# Newbie here with Bernese buddy with frequent diarrhea



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi there, 
Matzah is our beloved one yr old unneutered male. Otherwise healthy. Bt has frequent loose stools. Eats orijen red. Weighs ninety lbs. He is healthy and stool tests are negative for any illness, bacteria or parasites. 
Help?
Thanks,
Eswmom


----------



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

What does your vet say?


----------



## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I answered in the other thread you started but could you be over feeding the kibble?


----------



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

Vet says alpo is suitable I never discuss nutrition with him in truth. We see eye to eye on everything else but this.


----------



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

Well, we are following guidelines on bag from orijen. But has since read here that maybe too much. Frustrating indeed.


----------



## Porphyria (Jul 13, 2011)

The feeding guidelines are a general rule of thumb and are definitely not right for every dog; try reducing how much you feed and see if that helps. If not, you might want to switch to another brand of food; not every brand works for every dog. I know it took me a lot of trial and error to find something that works for my dog!


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Eswmom said:


> Hi there,
> Matzah is our beloved one yr old unneutered male. Otherwise healthy. Bt has frequent loose stools. Eats orijen red. Weighs ninety lbs. He is healthy and stool tests are negative for any illness, bacteria or parasites.
> Help?
> Thanks,
> Eswmom


alpo is suitable for the trashcan


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

how much are you feeding? you can try cutting back by 1/2 cup and see if that helps.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would also say that over feeding could be the culprit.


----------



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

I did reduce quantity and today stool is more firm. We will keep on this reduced amount and further explore our other options as well. Thanks everyone, I am here to stay


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Eswmom said:


> Hi there,
> Matzah is our beloved one yr old unneutered male. Otherwise healthy. Bt has frequent loose stools. Eats orijen red. Weighs ninety lbs. He is healthy and stool tests are negative for any illness, bacteria or parasites.
> Help?
> Thanks,
> Eswmom


love the name...you were introducing yourself as being kosher...when raw was brought up...the advice you were given about reducing the amount seems to be working so you probably won't have to make the decision to feed raw or home cooked...athough it is a great solution for most dogs.


----------



## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Your goal is to feed the least amount while maintaining perfect body weight. You want to easily be able to see waist when looking from above. You also want to be able to feel ribs and maybe see first rib, depending on the breed. The feeding charts are way overkill. Never go by the feeding charts;0) How much are you currently feeding?


----------



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

Matzah gets 1 cup three times a day. He weighs 90lbs. He is 14 months. He is not neutered. He is amazing!


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Eswmom said:


> Matzah gets 1 cup three times a day. He weighs 90lbs. He is 14 months. He is not neutered. He is amazing!


That is VERY close to what they say to feed...so IME that IS *probably* too much for him.
This is what it says on the website:


WEIGHT 

77-110 lb 
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE (cups per day) 
3¼ - 4¼ c 

LESS ACTIVE (cups per day)
2¼ - 3½ c

I personally would cut out at least a 1/2 of a cup and see how he does for a few days!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

although i am biased toward raw, i certainly understand the constraints of feeding raw in a kosher home....

if you cut back on the food and you are feeding a high quality kibble....and that works...then i would say you're good to go.

if ever you want to entertain the notion of feeding a dog raw in a kosher home....i'll be glad to help you work it out...


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I had one dog on Orijen Large Breed Puppy and he did fine but my other dog could not handle it. It has a lot of fruits in it and Chelsy especially would get horrible diarrhea if she ate it. If he doesn't do better on a smaller amount, you could consider a different food with less ingredients. I tried to keep Chelsy on a food with as few ingredients as possible (mostly just meats).


----------



## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Eswmom said:


> Matzah gets 1 cup three times a day. He weighs 90lbs. He is 14 months. He is not neutered. He is amazing!


Try cutting down to 1.25 cups twice a day ;0) If you need to, you could even go gown to 2.25 a day.


----------



## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

The plan now is 2.5 cups then we will reevaluate. I am still researching and educating myself the raw approach
. Thanks much


----------

