# HUGE & frequent stool on Orijen



## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

I have been feeding my dog on Orijen Regional Red for approx. 1 year now, maybe more. I thought, overall, he has been doing well on it. But, he still has bowel movements 4x/day! And they aren't small....they are large (at least large in my opinion). To my understanding, big stools and that frequent means he isn't digesting the food properly.

I would like to switch foods, if that's what I need to do. I was thinking Orijen 6 Fish or some of the Acana lines. My dog is definitely allergic to Chicken so that eliminates alot of brands. Any thoughts on the Boreal line?

LambAgneau » Boreal Pet Food

Wild SalmonSaumon sauvage » Boreal Pet Food

I have fed my dog RAW on many occasions and his stool is much smaller. RAW on a regular basis isn't an option for me at this point, unfortunately because it's clear to me he does best on RAW.

On a side note, on his lower back, near the base of his tail, his coat is really dry down there, mild flaking, and he squiggles a bit when I scratch him there. I'm wondering why I can't get rid of that dry coat down there. Maybe that's normal?


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

I think for some dogs its just a very rich food, with too many different protein sources and too high of protein. 

I am not familiar with the foods you posted.

My go to recommendations are Horizon Legacy and Annamaet. I do like Acana as well.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

Just took a peak a the links posted. They look good to me. Though I would want to know the ash content before feeding.


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## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

How do I find out the Ash content of foods?

Maybe I'm feeding him too much in a day? Perhaps I should cut back how much I'm feeding him slightly?

I'm also skeptical about the pork in Regional Red. Although it's way down the list on the ingredients, I do recall feeding my dog RAW pork and it's didn't go so well.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

Raw pork is weird. Some dogs have no issues with it. Others have to be introed over time.

How is your dog doing on Orijen otherwise? Good weight? Coat? Energy?

Most companies list ash content in their percentage breakdown, if they don't you can generally email them to find out (and the amount of time it takes for them to get back to you says a ton about their customer service)..


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## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

He has no shortage on energy!

To me, his coat is nice, except for the base of tail area.

He's on the skinnier side, but definitely not underweight.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

If he's on the thin side (which I think is preferable) you don't want to decrease how much he's eating.

You do have the benefit of being in Canada, I tend to lean towards their dog foods.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

that is odd that Orijen has your dog producing large frequent stool.

When travelling the dogs may get Orijen as a substitute and the stool is similar to raw .

Your links to the new food say single source protein . One lists lamb , the other salmon . Each one does have a second source of animal protein and that is the inclusion of eggs.
Peas and beans are also protein source.


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## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

I think it's odd too. I thought Orijen would be the "perfect" dog food for him. There is a huge difference in stools between the Orijen Regional Red and RAW. Odd.

Acana has a Lamb/Apple formula (single protein), but the 3rd ingredient is Steel Cut Oats. Is that bad? Their Duck/Pear formula is the same thing. I thought someone once told me to stay away from oats, rice, etc. in dog food.

The ash content of Boreal is 8% apparently. Is that good or bad? What is ash all about?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

spacenuts said:


> I think it's odd too. I thought Orijen would be the "perfect" dog food for him. There is a huge difference in stools between the Orijen Regional Red and RAW. Odd.
> 
> Acana has a Lamb/Apple formula (single protein), but the 3rd ingredient is Steel Cut Oats. Is that bad? Their Duck/Pear formula is the same thing. I thought someone once told me to stay away from oats, rice, etc. in dog food.
> 
> The ash content of Boreal is 8% apparently. Is that good or bad? What is ash all about?


I've got one of mine on Acana lamb/apple and she does great on it. It's a good food for a dog with sensitivities to chicken.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

You want the ash to be 8% or lower, really the lower the better. It's what left after the food has been cooked, the non burnable non combustable minerals in the food. Some ash is ok, but you don't want too much. 


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

I believe steel cut oats are a better option than other grains. Some dogs do fine on a grain inclusive food, especially the higher quality grains. Acana is one of the foods with grains I'd be ok trying with my dog. I've really only heard success stories with this food.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Great food, but it did not sit well with my dog. No kibble did though, to be fair.

I feed raw now, tiny poops, don't stink and they break down really fast!


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

My experience with orijen is the exact same as yours - frequent huge poops. I found the same with all formulas, and the acana too. Otherwise they did great on it.
I highly suggest GO!, also made in Canada and should be easy enough to find. They have a few chicken free formulas and my dogs have tiny little poops on any of the formulas.


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## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

It looks like Acana has revamped their Single Protein kibble formulas for 2014. They've taken out the steel cut oats completely and replaced it with peas and garbanzo beans. They also have freeze dried meat in the formulas now (I don't think that was there before). Overall, there is now more meat in the formula. They've also added a Pork/Butternut Squash formula. I might try one of these out along with the Orijen 6 Fish. I guess this will take alot of experimenting 

I thought GO! was way too small of kibble for Shepherds?


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

My dog loved Orijen regional red, but it gave her diarrhea. I fed it for almost a year, but finally I thought we have to try something else. Right now I'm feeding her Fromm Lamb and Lentil, and she loves that too, and no diarrhea.

For the dry fur, you could try coconut oil.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

I just feel like I always hear the same things about Orijen. Not normal poo. And my parents dog had the worst yeasty ears on this food, ick!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

lauren43 said:


> I just feel like I always hear the same things about Orijen. Not normal poo. And my parents dog had the worst yeasty ears on this food, ick!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I've got a dog on Orijen. He's been on fromm, earthborn, and now orijen. His stools have been the best on the orijen.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

Yay! I like some positive poo news


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I'm feeding Orijen 6 fish, and have been adding Prozyme for the past few months because I didn't think my dog was getting the most from his kibble - he also had frequent stools (and wow, did they ever smell) plus the occasional gas. I believe the Prozyme really helps him digest the food because the stools are less frequent now, he doesn't have gas, and the stools aren't nearly as smelly. I was also able to cut down on the portion, from 4 cups to 3. That was another reason I thought he might be having problems digesting it: 4 cups is an awful lot of this food and I'd have expected him to gain weight, not just maintain his slim physique. 

I was feeding him Acana lamb previously, but after a year of his finicky unpredictability, I decided to switch to something else. He was on Fromm LBP before that, but I suspected chicken intolerance so switched to the Acana. Welcome to the food merry-go-round, LOL.


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## spacenuts (May 30, 2013)

I'm feeding 4 cups per day of Orijen as well. 4 cups is for a dog that's 110lbs. My dog is 96-98lbs. and is on the skinnier side. I guess that's a problem right there - never thought of that before.

I almost think it's counteractive to be feeding a really high quality food, but yet you have to give your dog a digestive enzyme to get the most out of their kibble. Mind you, I have digestive issues myself and have had to do the same in the past - it runs on one side of my family so I guess a dog could be the same?

I may pick up a digestive enzyme to get him through the rest of his kibble I currently have then go shopping for new brands. I also started shopping for meat farmers today so hopefully I can stock up on some raw too.

I forgot to mention my dog's stool really smells too, which I know shouldn't be the case.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Yeah, I should have mentioned that my dog is only 83.5 lbs. so 4 cups is waaaay more than the recommended daily serving. But ever since I've added the Prozyme he isn't a fussy eater any more - so maybe his poor digestion made him not want to eat? I'm just guessing here, but from reading things other people say, it's also an appetite stimulant - but it does stand to reason that an upset stomach would turn you off your food. I have a problem with certain foods too, and I'd never eat again if I had to deal with the awful cramps and bloating I get when I consume them, lol!


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