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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on January 4, 2010 at 4:51pm

I know that mine will have loose stools after they exercise, which sounds like what you're seeing. Personally, I think the exercise (walking, dog park) stimulates the poop response, before the poop is actually ready to come out, so whatever comes out hasn't quite "formed" - if that makes sense.

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Permalink Reply by Jeny (and Wrigley) on January 4, 2010 at 4:58pm

Wrigley has the same issue at the dog park or on long walks. His first poop or two is solid and then it progresses to soft, yellow, diarrhea-type poop. I've tried changing his food and that doesn't seem to stop it.

I've learned to just plan for it if we're going to the park, it doesn't seem to bother him and the vet said it is perfectly normal, as long as it isn't happening daily.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on January 4, 2010 at 5:31pm

My dog Jack would have loose stools on a walk, and each stool was progressively looser than the last. He would also get loose stools if he was excited. If he was just taken out to potty and no walk, his stools were always normal.

For him, switching to a lamb and rice formula cleared up the problem. You might try experimenting with a different protein and/or filler source food and see if it helps.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on January 4, 2010 at 5:34pm

I also took the liberty of checking out the Orijen food and it has chicory root in it. That can have a mild laxative effect. Just a thought. Orijen is also a very high-protein food and some dogs find it too rich, especially an easy keeper like a Corgi.

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on January 4, 2010 at 7:02pm

That sounds like a LOT of Orijen. My dogs get no more than 1/2 cup total in a day when we feed Orijen. I am guessing it's just overloading his digestive system; it's a very nutrient-dense rich food. Also, remember that most dog foods put in ingredients to artificially harden stool because they know that owners expect that and interpret unchanging, hard stool as a sign of health. In real life, when the dogs are not being fed a ton of tomato pomace and other fibers, their stool varies as much as yours does.

Try cutting his ration in half (1/2 cup morning and evening) and mixing a couple tablespoons of canned pumpkin in to each meal. You can also feed a couple of chicken wings (bone tends to harden stool). If he does well on that, you should be fine. I hate to have people switch away from good food to a lower-quality food just to get the stool more cosmetically attractive - I know that cleaning his pants is a pain and I would be annoyed too, but if he can stay on a really good food and get some bulk from the pumpkin that would be ideal.

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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on January 4, 2010 at 8:17pm

My little girl is also on Orijen and her stool is fine, a little soft from time to time, but nothing to worry about. I don't know how old your Corgi is, but Orijen is a very, very rich and concentrated food and you do want to make sure you are not feeding too much. My 11 month old Corgi gets 1/3 cup twice a day. Have you recently switched foods? I've occassionally heard of dogs having some stool problem when they switch from a low quality food to a really high one, so if you've switched recently that could be the problem. I think if you try cutting back his food and adding some of the pumpkin (or raw chicken backs like Joanna suggested) you will hopefully improve.

If you do have to switch away from the Orijen food, make sure you are getting another just as good food. The Petcurean company makes a food called Go! and another, lower protein but still grain free food called Now that are both good foods. That would be my next stop if I gave up on the Orijen.

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Permalink Reply by Junior and Griffey on January 4, 2010 at 11:13pm

Thanks to everyone for their input. It's greatly appreciated.

[Quote]
Try cutting his ration in half (1/2 cup morning and evening) and mixing a couple tablespoons of canned pumpkin in to each meal. You can also feed a couple of chicken wings (bone tends to harden stool).[/Quote]

Quick question regarding the chicken wing. Are we talking about boiled chicken wings or raw? Bit confused due to Sky and Lyla's comment about raw chicken backs. I'm assuming it's boiled, since I've never heard of giving a corgi uncooked meat. Also does it matter if it's a drumstick or wing?

Griffey was raised on Canidae ALS and he got tired of it around his first birthday. I switched to Orijen and he loves it. He's almost two now (22 months) and is still going strong, though he will skip a meal once in a while. I'll occasionally give him table scraps (he absolutely loves pizza crust), but that's very rare.

Are there any treats I could give him that would have an effect on hardening up his stool?

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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on January 4, 2010 at 11:25pm

No no no, do not bake, boil, or in any way cook bones before giving them to a dog. Cooked bones are very very dangerous. Raw meat is not going to hurt a dog, they have a very different digestive system than humans do, and raw bones are much softer than cooked bones and can be chewed up and digested. If you are uncomfortable giving your dogs raw bones (I was for a long time, it took me about 6 months of research and talking to raw feeders to work up enough courage to feed raw bones for the first time, although I've been feeding raw meat for a long time) than stick with the canned pumpkin to firm up stool. Just don't cook the bones, I can't stress that enough! ;)

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