# Orijen LBP-loose stools



## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

My dobe is 4 months old and approximately 40 lbs. He has been on LBP Orijen-70/30 for a month getting 3 3/4 cups per day in 3 meals rather than the recomended 4 1/2 cups daily. Of his 4 daily stools only first is decent and others are loose. He is getting 1 tbsp of pumpkin with each meal. I hate to change kibble because he looks great on Orijen but I worry it isn't good for his digestive system. Any help will be deeply appreciated.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Ditch the pumpkin and cut him down to 2 cups a day;0) You might have to feed more as he grows. You want to keep him on the lean side when he's growing. This will provide slow steady growth , as opposed to growth spurts. Never go by the bag, it's way over kill. Just go by his body. You should easily feel his ribs, and even see the first rib. You should see a athletic waste line at the hips. Feed 2 cups a day and you'll have no more problems;0) You might have to goto 2.5-3 cups when he gets full grown. Use his body as the guide. If he starts to look too skinny, feed a little more.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

When my puppy was on Orijen, I fed 1/3 of what the bag recommended, and I still felt like he was a bit pudgy. The suggested amount for his weight was somewhere around 1 to 2 cups a day, and I fed him 1/2 a cup over 2 meals. Do what cast71 suggested and if he gets too lean you can always add more back in.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks. I will try and I am hopeful it makes the difference


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks for your suggestion.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

It will definitely make the difference. Your currently feeing enough for a 100 lb dog. You should see results in a day or so;0) Keep this thread updated. It's always good to hear feedback. If somethings not working, we can make more suggestions. You might want to do more research, into supplementing with cooked meats and feeding less kibble. I like this approach, because it boosts the protein and fat and cuts the carbs way down;0)


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks for all of the help. I will keep you posted.


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

Spiderman said:


> My dobe is 4 months old and approximately 40 lbs. He has been on LBP Orijen-70/30 for a month getting 3 3/4 cups per day in 3 meals rather than the recomended 4 1/2 cups daily. Of his 4 daily stools only first is decent and others are loose. He is getting 1 tbsp of pumpkin with each meal. I hate to change kibble because he looks great on Orijen but I worry it isn't good for his digestive system. Any help will be deeply appreciated.


I totally disagree with that poster. 1 tbsp is doing zero for a 40 lb dog, it say right on the can I am looking at, 1tbsp for every 10 pounds!!! It also says "Serving size can be adjusted as needed". When Tony was growing (5-11 months) I feed him almost 7 cups a day. Now he is very active and pretty big, 107 pounds, slim. The amount of bad information you get on this forums is unreal. Watch his water intake during meals because that can "sometimes" cause loose stools. I usually hold back Tony's water for about 40 minutes or so AFTER HE EATS. DO NOT HOLD IT BACK FOR TO LONG OF A TIME PERIOD. I would recommend adding another tablespoon at the 2 later feedings. Large active breeds are little more prone to getting loose stools as the day goes on, especially when younger. My breed, GSD's are known for loose stools and it can drive a person nuts. Tony is my 7th GSD so I have a pretty good grip on GSD's. When Tony was younger and we would go to the beach (off leash park) I would just stop and get a can of pumpkin, because I knew what was coming, he would dig up and eat anything. He even drug a dead seal out of the woods once. 

http://3toestony.shutterfly.com/


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> When Tony was growing (5-11 months) I feed him almost 7 cups a day. Now he is very active and pretty big, 107 pounds, slim. *The amount of bad information you get on this forums is unreal*.
> http://3toestony.shutterfly.com/


:frusty:

yes, the amount of bad information you get on this forum is unreal (see above).


OP, DO NOT feed your dog 7 cups a day. there is a reason 3toes (aka germanshepherdlover) stated a gsd is done growing at 7 months (either on this site or another). when you over feed, they are going to grow faster than desired.

i agree with others. cut down a bit on you feeding amount. eeven 1/2 cup too much can cause loose stools. my 65 lb GSD was a very active and athletic dog growing up on orijen LBP and 3 cups worked very well for her.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks.I am trying 1 cup 3 times a day to start. No pumpkin and hope for improvement. I will keep everyone posted. I hope i don't have to go down lower because my guy is always hungry..


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> When Tony was growing (5-11 months) I feed him almost 7 cups a day.


WOW that's just ridiculous. Like buddy said, no wonder why your dogs are full grown at 7 months. Large breeds are not suppose to develop that quickly. It's the worst thing you can do to a large breed and will cause permanent structure damage. Very scary information your giving my friend! You might as well free feed at this point and I bet you recommend that as well. If you did a little open minded reading around this forum instead of bashing everyone, you would realize there's no need for pumpkin ever! Just fast until the digestion problem goes away. Danemama open my eyes to that one;0)


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

cast71 said:


> WOW that's just ridiculous. Like buddy said, no wonder why your dogs are full grown at 7 months. Large breeds are not suppose to develop that quickly. It's the worst thing you can do to a large breed and will cause permanent structure damage. Very scary information your giving my friend! You might as well free feed at this point and I bet you recommend that as well. If you did a little open minded reading around this forum instead of bashing everyone, you would realize there's no need for pumpkin ever! Just fast until the digestion problem goes away. Danemama open my eyes to that one;0)


Well I guess we have a vet here!! May I ask where you graduated from?? Who cares what Damemamia says? Where did she graduate from. I thought feeding raw never had issues , lol. First off because I was feeding Tony so much, usually 6+ cups a day *I made a special visit to a very special animal hospital and made an appointment with a specialist in dog nutritional needs and my vet. *In this meeting THEY BOTH TOLD ME I WAS """NOT""" OVERFEEDING. What they pointed out was actually as I stated, but with one difference. If your dog stops eating do not let them come back 10 minutes later and eat more. YOU PEOPLE ARE UNREAL, I KNEW WHEN I POSTED THIS INFO, SOME WANNA BE VET WOULD ATTACK ME AND SAY I WAS WRONG. I would recommend you go talk to a REAL VET and specialist before listening to these wanna be's AND THEIR FALSE INFO... I guess my 35 years experience and my dogs,, vet and a dog specialist, doesn't come close to all your knowledge of GSD's. What do you own a wenny dog..



Lynnwood Animal Hospital ? Board-Certified Veterinary Specialists | VCA Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle | Home


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> Who cares what Damemamia says? Where did she graduate from. I thought feeding raw never had issues , lol.


Okay....first off it's "DaneMAMA..... And, yes, there can be issues with raw feeding....especially with over feeding! Canned pumpkin does nothing but mask the real problem.



> First off because I was feeding Tony so much,


My Black Russian Terrier puppy was started on Orijen LBP before being switched to raw. His adult weight is going to be around 130-140 pounds....bigger than your GSD. I NEVER ever even got close to feeding him 6+ cups a day. Are you kidding me? Especially with a Champion kibble! I think the most he ate was 3 cups a day.




> YOU PEOPLE ARE UNREAL, I KNEW WHEN I POSTED THIS INFO, SOME WANNA BE VET WOULD ATTACK ME AND SAY I WAS WRONG.


It gets real old the way you attack when people don't agree with you. Oi vey! :tsk: Even if you were feeding over 6 cups a day why on earth would you think it was safe to recommend to someone else to feed their pup that much!? Talk about diarrhea and loose stool! Yikes! 



> What do you own a wenny dog..


I know that others that have posted own GSDs as well and pit bulls (or is it American Bulldogs?). I for a fact, own a 90 pound 9 month old BRT with an adult weight of 140 pounds...thank you very much. :hand:


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> What do you own a wenny dog..


LMAO

Oh, and by the way it's...WEENIE..tyvm :biggrin:


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Large active breeds are little more prone to getting loose stools as the day goes on, especially when younger. My breed, GSD's are known for loose stools and it can drive a person nuts. Tony is my 7th GSD so I have a pretty good grip on GSD's. 

I'm sorry, but I just have to comment on GSD's being known for loose stools. Between my father and I, we have about 50 yrs worth of experience in the GSD breed. We have to have own more than 20 dogs in that time. Bred and raised about half of those. In all that time, we've never had a problem with loose stools. I don't know if this is a "recent" issue in the breed as I haven't own a GSD in over 10 yrs, but I can't bring myself to believe that this can be such an issue. I mean wouldn't that cause a lot of these dogs to be given up?


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Never claimed to be a vet. I'm glad you went to a top vet and they reassured you of all your worries. You are still overfeeding. I know because like you, I went with the modern medicine vets advice. One vet reccomended free feeding. My dog would probably finish off a 30 lb bag if he could. Not one vet I went to had a clue about nutrition. From what it sounds like, your nutritional expert has no clue either. Not only does it do damage to growing puppies, it causes overweight dogs. In case you haven't heard, theres a diabetes epidemic. Think low glycemic diet. Am I sparking anything or is it beating a dead horse. If you truly care about your dog, you will feed less carbs. 6-7 cups is playing russian roulette. Thats alot of carbs! You can do what ever you like, but I will not be quiet when you start recommending someone to feed a puppy 7 cups a day. I also do not appreciate your nasty tone posts. If you plan on writing a nasty post, you might as well forget it. If you think you can act civilized, I'll participate.


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## 3feathers (Oct 29, 2008)

I don't know of any puppy or adult dog that should eat 6-7 cups of Orijen a day. Also, I would not feed a food that I HAD to feed that much to maintain a healthy build. I have very active dogs, with the largest being 105. Every day we train: tracking usually 2-3 times a week, obedience every day, retrieves every day (with jumps, twice a week) and protection one day, plus jogging every evening, in the winter it's on the treadmill, he gets 4 cups of food. And I don't know who said GSD's are known to have loose stools everyday, but I have never heard any of my club members (who all have working GSDs) say anything about that!


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> Well I guess we have a vet here!! May I ask where you graduated from?? Who cares what Damemamia says? Where did she graduate from. I thought feeding raw never had issues , lol. First off because I was feeding Tony so much, usually 6+ cups a day *I made a special visit to a very special animal hospital and made an appointment with a specialist in dog nutritional needs and my vet. *In this meeting THEY BOTH TOLD ME I WAS """NOT""" OVERFEEDING. What they pointed out was actually as I stated, but with one difference. If your dog stops eating do not let them come back 10 minutes later and eat more. YOU PEOPLE ARE UNREAL, I KNEW WHEN I POSTED THIS INFO, SOME WANNA BE VET WOULD ATTACK ME AND SAY I WAS WRONG. I would recommend you go talk to a REAL VET and specialist before listening to these wanna be's AND THEIR FALSE INFO... I guess my 35 years experience and my dogs,, vet and a dog specialist, doesn't come close to all your knowledge of GSD's. What do you own a wenny dog..
> 
> 
> 
> Lynnwood Animal Hospital ? Board-Certified Veterinary Specialists | VCA Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle | Home


you have stated elsewhere that every GSD you have had was done growing at 7 months. if you went to a vet who is a so called expert in nutrition, and they agreed you were not overfeeding a dog who ate 7 cups a day and was done growing at 7 month, then im afraid they may have as much expertise in canine nutrition as most vets (that is to say very little) as well as a very poor understanding of the appropriate growth rates of large breed puppies.

just curious, which of those vets is an expert in canine nutrition?

also, id add that on this forum (and the GSD forum you frequent), there at thousands of years of experience with dogs, nutrition, feeding methods, etc...


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I would never dream of feeding Aspen 6+ cups of any kibble a day as a growing puppy!! Or adult for that matter!! He's a giant breed, 120 lbs., and very VERY active and when he was on kibble, I would probably give him 2 cups a day.


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## Bam Bam (May 1, 2010)

7 cups a day! I'm suprised you would be overfeeding that much being as smart as you are! 

Bam is 120 lbs and eats 4-4.5 cups a day of Orijen or Acana. I too overfed by going by the guidelines on the bag, I reduced amounts and Bam's stools were fine.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

On day 2 of reduced food (1 cup at each of 3 meals) and no pumpkin. I have seen noticeable improvement to a point where he poops only 4 times a day and all are good to perfect. Many thanks to all who were kind enough to provide advice. I hope he continues the improvement as time goes on. He loves Orijen LBP and I hope he can eat a bit more and fill out just a bit.


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

I left a link to one of the BEST animal hospitals in this State, maybe this country. They will back up everything I have stated. I really am shocked someone comes here and says they have 50 years ex. in GSD's and say loose stools aren't an issue with the breed *UNREAL*!!!!!!! I have quoted facts and links and I will post more in the future to prove how unknowledgeably people are on this forums. Here is the phone # 425 771-5224 Dr G Moore Bacharch, he is a vet, very knowledgeable with the GS breed, talk to him, then lets hear from you know-it-alls!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> I totally disagree with that poster. 1 tbsp is doing zero for a 40 lb dog, it say right on the can I am looking at, 1tbsp for every 10 pounds!!! It also says "Serving size can be adjusted as needed". When Tony was growing (5-11 months) I feed him almost 7 cups a day. *Now he is very active and pretty big, 107 pounds, slim.* The amount of bad information you get on this forums is unreal. Watch his water intake during meals because that can "sometimes" cause loose stools. I usually hold back Tony's water for about 40 minutes or so AFTER HE EATS. DO NOT HOLD IT BACK FOR TO LONG OF A TIME PERIOD. I would recommend adding another tablespoon at the 2 later feedings. Large active breeds are little more prone to getting loose stools as the day goes on, especially when younger. My breed, GSD's are known for loose stools and it can drive a person nuts. Tony is my 7th GSD so I have a pretty good grip on GSD's. When Tony was younger and we would go to the beach (off leash park) I would just stop and get a can of pumpkin, because I knew what was coming, he would dig up and eat anything. He even drug a dead seal out of the woods once.
> 
> http://3toestony.shutterfly.com/


*I do hope you realize that first of all, the German Shepherd standard says that GSDs are supposed to be no more than 88 pounds, right? 107 is nearly 20 pounds overweight.*

You know, that's pretty rude to say, because I've seen many people who have been helped mountains with the advice on this forum. That's just downright rude and inflammatory.

PS - Pumpkin only COVERS UP the symptoms, it doesn't solve it. What if this OP's dog really did have an intolerance to something in the Orijen LBP, and you gave them information that COULD make it harder to diagnose, or possibly to endanger this puppy's life!



GermanSheperdlover said:


> I left a link to one of the BEST animal hospitals in this State, maybe this country. They will back up everything I have stated. I really am shocked someone comes here and says they have 50 years ex. in GSD's and say loose stools aren't an issue with the breed *UNREAL*!!!!!!! *I have quoted facts and links* and I will post more in the future to prove how unknowledgeably people are on this forums. Here is the phone # 425 771-5224 Dr G Moore Bacharch, he is a vet, very knowledgeable with the GS breed, talk to him, then lets hear from you know-it-alls!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm looking around, and I see no quotes, just some unreasonably rude comments flaming some of our more popular and KNOWLEDGABLE members here.

By the way:



Spiderman said:


> On day 2 of reduced food (1 cup at each of 3 meals) and no pumpkin. I have seen noticeable improvement to a point where he poops only 4 times a day and all are good to perfect. Many thanks to all who were kind enough to provide advice. I hope he continues the improvement as time goes on. He loves Orijen LBP and I hope he can eat a bit more and fill out just a bit.


The OP cut back on food, took away the pumpkin, and–WHAT A SHOCKER–there's improvement! So much for this "bad information" you speak of.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

Day 3 on reduced quantity and no pumpkin. Much improved stools. Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Never use pumpkin;0) I use to use it and recommend it as well. Now I 100% agree it's useless. Only in rare cases should it be used. Like if you know the exact digestive issue and your having a problem resolving it. I'm glad to hear of your dogs improvement. If after a week your dogs stools haven't improved 100%, you should make small adjustments in feeding. Try giving a 1/4 cup or 1/8 cup less. I'm also glad you didn't take the 7 cups aday advice. That is the worse advice I've ever heard on this forum.


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## Spiderman (Feb 6, 2011)

I will follow your advice because you have helped me solve the issue. I suspect I will have to tinker with quantity and watch his weight to avoid him being too thin. Pumpkin will be saved for Thanksgiving. I wish Orijen's feeding guidelines were narrower and more accurate. Thanks again.


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