Raw meat and gas

[Elly]

Just wondering if raw meat makes a dog gassy.

My pap pup (14 wks) has been on raw hamburgar mixed with Royal Canin (adult) since before I got him from the breeder. This is what she recommended to continue him on.

I have been told that Royal Canin is a very good dog food so was wondering if it could be the raw meat.

 

[Mordy]

Depends on the individual dog.

My Quigley for example only gets gas if I feed too much pork or if he consumes too much bone material in one meal (e.g. recreational chewing on lamb femurs).

 

[weylyn]

Depends on the dog, depends on the meat. None of my dogs are gassy unless I give them something that doesn't agree with them. Pork caused a lot of gas the first time I fed it and after that it doesn't have any effect on them.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Do you feed Raw WITH the kibble? If so, you should seperate the two, as they digest at completely different rates.

Also, you might want to consider feeding him a RMB or two instead of raw hamburger, like a chicken thigh w/bone or a chicken leg. Feeding all muscle meat can definitely cause gas and diarrhea.

 

[Elly]

Thanks for all replys.

ihartgonzo I do mix the raw and the kibble together. I can give it separately if that will help. I am not sure what RMB is but from what you say on here it has something to do with chicken.

I am nervous to feed raw chicken bones. The breeder told me to cook chicken if I give it to him because of salmonella. It gets so confusing I am considering just weaning him onto the kibble and just occasionally give him some raw meat.

I really dont know enough about it.

He really loves the raw stuff though.

 

[ihartgonzo]

If you want to mix the meat with the kibble, I suggest cooking the hamburger meat. If not, you should feed Raw after kibble is nearly out of the system or completely out of the system (digested), IMO. So, feed Raw in the morning on it's own, then you can feed the kibble meals.

The breeder feeds Raw, but is worried about salmonella? Unless digestion is seriously slowed, by a blockage or otherwise, salmonella is not a threat to dogs because of their short intestinal tract and their digestive system. However, you definitely need to use all of the care you do with preparing meat for yourself - thoroughly clean hands, counters, bowls, etc.

RMB = Raw Meaty Bone. It's any bone with substantial meat on it, like a chicken leg quarter (or a lamb shank, pork spare rib, turkey back, etc). Raw chicken bones are safe and pliable, cooked chicken bones are very dangerous, however.

If you don't feel comfortable feeding Raw, I suggest you stop until you do some research & you feel confident in feeding it. Raw feeding is so, so beneficial for most dogs, when it's done right.

 

[Mordy]

Do you feed Raw WITH the kibble? If so, you should seperate the two, as they digest at completely different rates.

Actually that's an unsubstantiated myth.

 

[DanL]

You have almost as much chance of salmonella with raw ground beef as you do with chicken. I started my GSD on raw when he was not much older than your pup. I'd have started him sooner if I had known more about it earlier.

 

[weylyn]

Salmonella and other bacteria should not be a concern for a dog with a healthy immune system. All diets, dry or raw, contain bacteria to certain degrees.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Actually that's an unsubstantiated myth.

Honestly? I've noticed a big difference with my 2, between Raw and kibble. So you recommend feeding Raw together with kibble?

 

[Mordy]

Whether you feed raw and kibble combined or together depends on how well the dog tolerates it. If the dog has no problems, there's no reason not to do it.

I know of quite a number of people who mix in ground meats with kibble and their dogs do well on that style of feeding. Others do better if their meals are separated.

It doesn't really have anything to do with the food digesting at different rates though, since it's all mashed into a soupy liquid in the stomach and thoroughly mixed by its muscle contractions.

 

[Elly]

I am just continuing with the feeding method the breeder used. All she ever feeds her dogs is raw hamburgar.

She put the pups she is selling on raw with Royal Canin but for the dogs she keeps (the mothers and some pups) she uses Urban Wolf with hamburgar.

I guess she figures that most people want to feed the kibble and maybe with some raw. I like the idea of the raw as I believe that is the natural way. After all their wild cousins eat raw.

I am going to do as suggested though and find out more about it.Also thinking that maybe there is another kibble that would mix better with the raw meat?

I have heard that Canidae is very good also and even better than Royal Canin.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Ok... I'm totally digging up this thread, but w/e

I tried mixing Fozzie with raw & Evo yesterday. err, I actually had just given him some Evo (it was a kibble day for him) and Gonzo had a chicken quarter but wasn't too interested (he doesn't usually like eating early in the morning). So, I thought of this thread and let him have the chicken quarter, a short while after eating his kibble. He had gas ALL DAY yesterday, which was not pleasant, followed by Dia-dia. Really uncool. I had to let him out 4 times in the middle of the night and he was basically explosive, and I have not had to wake up in the night for him to potty since he was 10 weeks old. Btw, he hasn't been sick ever since the day I got him... he has a tummy of steel, and he has handled every kind of new raw meat and the occasional "kibble day" or night-time kibble meal with ease.

Coincidence? I think not.

Anywho, my point is that, I definitely see a link here, and I will never mix raw & kibble again. =D I think you should try giving him the raw hamburger on it's own (or a chicken quarter/wing/thigh) for a morning meal, and see if things improve with his health.

 

[Mordy]

ihartgonzo, don't you think that maybe the amount of food fed all at one has something to do with it as well?

 

[ihartgonzo]

hm... I don't think it does. He only got a small amount of kibble, like 1/3 cup, and mainly just the thigh part of the chicken quarter. It was probably 1/4 lb, if that, and he's used to eating meals of at least 1/4 lb. He has eaten larger meals before with no problems. He frequently gets a couple pork ribs with shoulder meat attached, which is a big meal and takes him about 30 minutes to finish, and he has never ever been sick.

That is just in my experience, and MAYBE I'm just over-reacting, but I think it's worth a try with the OP, if their puppy has an upset stomach almost constantly.

 

[Wiggle Butt]

Erica, I had the same experience with my dogs when I mixed kibble and raw. All four of them. The kibble was GONE after that.

 

[Mordy]

Keep in mind that your average kibble only contains around 10% moisture, while raw food contains around 65-75%, so once it soaks up water and digestive juices, you are looking at a far bigger amount.

I'm not saying that mixing raw and dry works out for all dogs out there, but the claim that they digest at different rates is a myth that has been debunked.

Many of my clients feed mixtures of kibble and ground meats with great success.