Adjusting to New Food - HELP!
I know also I was supposed to gradually switch him, however the SO hadn't fed him a mix, even tho I told him to, he didn't know. Anything I can do to help the lil guy?? How long does the adjustment normally take, his stool came up negative at the vet, however he does have another appointment tomorrow where I will bring this up. I know all the rice, sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin can help... His energy level is fine, drinks lots of water, sleeps fine, holds his urine for the amount of time expected, etc.. Not really much he can get into in the backyard either, watch him like a hawk as well, I've also limited his treats for now, and just give him food as a treat instead of introducing something else into his system. I'm not used to this, my other dog has an iron stomach, haha. |
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Here's a pic of the lil guy, a bribe so you all can give me lots of responses! =) |
 Poor kid. Maybe you can change the food slower and mix the new food more and more into the old food. "Hills id" makes every bad stomach well very fast. (Most dog are doing well on Proplan with salmon.) Good luck to little Ramsey.  |
| Was the switch gradual or cold turkey? With tummies that young, (and even with our 4 year old Zoey) you really should be making the change over like a week or even a little longer. Let their tummy adjust. Mix a little of the new food in and gradually increase the new and decrease the old. Vance |
| It was a total switch. He's never had a doggie, he didn't know. Very bad, I know! Being Thursday now, I don't even know if I want to start mixing back in the other stuff. |
| If his stool is still bad, I'd mix in a little of his old food to try to get him back on track and then go towards the slow switch. I would have chimed in either way, but a photo never hurts... Vance |
| super cute. I might be inclined to consult a vet they can go down hill so rapidly with a poorly tummy. bless hope sorted soon.... |
| Well, an update, last couple were firmer! Hoping we may be out of the water here, vet appointment is tonight so we will definitely see then! |
| Keep us posted... Vance |
| So how's the little Ramster doin? Vance |
| Maybe you are feeding him too much? We use Orijen and you feed alot less with Orijen than some others...And we use the Fresh Fish Mix. As pups, they ate the Chicken formula. My dogs have done well with it but they started as young pups on it...Hope things improve... |
| Well, my vet put him on Flagyl, to help with the very loose stools for a few days. He has firmed ones, then some runny ones, which are less. Here's a new question, he's a larger breed, while he does play a lot, he's still very young, I'm wondering if the Orijen is too much protein. Large breed is 38% protein, compared to most of the other brands, even the holistic, grain free ones, are 28-30%. Any thoughts on this?? He's definitely not eating too much, he gets a 1 1/2 in the morning and evening, he usually leaves about half a cup in the morning. |
| It might be the higher protein, or it might be that food just doesn't agree with him. Or even that he had some parasite or bacteria that has caused all this tummy trouble. And sometimes the gut just gets upset and needs some help settling back down - the Flagyl will help with that. You may never really know what caused this flareup. I did check my bag, and the grain free adult I'm using is 25% protein, 15% fat...so a bit lower than the Orijen for sure. I switched about 2 weeks ago from puppy food to this, and after a couple days of looser (no diarrhea, just mushier) stools, it went right back to normal. How old is Ramsey now? |
| He is only 9 weeks, just a lil guy. His stool did test negative. I also check it everyday as well for some sign of worms, but nothing. I'm hoping the adjustment is just what is causing this. He's so furry, he hates having his lil butt washed constantly, haha. |
Brigadigit wrote: He is only 9 weeks, just a lil guy. His stool did test negative. I also check it everyday as well for some sign of worms, but nothing. I'm hoping the adjustment is just what is causing this. He's so furry, he hates having his lil butt washed constantly, haha. It likely is just the stress of leaving his puppy home, etc. But good to get a handle on it early, as they dehydrate and get run down pretty quick when they are such babies still. And the Flagyl should really help. Sometimes that bowel motion gets stuck on fast forward - (rapid peristalsis) and just keeps flushing everything through really quick - resulting in loose stools. Getting some meds on board will help break the cycle, and this one will also take care of many odd things that cause loose stools as well. A good choice when you are not sure what is the cause! |
| Thank you! So far, and knock on wood, we have had several in a row. It is a new environment, new big sister, etc. Definitely going to continue watching and monitoring of course, everything else is fine, still drinks water, eats, plays, runs after his sister, me, sleeps well, he's great aside from this, haha. |
| I definitely would chalk most of it up to the food switch. Going from Euk to Orijen is a HUUUUGE difference. They are on complete opposite ends of the food spectrum. If it doesn't clear up, you may want to consider switching to a more moderate food. Orijen is great and amazing, but it is very very rich and many dogs just can't handle that kind of protein level. I work in a high end pet food outlet, and I really only recommend Orijen to serious working dogs, as I worry about long term effects of such a high protein kibble on dogs who aren't using that protein. Granted, previous studies done on the effects of high protein on the kidneys used sources like corn for their tests, and grade/source of protein makes a huge difference, but I worry that Orijen is riding a fine line on too much protein. I recommend Acana over Orijen to 98% of customers who are looking at the line. I know you didn't really ask for this kind of input  but if you're interested in a different food recommendation I highly recommend Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy if you are open to a more moderate food and okay with adding in some grains. I know any large breed dogs that I own in the future (barring grain allergies) will be raised on a mixture of Fromm Gold Large Breed puppy and raw, then switched to full raw as an adult. |
| I had posted earlier about switching my puppy recently to adult grain free - and the puppy food we used was the Fromms Gold Large breed puppy. The Fromms line is great - it's a family owned Co from WI. I'm not sure if they market out by you in NJ, but I would check it out. It's a really good dog food line and I use several of their foods in my rotation. |
| Wow, thank you both of you! PWCorgi, you are EXACTLY the kind of person I was hoping would respond. Your input is highly appreciated, especially considering you work with food! That is exactly what I was worried about, it's a lot of protein, for a puppy who is just playing right now, not even starting his walks yet. Got Sheep as well, thank you, I do recall seeing Fromms at the local pet store I get my food from. I feel so bad switching him, again, but it will be gradual. Currently, my Labradoodle, is on Blue Buffalo Wilderness, she is a VERY active dog, runs miles with me, etc., and their protein isn't even as high as Oirjen and she has great results from it, goes like clockwork, never a loose stool, doesn't gain or loose a pound. I think it's really the finding one that works as you both say. |
| I thought I was logged, typed up a long reply and clicked post. Then it deleted my whole reply cause I guess I wasn't logged in. So I'm doing it over. Here it is. I went thru similar problems. Wanted best for my pup so I also got Orijen Large Puppy. Soft stool, diarrhea, gas etc. Okay digestion and stool one day and bad another day with runny stool. Went thru vet, tried FortiFlora, other powders, pumpkin, sweet potato, yogurt, rice etc. no help whatsoever. Then someone like PWCORGI recommended lower protein and also to eliminate chicken as a lot of dogs are sensitive or intolerant to the chicken protein. Well Orijen has chicken and just about everything that I was feeding her had chicken, so I decided to change. I completely took out chicken from her diet by switching Orijen to TOTW fish flavor which is also a lower protein. Well its been 98% firm stool since then. What an improvement it's been. I also tried Acana fish which is lower protein than Orijen but more then TOTW. Recently, I tried Acana fish to change it up cause she was getting bored, I thought. Well she started gassing, and soft stools 50%. So I guess she just can't handle much protein. So I'm going back to TOTW fish or lamb. Anyhow, I hope you can get something out of my experience and find a solution quick for your little one. 1st get rid of Orijen asap as it is not fitting your puppy. Go back to original food it used to eat and then switch to a high quality, lower protein, right protein (maybe eliminate chicken). It may be Fromm, TOTW, or Blue Buffalo etc. add some plain rice to firm up the stool. Experiment and keep at it. Process of elimination. It'll work out eventually if you keep at it. Whatever you do, do it slowly. |
| Sounds like we had the EXACT same experience. It was definitely the higher protein, while I would love to feed them that, in reality, neither dog is a working dog. I switched him to Fromm, he took about a week to adjust, and haven't looked back since! I actually switched my 1st, Labradoodle to Fromm as well, she was eating Blue Wilderness, but for soooo long now, she was bored, figured it was time for a change up, and she loves it as well. Thank you, I agree, it's always process of elimination, haha. |
| Which Fromm did you go with? They have 4 star grain free flavors and regular. They have Gold line and Classic line. Wondering which one worked for you cause I'd consider trying it out in future as I've heard good things. |
| We use the Gold line here. It's part of our rotation plan (I rotate foods every 3-6 months) - and I switch all 6 dogs cold turkey and they are all perfect poopers...that is truly stellar!! Actually, I have used the classic adult in low performance needs times, and they do just as well on that also. |
| i use fromm's gold line as part of my rotation as well and dogs do great on it. kristine |
| My SIL was here on Sunday with her Golden and her pup is an extrememly picky and non-food motivated dog. The worse I personally have ever seen. Probably because she has a sensitive stomach. Compared to Dahlia who will eat anything and has no issues with food or treats. She has an iron stomach. She recently switched to FROMM and she said that her dog loves it and is doing extremely well on it. No stomach issues.  |
| I feed my older, grain free, beef friggata or surf and turf. She loves them! She has an iron stomach as well, no issues with switching. I feed the puppy Large Breed Gold, (they didn't make large breed in the other) when he's older I will switch him to grain free also. Not an issue at all since he's been on it, such a relief!!!! |
| I also feed Fromm's Gold food as well. Switched right out without any upset tummy's. The best thus far has been, never on the recall list! Robin |
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