# HELP ! Baby is getting fatter by the minute ! :(



## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

I don*t think this Orijen is for my boy :/ He seems to have gained a lot of weight just in the 4 days I have been switching 

I don*t want a fat dog, and for his patella luxation it is NOT good eighter !!!

So what do I do? Just continiue with Royal Canin adult chi???????



:foxes15:


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I would continue with the better quality food but feed less of it.


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

But he gets so little as it is  Poor Baby...


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

How little does he get?


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Just a small pinch...maybe just 10-15 kibbles...mixed with some RC..


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Wow is that too little? I know ur baby is small. Do u feed twice a day?


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Do you think that*s a lot? I*m not sure exactly how many kibbles he gets, but it*s very little hehe..I feed him a little bit 3 times a day...

I will count the kibbles tomorrow hihi..to give you a correct number hihi


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Did you cut back on the Royal Canin when you added the Origen? Also, Orijen is pretty high protein. It won't take much to fill him up. In other words, it takes much more of the foods with fillers to fill them up and stay with them than it does a high protein food that is nutritionally better for them. But having said that sometimes if a dog is not active enough to work it off Orijen can be a bit much. Some people find if their dog gains weight on Orijen they can feed Acana if they want to stick with that manufacturer. I do remember a post that you can get Ziwi Peak. What made you decide against that food?


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Why are you mixing it with the RC? Is that long term or just for now? f you are feeding the allotted amount of orjen + RC that might explain it!


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks for your help ladies. I*m going back to RC fulltime tomorrow, he is a super active boy that is out running for about 3 hours a day year around, hehe, so more active than that I don*t want him hehe..and I saw how little I fed him now, so this Orijen kibble fulltime is not happening hehe. He is 7 years now and never had a problem with RC, so I hope it will stay that way.


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

Goodluck to you and baby! We are long overdue for some pics of his adorable face 😜


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I do think you are putting a little too much stake in the volume. With the orjen your baby is getting more calories, more protien, more fuel to burn in his active body. It is not about the volume, he clearly is not suffering, he is getting fat! Just my opinion on the matter- but you should do whatever you feel is best. Just read the ingredients on that bag of royal cannin and educate yourself about what is in it.


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Aiiiii, I*m so torn ! Is RC really that bad?

Was actually planning on having a photo shoot with the Prince(ss) soon  Chiluv04


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I agree with the others, it just sounds like you need to feed less. Have you followed the Orijen feeding guide? Like Tina said, as it is high in protein and not full of fillers like RC, he will need less food. It's not about the volume of food fed, but the nutrition he gets from it. Even if the amount seems tiny to us, they are tiny dogs and it's all they need.  Royal Canin is not the worst food out there, but it's not good at all either so don't panic and go back on it just yet. I would personally try feeding less / measuring his food by following the guide first. You can always switch to Acana or another good less rich food later.


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks everyone ! 

I have just eyeballed it, because I thought I fed little enough hehe..but how many Orijen kibbles for breakfast you would say? If I want him to stay the same weight? 

Like 4 kibbles of the Orijen???


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I'm not sure how many kibbles it should be, but I found this feeding guide online: http://www.orijen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Orijen-Feeding-GuidesREVISED.pdf

How much does Baby weigh? For the Orijen Adult, it says an active 2kg dog should get approximately 40g a day (or one third of a cup).


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

It depends on the dog a lot. Look at what you were feeding before and measure it. Very important to measure it because you may think you are eyeballing the same every day but are not. Start by doing exactly what it says on the bag for his weight. If that is 40g (1/3 of a cup) measure that out. Feed him half at breakfast and half at dinner. If after a few days he is getting chubby take out a little bit the next day and feed him that for a few days. If he is still gaining take out a little bit more. Just be sure to measure it every time. If you are worried about weight then guessing is not going to be a good idea and it is very easy to mess up small amounts like the amounts that a chi eats.

I don't know if 5 kibbles would be enough because I have no idea how big they are, how much baby weighs or how much he needs to eat a day. I am not too familiar with kibble at all any more so I am not much help in that area!


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Also I just looked at the feeding guide and for a 2kg dog it is between 1/4 and 1/3 cup a day, so if he is gaining weight I would go for the 1/4 cup. That is not going to be a lot of food, it would be easy to over do it! If I were you I would measure out a quarter of a cup and give it throughout the day if that is his weight. Make sure that you don't start feeling bad for him, or thinking he isn't "full" and giving him other things to eat that you wouldn't normally give.  You would only be working against yourself there


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

When I used to feed Lulu Science Diet years ago I eyeballed and gave her a bowl full and she always had plenty with food left over. But when I learned about the different dog foods and their ingredients and how they affected Lulu, and I made the switch, at one time I literally counted out Lulu 32 kibbles of Acana per meal. I was that exact. Now Baby has different needs, and I'm not suggesting that amount. You will have to study Orijen to come up with the correct amount once you have gotten him switched over, but for sure you must cut back on the amount of RC if you add Orijen to it to transition him. Like Annie and Camille said, it's not about amount of food in his bowl. It's about quality of nutrition he's receiving, and I can tell you from first hand experience, when you are switching him from a lesser quality to a higher quality, there is an adjustment period for his body. You are right that the issue you have to be very careful about is his LP, so don't let it get out of hand, but I promise, he's not going to starve on a smaller portion of high quality food. You are just thinking that as a human because he doesn't get to graze at his bowl as long.


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## Angel1210 (Mar 14, 2011)

I know how you feel! I obsess about Angel gaining weight! 

Don't forget to count the treats! They are part of his overall food intake! 

Angel is 3 1/2 years old and weighs about 8 lbs. I feed him twice a day. He gets 2 tablespoons of THK Embark in the morning and 1/8 cup Wellness Core small bites at night. He gets few treats inbetween. Measuring is extremely important!! Every time I get his food ready, I can hear my DIL's voice in my head telling me I have to measure and it has to be level, not rounded measure!  hehehe! 

Have you thought about feeding raw? It seems to keep them trim as well as healthy.


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi, I used to feed Charlie orijen and he was fat! I switched to ziwipeak and now my Charlie is perfect. If you can get ziwipeak would that be an option for you? Charlie is so much more energetic, playful and overall more healthy on ziwipeak. Also just wanted to mention Charlie is nearly 7 so not much younger than baby xx


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

This is Charlie before








This is Charlie after

I forgot to mention I weigh the ziwipeak at every meal xx


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Thank you everyone, I will read true everything when I*m home from work !

Oh Dear he was big before !!! Baby is like Charlie in the after photo hihi, and I would like him to stay slim  I will look into the ziwi peak <3


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

WOW! Mel that is a HUGE difference in Charlie!! And let me say I think he look so very much better now! I'm a huge fan of Ziwi Peak. Lulu used to also shed so bad I could gather up the hair and make another Lulu. lol When she started eating ZP, she stopped shedding!! It was like a miracle tool! And her coat went from being brittle to being soft as silk. I stopped the ZP for a short time and put her back on Acana, and she started shedding again. She went right back on ZP. Lulu weighs a little less than 6 lbs and is not very active at all and I always fed her a little more than 1/8 cup ZP. That will not seem like much food, Ann Helen, when you look at it in the bowl, but it is such pure food with no filler and high protein that Baby will be satisfied. And if he is not to begin with you have to remember you are transitioning him to a healthier life style which will hopefully equal a longer life. It won't take long for his body to adjust.


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

It wasn't just orijen that made him fat I must add! I lived at my mums for a year while looking for a new house and he got far too many sneaky treats from my mum! But when I moved into my new house I cut out all treats and he still struggled to lose weight. Charlie used to shed loads too but now it's just a couple of times a year. His fur is so much softer and it actually glistens in the sun now. 
When I look back at old photos I can't actually believe how big he got! Now I keep a very close eye on his weight but he does have occasional treats we just do more exercise to compensate xx


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## TinyTails (Jun 24, 2011)

Why not try a high quality food with less calories? Orijen is very dense - I don't think most dogs need that many calories/protein/fat in their diets. From another forum - thought this was interesting.

Obscene Nutrient Levels

My pups are on Farmina and doing great - I'm using the grain inclusive because the grain free is too high in protein/fat for me plus one of my dogs is allergic to potato.

It's really the most important to go with the food your dog looks good on and does well on  My dogs personally just don't do well on most of the high protein grain free diets, every dog is different. My 2 tend to gain weight very fast, we are limited with allergies and I'm so sad because I wish Ziwi could have worked for them but it actually caused Deuce to have 2 seizures.


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