# Help-Switching pup from raw to Orijen LBP



## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks in advance. I have a 14 week doberman pup who has done well on Stella and Chewy raw. However cost and convenience have convinced me to switch him slowly and carefully to a dry food. I have chosen Orijen LBP but I am concerned about mixing dry with the raw over time in small quantities due to different digestion times for the 2 types of food. I would appreciate any advice from members who have made the switch. Thanks again.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Assuming you feed 2-3 times/day, you could try switching one meal to Orijen, e.g. breakfast and lunch = S&C, dinner = Orijen. Then move to breakfast = S&C, lunch and dinner = Orijen. Finally, all meals are Orijen. It might also help if, when you start, the Orijen meal is smaller than the two S&C meals.

If you're open to it, whole raw is much cheaper than S&C and much better for the dog than Orijen. There are lots of people here who will be happy to help you learn about prey model raw.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thank you so much. Is it appropriate to start by feeding 1 small Orijen meal cold turkey? If he is eating daily 5 large Stella 8 oz patties divided in 3 meals how much stella should I cut out and replace with Orijen on day 1? I know I have asked much of you but I am neurotic about disrupting my Spider"s system. Thanks again.


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

You might wanna get a can of canned dog food, pumpkin and add a couple of tablespoons to each feeding. Pumpkin keeps the poo firm.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Premade raw is a rip off, I should know because I used to work for a premium pet food store and sold it. Seeing that you love your dog, pick up a free freezer off of Craigslist, buy some meat in bulk and it'll cost a teeny bit more if not less than Orijen.

I was on the verge of converting my foster dog to kibble because all her food was crowding up my freezer and I was lazy to bag up her food. I ended up giving my buddy an opened, full bag of TOTW because after I poured it in her bowl, I just couldn't bring myself to feeding it. Just seemed so unnatural. 

I'm pretty poor at the moment and my foster has a Mastiff appetite for her weight, so I do what I can afford. I feed her 1lb. of 80/20 ground beef in the morning and a chicken quarter in the evening with a healthy chunk of organ twice a week.

I don't really buy that much in bulk but if you buy in 5lbs. rolls, 80/20 is probably $1.29 a pound and quarters are $0.79 a pound at most places. All in all, it'll probably cost you $2.00 a day to feed your Dobie as an adult which is worlds less than the $5.00+ per pound you paid for S&C's patties. 

Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks for all of your help.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Just take it very very slow. If you get stomach upset fast 24 hours and feed a little more raw and less kibble. Don't be in a rush to switch. You can fast and readjust as much as you like;0) Eventually he'll get use to kibble. You could always feed both to cut the cost down. Feed kibble as the main diet. When you can find sales feed raw. My dog got a nice raw piece of london broil this morning. It was on sale for $2 a pound;0) Make sure you feed raw in the morning and kibble at night. Kibble needs longer to process. Do not mix the two. I know that nature variety are saying its ok to mix. They also say that the different digestion rates of raw and kibble are an old wifes tale. That's why a lot of dogs do not do well when fed raw and kibble at the same time. They should be ashamed of themselves. If you don't want to feed raw, than feed extra cooked meats or canned meat;0)


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Many thanks.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

I can't tell from your other posts if you're willing to give prey model raw a try. Again, I recommend it, even if it's only part of his diet. But assuming you want to continue with the switch to kibble, here's what I'd do:



Spiderman said:


> Thank you so much. Is it appropriate to start by feeding 1 small Orijen meal cold turkey?


Give it a go. It might take a few days for him to get used to it, so keep feeding only one meal of Orijen until he doesn't have any diarrhea. And if he does well right from the start, great!



Spiderman said:


> If he is eating daily 5 large Stella 8 oz patties divided in 3 meals how much stella should I cut out and replace with Orijen on day 1? I know I have asked much of you but I am neurotic about disrupting my Spider"s system. Thanks again.


He's getting about 1.67 patties/meal. Go ahead and give him two patties for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, try starting with about 1/2 cup of Orijen and adjust as needed. I'm basing the 1/2 cup on my dog - your dog may need anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1 cup depending on activity, breed, etc.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks. I have spoken to Stella and Orijen and both STRONGLY recomended that the kibble slowly be mixed with the raw. I have done so for 3 meals so far with a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin and no trouble yet. My fingers are crossed but no stomach issues with the mixture(1 8oz pattty and 3/4 cup Orijen LBP kibble). Thanks to everyone for their help.


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