Could it be the food? Or maybe it's normal ?

[Nikki & Charlie]

Charlie's poops stink, some are worse then others. Also, he still does not have consistenly firm poops. It starts off as firm and then throughout the day becomes pudding consistency, sometimes water.

Is it possible that Orijen may not be right for him? Or maybe he's still adjusting to it?
His poops don't change regardless of any snacks he gets. His treats are either Orijen treats or Purebites chicken. Any snacks he gets would be small amounts of banana... but like I said, I don't see a difference when he's eating banana vs. when I take it away for a few weeks.

Am I overthinking this?

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Did you ever end up taking him to the vet? It sounds like he needs to have a fecal done.  Is it possible that he got into something he shouldn't have?  Was his poop ever normal after the X-mas time incident? Or have they always been on the softer side?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good thinking, Jill. I had forgotten about that. 

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Thank you!! :)

Nikki, any update?

[Nikki & Charlie]

I never took him to the vet because after he pooped out an elastic he was fine, right back to normal. He poops have always been on the softer side.. A firm one right after breakfast and then gradually softer as the day goes on, some days are softer then others.

I've never had a dog before so I assumed that their poops are supposed to all be firm.. And Charlie has never had a consistently firm BM all day, so im not sure if it's the food or this is normal.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, poop stinks, lol. That much is normal. 

Firmer poop earlier in the day and softer poop later is also fairly normal. It all depends on how soft, though.

How old is he now and what does he weigh? 

How long has he been on the Orijen? What was he getting before? 

I would check the feeding amts to make sure you aren't feeding too much.  Orijen typically produces smaller stool volume than most other foods, but it can be easy to overfeed because it's so calories dense. 

[Nikki & Charlie]

So he does a firm poop every morning after breakfast. Then we go for a one hour walk, where he does a second poop. This ranges from semi-firm to pudding consistency. Then he does another poop after dinner on his second walk. Again, semi-firm to pudding consistency. Sometimes he gets a walk after lunch, sometimes he'll poop sometimes he won't.

I haven't taken him to the vet to weigh him, ive been meaning to, but he's 10 months old tomorrow and I'm going to say 50 lbs, give or take a few.

Im likely over feeding him. He gets 3/4 at breakfast and dinner, 1/4 at lunch. We tried taking away lunch all together and his behaviour completely changed, he would be attention-seeking and acting out. Now he has lunch again and his behaviour is back to normal so im assuming he's still hungry at lunch.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, if he's getting less than 2 cups per day, you're not overfeeding him. 

I'd try a probiotic. Order Proviable DC capsules and give him one a day, that may help with the stools. 

[Nikki & Charlie]

He was using those for months and I saw no difference but thank you! Maybe this is normal for him. His poops today were more solid. Thanks Karen!

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

If you've had him checked at a vet, you know it's not his treats, you've tried probiotics, and his only issue is that his poop gets softer throughout the day...I would stop worrying. He's not having serious diarrhea and he's not vomiting or acting lethargic. I would stay with the Orijen and give his digestive system a bit longer to mature.

One of ours never had diarrhea unless she was sick, but consistently had a soft dinner poop...we got her a fecal done and had her checked out. Refused metro, gave probiotics for months, tried some sweet potato mixed with freeze dried Orijen as a topper and she finally started having solid bowel movements.... And I don't think it was anything we did! It's not peer reviewed research, but it somewhat goes along with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" she just eats the Orijen six fish now.

[Nikki & Charlie]

Yes I think you're right. I guess as a first time dog owner I just get paranoid about every little thing lol. Thank you!

[Heather Meier]

Hi! I have experienced the same issue with my puppy, Scout, so thanks for posting.  She is 11 months and about 40 pounds. We have changed her food multiple times, but we still don't see a difference.  Been checked by the vet. The morning is firm, but by evening it is much softer. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

As Karen said earlier, morning poop is always harder because they don't drink overnight (colon absorbs water when you're not drinking, makes the poop harder).  

Pudding consistency in the evening is weird though.

Luna used to have some looser stools when she was a puppy - we chalked it up to chicken-based foods so we stay away from those now and rotate through other formulas (Acana regionals formulas).  It's probably more just that her digestive system was maturing and "figuring itself out" as Abigail said.