Orijen 6 Fish and Loose Stools

[Nick Pietras]

Hi Everyone,

 

Many of you have helped me before as I've struggled through my Gus' food issues!

 

Gus is 10 months old, and after Innova puppy seemed to disagree with him, we started him on CN. That worked great for about 2 months and then wham...loose stools and diarreaha. We've had him tested several times, he's done two rounds of metronidazole, etc. We've had him on chicken and rice and then started him back on CN, and instant loose stool. A week ago, I decided to try a grain free food, and we'd heard great things about Orijen 6 Fish. It was an instant 180 - he had the best stools of his short little life thus far! On the 6th day of being on the food (as well as an easy digest probiotic to help ease the transition) some loose stools started again. And they've been kind of back and forth for the past few days. Not as loose as before when he was on CN, but certainly a difference from when he first started on the food. When we started him on the Orijen, we cut out all grain foods, and I got him EVO Taste of the Wild red meat formula treats, which I started giving him a few days in. I'm going to stop giving him those to see if maybe that's what is causing the loose stools (too much protein, perhaps..and maybe not good to give him two different kinds of protein?)

 

I also know that he just may still be adjusting, but just wondered if the fact that he was instantly having great stools and then not so great stools is a sign that the food does not agree with him...he LOVES the food though...he eagerly eats it, when usually he would require some type of enticing topper on just kibble. I'm also giving him the lesser amount of the recommended daily feeding (about 1 and 1/2 cups per day...the recommended amount for his weight is 1 1/4 - 2 3/4 cups per day) so I don't think its a case of overfeeding. His energy is normal, I feel like his coat is more vibrant than usual as well.

 

I don't want to give up on this food quite yet - just wondering if anyone can offer any advice or perhaps has a similar story?

[Frannie & Callie]

For reasons I'll never understand, the Orijen 6 fish gave Callie loose stool, but the regular formula does not. It seems to work ok if mixed with a little canned pumpkin though.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri has always had slightly mushy stools also. She isn't on Orijen, but still. I don't worry about it - she is healthy and likes her food. I do think some dogs have mushier stools period.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How long has Gus been eating the Orijen? What else is he getting in terms of treats or chew objects? Is he getting any vitamins or other supplements?
EVO and TOTW are made by two different companies, so i'm a little confused as to the red meat treats, but I'm going to assume they're EVO, not TOTW. That in itself is probably not a problem, unless he has never had red meat proteins before and needs time to adjust to them.
I agree with Jane that the probiotics may be causing softer stools. Also that some dogs just never produce really hard stools. Jack eats Orijen, all three formulas, and 5 days out of 7, his stools are super firm. The other 2 days they may be softer and more difficult to clean up. It depends on what other treats or chews he got that day, how much water he drank, how much exercise he got, whether he had any meds, etc. There are many things that can affect stool consistency, and I agree that if you can pick it up without too much trouble, it's probably nothing to worry about.

[Nick Pietras]

Thanks for all your responses. I will continue with the food and see how it goes. I do have some pumpkin, so I'll add a little of that.

I forget the name of the probiotic. The pet store recommended it...its highly recommended for dogs that are on antiobotics, having chemotherapy, or are in other stressful situations, including changing foods. We've had him on it since we started giving him the food, so I dont think its that.

[ej]

We finally finished the large pack of Taste of the Wild (fish formula) and we switched them to Orijen Fish last week (no transition period). Both dogs (Z is 4 yrs old and K is almost 2) were getting 2 cups/day TOTW, so we gave two cups of Orijen per day. Their stools were really soft, and hard to pick up. We decided maybe the protein % is way too high, so each dog now gets (per day):
1 cup of brown rice +
equivalent to 1 cup of baked fritata (with beef, potatoes, brocolli, carrots, tomatoes, and eggs) +
1 cup of Orijen 6 Fish

I like this combination (though a hassle to cook rice and bake quiche/fritata), cos I think they get the best of both worlds, homecooked and nutritionally balanced kibble. They seem to really enjoy this new food too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm not sure of the recommended feeding amounts for TOTW, but Orijen is really nutrient dense, and you usually have to feed less of it. Jack weighs 90# (he should be 80#) and he gets 2 and a half cups of Orijen per day.
However, I agree that a combination of fresh foods and premium commercial food is a great way to feed your dogs. Has the stool issue resolved with the new feeding plan?

[ej]

Hi Karen, thanks for the response. Stools are okay now, though still softer than when they were on TOTW.

Z is 62lbs
K is 57lbs

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's so weird how the same food will have the opposite effect on one dog that it has on another. Jack's stools are firmer & better formed on Orijen than they were on any other food.
It sounds to me like you've hit on the perfect feeding plan for your furbabies. Please let us know things go!

[Nick Pietras]

Persistence has paid off and Gus' relapse of loose stool went away and he's back to A+ stools! His energy is great, his coat is soft and vibrant, and he's just a happy little boy! Plus, he still LOVES this food...I haven't had to use any kind of topper or anything to entice him. So, while the food may be a bit more expensive than others, you don't have to feed as much, and I'm saving money from not having to buy ground chicken to top it off!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So glad to hear Gus is doing well with Orijen! It's the best kibble out there, IMO.
When he starts to show some boredom with it, try another formula. Jack likes them all, but his current favorite is Regional Red. It's even more expensive than 6 Fresh Fish. However, the "Adult" formula (fowl based) is slightly less expensive!

[Christine and Daisy]

I'm going through the same thing with my little one. She's 5 months and I can't get her off homecooking (that she went on when she had bad vomiting & diarrhea). She has perfectly normal stools on the homecooking alone, but she needs way more vitamins and nutrients at her young age. Everytime I try to add more kibble (we're talking a 1/2 tbsp), she gets way looser stools. Right now she gets 2 tbsp's of Canidae dry with her 200g's of homecooking (rice & chicken) three times per day. In addition to that, she gets 1 tbsp of organic pumpkin for dogs and freeze dried chicken breast or kibble for treats only. She doesn't overdo it on the treats. She just had 4 bowel movements in 2 hours, the last ones were drippy. This was right before dinner, all she had was some raw carrot & pumpkin after lunch. I'm almost at my wit's end. I know that she may just be the type of dog to get loose stools, but they were perfectly healthy on just chicken & rice alone.

Does anyone know how long it takes food to go through a puppy's system? I know diarrhea doesn't get digested, but the softer stools is what I'm asking about. I was curious as to if it was 24 hours or less. I'm always wondering if it was what she had yesterday or this morning that produces this afternoon's surprises.

Daisy has tried Nutro-Source Super and the Chicken and Rice one. She's tried CN Chicken & rice and now she's on Canidae. Nothing dry has working fo her. My next step is grain-free or Orijen for puppy. I'm kind of afraid to branch away from chicken & rice as that's always been the one thing that's worked for me.
Suggestions were made to me about grain free but there's much more protein and I wonder about her sensitive tummy. Since I've tried so many other ones with grain, guess that's what I will try next, as I really want her to feel better. I just feel bad that every week we are trying something new. She's had canned food, probiotics and antibiotics for what they thought were parasites (tests were negative). This is all in her one month time of being with us! The poor thing.

I am glad things are working out with you and Gus, hopefully one day we can be in the same boat!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The raw carrots on top of the fiber in the pumpkin are what caused the diarrhea this afternoon. The plant cellulose (fiber) in raw vegetables can't be digested.