# Orijen 6 Fish Tear Stain



## edj578

I'm just starting to give my maltese boy (age 1 yr) orijen. I noticed that he has a very bad tear stain now. It has been streaming non-stop. He never had tear stain ever before until I switched to orijen 6 fish. Do any of you have the same problem with orijen? My dog does not have allergies.

I'm thinking is it because of the high protein content? But I read orijen statement and there is no such thing as high protein is bad for your dog. The more protein the better as dog is carnivore. Will Acana do better? But I'm also skeptical at this point.

What food do you feed your babies? And what are the results?

Is now! dog food a good food? It is grain free and has moderate protein content.


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## LJSquishy

Each dog reacts differently to different foods, so it is possible that Orijen has too much protein for your little guy. You can give Acana Pacifica a try since it has slightly less protein.

I previously fed Orijen but for one of my Malts it was a little too rich in protein so I switched to Acana and it is the perfect balance for them. I rotate between Pacifica & the Grasslands varieties.

I suppose the Orijen could cause tear staining, but I'm not certain...have you been feeding it for at least 2 months? If not, I would give it a while longer. If you have been feeding it for quite a while, you can try the Acana or another grain-free food.


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## nekkidfish

You know how when you see a post and your ears perk up?

Poppy has been on Orijen 6 fish since he was born. His Mom stains bad, but his Dad has no stains. Poppy has awful staining. :blush:

I have had his tear ducts flushed, I had him on 3 months of Angel Eyes, and now we just started him on iStain.

I also reduced the amount of dry food to about 10 pieces per meal, mixed with Merrick's Turduckin canned food ... but that was for poop reasons, as he was just not as regular as he needed to be on just the dry kibble.

I posted in another thread where someone else talked about another food, and I also asked about that as well as about household things like air fresheners, but nobody else replied.

I'd be curious to know if there are any others that feel it might be the Orijen or maybe something else.

HUGz! Jules


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## mysugarbears

nekkidfish said:


> You know how when you see a post and your ears perk up?
> 
> Poppy has been on Orijen 6 fish since he was born. His Mom stains bad, but his Dad has no stains. Poppy has awful staining. :blush:
> 
> I have had his tear ducts flushed, I had him on 3 months of Angel Eyes, and now we just started him on iStain.
> 
> I also reduced the amount of dry food to about 10 pieces per meal, mixed with Merrick's Turduckin canned food ... but that was for poop reasons, as he was just not as regular as he needed to be on just the dry kibble.
> 
> I posted in another thread where someone else talked about another food, and I also asked about that as well as about household things like air fresheners, but nobody else replied.
> 
> I'd be curious to know if there are any others that feel it might be the Orijen or maybe something else.
> 
> HUGz! Jules


 
Jules i wonder if Poppy's allergic to the Turduckin. I have one that is allergic to all poultry not just chicken and she stained horribly and chewed her feet until they were red. She no longer gets anything with poultry including treats and no grains in her food. She no longer chews her feet and her staining has cleared up. If you were to try Angel Eyes again i would use straight Tylan instead of the Angel Eyes you really don't know how much they are getting and the Tylan is more of a short term on 10 off 10 and if needed for another round then 10 more days.


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## nekkidfish

mysugarbears said:


> Jules i wonder if Poppy's allergic to the Turduckin. I have one that is allergic to all poultry not just chicken and she stained horribly and chewed her feet until they were red. She no longer gets anything with poultry including treats and no grains in her food. She no longer chews her feet and her staining has cleared up. If you were to try Angel Eyes again i would use straight Tylan instead of the Angel Eyes you really don't know how much they are getting and the Tylan is more of a short term on 10 off 10 and if needed for another round then 10 more days.


Debbie ... wow! Good thought. The other thread I mentioned talked about some home cookin (my words) brand of food, which as I said, no one responded to. Is there a wet canned food that is not poultry based I can try?

I truly am not sure why, but my vet (who I love) was way more keen on me trying Angel Eyes than the Tylan, but I'm not sure why. Before taking Poppy to get his tear ducts flushed, and before talking with my vet, someone here sent me some Tylan and Poppy was on it 10 days/10 days ... and it made no difference .... which is why I took him in for the tear duct flush.

I was very busy the last two days and have not scrubbed Poppy's face ... and he is a wreck. Even hubby said tonight, "Ah man, you're all crusty faced little man!"

I have said all along that I know that it is just cosmetic ... and maybe something we always have to live with .... but every time I see all of the photo posts here of all of the white faced kids ... I keep feeling that there is something I'm just not doing right ... or some combination of things that we just haven't hit on yet. ??

HUGz! Jules


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## Johita

LJSquishy said:


> Each dog reacts differently to different foods, so it is possible that Orijen has too much protein for your little guy. You can give Acana Pacifica a try since it has slightly less protein.
> 
> I previously fed Orijen but for one of my Malts it was a little too rich in protein so I switched to Acana and it is the perfect balance for them. I rotate between Pacifica & the Grasslands varieties.
> 
> I suppose the Orijen could cause tear staining, but I'm not certain...have you been feeding it for at least 2 months? If not, I would give it a while longer. If you have been feeding it for quite a while, you can try the Acana or another grain-free food.


I had a similar situation with Orijen 6 Fish so we switched back to Fromm Salmon a la Veg and are doing better.


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## edj578

nekkidfish said:


> You know how when you see a post and your ears perk up?
> 
> Poppy has been on Orijen 6 fish since he was born. His Mom stains bad, but his Dad has no stains. Poppy has awful staining. :blush:
> 
> I have had his tear ducts flushed, I had him on 3 months of Angel Eyes, and now we just started him on iStain.
> 
> I also reduced the amount of dry food to about 10 pieces per meal, mixed with Merrick's Turduckin canned food ... but that was for poop reasons, as he was just not as regular as he needed to be on just the dry kibble.
> 
> I posted in another thread where someone else talked about another food, and I also asked about that as well as about household things like air fresheners, but nobody else replied.
> 
> I'd be curious to know if there are any others that feel it might be the Orijen or maybe something else.
> 
> HUGz! Jules


Hi Jules,

Did you ever consider giving Poppy prepackagedd raw-food? From the way you mentioned Poppy being not as regular on dry kibble alone, it sounds a lot like my boy. He can't eat kibble alone either. I have done a little experiment with this. Whenever I give him kibble only, his stool is just not as good as I expect it to be. So I usually mix it with Primal, but I cook it lightly with just a wee bit of coconut oil because I heard the way dog digest raw and cooked food is different, and I am mixing it with kibble, which is supposedly 'cooked'. And he is doing very well with this. If your budget fits, you can also try giving him all raw and see what happen with the tear stain.

Also, I read somewhere that Eye Envy is an excellent product to help with tear stain, although patience is required. I haven't tried this product either, since he never had tear stain before, but I might if his tear stain remains.

And for now, I am switching to Acana grasslands. His tear stain has not improved yet, but I'll wait and see. It's just so weird because he just never had tear stains before even when he was teething. He does have a very sensitive stomach and that's why in the first place I thought orijen would be an excellent choice, as it contains at least 70% meat, it's very close to giving your dog a real meat. His lifestlyle doesn't change and suddenly one day he kept tearing (after I started him on orijen) and those ugly tear stain is just so stubborn to get rid of, no matter how often I wipe his face. It is just so frustrating.


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## nekkidfish

edj578 said:


> Hi Jules,
> 
> Did you ever consider giving Poppy prepackagedd raw-food? From the way you mentioned Poppy being not as regular on dry kibble alone, it sounds a lot like my boy. He can't eat kibble alone either. I have done a little experiment with this. Whenever I give him kibble only, his stool is just not as good as I expect it to be. So I usually mix it with Primal, but I cook it lightly with just a wee bit of coconut oil because I heard the way dog digest raw and cooked food is different, and I am mixing it with kibble, which is supposedly 'cooked'. And he is doing very well with this. If your budget fits, you can also try giving him all raw and see what happen with the tear stain.
> 
> Also, I read somewhere that Eye Envy is an excellent product to help with tear stain, although patience is required. I haven't tried this product either, since he never had tear stain before, but I might if his tear stain remains.
> 
> And for now, I am switching to Acana grasslands. His tear stain has not improved yet, but I'll wait and see. It's just so weird because he just never had tear stains before even when he was teething. He does have a very sensitive stomach and that's why in the first place I thought orijen would be an excellent choice, as it contains at least 70% meat, it's very close to giving your dog a real meat. His lifestlyle doesn't change and suddenly one day he kept tearing (after I started him on orijen) and those ugly tear stain is just so stubborn to get rid of, no matter how often I wipe his face. It is just so frustrating.


No, I have not tried any other foods. I truly thought I was giving him the best by keeping him on the Orijen. If people can remember back to my early posts, right after he was born, I researched and researched so I could do everything I could to take care of him in the very best way possible.

I've tried Eye Envy, but that was back when he was teething. If I see no results from the iStain after a few months, I might go back and try Eye Envy again.

I take a bath every night, and now no longer put on my vanilla lotion or vanilla spray .... I just keep getting rid of things. :blush:

I totally understand your frustration. :blink:

HUGz! Jules


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## mysugarbears

nekkidfish said:


> Debbie ... wow! Good thought. The other thread I mentioned talked about some home cookin (my words) brand of food, which as I said, no one responded to. Is there a wet canned food that is not poultry based I can try?
> 
> I truly am not sure why, but my vet (who I love) was way more keen on me trying Angel Eyes than the Tylan, but I'm not sure why. Before taking Poppy to get his tear ducts flushed, and before talking with my vet, someone here sent me some Tylan and Poppy was on it 10 days/10 days ... and it made no difference .... which is why I took him in for the tear duct flush.
> 
> I was very busy the last two days and have not scrubbed Poppy's face ... and he is a wreck. Even hubby said tonight, "Ah man, you're all crusty faced little man!"
> 
> I have said all along that I know that it is just cosmetic ... and maybe something we always have to live with .... but every time I see all of the photo posts here of all of the white faced kids ... I keep feeling that there is something I'm just not doing right ... or some combination of things that we just haven't hit on yet. ??
> 
> HUGz! Jules


There are some good brands that you can try that aren't poultry based like Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison, NB Sweet Potato and Fish, Wellness makes some good foods that are lamb based and i believe a beef based one also, the California Naturals. If you want to try a semi home cooking route you could try Dr.Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl it's a dehydrated food that you add your own protein and oil and there are no grains in it. I'm feeding mine Addiction Dehydrated Raw in the morning and Nature's Variety Raw in the evenings and i switch through 3 different proteins and they are doing really well on it and most of all they love it, even the picky Miss Noelle, she especially loves the raw more then the dehydrated raw.


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## nekkidfish

mysugarbears said:


> There are some good brands that you can try that aren't poultry based like Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison, NB Sweet Potato and Fish, Wellness makes some good foods that are lamb based and i believe a beef based one also, the California Naturals. If you want to try a semi home cooking route you could try Dr.Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl it's a dehydrated food that you add your own protein and oil and there are no grains in it. I'm feeding mine Addiction Dehydrated Raw in the morning and Nature's Variety Raw in the evenings and i switch through 3 different proteins and they are doing really well on it and most of all they love it, even the picky Miss Noelle, she especially loves the raw more then the dehydrated raw.


I'm going out today or tomorrow, and will look and see what my options are locally.

HUGz! Jules


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## heartmadeforyou

I tried Bogie on Orijen and felt that his coat didn't look as good and noticed some staining. I went back to what his breeder recommended, Royal Canin 25. I'm really happy with him on it and won't be changing.


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## Rocky's Mom

Jules, I had Rocky on Wellness for Adults and his eyes cleared up nicely. Then I bought NB and he's tearing again, so I'm going back on Wellness.


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## CrystalAndZoe

There just is no one answer for all dogs. One food can clear up one Malt's stains, and just as easily cause it on another. Certainly doesn't make a food bad. Just how it affects each individual dog. Allergies & how their body processes the food could be a couple of reasons why one food helps one and makes another one worse. The only thing you can do is try something different. But it takes time to notice a change so you need to stay with it for a little bit to determine if you are seeing an improvement, no change, or a change for the worse. This same opinion has been posted many times by many others here on SM.

My personal opinion on high protein kibble is that yes, it can be harmful to the kidneys if you don't mix it with water. Dogs simply can't drink enough water to make up for the lack of moisture in kibble. A high protein canned or dehydrated that you mix with equal amounts of water, or a diet where you use fresh meat all have a lot of water in it so their kidneys can handle that higher amount of protein. If you remember, I've posted this opinion many times. :innocent:

I noticed an improvement with all 3 of mine when I started them on G'ma Lucy's Artisan which is grain free. I've since switched them to Addiction Dehydrated Raw & it's continually getting better. Is it the grain free? Would they have continued to get better on G'ma Lucy's? Or is it the raw that has continued the improvement? Or is it that I've not given them as many chews lately? When they really work a chew, their faces get really wet. Could giving them chews on a regular basis cause staining to be worse? Do you sacrifice something that's great for their teeth for the sake of staining? Some have had great luck with home cooking while others have not noticed any change in staining. Bottom line is, each dog is different and you have to experiment to figure out what works best for your fluff.:thumbsup:


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## nekkidfish

> Do you sacrifice something that's great for their teeth for the sake of staining? Some have had great luck with home cooking while others have not noticed any change in staining. Bottom line is, each dog is different and you have to experiment to figure out what works best for your fluff.


Oh, exactly!! But, this experiment is taking so long I should win a Pulitzer or something if I find the answer!! :HistericalSmiley:

Crystal, your kids faces are so beautiful ... I'd be happy with that!! :wub:

HUGz! Jules


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## nekkidfish

Oh ... forgot to say .... I could not find any of the foods listed here at my 2 specialty stores. So, I decided to try Taste of the Wild with Salmon, both dry kibble and the canned version.

If indeed it was either the high protein from the Orijen or the poultry from the Merricks Turduckin ... and after I make the switch ... how long (guesstimate) before I would/should/hope to see a change?

HUGz! Jules


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## poochie2

I am so happy with the NOW Grain-free pet food. Vanilla is doing very well with this type of kibble. I have used both Orijen and Acana but find they are just too rich and have too much protein. NOW pet food has moderate protein and it is Grain-free.


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## CrystalAndZoe

nekkidfish said:


> Oh ... forgot to say .... I could not find any of the foods listed here at my 2 specialty stores. So, I decided to try Taste of the Wild with Salmon, both dry kibble and the canned version.
> 
> If indeed it was either the high protein from the Orijen or the poultry from the Merricks Turduckin ... and after I make the switch ... how long (guesstimate) before I would/should/hope to see a change?
> 
> HUGz! Jules


I sell Taste of the Wild and it's a great food for the price. But honestly, it is my least favorite of all the foods I carry. Does one of your stores carry Petcurean's NOW? Their small breed formula is good. Free Range meat and baked at a really low temp. Also, try Fromm's Grain Free Formula's Beef Fritatta or Surf N Turf, not free range meat but a wonderful food. Or Addiction's GF canned or GF kibble formula's (Viva La Venison or Salmon Bleu) is wonderful too since it's free range meat. I would give whatever food you try a couple of months.

I really like to rotate the protein sources so mine get the Addiction Dehydrated Raw and we rotate through all their GF formulas. :thumbsup:


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## CrystalAndZoe

poochie2 said:


> I am so happy with the NOW Grain-free pet food. Vanilla is doing very well with this type of kibble. I have used both Orijen and Acana but find they are just too rich and have too much protein. NOW pet food has moderate protein and it is Grain-free.


Love Petcurean's NOW Small Breed formula. :thumbsup:


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## nekkidfish

Crystal&Zoe said:


> I sell Taste of the Wild and it's a great food for the price. But honestly, it is my least favorite of all the foods I carry. Does one of your stores carry Petcurean's NOW? Their small breed formula is good. Free Range meat and baked at a really low temp. Also, try Fromm's Grain Free Formula's Beef Fritatta or Surf N Turf, not free range meat but a wonderful food. Or Addiction's GF canned or GF kibble formula's (Viva La Venison or Salmon Bleu) is wonderful too since it's free range meat. I would give whatever food you try a couple of months.
> 
> I really like to rotate the protein sources so mine get the Addiction Dehydrated Raw and we rotate through all their GF formulas. :thumbsup:


Well, I took a list of all the foods listed here and none of the local stores carry them. :huh:

I didn't ask about the NOW food .... I'll call tomorrow.

HUGz! Jules


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## nekkidfish

Okay, I was just going to cancel my Petflow order of Orijen and see that they carry a few of the products listed, so I will switch over and get one of those delivered.

HUGz! Jules


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## nekkidfish

Gonna drive everybody crazy .... I'm going to get the Fromms Salmon on the dry kibble ... but Fromm's doesn't have a wet food on there that is not poultry based.

So, I'm looking at the NB Fish and Sweet Potato, but it doesn't say grain free. ??

Natural Balance Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Fish and Sweet Potato Canned Dog Food | PetFlow.com

But, I don't see any grains listed. EDIT: Never mind ... I see it has a GF label. :wacko:

HUGz! Jules


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## poochie2

Crystal&Zoe said:


> Love Petcurean's NOW Small Breed formula. :thumbsup:


I am nuts about this food because it is Grain-free, moderate levels of protein, they have a small breed formula which is awesome and when you open the bag it actually smells good not like some kibble where it makes you want to gag when you open the bag.
I also researched this brand tremendously to make sure it did not have a high ratio of phosphorous and calcium which can stress their kidneys.


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## nekkidfish

poochie2 said:


> I am nuts about this food because it is Grain-free, moderate levels of protein, they have a small breed formula which is awesome and when you open the bag it actually smells good not like some kibble where it makes you want to gag when you open the bag.
> I also researched this brand tremendously to make sure it did not have a high ratio of phosphorous and calcium which can stress their kidneys.


I also ordered a small bag of this ... so we'll try both the Fromm's and the Now! :thumbsup:

HUGz! Jules


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## mysugarbears

Unfortunately we can't try the NOW food because of the poultry. It really does sound like a great food though.


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## poochie2

nekkidfish said:


> I also ordered a small bag of this ... so we'll try both the Fromm's and the Now! :thumbsup:
> 
> HUGz! Jules


Your fluffs are going to love it. My malt is extremely picky and has turned her nose up on every food except this one. Let me know how it goes.


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## nekkidfish

Well crap .... I didn't look at the ingredients ... "De-boned turkey, potato, whole dried egg, pea, flaxseed, apple, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), tomato, salmon, de-boned duck,"

I thought it was just veggies and fruits. I wonder how much poultry is in there? I was trying to stay away from that. 

HUGz! Jules


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## poochie2

nekkidfish said:


> Well crap .... I didn't look at the ingredients ... "De-boned turkey, potato, whole dried egg, pea, flaxseed, apple, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), tomato, salmon, de-boned duck,"
> 
> I thought it was just veggies and fruits. I wonder how much poultry is in there? I was trying to stay away from that.
> 
> HUGz! Jules


I've never heard of a kibble being just fruits and veggies. Is there an allergy to poultry cause if there is I believe the NOW brand does indeed contain poultry.


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## nekkidfish

poochie2 said:


> I've never heard of a kibble being just fruits and veggies. Is there an allergy to poultry cause if there is I believe the NOW brand does indeed contain poultry.


The question with Poppy was that his staining could be related to the high protien in the Orijen, or the poultry he is getting from the Turduckin ... so I was trying to switch him over to a kibble with lower protein that is not poultry based.

I'll call and cancel my order.

HUGz! Jules


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## summer

I bought a trial bag of the fish orejin kibbles and noticed they are very hard. My maltese has trouble chewing them, so I have been breaking them. For those that feed this have you noticed the that the kibbles are hard?


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## nekkidfish

summer said:


> I bought a trial bag of the fish orejin kibbles and noticed they are very hard. My maltese has trouble chewing them, so I have been breaking them. For those that feed this have you noticed the that the kibbles are hard?


They are hard, but Poppy never had a problem with eating them.

HUGz! Jules


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## FortheloveofBuckeye

edj578 said:


> I'm just starting to give my maltese boy (age 1 yr) orijen. I noticed that he has a very bad tear stain now. It has been streaming non-stop. He never had tear stain ever before until I switched to orijen 6 fish. Do any of you have the same problem with orijen? My dog does not have allergies.
> 
> I'm thinking is it because of the high protein content? But I read orijen statement and there is no such thing as high protein is bad for your dog. The more protein the better as dog is carnivore. Will Acana do better? But I'm also skeptical at this point.
> 
> What food do you feed your babies? And what are the results?
> 
> Is now! dog food a good food? It is grain free and has moderate protein content.


I came on the forum tonight to do a random search to see if anyone had trouble with staining related to Orijen and found this thread. I started Buckeye on it about a month ago and he had issue with all the protein so I adjusted his daily intake and he seems fine now. But within the last week or so, he's started to stain a little in both eyes. His routine hasn't changed at all, so I could only think that perhaps it's the Orijen. He was doing fine with the Natural Balance brand so I think I'll be going back to it. Only tried Orijen because I'd heard that it was such a great brand. It's certainly true that you just have to find what works for your particular fluff and stick with it.


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