# Orijen Feeders, Thoughts Needed!



## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I've been getting a few comments lately about Pup being too thin. I'm not overly worried since she is active and healthy. But I know there are tons of Orijen feeders on this board, so wanted to post and see how much you guys are feeding as a bench mark. 

Would love to know:
1) How much you feed
2) Which type of Orijen
3) How active is your dog. Please detail what an average day would look like in terms of exercise.
4) Do you feel your dog is at an ideal weight?

My response:
1) 2.5 cups 
2) Adult regular formula, previously LBP
3) 2.4 km jog every weekday, 1 hour walk or 1 hour active play in back yard
4) Not sure...but poop sure is good.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Rocket is almost 16 months. He is 82lbs. 

1) 4.5 cups a day. Some days he only eats half of this, as he'll skip a meal occasionally.
2) adult regular
3) he plays hard, runs about 15 miles a week and hikes on off days, although lately we've been backpacking every other weekend. He eats 6 cups a day typically on a backpacking trip. 
4) when he is wet, you can just see the outline of his ribs and he actually looks too thin. When dry, he looks huge, (long coat) but you can feel his ribs without pressing.


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## AJT (Jun 20, 2012)

I get comments about my 7 month pup being 'so lean' and 'skinny' all the time. I even got questioned if I even feed her enough. Which personally insults me since she gets the best food money can buy (Orijen and RAW along with supplements) and she eats like a cow. My response lately has been, 'she just hit a growth spurt'. 

1) 1.5 cups with a 1/4 slice of Vital fish (by Freshpet) in the morning. I feed her RAW at night. Training treats dispersed in between. I've recently caught my mom feeding my dog parts of her bagel with cream cheese. Apparently this has been going on for 2 months under my nose. 
2) Orijen 6 Fish
3) 40 mins of dog park (running/playing non stop for 30 mins), 1 hour of playing fetch/flirt pole, 3-4 mile walk/hike up moderate hills or around neighborhood. On the weekends we hit the beach for 2 hours or we hike up some decent hills. 
4) Yes -- 55lbs and growing slowly.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thanks guys for the responses. 

Rocketdog,

Pup looks too thin wet too...she otherwise doesn't because her coat is luxurious!

AJT,

I get responses all the time that she looks too thin. Is your full amount the equivalent of 3 cups Orijen then? Thinking of uping it by half a cup.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

Post a picture, preferably of the dog standing up.

Your average person wouldn't recognize a fit dog if they fell over it. Seriously. I'm always hearing that Bunny is too thin.....she isn't, it's not like her spine or hips are sticking up, she's just lean and fit. AND she's out of coat at the moment so there's no hair to hide ribs, and sables hide NOTHING anyway


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

1) How much you feed - About 2 and 2/3 cups a day, plus a couple big tablespoons of Nature's Variety Instinct canned (rotating through varieties), two spoonfuls of pumpkin, and a squirt of Grizzly Salmon Oil (from the largest size container) with each meal. She also gets treats throughout the day and a Merrick Tripe cookie before bed.
2) Which type of Orijen - 6 Fish
3) How active is your dog. Please detail what an average day would look like in terms of exercise - Average day consists of about 1 and 1/2 mile walk in the morning, followed by 30 - 45 minutes of play in the yard. Then breakfast and a nap. Another hour or so of play in the yard or down the street with a couple of the neighborhood dogs, and perhaps a trip in the car. Then dinner, a bit of relaxing, then another 1 - 2 mile walk in the evening followed by 30 - 45 minutes of play and training inside the house.
4) Do you feel your dog is at an ideal weight? She seems to be close to her ideal weight. She certainly doesn't look skinny to me, but has a defined waist and you can easily feel her last two to three ribs when she is standing.


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## AJT (Jun 20, 2012)

marshies said:


> I get responses all the time that she looks too thin. Is your full amount the equivalent of 3 cups Orijen then? Thinking of uping it by half a cup.


So I just did a break down of Ava's, my pup, daily calorie intake without accounting for treats. 3 cups of Orijen 6 Fish would equal 1,440 kcal. 

Morning: 1.5 cups of Orijen 6 Fish in the morning + 1/4 lb of Petfresh Vital Salmon = roughly 863 calories

Evening: 8-10 NV RAW 1 oz medallions (depending on type of activity) + 1/3 of wet Merrick canned food = 765 calories

Grand total of daily calorie intake (give or take) = 1628

I would say her calorie intake is a little under 1800 when you account for various treats that may include mini homemade yogurt pops, bully sticks, treats, sweet potatoe/pumpkin, raw egg, salmon or coconut oil, and supplements (do they have calories?). On days when it is raining and we really can't do much other than just walk around the neighborhood I cut back on the amount of food. Overall we are pretty active consistently and when the weekend hits, it's like weekend warrior time! 

If you can lightly feel your pup's ribs when you brush your hands down their sides, I think what you are doing is fine. No need to give in to pressure from other people. A lot of the owners that I have come across also own stockier dogs (and even then they were overweight). I bet if you talk to owners who have greyhounds or whippets or even great danes they may have a different opinion.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

I would bump her up to three cups a day since you're running her and she is still growing / young... how old is she?


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

DunRingill said:


> Post a picture, preferably of the dog standing up.
> 
> Your average person wouldn't recognize a fit dog if they fell over it. Seriously. I'm always hearing that Bunny is too thin.....she isn't, it's not like her spine or hips are sticking up, she's just lean and fit. AND she's out of coat at the moment so there's no hair to hide ribs, and sables hide NOTHING anyway


I have a recent thread of her pictures when she went hiking. She doesn't LOOK thin when you look at her in motion, simply because her coat is nice and full. If you have trouble finding them, I'll try to post one tonight of her side standing and top view.



Ken Clean-Air System said:


> 1) How much you feed - About 2 and 2/3 cups a day, plus a couple big tablespoons of Nature's Variety Instinct canned (rotating through varieties), two spoonfuls of pumpkin, and a squirt of Grizzly Salmon Oil (from the largest size container) with each meal. She also gets treats throughout the day and a Merrick Tripe cookie before bed.
> 2) Which type of Orijen - 6 Fish
> 3) How active is your dog. Please detail what an average day would look like in terms of exercise - Average day consists of about 1 and 1/2 mile walk in the morning, followed by 30 - 45 minutes of play in the yard. Then breakfast and a nap. Another hour or so of play in the yard or down the street with a couple of the neighborhood dogs, and perhaps a trip in the car. Then dinner, a bit of relaxing, then another 1 - 2 mile walk in the evening followed by 30 - 45 minutes of play and training inside the house.
> 4) Do you feel your dog is at an ideal weight? She seems to be close to her ideal weight. She certainly doesn't look skinny to me, but has a defined waist and you can easily feel her last two to three ribs when she is standing.





AJT said:


> So I just did a break down of Ava's, my pup, daily calorie intake without accounting for treats. 3 cups of Orijen 6 Fish would equal 1,440 kcal.
> 
> Morning: 1.5 cups of Orijen 6 Fish in the morning + 1/4 lb of Petfresh Vital Salmon = roughly 863 calories
> 
> ...


Thanks for your response! I know when I look at lean breeds, Pup looks fine. It's compared to the local stocky labs and such that I get worried.



Wild Wolf said:


> I would bump her up to three cups a day since you're running her and she is still growing / young... how old is she?


She just turned a year old. When she was younger (6 mths), her poop was runny on 3.5 cups, but perfect on 2. I think I'll try 3 and see.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

I had my 15 month female on Orijen for quite a few months. Her coat looked nice, but her stools never really firmed up. Her poops also smelled real bad.
Her weight stayed on the lean side too.

Then I switched her over to Fromm Gold. She's gained weight, her poops are firm, she has no gas, her poop is practically oderless, and her coat is stunning.

She's eating 3 cups a day, topped with a half cup of my own stew of a meat, with mixed veggies.
Energy level very high.

Orijen is no doubt a quality food, but it may be too rich for some dogs.

Also... You'd be surprised how overfeeding by as little as a half cup, can cause loose stools.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Her poop is great on Orijen. Smelly, but not unbearable. I'll take a picture and show you guys soon. My vet didn't comment on her weight the last time I took her in, so maybe she's okay.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I had Alice on Evo when she was younger and jeez, I should post a picture of how skinny she was. Too much protein for a young ampy dog without a job, so I switched to Innova. Now, I wouldn't feed Innova as Proctor and Gamble bought the company and as of July of this year have changed the protein content on their ingredient list.
She did well on a lower protein food when she was younger.
I feed her Orijens now, but A LOT less than when she was eight months--12 months old.
I've not had any problems with the stools and I live in a very small place, so we do the "poop duty" very frequently. I haven't had Alice on a white meat protein for awhile, but when I did...she didn't do so well on chicken/turkey as far as stools went.

I have noticed though that most GSD owners will not say a young dog is too thin. It's always the dog owners that have morbidly obese young dogs that think that. I mean labs that have rolls of fat on the base of their tails at nine months old. I'm sorry, that's not puppy fat at that age.


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## TaraM1285 (Sep 24, 2009)

marshies said:


> Would love to know:
> 1) How much you feed
> 2) Which type of Orijen
> 3) How active is your dog. Please detail what an average day would look like in terms of exercise.
> 4) Do you feel your dog is at an ideal weight?


1) 2.5 cups per day (1.5 cups in the AM and 1 cup in the PM)
2) 6Fish
3) Runs 30ish miles per week (one day off per week), anywhere from 3-13 miles per day. 
4) Yes, at 64lbs she has a perfect body condition score (5/9).


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

I used to feed Orijen, back when Cullen was younger, and to our senior... For close to $70-80 per bag, it was rediculous, and I also could NOT keep weight on my dogs. Gave them both more than was called for and they both ended up way too thin, switched to Nutri-Source, and we have kept them at an awesome weight ever since.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

So a visitor who has been away from my house for a few months commented today on how Pup looks thinner than she did in the winter. "Baby fat gone"

I know most people can't tell fit dogs apart since I see TONS of overweight dogs with well-intentioned owners that actually exercise them...so I do take comments with a grain of salt. But as a first-time dog owner, reassurance is needed.

Here are some recent pictures. She looks really big in these pictures for some reason, but thin at home. :S

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/pictures-pictures-pictures/191036-hiking-best-friend.html


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Also, what is the link between protein level and hyper-activity?

Further question, why is it difficult for dogs on Orijen to keep on weight, and is it a bad thing?


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Although I got really distracted by the "Dead on The Way Home" pic
I only saw one picture that gave me an idea of thin or not. I'd say No.

She doesn't appear to be a heavy boned dog. Her pelvis/hips don't look over large or wide. So, my guess is that she's going to be lean. 

I worried more about D/A issues that I read about with higher protein. But, I guess if I dog is eating rocket fuel with no outlet....I could see D/A being an issue. I'm sure the more experienced breeders could actually explain it better to you. 

When Alice was a year old I was feeding almost six cups a day. Sometimes seven. That was telling me she was on the wrong food.
Alice is 5 1/2 now and started having seizures right before her second birthday. Between the drugs, and the two year mark her metabolism slowed down. I feed her between 3 cups (8 oz dry measure cups) and 2 1/2 cups a day. It just depends what she's doing. She's ninety two pounds and has a waist, can feel ribs. The vet is happy with her weight.
Our battle comes from phenobarbitol's side effect of hunger.

*she's also not the awkward "is that a mix" or "omg what's wrong with your dog? she's so skinny" stage any more.
The only thing fat on my dog at any point in her young life were her ears.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Tony is a thin 108-112. He plays fetch with a chuckit 2-4 times daily. Length of time vary's, depending on how many times we go and how much time I have. Tony is fed 3-4 cups daily, depending on activity level. He is also fed a half can of 95% By Nature or beef heart or ground turkey or ground chicken or ground beef. He also gets some raw beef or 100% angus hot dog (extra large from the butcher). About every other day he gets one half of the recommended amount of some very good vitys. All GSD's should be kept thin, not skinny. I fed Adult and 6 fish mixed. Now tomorrow he is getting a Pollack filet, because I can get it for 1.98 a pound.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

CarrieJ said:


> Although I got really distracted by the "Dead on The Way Home" pic
> I only saw one picture that gave me an idea of thin or not. I'd say No.
> 
> She doesn't appear to be a heavy boned dog. Her pelvis/hips don't look over large or wide. So, my guess is that she's going to be lean.
> ...


Pup is reactive...but she does otherwise well on Orijen, so I've never made that link. 

Thanks for looking over the pictures. I need reassurance...like CONSTANTLY lol.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Going to stick to 2.5 until further notice.  Thanks guys.


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## kkalligher (Jan 29, 2010)

I have had GSD's for over 40 years. I currently own 3 GSD's. They weigh: 100#, 96# and the youngest 105#.
1. They walk/run daily for 1-2 hours.
2. I feed Orijen 5.5 cups mixed with 1/2 can of single protein meat (Gatos & Hound, EVO, Merrick BG or store bought chicken, turkey, beef ribs at each meal (Feed twice daily)
3. The older dogs look grea;t the youngest 24 mos. 105# looks thin, but will not eat more than is put down for him, which is slightly more than 1/3 of the above mix.
4. Dogs visit vet 1/year. Never have issues.
5. No vomiting or diarrhea (unless I give them a raw treat).
I laugh when I hear that my choice is too high in protein or too rich. Food choices for animals is always a highly charged conversation and has no common thread. This works for my animals and I have researched this for over 40 years. Last place to get advice is from your Vet. I have had my Vet now for over 25 years and he constantly asks what I feed because he is so impressed by my dogs. I tell him and he gives me a blank stare, every time, like he never heard of it before.


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