# How little Orijen per day is okay?



## whrbie2001 (May 7, 2010)

Our golden is 17 months old and has always been a big boy, currently 84 pounds but with a long and tall frame so he has always looked on the thin side. We switched to Orijen a few months ago (we wanted Acana but not readily available in our area) and he absolutely loves the food but we have noticed him filling in a lot recently and we're not sure if it's natural maturation or whether he's gaining too much weight too quickly from the food. He still passes the spine test but it's a noticeable difference and we're also in a tough stretch of months where we're traveling a lot and it's 100+ degrees most days so he's not getting the exercise we've typically been able to give him and will be able to give him come late August.

Right now, we've been giving him a little less than 2 cups per day. Is it safe to go down to 1 cup per day while it's super hot and he can't exercise like usual???


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

I don't feed Orijen but to me, 1 cup/day doesn't seem like enough for an 84lb doggie, but I could be wrong. Hudsen fluctuates between 65-68 lbs and he gets about 3 1/2 cups of Fromm plus treats/stuffed kong/veggies each day. I'd probably stick to what you are feeding him. I can sympathesize with you on the hot weather and exercising. I don't mind it too much (granted it isn't 100 degrees here yet), but Hudsen will take two steps on our walks and lay under the nearest tree! Is there a lake nearby that you can let your doggie swim in? or maybe a stream/creek? At least he will be get getting some exercise and will be able to cool off too! 

Also, I noticed that Hudsen "filled out" a little more and gained about 3 lbs right around the time he turned 18 months. I wonder if maybe your guy is hitting one of his last growth spurts and is filling out a little bit?


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I think 1 cup a day is too little food. If you want to get to an ideal weight, try using the ten calories per pound of ideal weight. So, if you want him to be around 78 lbs, then he should get 780 calories a day (treats, bones, kongs, etc. included.) If you just feed him the Orijen, then it'd work out out to 460 (for adult dog, 480 for regional red/6 fish) so that'd be a little over 1.5 cups a day. You could always use green beans (unsalted) as filler. If he's used to getting 2 cups of food a day, then give him 1 cup of kibble in the morning and half a cup of kibble, half a cup of green beans for supper so he feels full.

Again, it depends on how much he needs to lose. If you post pics, we'd have a better idea on whether or not he's filling out (maturing) or getting a little extra padding. You should be able to easily fill the ribs about .5 - 1.5 inches away from the spine under a thin layer of fat. The ribs shouldn't be poking out nor should they feel like they're hiding under a thick layer of fat. How tall is your boy? Ranger is 25 inches at the shoulder and weighs a lean 68 lbs. 

Could you wake up early and walk him before it gets too hot? What about taking him to a river, pool, lake or beach so he can swim and burn some calories? Last summer I lived 2 blocks away from a river so I'd walk Ranger to the river, let him swim for a bit, walk for another 20 minutes, let him swim/cool off, then turn around. He'd be dry by the time we got home but not hot yet.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Chance filled out _a lot_ between 1-2 years old. His head got huge and just got all around bigger. I also think 1 cup of food is not enough, even if it's Orijen which you always should feed less of but not _that_ much less.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I think 2 cups Orijen for a pretty inactive dog might be a little much. Because it's high in calories going down just .5 cups could make quite a difference.


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## whrbie2001 (May 7, 2010)

Researching the green bean suggestion further and that seems like a good idea especially since we only need to get through 2 months before we can get back to a normal routine and we're moving to more normal weather conditions. Thanks.


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## mintteagirl (Apr 4, 2010)

whrbie2001 said:


> Our golden is 17 months old and has always been a big boy, currently 84 pounds but with a long and tall frame so he has always looked on the thin side. We switched to Orijen a few months ago (we wanted Acana but not readily available in our area) and he absolutely loves the food but we have noticed him filling in a lot recently and we're not sure if it's natural maturation or whether he's gaining too much weight too quickly from the food. He still passes the spine test but it's a noticeable difference and we're also in a tough stretch of months where we're traveling a lot and it's 100+ degrees most days so he's not getting the exercise we've typically been able to give him and will be able to give him come late August.
> 
> Right now, we've been giving him a little less than 2 cups per day. Is it safe to go down to 1 cup per day while it's super hot and he can't exercise like usual???


 
Hi there I think it would be best to give him close to the 2 cups a day which is the minimum for orijen for a dog your boys size. Maybe space it out through out the day 1 cup am 1 cup pm and you know you can still give him veggies etc..... also for snacks. He should not get fat if this is all he is eating. He may just be a large boy an filling out with maturity. I sell orijen and acana exclusively in my store and of course it is all I feed my pets. MTG


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## whrbie2001 (May 7, 2010)

Pleased to report we are having early success with 1.5 cups per day plus 0.5 cups of the green veggies sprinkled throughout the day as snacks. We've cut out all other treats and edible chews as well. We also added back in some exercise over the weekend (only time we can) with short bursts of activity (e.g. 15 minutes per hour for a 3-hour stretch) on top of either a 45-60 minute early morning or night walk when the heat is not an issue. Waist line definition has improved, he's down 2 pounds so far, think we'd like to knock off another 3-5.


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