Orijen Puppy

[Courtney Hagenbuch]

Has anyone fed their doodle Orijen Puppy? My little girl has the WORST gas on Orijen. Could it be too much protein?

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Riley was on Puppy Orijen, two weeks of bad gas and then it settled.  I would wait it out as it is a great food and highly recommended. Definitely not too much protein.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, lots of Food Group members feed Orijen Puppy with no problems. But there is usually some gas initially when switching from a lower quality food or one with a lot of grains to a high quality, grain-free food like Orijen. This is particularly true for a young puppy. I don't know how old your pup is, but the recommendation is to wait at least 2 weeks after the puppy comes home before changing the diet in any way, for several reasons, which are discussed in detail in the Food Group.

Protein is not the issue; dogs are meant to be eating protein, and plenty of it. However, switching from a high carb to a high protein diet does require an adjustment period.

Also, you feed much less Orijen than most other foods, so check the feeding guidelines and make sure you are not overfeeding, which could be part of the problem.

I would give it a week and see if the gas stops.

[Courtney Hagenbuch]

We switched to Orijen a little over a month ago from Nature's Abundance (what the breeder was feeding her). She is six months old and moderately active (due to my husband and I being college students). We are feeding her 3 cups a day, which is actually under the recommended amount. We pretty much let her eat what she wants and that its as much as she eats. However, her gas and stools have become increasingly smellier! She can clear a room!!! I don't know if we should switch her food again, or just deal with the gas.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What is she getting in the way of treats, chews, etc?

[Courtney Hagenbuch]

We give her puppy food samples that we have gotten, as treats (Fromm, PureVita, etc). Plus she gets cheese and the occasional bully stick.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, some of that could also be contributing to the gas. If you're going with a grain-free diet, treats should be grain-free, too. Bully sticks have also been known to cause digestive issues.

[Leslie J]

Cocoa also started off with gas after switching from Nutro (breeder's choice) to Orijen Puppy.  Give it a couple of weeks and it should get better.  I think she still gets gas at times, but with a house of lively sons who find great humor with the concept of farting I'm never really sure if my humans or doodle did it!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cosmo has eaten Orijen all his life. His breeder started him on Orijen Puppy when he started eating solid food. From time to time, he has had a little gas problem, but it didn't last more than a week or two. We gave him a tablespoon or two of low-fat plain yoghurt as a topper for the Orijen, and it seemed to help a lot.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wow, a breeder who feeds Orijen! That speaks very highly of him or her!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Yes, Cosmo's breeder is really wonderful!