Soft Stool Problem

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tansat

New member
Just had a question for others who have more experience in this department.

My Bernese has loose poop! She is 8 months and around 70 lbs. We are feeding Orijen (4 cups) with some extras (cooked sweet potato and carrots, 1 spoon low fat yogurt and cottage cheese and a glucosamine and omega supplement).

Her poops were never rock hard but have recently gotten a bit softer - not runny but a challenge to pic up. Sorry for being graphic.

Just worried that she is not absorbing everything she needs to grow. She is not low on energy and very playful - her coat is silky and beautiful so no worries there. No sneezing or scratching so not sure if it is an allergy.

Any suggestions? Some friends have mentioned that Orijen if VERY RICH and often causes soft stools in dogs. If that protein/fat content is too high, can I just keep her on Orijen but reduce the amount and up the veg and add some good carbs? (brown rice, oats, whole grain bread)

Any thoughts would be FANTASTIC.

A worried doggie mama.

Val
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
Yes, your friends are correct that the Orijen is rich and can cause loose stools if overfed. You could cut back as you mentioned BUT, it could also be the dairy she is eating, too. Some dogs don't tolerate it well.
 
4ondafloor

4ondafloor

New member
What Charlie said!
After all the info about Orijen being so rich and causing loose poos over the years, I'm glad none of mine like it. I tried! They snubbed their finicky noses at it.
Try cutting out the dairy... See if that makes a difference.
 
Leonard and his bud Snuffles

Leonard and his bud Snuffles

Active member
Snuffles as a puppy was loose. About the time he came to live here (I got him from my neighbor), they changed flavors of food from the same line, but lamb to chicken, and he got real soft. Prior to that time, his old owner use to spike his food with Alpo canned and most cheaper canned foos is chicken and not white meat, and Snuffles would be real soft. Since here, we went back to lamb, then fish protein, and now generally Snuffles does well in the rear end dept.
 
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bella123

New member
I switched to Orijen quite a while ago Mia was dx was IBS so i wanted to try switching food first (i did so much flipping research my head was spinning) before i switched her to Orijen her IBS was horrible I mean bad and I can say ever since switching her food she hasnt had even alittle loose stool at all not to sound gross but stools are perfect!! But i dont give any xtra in her food (total 4cups daily) she also gets no treats (thats because of the IBS xtras could set her stomach off and im trying to avoid medication for it)so meds she does get is her prolon glucoamine and rimadyl when needed
 
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SarahZ

New member
My first thought was maybe the cottage cheese. I used to buy only sheep or goat milk yogurt from the natural foods store, but now I do buy Fage from the grocery story for Moe, and he does fine with any of those. But, cottage cheese gives him stinky gas and smooshy poos.
 
OurnewfDarwin

OurnewfDarwin

New member
Darwin had loose stools for 4 months after we got him. No tests from the vet showed any issues. On the advice of people here, I bought a bag of Orijen 6-fish and did an immediate switch. Within 5 hours, his poop was normal for the first time since we got him. That being said, if he steals anything dairy or wheat from the table or scoops it up off the floor, he has soft poop within a few hours. Also, I think Orijen recently altered the recipe for 6-fish and we had a week or two of mid-level soft poop. As we neared the end of the bag, it solidified again. We don't give him anything else, because it messes with his poop.

I might suggest cutting back like 10-15% of the food at a meal, and maybe using that as treats, because it seems like sometimes his stomach is a little overwhelmed if he eats too much food at once--and has a soft stool. The cottage cheese might be the issue, too.

I totally know what you're experiencing and wish you the best of luck. It can be so irritating!
 
Blacknewfs

Blacknewfs

New member
Orijen has recently changed their formula which is causing gastro upset in some dogs. Acana Pacifica is a good alternative. :)
 
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tansat

New member
thanks all my newf friends for your suggestions and thoughts. Much appreciated - first thing I may cut out is the cottage cheese - much to her chagrin - she loves it.

we are not big treaters. if we do, we treat small apple pieces and carrots.

Will keep you posted on the progress in a week or so...although poop is not such an interesting topic.

Thanks!
Val

PS - I follow newf friends often and you and your team do AMAZING work! Big hug for you and all your rescues.
 
BlackLightning

BlackLightning

New member
Hey Val, you should try and make it to the Nationals this year! Newf Friends will be there along with a TON of newfies! It will give you a great opportunity to talk to breeders and see their dogs, etc.

Back to your topic. Like Sandra said, the formula change could be the culprit. At our house, if we add anything to the orijen like cottage cheese or sweet potato/pumpkin we immediately get loose poops.
 
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tansat

New member
That would be great! I will have to look into the even for sure! I will start cutting stuff out one at a time so hopefully improve this.

Thanks Kaila! Love your photos and so happy that Violet is settling in nicely. Also spoke to J Tait earlier in Feb. Her dogs are beautiful!!!
 
BlackLightning

BlackLightning

New member
tansat said:
That would be great! I will have to look into the even for sure! I will start cutting stuff out one at a time so hopefully improve this.

Thanks Kaila! Love your photos and so happy that Violet is settling in nicely. Also spoke to J Tait earlier in Feb. Her dogs are beautiful!!!
Click to expand...
Once we get some better weather we will plan our playdate!
 
sendchocolate

sendchocolate

New member
Do you feed both cottage cheese and yogurt in the same feeding? I would suggest choosing one or the other. In the beginning, I did both, and she had soft stools as well. Now, we do yogurt in the morning, with salmon oil and the next day, might do cottage cheese. That's my thought.
 
victoria1140

victoria1140

Active member
dont worry about discussing poops,

it took us nearly two years to obtain the golden poop,

I would split the Orijen into smaller meals and cut out any extras for now,
once poops are good slowly add other stuff in
 
NessaM

NessaM

New member
Agree with Victoria - don't worry about discussing poop. We have been known to give the Golden Poop award out when hard stools are finally achieved!
 
lapage24

lapage24

New member
Hera also experienced loose poop on Orijen, but she had loose poop on everything until we went raw. Now she has awesome poop. :p haha
 
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tansat

New member
Haha, golden poop - I've never heard of it but it sounds like the canine Oscar equivalent.

All wonderful suggestions. The tracking and documenting has begun!

Thank you Newf Friends!
Val
 
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