# Orijen/Soft poop!



## Jester966 (Nov 12, 2008)

I have now switched Breyer over to Orijen LB Puppy. I switched over the course of a full week. By the end of the week, his poop was getting quite soft. I thought it could have been a result of the treats I had started giving him so I stopped with that and reverted to treating only with kibble again, but now his poop is still very soft pretty much every time. (It's not quite diarrea, but pretty close)

Is this most likely due to the Orijen? How long should I wait to see if he gets used to it and if his poop firms up, before I give up on the Orjien and switch to something else? I don't want to waste it (almost a full bag left) but I want to do whatever will be best for him. Is there anything that I can give him to help while he's still on this food? (pumpkin?) If I do switch to something else, can I try to rotate the leftover Orijen back again in a month or so to see if he can handle it once he's a little older?

Also, what exactly does the soft poop mean anyway? (Eg what is happening in his digestive system that causes it?) Is the food still being digested properly, and is he still absorbing everything that he needs from the food?

Thanks
-Chris


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## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Jester966 said:


> Is this most likely due to the Orijen? How long should I wait to see if he gets used to it and if his poop firms up, before I give up on the Orjien and switch to something else? I don't want to waste it (almost a full bag left) but I want to do whatever will be best for him. Is there anything that I can give him to help while he's still on this food? (pumpkin?) If I do switch to something else, can I try to rotate the leftover Orijen back again in a month or so to see if he can handle it once he's a little older?


It could be that Orijen is too high in protein for him or something else.I would wait about a month before trying to switch again. I know for my dog Bayne it takes at least a month for things to get back to normal. You can give him a little pumpkin(1 tablespoon approx.) to help firm him up.



Jester966 said:


> Also, what exactly does the soft poop mean anyway? (Eg what is happening in his digestive system that causes it?) Is the food still being digested properly, and is he still absorbing everything that he needs from the food?
> 
> Thanks
> -Chris


I'm not sure why that happens... maybe someone else will be able to help you with this


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

Quite often, soft poop means you are overfeeding. Try cutting his food down and see if that helps. A lot of people overfeed with the high quality kibbles. The bag is only a guide.


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## Jester966 (Nov 12, 2008)

Ok, so it is "safe" and healthy for him to continue to feed him it for another month to see if it firms up then?

If I try the pumkin, should I give him 1tbs with each meal, or once a day? And for how long should I continue with the pumkin until I stop?

As far as over feeding him, I am feeding him 2.25 cups per day (3 meals), which happens to be exactly what the bag says. I know the bag is likely high, but I was feeding him less until I noticed him looking skinnier, and increased it accordingly. I weighed him today (he's 2 months today) and he is 19.5 lbs, which seems to be "right on target" according to the GSD growth chart I have.

Thanks again


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## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Yes, it is safe... as long as it's just a little soft and not like water lol!

I would do 1tbsp a day. Do that for like a week or so... that's what I did anyways lol! GSD's have sensitive tummy issues(I've noticed and read) and the pure bred and x's that I have had all have had issues with food switches.

As long as you can feel his ribs and not see them, he is perfect.


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## odp1979 (Jan 5, 2009)

Same thing happened to my 10 month old pup. I was that there was a "cleansing" process. Now she has amazing solid, small poops, and they hardly smell. Crazy stuff I tell ya.


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## HunterTMS (Jan 29, 2009)

We also have recently switched our puppy's food to Orijen as per our trainer's recommendations because it has more natural ingredients and more protein. He is a Weimaraner and he is 4 months and weighs only 24 pounds. The vet says he is underweight and therefore we have increased his feeding to 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night (as per the bags recommendations). We are not home in the day therfore can't spread them out more. His stoole is always soft now. Not diarrhea, but soft and difficult to pick up. It's only been 2 weeks since the switch and we did it gradually over 1 week. Is this normal and when should we be worried? Originally we thought it was the peanut butter we started giving to help with his anxiety separation, but that was just a coincidence I guess. Any words of wisdom? It's our first dog ever and maybe over worried?


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## odp1979 (Jan 5, 2009)

HunterTMS said:


> We also have recently switched our puppy's food to Orijen as per our trainer's recommendations because it has more natural ingredients and more protein. He is a Weimaraner and he is 4 months and weighs only 24 pounds. The vet says he is underweight and therefore we have increased his feeding to 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night (as per the bags recommendations). We are not home in the day therfore can't spread them out more. His stoole is always soft now. Not diarrhea, but soft and difficult to pick up. It's only been 2 weeks since the switch and we did it gradually over 1 week. Is this normal and when should we be worried? Originally we thought it was the peanut butter we started giving to help with his anxiety separation, but that was just a coincidence I guess. Any words of wisdom? It's our first dog ever and maybe over worried?


Some dogs just do better with certain foods. I have been feeding my dog all sorts of food, and trying out different types. We have her currently on Orijen puppy, but we're going to put her on California Natural Herring and sweet potato, she has lots of allergies and the high protein in Orijen is giving her terrible gas. My vet, which is a hollistic vet, suggested California natural because of its limited ingredients. A lot of times its better to have less ingredients then tons of veggies and fruits, etc, in my opinion. Plus Orijen is really expensive, and we've been spending too much on dog food lately.


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## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

HunterTMS said:


> We also have recently switched our puppy's food to Orijen as per our trainer's recommendations because it has more natural ingredients and more protein. He is a Weimaraner and he is 4 months and weighs only 24 pounds. The vet says he is underweight and therefore we have increased his feeding to 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night (as per the bags recommendations). We are not home in the day therfore can't spread them out more. His stoole is always soft now. Not diarrhea, but soft and difficult to pick up. It's only been 2 weeks since the switch and we did it gradually over 1 week. Is this normal and when should we be worried? Originally we thought it was the peanut butter we started giving to help with his anxiety separation, but that was just a coincidence I guess. Any words of wisdom? It's our first dog ever and maybe over worried?


I would give it a couple more weeks before changing his food. You could also try giving him a little pumpkin. Not pie filling but 100% pure canned pumpkin. You can give him about a tablespoon of it every day or every other day to firm up his poop. Do that for about a week maybe less. If after a month or so he is still having issues and your vet has given him a clean bill of health, I would try switching food.

There are lots of really good kibbles out there. I have fed my guys Taste Of The Wild, Before Grain and Acana(grain free line). I really like TOTW and Acana. Both are all life stages kibble and can be fed from puppy to senior.


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## Lil Red Express (Jan 18, 2009)

I switched my pup over to the same food in seven days . The only thing I have noticed is a slight color change ( darker ) in his poo after the switch . Not sure what that means . 
He does have a lot more energy I notice . All dogs are different and some more sensitive than others when switching foods. Usually when you go from a crappy corn based ,fat sprayed , by-product food to a good one ,its an adjustment.


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