Orijen / Smell

[Michele Kiss]

Weird question.... 

Fenway was on Fromm's Four Star for the past 11 months. But unfortunately he's a picky eater and we thought we'd try something else since he didn't seem to want it. (In truth I think he's just picky in general.) We started him on Orijen Regional Red. He's been on it at least a few weeks now. However, I've noticed he seems to smell more (related to when he's just eaten and it continues a bit in general.)

(More as an aside than my main point of concern - It also seems like he has looser stools.) 

Has anyone else found this / any advice? (We add pumpkin / sweet potato to his food but he never seems to want it - we have to sneak it in.) 

Honestly I'm tempted to switch him back to Fromm's. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

First, check the feeding guidelines on the Orijen. You typically feed less than other foods. The loose stools might be related to overfeeding. 

The smell would be of no concern to me, Orijen is fish based and that may be the reason you notice a smell. 

But picky eating is never a good reason to switch foods. And with the Fromm Four Star line, there are a dozen different formulas designed to be rotated, which helps to keep the dog interested. How many of the Fromm formulas did you try? Did you try any of the grain-free formulas? 

Some dogs who have been eating foods with less protein and more carbs do sometimes take a few weeks or even months to adjust to the higher protein and nutritional density of Orijen. 

[Michele Kiss]

He doesn't eat very much and is getting right around what they suggest (~1.25cup/day) - I'd be surprised if it was over feeding.

My logic with switching him back (or to something different) is - if he's not that "into" the food (i.e. it's still tough to get him to eat) AND it makes him smell bad, I'd rather him be on a food where he doesn't smell as much. Doesn't have to be Fromm, but just because that's what he was on before.

My hope was to find one he liked enough to eat (at least when hungry.) I don't necessarily want a dog that scarfs everything and we end up with a weight problem! But not eating a single thing till 10PM doesn't seem super healthy.... But he just seems to be picky and the food barely matters. He's just going to be picky, I guess. When I first switched him, I figured Orijen is great quality so why not try and hopefully he will like it better. But the smell bothers me a lot.

With the Fromms he was on their Four Star line and has tried almost all of them. Mostly the grain free but we did try one or two of the ones that have grains in them. Basically nothing really interests him. Switching flavors etc didn't help :-(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you are free feeding him, stop. Picky dogs need limited access to food, so that they learn that food is not always available and they need to eat it when it is, or wait. Put the food in the bowl at breakfast and dinner, give him 10 minutes to eat, and then take the food away and do not offer it again until the next scheduled meal time. He should not be able to eat at 10 pm with that schedule. Sit down nearby and keep him company at meal time.

It would be fine if you go back to Fromm, but please don;t start trying all different foods in an attempt to find one he "likes". 

No matter what food you try, he may seem to like it in the beginning, but eventually, he will revert back to his picky ways. 

We've had many discussions about this here, but this one is the best. Please read it, you'll totally relate, and it's funny, too: 

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

[Michele Kiss]

Yeah, I fully expect that's why he liked Orijen - because it was different. And I don't *want* to change him all the time. This was the first change.

I was hoping someone might say "Oh, yeah it's weird they smell for a few weeks then go back to normal" .... you know how some foods / diets can do that, once your body gets used to it :-)

I just want him on good food and to stick with it. Figured it was worth trying another brand besides Fromm but the smell thing (and runny-ness) makes me think he was better off on that.

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

Our girls have never been on regional red, they've always been on six fish..but they have never ever smelled like anything but shampoo. Even after a week or two of no bath, now the FOOD SMELLS!!! Our whole pantry has a lovely fish aroma that I've gotten used to. The airtight container helps a lot, but I can still tell a difference in our pantry odor when we've been gone a few days...especially when I open a new bag. Lol