# Issues with Orijen dog food & loose stools



## DeLaGym (May 15, 2012)

I switched my 5month old catahoula/pitbull pup from Merricks Before Grain to the Orijen Puppy Formula. Now i did this switch overnight without gradual mixing. The reason for this was because my pup did not want to have anything to do with the Merricks, she would sniff it & walk away. The Orijen sparked her interest. 

Anyways, a week later, my pup is still having loose stools. Morning stools will be firm & then gradually turn loose over the day. I'm not sure as to what to do anymore.


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

Have you tried reducing the amount you're feeding? Orijen is a very rich and nutrient dense food so most people find they need to feed a lot less than they were on other foods and much less than what the bag recommends.


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## DeLaGym (May 15, 2012)

Gally said:


> Have you tried reducing the amount you're feeding? Orijen is a very rich and nutrient dense food so most people find they need to feed a lot less than they were on other foods and much less than what the bag recommends.


I didnt even think of that. I followed the guidelines exactly on the bag which was 5 cups a day.


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## hargyle (Mar 21, 2012)

I had the exact same problem. Due to our work situation I had to cut our pup down to 2 feedings a day (down from 3 [2/3 a cup down to just over 1/2 a cup and hes around 50lbs ish]) - this helped 100% . But As Gally said, it is a very rich food and you will more than likely need to cut down a lot - as the same with all foods and consumption watch their weight etc. And I got some advice, that to make a good switch it takes about 8 weeks for everything to fully settle in... how accurate that is I have no idea, but we are at that point and all is well.

... it is also my personal opinion that the bag guidelines are WAY too high and I never have followed them.


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## hast (Aug 17, 2011)

DeLaGym said:


> I didnt even think of that. I followed the guidelines exactly on the bag which was 5 cups a day.


I feed Orijen 6 fish or Adult (poultry) and I feed my 80 lbs rottweiler 1 1/4 cup morning and night. I add another 1/4 cup daily if she's working HARD ... as in a lot of running and jumping, much more than ordinary training.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

An additional supplement to help diarrhea is plain, pureed, canned pumpkin - no additives, no sugar, no spice. After you figure out how much food to provide, mix in about 2 teaspoons with each meal. It is harmless and most dogs like the taste. 

After you provide the correct amount and after the pup begins to get used to the richer food, the pumpkin will help clear up any problems in 3 - 5 days.


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## DeLaGym (May 15, 2012)

Thanks for everyones advice.

My mom ended up picking up the smallest bag of Merricks Before Grain "Chicken" to try our luck. We mixed it with the Orijen & her stools are getting firmer and firmer. Today she only one loose stool incident. Perhaps it could be the food wasnt agreeing with her tummy. Wierdly enough, when my pup smelled the merricks she looked happy.


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