Orijen puppy diet causing loose stools

Author: VioVet
Published: Sunday 20th January 2013

Our customer asked:

We recently moved to Orijen puppy food and it seems that our American Staffy which now is 4 months old is getting loose stools since then (1 week now). Could this be
that
the food doesn't suit him, if so what can we do? Can we mix it with something else to help him? We really want to go grain-free if possible but it seems that is not doing well.

Our reply:

It is too early to say what might be causing the loose stools. If you have not wormed him in the last 3-4 weeks then you should do this, using a good product (eg Drontal).

Other than that, I would say that puppies are often a bit loose for a while, especially if they have changed diet recently. It does not take much to upset their digestion and they will pick at all sorts of things they come across, not just what you give them. Personally I would continue with the Orijen for another week or so, but in slightly reduced quantities. Whatever else is going on, his digestion will get back under control more quickly if there is less food going through the gut. Once the digestion settles, he will get more benefit from what he eats too, so it makes sense to do this.

The reason that so many dogs are on the high cereal diets is that most dogs do very well on them, at least for a while. They might well cause trouble over time for some and I personally am quite critical of them, but they are not all bad. It is best to continue with the diet but not too generously (it is packed with good nutrition after all) and see how things go for another week, then decide. You could try a probiotic supplement such as Pro-kolin to give him as well. That might well help.