[T. G.]

I have a 6 month old Golden who has been on Orijen large breed puppy since I brought her home at 8 weeks. Her stool has always been like soft serve ice cream – sometimes a bit better. I’ve given her probiotics, rice, pumpkin and it helps a little. I want to switch her to a great food that will firm up her poo. And from what I’ve read, she is probably old enough to go to an adult food soon. I’m just not happy with the potato and legumes I’m seeing in even Acana foods.

I also have an 8 year old German Shepherd mix on Orijen Senior. He had the same issue as the Golden on Orijen Adult, but does GREAT and looks amazing on Orijen Senior. It would be super convenient to feed them both the same food, but like I said, I really like the Orijen ingredients better than any other food I’ve seen.

I’ve been doing a side by side comparison of the Orijen adult to Orijen senior. It really isn’t that different except less fat, more fiber. Acana is quite far off in comparison – more calcium than I’d like too.

So, if the food is good, the nutrients are there, and the calcium levels are not too high (they aren’t I checked using the calcium/phosporus calculator on this site) would there be any harm in trying Orijen senior for my 6 month old? What do I need to consider?

Here’s the comparison. Sorry the formatting is wonky.

. Orijen adult , orijen senior, acana

Crude protein (min.) 38% 38% 29 %
Crude fat (min.) 18% 15% 17 %
Crude fiber (max.) 5% 8% 6 %
Moisture (max.) 10% 10% 12 %
Calcium (min./max) 1.3 / 1.6 % 1.2 / 1.5 % 1.70%
Phosphorus (min./max) 1 / 1.3 % 0.9 / 1.2 % 1 %
Omega-6 (min.) 3% 2.50% 2.10%
Omega-3 (min.) 1.10% 1% 0.8 %
DHA (min.) 0.60% 0.60% 0.15%
EPA (min.) 0.30% 0.30% 0.15%
Ash (max.) 8% 8% 9 %
Glucosamine (min.) 1400 mg/kg 1400 mg/kg 600 mg/kg
Chondroitin (min.) 1200 mg/kg 1200 mg/kg 800 mg/kg
Microorganisms (min.) 120M cfu/kg 120M cfu/kg
pH 5.5 5.5
Vitamin A 30 kIU/kg 16 kIU/kg 50
Vitamin D 3 2 kIU/kg 1 kIU/kg 3500
Vitamin E 470 IU/kg 400 IU/kg 250
Vitamin B12 0.5 mg/kg 0.5 mg/kg 0.15
Thiamine 70 mg/kg 50 mg/kg
Riboflavin 55 mg/kg 45 mg/kg
Niacin 390 mg/kg 450 mg/kg
Pan. Acid (B5) 64 mg/kg 50 mg/kg
Pyridoxine (B6) 52 mg/kg 38 mg/kg
Folic Acid 4.7 mg/kg 5.2 mg/kg 1.3
Choline 2400 mg/kg 2700 mg/kg 1900
Sodium 0.30% 0.40% 0.3
Chloride 0.60% 0.64% 0.5
Potassium 1.00% 0.77% 0.8
Magnesium 0.12% 0.10% 0.13
Manganese 25 mg/kg 27 mg/kg
Selenium 1.2 mg/kg 0.9 mg/kg
Iron 230 mg/kg 240 mg/kg 180
Zinc 240 mg/kg 200 mg/kg 255
Copper 26 mg/kg 26 mg/kg 20
Iodine 3.6 mg/kg 1.8 mg/kg 2.7
Lysine 2.40% 2.45% 2.08
Tryptophan 0.40% 0.38% 1.2
Threonine 1.60% 1.50% 0.46
Tyrosine 0.98% 0.98%
Methionine 0.80% 0.80%
Isoleucine 1.50% 1.50% 1.15
Leucine 2.90% 2.90% 2.2
Valine 1.90% 1.85% 1.5
Arginine 2.50% 2.20% 2.15
Phenylalanine 1.60% 1.60% 1.38
Histidine 0.90% 0.80% 0.71
Cystine 0.40% 0.35% 0.32

• This topic was modified 8 years ago by T. G..

[Susan]

Hi T.G has your girl only ever eaten just Orijen kibble have you tried any other kibbles cause of her poos are soft?
you need to try a lower protein & a lower fat kibble some dogs just do not do well on high protein high fat kibbles, I have to stay under 28% for protein & stay under 15% for fat & need a lower Kcal/per cup ME kibble, under 380 Kcals/per cup….

I would not feed a senior kibble to a large breed puppy the senior kibbles have more Glucosamine, Chondroitin & Phosphorus, supplements for older dogs joints & you have a large breed you don’t want her bones to grow too quick…maybe someone else may know more…
I’ve emailed kibble companies cause I’ve seen large breed kibbles that have ingredients that my boy can eat & the fat & protein is what Patch does well on, I’ve asked them can I feed a large breed formula to my medium size dog & they have all yes its Ok to feed my boy a large breed kibble but I don’t think it’s a good idea to feed a senior formula to a large breed growing pup…
My boy is turning 8 in a few days & I don’t feed him a senior kibble some are too high in fiber for him & all the supplements they add don’t survive or aren’t as strong as when you add your own supplement to their diet & add a healthy fresh whole food to their diet…

You have to be careful with your dog doing sloppy poos everyday that she doesn’t get thickening of the bowel as she gets older. My boy is a rescue & has IBD, his vet was very worried that Patch may have thickening of the bowel & I didn’t want Patch opened up to find out so Patch had an Ultra Scan of the bowel, pancreas, stomach etc & from what the vet could see it didn’t look like Patch had thickening of the bowel….after rotating cooked foods & different kibbles he can just be put straight onto another brand of kibble that he has eatin before I don’t have to re introduce the kibble like I use too 3 yrs ago, but I stick with kibbles that are lower in fat & lower in protein cause he just can’t handle the higher Kcal formulas.. I also fed a home cooked meal for breakfast or swap around & feed cooked meal for dinner…

I’d start rotating between different brands & proteins this way if 1 kibble isn’t balanced properly, or something else is wrong with the kibble like the omega 6 is too high & the omega 3 is real low causing health problems this way they are not eating the same kibble for too long to cause any serious health problems…
I’d start looking at other large breed formula’s where the protein fat is lower then what she’s eating at the moment also change the protein get a different protein…

There’s Earthborn Holistic, they have never had a recall, there’s “Victor” or “Sport Dog Food Elite” Sport Dog Food has similar ingredients as Victor kibble but is cheaper, there’s Ziwi Peak is air dried raw & has wet tin foods as well my cat loves Ziwi Peak…There’s Canidae there’s a few really good kibbles around, they all don’t have to be 5 stars kibble…start adding fresh whole foods to the kibble…I follow Rodney Habib on face Book he’s got a really good video this week about chicken kibbles being high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3….
Start rotating one of these brands in your rotation that is lower in fat & protein with different ingredients also look at the Kcals per cup, pick a kibble that is lower in Kcals per cup then the Orijen she is eating at the moment…I can not feed any kibbles that are over 400Kcals per cup to my IBD dog, it’s just too much for him to digest & he does sloppy big poos about 3-4 a day…
I like kibbles where he only does 2 poos a day, “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & Canidae Life Stages, All Life Stages formula, he only does 2 firm poos a day & poo’s are small….

Home Page

http://www.sportdogfood.com/grain-free-large-breed-large-bites-30-14/
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
http://ziwipeak.com/

[pitlove]

Hi T.G

I feel there is an obvious solution here which does not involve moving your 6 month old large breed to an adult maintenance diet like Orjien Senior… Choosing another brand that is not Orijen.

Growing puppies have a protein requirement of between 22-25% protein. Orijen is in far excess of that and for many dogs Orijens fat and protein levels are far too high. I would recommend highly considering a switch in brands. A few suggestions are: Dr. Tim’s Kinesis, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy and Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy.

Your two dogs are at very different stages of life and unfortunetly both of their needs can not be met with the same food within Orijen. An adult maintenance diet aside from usually being too calorically dense for a puppy, does not have the correct vitamin and mineral levels to sustain a growing pup.

[Author]

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