Raw frustrations

AdrianneIsabel

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#1
I have in the past fed a lot of raw. I fed it actually for 6 years straight without any kibble to a lot of dogs from starved to obese and chihuahuas to pit bulls.

Sloan however is struggling. I would like to try raw with her to help lean her out and clean her diet up but it's not worth the bloody runs we're facing today.

I started everyone on Saturday with bone in thighs + sojos. They've been having raw meals/treats on and off their whole lives. No problems with anyone else and none with Sloan until Sunday(not abnormal).

Sunday night I threw in a chicken back to add some bone and instead we were up all night with the runs. This morning I did thigh again and at work she had a handful of Now kibble for treats. Still having liquid poop I tried a teaspoon of bone meal in her water after playing ball and then gave her a marrow bone to chew on.

Now the poop is almost entirely just watery blood with minimal crumbs of solidness. I'm sure it's just irritated bowels but having had my fair share myself I understand how much they suck.

I'm frustrated. What would you do? Fast? Go back to kibble? Remove the fat/skin? Add more bone? Remove the bone? Try another protien?

I was not unhappy with my kibble over all but I do miss the cut muscle tone and small poop from raw. Of course if this is what raw is going to do I suppose it's better to have kibble.
 

Lyzelle

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#4
Hmm. Maybe try beef or pork? Zander doesn't do terribly well on chicken + bone, either. He gets mucousy type runny poops. But he does fine with beef and pork. Bone is just a bit harder to find with those meat sources.

If you can find cheap fish, though, that will add a bit more bone/cartilage to her meals, depending on the fish.
 

Emily

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#5
I'm guessing too much bone and fat in the back, esp if the tail was on.

After fasting for 24 hours (poor Sloan :( ) I'd go back to something with a lower bone content (thighs seem perfect) and also strip the skin off the thigh first. And then just work up to those really fatty and boney pieces gradually.
 
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#6
Squash actually has better poops with more bone/cartilage. I'd wonder about the skin being too fatty. The raw part of his diet is normally a coarsely ground meat/bone/organ mixture of rotating protein source, I notice that the meat packer usually grinds chicken with the skin on and he sometimes gets loose stools with that. If he has a runny poop day I give him turkey necks for his raw for a day or two and that seems to fix him up.
 

Emily

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#7
Squash actually has better poops with more bone/cartilage. I'd wonder about the skin being too fatty. The raw part of his diet is normally a coarsely ground meat/bone/organ mixture of rotating protein source, I notice that the meat packer usually grinds chicken with the skin on and he sometimes gets loose stools with that. If he has a runny poop day I give him turkey necks for his raw for a day or two and that seems to fix him up.
While bone and cartilage do tend to produce firmer poops, some dogs have trouble transitioning to a lot of bone right away. I suppose it must just be dense or difficult to digest, but either way it's fairly common IME in dogs that are switching over. In dogs that are used to raw diets, I agree that bones will usually firm things up.
 

MisssAshby

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#8
With my dogs, if I give more bone it helps them. I don't think it's chicken that is causing it, esp if you feed her a chicken based kibble/dehydrated, but more than likely too much fat.

When anyone in my pack has issues, I give them a decent size amount of pumpkin with Slippery Elm and follow that up with yogurt. I have also used L-Glutamine in the past with amazing results. What about a probiotic?

I would however fast her and start her off on chicken/rice for a few days until you know her stomach is settled and go from there. Hopefully, she starts feeling better soon!
 
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#10
I'm frustrated. What would you do? Fast? Go back to kibble? Remove the fat/skin? Add more bone? Remove the bone? Try another protien?
Yes, I do with Enda because she gets the monster stinks/runs when you give her chicken skin/too much fat. It's more work, but that's the way it's gotta be. However...

I would try something other than chicken.
Gotta agree! Are you sure she isn't allergic/intolerant of poultry? Jinjo is, he can't have it as is, kibble, treats, nothing or he gets the runs BAD, his butt hole will even become red and inflamed if he gets too much, it's a really sad thing to watch. But I would highly suggest a fast from the chicken, then try a different meat source such as beef or lamb. And if the chicken's a problem, you may want to/have to avoid all poultry, duck, turkey, pheasant, etc.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#13
Well Denis made an executive decision, she's going back on kibble. He's too upset seeing her poop blood. Ah well. Thanks guys, I'll still try supplementing here and there and maybe ease into the raw over time.
 

kady05

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#14
You said she's had chicken before without issues, right? So that would tell me that she's not allergic to chicken, if I read that right.

I'd definitely fast for 24hrs. I have always fed chicken quarters; have always found backs to be too boney. I'd remove the skin and excess fat and feed her just that for at least a few days to try to get her back on track. Were you feeding what she should normally get, or did you reduce it? I always fed a little less than their ideal when first switching.

I wouldn't go all crazy adding in this and that at this point, you don't want to overload her system even more. I took mine off EVERYTHING when I switched them over; no kibble, no dehydrated raw, no treats, nothing.

Slippery Elm is a miracle worker though!
 

ihartgonzo

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#16
Gonzo is very sensitive to any switches too. I have to be EXTREMELY careful with him, after his HGE (that he got while eating Orijen).

If you want to try to transition her again, I'd get a good digestive enzyme supplement and feed her that, with some canned pumpkin, yogurt and/or green tripe. I'd start with turkey, or rabbit if you can get it, as it's very lean. I would definitely remove the skin and fat as that definitely contributes to loose stools. Don't add organs or switch anything in her routine for a month or until she's doing very well on it, and then only add in small amounts of anything new. Underfeed rather than overfeeding. When ever I've had Gonzo on kibble for a while and then I switch him back to raw, I start with pre-made raw (Nature's Variety) for several days, then slowly add in raw meaty bones. Pre-made is formulated to prevent loose stool, with extra ground bone. It makes the transition MUCH easier!
 

rubygirl

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#19
If raw doesnt work it doesn't work. I tried it on my dog and it left her with some very negative symptoms. I now do a half and half split.
 

naturalfeddogs

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#20
I have in the past fed a lot of raw. I fed it actually for 6 years straight without any kibble to a lot of dogs from starved to obese and chihuahuas to pit bulls.

Sloan however is struggling. I would like to try raw with her to help lean her out and clean her diet up but it's not worth the bloody runs we're facing today.

I started everyone on Saturday with bone in thighs + sojos. They've been having raw meals/treats on and off their whole lives. No problems with anyone else and none with Sloan until Sunday(not abnormal).

Sunday night I threw in a chicken back to add some bone and instead we were up all night with the runs. This morning I did thigh again and at work she had a handful of Now kibble for treats. Still having liquid poop I tried a teaspoon of bone meal in her water after playing ball and then gave her a marrow bone to chew on.

Now the poop is almost entirely just watery blood with minimal crumbs of solidness. I'm sure it's just irritated bowels but having had my fair share myself I understand how much they suck.

I'm frustrated. What would you do? Fast? Go back to kibble? Remove the fat/skin? Add more bone? Remove the bone? Try another protien?

I was not unhappy with my kibble over all but I do miss the cut muscle tone and small poop from raw. Of course if this is what raw is going to do I suppose it's better to have kibble.

Stay for now, with chicken backs only for a week or so. Skin,fat and any organs removed. Don't add anything else in the meantime as treats or anything. You can add too much and cause digestive upset. The kibble is probably a culprit as wee in itself since raw and kibble don't usually mix.
 

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