# Is Orijen keeping my pup from gaining weight too rapidly?



## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Hi guys I've posted before about my pup and her eating issues.. We've had her for 2nmonths and she is 4 months now. 

Basically she's had the most pitiful appetite ever since we've brought her home. Her original home was giving her Iams but I switched her to Orijen bc I liked the ingredient list. It never made her throw up or have gas/lose stools so by those standards it's been working out well.

She just still doesn't eat very much. We had a vet apt 3 weeks ago & he basically told me we were going to change her to prescription food if she didn't gain a significant amount in 2 week. He told me to go home and do what I can to make her gain. I gave her canned meat for 2 weeks (spend $70 on merricks canned food) and it helped her gain but made her poop super loose. By the end of the two weeks it looked more like diarreah. We actually caused her to get really bad diarreah for two days bc we gave her some table scraps. &#55357;&#56876;&#55357;&#56883;&#55357;&#56852;

Anyway at her follow up apt, he said she gained enough for now and we are holding off on the prescription food. Since I made her sick with table scraps I stopped giving her canned food and have been doing only Orijen again. Her poops are back to normal which is awesome. 

I wish I knew if she just doesn't like how Orijen tastes. Maybe Orijen is "too healthy" and making her grow more slowly. Ideally this is what u would want but in my pup's case I need her to gain weight a little faster. I don't know if it just gets boring after a 30lb bag. 

she weighs 10lbs less than her brother who got parvo! She wasn't the runt but she wasn't the biggest. I really dont want to spend hundreds on dollars on canned meat a month. In that case we might as well switch to prescription food. Besides I can't handle her constant loose stools.

I'm thinking about buying 2 small bags of different kibble and sprinkling them on her Orijen to give it a flavor change. Maybe it's a dumb idea. Or possibly even switching off Orijen but not really sure to what brand yet. She isn't just small. She is skinny. You can see her ribs and hips. Although it's improved a lot over the last 3 weeks, her weight is still a concern. Any ideas? 

I wanted to try raw diet but it sounds so complicated & the vet wasn't encouraging when I brought it up. I'm also worried I'll mess up her nutrition by going that route since I know nothing about raw diets at all.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

You could purchase small bags of the other varieties of the Orijen (since she does so well on it) and throw in a small amount. When it's time to purchase another small bag, change to a different flavor.

You may want to try mixing some hot tap water on the kibble and letting the food set for a few minutes to bring out the aroma. Letting it set for a time with the water on it may make her anticipate it more since she is smelling it before she gets to actually eat it!

Raw ground beef, turkey and chicken is another way of enticing her to eat and it is a lot cheaper than canned. Put about 2 Tablespoons in her dish, pour hot tap water on it and make it like a soup. Then add the kibble, mix and let it set till the kibble absorbs some of the liquid (fyi - Orijen is a very dense food so it doesn't absorb a lot). You can change the raw meat with each package too!

A Tablespoon or 2 of Keefer or PLAIN yogurt (mixed with water to distribute) is also good for them for a topper.

I would do anything it takes to keep her off of that "prescription" food.

Another idea would be to add a "Fat Ball"/"Satin Ball" sometime during the day for added calories.

*Fat Balls Recipe #1*
1 lb ground beef (I would use ground chuck - "hamburger" may be too fatty)
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 jar all natural peanut butter (*make SURE* that it does not contain a sugar substitute)
1 jar (smaller of the sizes) wheat germ
2 packets Knox Gelatin 
1 doz egg yolks
1 cup or so of Quaker Oats soaked in heavy cream (You may want to change this to whole milk or canned milk if the cream is too rich)
Mix up, form balls, freeze. Thaw before feeding.


*Fat Ball Recipe #2 - NON Grain
*(you may want to cut this recipe in half)
10 pounds of Ground Meat (Hamburger, Pork (pork should be frozen for two weeks before use, turkey, chicken), or a mixture! 
1 pound of grated Cheddar Cheese
4 cans of Tuna Fish - drained 
1 (18 oz) jar of peanut butter
1 (12-16 oz) bottle of Unsulphered Molasses
1 block of Cream Cheese
1 box of Plain Knox Gelatin (found by the Jello)
1 can of Pumpkin (No spices, just plain)
1 (24 oz) tub of Cottage Cheese
8 oz of Dehydrated Potato Flakes (If you can't find these, try PLAIN Instant Mashed Potatoes will work)

Directions:
Mix all of your ingredients together in a LARGE bowl, dish pan or pot. It's best to mix 2-3 ingredients at a time as it blends a little easier. After mixing together well, put into the fridge and chill for 30-40 minutes. Then take out of frig and roll into balls (a little smaller than a golf ball), place on cookie sheet and freeze. After frozen remove from pan and place balls in a freezer zip lock bag and return to freezer. Thaw before feeding.

Regular vets won't be encouraging about a raw diet!
A lot of us on this blog feed raw but you need to do your research on here and the net before attempting a raw diet.
Here are some commercially prepared - BALANCED - diets you could choose from.
*Bravo:* Discover Balance Raw Diet | Beef Frozen Raw Dog Food Diet - Bravo Pet Food Find a store: Find a Bravo Retailer - Bravo Pet Food 
*Northwest Naturals: *Beef Find a store: Store Locator
*Primal: *Complete Raw Diets for Pets: Canine Beef Formula Find a store: Primal Pet Foods: Store Locator



Hope some of these ideas help!

Moms


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## dz0qp5 (Oct 12, 2004)

In my opinion, I like to have a food that my dog finds palatable. Eating is one of the most pleasurable and enjoyable things for a dog. If I am paying top dollar for a food, I don't think I should have to add yogurt or cheese to doctor it up, or add pumpkin to improve stool quality etc. In my experience some of the supposedly premium 5 star foods, my dogs would have nothing to do with. A food is only good if the dog will eat it. That's why companies do feeding trials, to make sure a dog will will find the food palatable and consume the proper amount of food over a long time frame, generally 6 months.


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## Mudypoz (Mar 3, 2016)

Have you thought about trying a commercial raw diet? It usually comes in frozen patties and is fed to the dog depending on weight. That way you don't have to worry about whether your dog is getting a balanced diet.
Most vets (except holistic vets) will try to steer you away from raw and onto some sort of prescription diet.

Or if you want to stick with Orijen, maybe try to soak the kibble with chicken broth so it smells like something she wants to eat.

Good luck.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Guys I figured out her old bag was probably stale. We got her the 30lb bag the first time but this time we got her the 15lb bag. I offered her a bowl of fresh Orijen & the old stuff & she went right to the new stuff! Thanks for the recipes @momto2GSDs! I'll let u know how she likes them?? she's so dam picky m, it pisses me off!


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

dz0qp5 said:


> In my opinion, I like to have a food that my dog finds palatable. Eating is one of the most pleasurable and enjoyable things for a dog. If I am paying top dollar for a food, I don't think I should have to add yogurt or cheese to doctor it up, or add pumpkin to improve stool quality etc. In my experience some of the supposedly premium 5 star foods, my dogs would have nothing to do with. *A food is only good if the dog will eat it.* That's why companies do feeding trials, to make sure a dog will will find the food palatable and consume the proper amount of food over a long time frame, generally 6 months.


Um.. no. Most dogs (and animals in general) love the cheap, crappy stuff because it's riddled with "appealing" fillers. That's like saying that junk food is good just because it tastes yummy.

Finding a food they LIKE to eat is important, of course. But as their owners it's up to us to find something healthy AND tasty. You should never feed your dog crap food just because they gobble it down without hesitation. That's just lazy.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

The vet can't make you feed her what he wants, he can make a suggestion but he can't force you. Yes they should grow nice and slow. My youngest is just now filling out at 18 months. He weighs about 72 pounds now, but he was always really on the slim side for the first 16 months.

How old and how much does she weigh? Do you have any pictures of her to show us what she looks like?

I've used the satin ball recipe posted in the past, but only after one of mine got sick and lost weight, it was a way to boost the weight, but to much of that stuff will put to much weight on a dog.

I love the raw diet because I can keep my dogs at a healthy weight, which means a healthier dog.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Agaribay805 said:


> Guys I figured out her old bag was probably stale. We got her the 30lb bag the first time but this time we got her the 15lb bag. I offered her a bowl of fresh Orijen & the old stuff & she went right to the new stuff! Thanks for the recipes @momto2GSDs! I'll let u know how she likes them&#55357;&#56397;&#55356;&#57340; she's so dam picky m, it pisses me off!


Glad she's doing better! 

Fats in kibble go rancid quickly. I would suggest that you purchase smaller bags (don't forget to rotate Orijens varieties) and keep it in the freezer to keep this from happening.

I feed raw but I've always kept some kibble or dehydrated food in my freezer just in case I get busy and run out.

"Rancid fats reduce the nutritive value of the protein, and degrade vitamins and antioxidants. That bears repeating: rancid fat can so vastly reduce the benefit your dog can get from the proteins and vitamins present in his food, that he can suffer from protein and vitamin deficiencies. Rancid fats can also cause diarrhea, liver and heart problems, macular degeneration, cell damage, cancer, arthritis, and death. It’s good policy to avoid feeding rancid fats to our dogs." WDJ

The Honest Kitchen makes a "Base Mix" to which you add your own ground meat. It contains all of the vitamins and minerals for balanced meals when meat is added. It's an easy way to experience a "partial" raw diet! 
Might be something new and exciting for your girl just to feed it on the weekends! Two are grain free and one contains grains. It's the ONLY pet food in the USA that the FDA legally allows use of the words "Human Ingredients" on it's label and advertising!
The Honest Kitchen 
Store Locator: Where to Buy Honest Kitchen - Honest Kitchen Stores | The Honest Kitchen 

Moms


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

llombardo said:


> The vet can't make you feed her what he wants, he can make a suggestion but he can't force you. Yes they should grow nice and slow. My youngest is just now filling out at 18 months. He weighs about 72 pounds now, but he was always really on the slim side for the first 16 months.
> 
> How old and how much does she weigh? Do you have any pictures of her to show us what she looks like?
> 
> ...


Your right, the vet can't force us to do the switch.

She is 17 weeks old and weighs 28lbs. I've looked up the average for 4 month old female GSD and it says they should weigh around 36lbs. She has never been this close to the average weight before. When she was 3 months old she weighed like 13 pounds! She is making progress and Im not as worried anymore but are constantly trying weird things just to keep this up.

We put chicken broth on kibble, give her canned meat often, sprinkle shredded chicken necks on her kibble.. It goes on and on..


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Glad she's doing better!
> 
> Fats in kibble go rancid quickly. I would suggest that you purchase smaller bags (don't forget to rotate Orijens varieties) and keep it in the freezer to keep this from happening.
> 
> ...


Thanks @Mom2twoGSDs I actually saw this base mix at the store this morning and was wounding what it was for. There are so many products out there. It can be overwhelming. Ill try this out also. Our pup loves anything that she thinks is human food lol


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Augustine said:


> Um.. no. Most dogs (and animals in general) love the cheap, crappy stuff because it's riddled with "appealing" fillers. That's like saying that junk food is good just because it tastes yummy.
> 
> Finding a food they LIKE to eat is important, of course. But as their owners it's up to us to find something healthy AND tasty. You should never feed your dog crap food just because they gobble it down without hesitation. That's just lazy.


she was saying that it doesn't matter if the food is top of the line if the dog refuses to eat it. Some dogs don't do well on a "5 star" brand but will do good on another brand or a 4 star brand. 

For example TOTW is a food that many dogs do well on. My dog did horribly on it. chronic diarrhea and gas that could kill.


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