Awesome to hear! My boys both have been on Orijen 6 Fish and have done really well but they seem to be getting tired of it. I hate to change since it feel it's one of the best dry food on the market.

This is wonderful news! I'm so glad that Ginger is doing better and Orijen is a GREAT food Congrats to you both

Woo hoo! That's excellent news! Very happy to hear that she's finally 100% on Orijen and doing great. See, your patience and persistence paid off.

Thank YOU for all the support!

I now know what to do if she ever ate something that doesn't agree with her and can't work out it herself.

The hubby also got some good education from me on how/what to feed her, and he now lets me take care of her and make the decisions 100% on the nutrition and treats!

cmanding wrote:

The hubby also got some good education from me on how/what to feed her, and he now lets me take care of her and make the decisions 100% on the nutrition and treats!

THAT is seriously worth the trouble you went through! John trusts me now after a whole bunch of problems with Koda and having that ability is a HUGE relief. It's smart to control and want to know what's going into your dog's tummy, so kudos for all your hard work! I'm glad it paid off in such a good way for you

Just another quick update in case anyone is interested....

As of yesterday's dinner, I'm mixing in Orijen's chicken and fish formula to the Orijen fish formula in the ratio of 25% to 75% respectively...and so far, she's doing great!

I've also found a dental bone made with carrots by Zuke's which lasts a little longer than her belly bones so she's gnawing (is that how you spell that word?) on it longer to clean her teeth better. And she's doing well on that too!

I've also found potato chips that she likes!! At first she didn't, but I made her try them again tonight, and she seems to like it! They're dehyrated sweet potato slices...and they did warn me that her poop will turn orange from it.

I now read the ingredient lists thoroughly and if there's an ingredient on the list I don't know, I pass on it. Which leaves me with stuff that has less than 10 ingredients in them - bonus!

Her treats may sound like a lot in a day, but other than her 1 dental bone a day, she gets 1 or 2 other treats, which are 1 or 2 bites....

It may also sound like I'm going nuts with all kinds of treats, but I've given away all the other treats I had which she now can't tolerate much...so her treats are now carrots, dehyrated sweet potato chips, and a slice of my apple if i'm having it as my snack. At least they're all healthy and low calorie for her!

So Orijen chicken and fish formula is going ok for her for now!

That is such great news! I'm happy to hear you're able to give her so many great treats and still have no tummy troubles. Keep it up! I'm sure Ginger is happier and healthier for it too.

It appears that Ginger can tolerate only a certain amount of chicken, turkey and/or duck.

If I mix Orijen 6-Fish formula with the Chicken formula (which also has turkey and fish) in a ratio of 75% to 25% respectively, she's fine. But once I make it all of the chicken kibble, she goes soft (soft form and a little difficult to pick up especially the part that's on the bottom which gets smeared on the ground).

If I keep her on the 6-Fish formula, I can give about 4-6 pieces of the Nature's Balance L.I.T. Potato and Duck Mini Treats (limited ingredient treats), and she's fine. Any more than that, she starts to go a little soft.

So, it seems that chicken, turkey and duck is OK in small amounts.

I think Val might have mentioned that her sensitive girl Faith is better since feeding a raw diet, or something like that, and thought maybe Ginger would tolerate chicken and/or turkey better if I tried The Honest Kitchen....? Or Ginger may just be a 'pescatarian'! (I think that's how you spell it...fish and seafood, no red meat or poultry, but in Ginger's case, just the fish)

Both are possible. Sibes, in their ancestry fed raw and fish remained the bulk of their diet. In the northern regions, it was the only source of meat readily available. Likely it is a combination of both. Because fish is such a natural part of a Siberian's diet, it is likey that is why she does the best on fish of any form. However, because a Sibe's digestive tract is also very efficient, it also makes just as much sense that sibes generally thrive on a raw diet.

Either option is a good one, IMO. Either keep Ginger on her fish based kibbles, or try feeding her THK and seeing how she does with the raw meat sources.

Good luck!

Thanks Tori!
I think I'll try THK after the new year

Claudia, I must say I am extremely impressed at how far you've come! So proud of you! You are right, our sensitive girl Faith never really did well on ANY kibble but she did a complete turnaround on a partial raw diet of THK + raw. The difference is amazing and now I can give almost any treat and no digestive issues! Seriously I can't say enough about how happy I am with The Honest Kitchen, it truly was a God send for us!

Sibes typically do well on fish based diets because, like Tori, mentioned it's what their ancestors ate. But not all sibes do well on fish, my boy being a prime example. He gets soft stool or the runs every time I feed him anything with fish, just doesn't agree with him for whatever reason so I stay away from it. My chi girls on the other hand do wonderful on fish based foods. Definitely stick with what you know works!

If you do decide you try HK and want a coupon let me know. The coupons I emailed you before are expired but I have new ones that expire May 2011.

Thanks Val!
I've had a lot of support from you, Tori and Heather, and learned a LOT from you all!

THK has 'sample' size 4oz packets, so I ordered 1 each in turkey and chicken and the fish had only 1oz sample packets, so I ordered a couple of those.

I'll try them out, and if she does well, I'll hit you up for a couple of coupons!

You ordered them! Claudia, they will send you samples free!

The local store near me didn't have samples of what I wanted to try and when I emailed THK, they said they have sample sizes I could order

In any case, they're weren't much at all.

Just to post a quick update...

Ginger is now primarily on THK Zeal is doing wonderful! She still gets 2 tablespoons of Orijen 6 Fish kibble as a topper on her THK. I at least know that I can give her Orijen 6 Fish when THK isn't convenient to feed.

Thinking back to when we first brought her home, I don't think she was ever this firm. And there are days now that sometimes feel I have to give her a few baby carrots in a day because it just feels a little too firm.

As far as chicken goes, she can tolerate chicken in dehydrated, freeze dried or baked at low temperatures. These are still in limited amounts as they are her treats. She also has been tolerating 1 raw chicken wing a day without issue.

As far as I know, chicken in kibble will make her go soft it if is more that 30% of her meal.

I have tried Sojo's Turkey and have given her up to 3 tablespoons of it in a day and it seems to make her go soft. But THK Force or Embark doesn't seem to have that effect on her belly when given in the same amount.

I still have to see if THK Force or Embark still agrees with her if it's more than 50% of her meal, but I'll get to that soon enough. It's more for cost savings as Zeal costs more than Force or Embark so if I can mix it, it would save me some money on THK.

I tell ya! Ginger just has expensive taste. She likes and does well on ALL the expensive stuff!

Wow you've done a lot of experimenting! Good for you, and Ginger. I hope Force or Embark will work out for her so you can save some money, Zeal is expensive! Now imagine if you got another husky with a sensitive tummy and expensive taste like Ginger! Oh gosh I hope not!

I want her to be able to have different proteins other than fish, so in the last 3 months I've been trying to figure out her turkey and chicken tolerances.

Zeal has allowed her to have chicken treats so I'm thinking she will do Ok on either Force or Embark.

I've thought about that: what if my 2nd Sibe had a sensitive belly too?
...and I would say, 'he came to me for a reason' and would give him the best I could!

cmanding wrote:

I've thought about that: what if my 2nd Sibe had a sensitive belly too?
...and I would say, 'he came to me for a reason' and would give him the best I could!

You know, my first had a sensitive tummy and before we adopted our second we were told she had a sensitive stomach as well. I said she was the one and we were going to make it work.

After having two sensitive dogs I said our third absolutely must NOT have a sensitive stomach period. Just saying, after two dogs with tummy issues you might sing a different tune...I know I am! Luckily, our third has a stomach of steel.

Yep - you're probably right!

Is it Glory that has a stomach of steel?

cmanding wrote:

Is it Glory that has a stomach of steel?

Yep, Glory is the easy one who can eat almost anything...why can't they all be like her?!

Huskyluv wrote:

cmanding wrote:

Is it Glory that has a stomach of steel?

Yep, Glory is the easy one who can eat almost anything...why can't they all be like her?!

Your pack is just TOO cute!
So you got Dakota first, then Faith, then Glory?
(As I'm typing this, I'm thinking of the video 'Hungry Dogs' where Glory and Faith's tail are wagging so fast, it's a blur and their little bounces!)

cmanding wrote:

Huskyluv wrote:

cmanding wrote:

Is it Glory that has a stomach of steel?

Yep, Glory is the easy one who can eat almost anything...why can't they all be like her?!

Your pack is just TOO cute!
So you got Dakota first, then Faith, then Glory?
(As I'm typing this, I'm thinking of the video 'Hungry Dogs' where Glory and Faith's tail are wagging so fast, it's a blur and their little bounces!)

Those little bounces are the cutest thing I have seen in a while!!!!!!

cmanding wrote:

Your pack is just TOO cute!
So you got Dakota first, then Faith, then Glory?
(As I'm typing this, I'm thinking of the video 'Hungry Dogs' where Glory and Faith's tail are wagging so fast, it's a blur and their little bounces!)

LOL Thanks, I love their bounces too and I get to experience them at least 3 or more times every single day! It never gets old, those two little munchkins can always put a smile on my face.

Yes, that's the order.

Dates of adoption:
Dakota - 9/17/2007
Faith - 3/29/2009
Glory - 3/16/2010 (we just passed the 1 yr mark of Glory being with us!)

It's funny that the order we got them is also the order of my favorites as well. Dakota's my favorite and my heart dog, Faith is my second favorite, and Glory is my third favorite...and no, it's not because of how long they've been with us either, it's just how it worked out coincidentally.

Huskyluv wrote:

LOL Thanks, I love their bounces too and I get to experience them at least 3 or more times every single day! It never gets old, those two little munchkins can always put a smile on my face....

lucky you!
so jealous!

maybe you can just post vidoes of their bounces so i can see them every so often!

cmanding wrote:

maybe you can just post vidoes of their bounces so i can see them every so often!

I need to get a video of Faith when she's about to get her dinner and also when she's about to get her bedtime treat. She cracks me up every time!