[mistymama]

I've been planning to feed raw since before we got our puppy. I wanted to wait to start until he was potty trained, etc so the transition would be smooth. So since we got him around Christmas he's been on the dry food the breeder was feeding him.

He's potty trained and it's time to start the transition to raw .. but I'm scared to death. This dog has the most sensitive tummy ever and the wrong kind of bone or treat will give him diarreah like no other. In fact, the only kind of bone that does not seem to bother his system is plain rawhide. *gag* We've got one kind of low fat natural dog treat (that is tiny!) that he does well with .. anything else upsets his tummy.

The vet said his breed is known for having a very sensitive GI track & to keep his food simple.

So can he do raw? If he sticks to his normal dry food, his tummy is fine. I'm scared to death to try feeding him anything raw because I just know it's going to give him bad diarreah!

Does anyone have experience putting a dog like this onto a raw diet? Dare I even try it?

 

[oneKnight]

I would think raw would be the best thing you can do for him!!

Of course you might be in for a little work trying to figure out what suits his tummy. Start off very slow with only one protein (chicken usually) and see how it goes. If you have to, remove the skin at first.
Bones help firm up the stool, but you still have to watch the percentages over time because you can't feed just bones.
If you can get him stable on chicken, add one more protein and see how he handles it once he adjusts. Eventually you will hopefully be able to feed a good variety, but you want to know which one caused the problems (if there are any) so go slow at first. If you cant get him to eat pork for example (it's fatty) without splurts then stick with leaner meats.
When it comes to rawfeeding you have to watch your dog's body condition and poops and adjust accordingly. It's all about feedback.
I saw on the front of a bag of kibble today "just fill the bowl and forget it" and that sounds horribly neglegent to a rawfeeder like me, although I guess kibble feeders do it all the time. *shudders*

Oh have you ever given probiotics? Sometimes they really help dogs who get diarreah!

Have you had him tested for worms? You need to do an actual stool sample to check, and after treatment, re-test a few weeks later to make sure you got all the eggs.

 

[mistymama]

Thanks for the feedback, it really does help.

He's worm free. Actually just had a vet appt last Friday and he was checked, no worms, but she gives the wormer anyway - she said something about puppies and migrating worms - so he was given wormer but had none in his stool sample.

His poops are fine right now - I'm just so scared to try raw!! But I know what I'm feeding him is not what is best for him, probably just what his tummy is used to. So I know switching will be better for him in the long run.

 

[Ola_]

YES! We switched to raw for the dental benefits for my greyhound but little did I know what a miracle it would be for his digestive system. Honestly his poops ranged from "soft serve" to liquid and were impossible to pick up. Often I would hover with the bag under his bum trying to catch it! My neighbours thought I was nuts, of course.

He now has solid stools and no more tummy upsets. The day I fed them a raw meal for the first time I was honestly expecting a poop-splosion but instead I got tiny compact firm stools. I always recommend raw for people with sensitive tummy dogs.

There are guidelines for starting raw and I would stick to them very closely for him.
- Start with one protein source (many people choose chicken) and feed only that for a full week.
- Make sure each meal has some bone in it (it naturally firms stools).
- Don't feed organ meat (liver, kidney, spleen) for the first month or so.
- Do not mix kibble with raw - this upsets some dog's tummies. Just go cold turkey.
- Do not use any veggies or supplements for the first month. I don't feed veggies at all, but definitely don't do it at first.
- Remove any excessive "globs" of fat that are hanging off the meat (chicken sometimes has that).
- Do not feed too much food - that is a sure recipe for loose stools.

After the first week if his stools are good add a second protein and continue for another week. Then another for the third week, etc. If he gets an upset tummy at any point go back to the previous setup. The trick is to start with a very simple setup and add one new thing at a time. You can do it!

 

[Mama2Kayla]

:

We adopted a pup around x-mas and fed him kibble for about a month before switching to raw. Before raw food, he would poop A LOT and it was never very solid. He made the switch and hasn't had any digestive issues since. Nice, small, compact stool that dries out and shrinks in a day or so. I don't even really mind picking it up anymore!

Totally worth it and I hope to never have to feed kibble again. He looks great, has no more dandruff, and has no dog breath, lol..

Good luck!

 

[mistymama]

Thanks everyone! You've convinced me to start!

One more question - we are going out of town two weekends in a row about two weeks from now. He'll be boarded at our vets. No way they will feed him raw.

Should I wait to switch until we get back? That seems to make the most sense, even though I'm ready to start NOW.

Also, what do you guys do when you have to board your dogs? Is there a kibble or food I can switch to that will make boarding him less of a shock to the system?

 

[blessedwithboys]

i adopted my adult toy poodle last july and her previous owner dropped her off with loads of rx meds...one for runny poop, one for hard poop, one for puking...she made sure to tell me Vegas could NOT be given canned food and the only dry food she could tolerate was purina or some such crap.

right off i put her on holistic dry food, then later transitioned to holistic canned. she had occasional episodes of compulsive grass eating, but it wasnt too bad.

the switch to raw has fixed all of that, plus a few other issues as well. see my thread on the 1st page of pets