# loose stools and digestion



## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

I have been feeding my pup Orijen since I got her. As of lately her stools have not been coming out solid. Is there any negative to that other than a harder time cleaning up? I really love Orijen and don't want to change it if I do not have to. At the same time, I want to make sure my baby is digesting her food ok. I just want to make sure she isn't losing any value from the food with the loose stools.

Thanks for your time!


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## dobesgalore (Oct 21, 2009)

How long have you had her? Maybe just a adjustment period to get used to it. it may also be too rich . We fed our dobes Solid Gold for a good while and they never adjusted to it. We had to to change them off of it and several foods later, for them Diamond Naturals is what has worked. I would like to try our Aussie and hound mix on Orijen but its nowhere near us. It may take some tries before you find what works for you, and what is available.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

How much are you feeding? did you increase the amount that you feed lately? usually dogs that have done fine on a food and then suddenly get loose stools, it is either from an increase in food, too many treats, or have become intolerant to an ingredient in the food. Good luck!


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

I really love the Orijen and hope it is not the problem. She gets 2 1/4 cups for morning and 2 1/4 for dinner. Someone suggested mixing some natural yogurt in there. She has been on the food for about 3 months.


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2009)

Orijen is very rich. It sounds like you've been overfeeding. Usually just one cup twice daily is sufficient. But I don't know how much your dog weighs and its activity level so that would have to be factored in. But if a dog is having loose stool its usually due to overfeeding.


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

Well right now I feed her according to what it says on the bag. The bag says that for dogs that will be an adult weight of 90-130lbs and are 3-9 months old should be fed 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups per day. My pup is 7 months. Maybe I will cut back a bit and add some yogurt. I really want to keep her on the Orijen.


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## t0nnn (Apr 1, 2009)

Seems like you feeding too much, is your dog active enough to be fed that much?


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

I try to keep her very active. On top of walks, I give her 2-3 hours a day wrestling and running around at the dog park.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I'd still cut your dog back to about 1 1/2 cups a feeding and see if that stops the loose stools, the bags always over calculate the amount to feed, the more you feed the faster you go through a bag of food, the more $ you spend. Orijen is high in protein so you don't need to feed alot of quanity.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

+1 on cutting WAY back. Orijen is a great food, but they are still out to make money. So I am sure that the numbers are padded a bit so you feed more and ultimately buy more. 

Cut back to 1 1/2 cup twice daily and see how your dog does on it. Keep a close eye on body condition. And if you have a large breed pup on your hands...you definitely want to watch his/her weight. Extra weight on growing joints can be very bad and can cause all sorts of issues. You should be able to see the last two ribs and a nice tucked tummy. If you start to see back bones and hip bones, she/he is a bit too thin.

Good luck :biggrin:


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Cutting back the food is a great suggestion! Also you could try the canned pumpkin ( not the pie filling!!) that will firm things up a bit for the pup!


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

Thanks folks. Gonna cut back on the food and add some yogurt to her daily diet. I will keep you informed.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm curious, why do you want to add yogurt in so badly?

Try cutting back the food and nothing else. If that doesn't help then we have to start looking at other solutions...


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

I read on alot of forums that its good to give a spoon or 2 of yogurt cause it helps with digestion. Its also a probiotic.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

Dogs don't need probiotics. 

Just cut back on the food. If that doesn't help we can offer some other suggestions.

We just went thru a similar situation with another member on here. You might take a few minutes and read here story...
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/1601-loss-vet-today-five-kinda-long.html

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/1724-back-vet-visit-undoubtedly-sealed-deal.html


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## PhillyAnt (Oct 30, 2009)

Will do. Thanks


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