# Very loose stools :(



## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

I just switched Lexi over to Orijen Large Puppy Breed kibble and for the past week she's had very very loose stools (spraying). Should I switch over to another type of food or stick out this bag? She also has a habit of eating her own poop, I used to be able to stop this by picking up the poop as soon as she went, but I have a hard time cleaning up the diarrhea in the grass, especially at night.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

What did you switch from and how did you switch it? Orijen is a very rich food. You need to switch gradually and even then it can be too much for some dogs.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

How many times per day are you feeding her? How much kibble were you feeding before the switch? How much are you feeding know?

As JKlatsky posted, Orijen is rich--it might be that the calorie content is higher than the previous food. Hopefully this is just a case of overfeeding.

How old is your pup?

~Kristin


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## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

Sorry for the lack of info in my original post. Lexi is now 13 weeks old. I was feeding her 3 cups a day of natural choice. I am now feeding her 3 1/2 cups of Orijen Large puppy breed twice a day.


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## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

I transitioned her to her new food by doing 3/4 old 1/4 new for 2 days, 1/2 old 1/2 new for 2 days, 1/4 old 3/4 new for 2 days and now she is fully on the new one.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

How were her stools during the transition? I usually like to switch a little more gradually when I'm making a big food switch. The protein content in your food has gone up ALOT. I usually start when I have half a bag left and spread it out over about 3 weeks. I like to be able to pinpoint when the stools change, if they do. Orijen is going to have a lot more than your Natural Choice. So it may be too much food. Overeating can cause loose stools. 

I would consider fasting her for a day or so to let her reset or feed her just a bland diet of rice and boiled chicken and then slowly start adding in the Orijen again to the bland diet. That way you don't have to run out and buy a whole new bag of food and can see if it's just the Orijen. 

I would also train her to NOT eat her poop. It can be done. As soon as she starts to eat her poop you need to interupt her, and redirect her.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: uoserI am now feeding her 3 1/2 cups of Orijen Large puppy breed twice a day.


Are you feeding 3 1/2 cups a day or at each meal? If each meal that's way too much food, if per day it still may be too much food.

I transitioned Dante over a couple weeks rather than days.


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## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

I guess I transitioned too fast.. So my options are to fast for a day, feed a bland diet or is it possible to go back to the old food/new food transitioning as I still have plenty of the Natural Choice. Which method would be advised?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Slow transition, there are a couple of threads on Perfect Form. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1223683 I would not do the bland diet, personally. Canned pumpkin or try the PF to help firm up the stool during the transition.
Over feeding is the major cause of runny stool when feeding a diet that is richer, (this goes for rawfed as well).


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Barb E.
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: uoserI am now feeding her 3 1/2 cups of Orijen Large puppy breed twice a day.
> ...


uoser, did you see this question? I'm really hoping you meant 3-1/2 cups a day, split between two meals, but if not, there's your problem right there. Halo eats Orijen Large Breed Puppy, and has NEVER had more than 4 cups of food a day. 

I think if she's already switched over to the new food I'd start there rather than adding back some of the old food. A supplement like the one onyx'girl linked to, or adding a couple dollops of plain canned pumpkin for fiber may help, or you can even give human fiber like Metamucil. My vet recommended that when Halo had some poop issues as a puppy. I checked ingredients and found an unflavored version with the least ingredients and gave her a teaspoon twice a day in her meals.


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## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

3 1/2 cups a day


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Too much Orijen would be my guess. Your pup should need to eat less Orijen than Nutro.

If it were my pup, I'd stick with the Orijen but reduce the amount being fed. Compare the calorie content of the two foods and figure out how much Orijen you need to feed.

Would it be possible to feed a third meal? Not a huge deal if you can't, but it could help.

~Kristin


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

As this is a puppy and puppies and worms tend to go hand in hand, I would run a poo sample in to the vet first. Fast the puppy just until you have 12 hours of no diarrhea, then start with the bland diet - usually chicken and rice. Find out from the vet if she has worms and treat or not as needed. Once she's got firm poo again then go back to the original food as you know she did well on that. If you want to try the new food again, do it after she's doing well on the old food and switch slowly. Any signs of a looser stool, stop.


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## lukes (Aug 7, 2009)

Reduce the food intake as others have suggested, if your pup is still having issues, you might need to switch. (Try acana)

If you're interested in the perfect form or canned pumpkin, here's a couple of links for you.. 

http://www.lukesallnatural.com/honest-kitchen-perfect-form-supplement-p-3556.html

http://www.lukesallnatural.com/fruitables-pumpkin-cinnamon-dry-food-mixer-p-3731.html


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## Technostorm (May 24, 2009)

I personally never had success with Orijen Large Puppy. I've tried feeding less and less but my boy seems hungry.. The poops are also terrible and I've read and heard others having the same issues. Most likely, it is the richness in the food that alot of puppies are used to. I've also tried many different feeds and finally found that with higher protein foods, it helps to mix in more fiber and feed less. 

Right now, I've found my niche in feeding by double-cooking a graspful of white rice, letting it cool down, then mixing 1/2 to 1 cup of Blue Buffulo Wilderness. The poops have been better but still there is improvements. 

What I do suggest if its not too time consuming for you is to try my method by mixing some soft rice with a few handful of OLP and monitoring how that goes. Then if it gets better, gradually increase the OLP.

As for eating poops, I've heard and read that placing a few chunks of pineapple to the poop will help deter your dog to eat poop, but I haven't tried that myself since my dog doesn't do that. Best of luck and please do let us know.

Dan


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## uoser (Sep 21, 2009)

I have ordered perfect form and it should arrive in a few days! Her poop isn't as runny as when a few days ago but it is still far from solid. A question I have about the perfect form... will it improve her stools for when I am not using it or will I have to keep ordering more and more? I will also try adding some rice into her meals. How much rice should I be adding?


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