Anyone experiencing similiar problems - Raw Feeding

I have been feeding my puppy raw for about 2 months now since he was 5 weeks old; 80% chicken and 20% beef. His stool is never hard, black and almost pudding like. He has been tested for worms and it is negative. Only time his stool is solid is when he has a lot of bones when feeding. He doesn’t drink water by itself; the only time is when I mix it with raw meat and an egg. Any one experiencing similar problems with their puppies on raw feed? <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

 

never force feed water for one thing, especially when you feed RAW, if you did your research before you started, you would have realized that RAW fed dogs are likely to drink no water most days or hardly any water, doesn't mean you don't offer it. Muscle meats like chicken, beef or whatever are made up primarily what? Water, just like humans. Something is wrong here because your stools are not hard, should be hard for sure and most RAW fed dogs stools end up being white like a fossil. All of mine have been like this. Your RAW diet might not be complete because you say 80% of this/20% of this. Part of this too, is to much moisture in the dog, if he has to eat 2 cups of water at every feeding plus the meats or whatever, could contribute to the loose stools. Is the dog getting anything else like organ meats, probotics - enzymes, veggies, other sources of vitamins besides what is being provide by the meats? I don't care but those are flaws I see automatically in your post.

 

The extra water could be making the stools looser. I'd try not adding any to the meals and just leaving it out for the pup to drink as it wants. Also add a bit of rice and a spoonfull of yogurt for awhile. Although I would add water to my raw meals but didn't get loose stools. My meals consisted of chicken quarters, necks, organs, water, red cell, powdered supplement, rice or oatmeal and an egg depending on the day

 

I think the best thing to do is have your vet take a look at the pup. Black stool indicates blood in the digestive system. There could be a serious problem.

 

Thanks everyone for the input and I'm going to try what you guys suggested.

 

Is meat all your feeding?

 

How much research did you do before just feeding raw? Are you feeding a variety of meats as you should be (muscle meat, organ meat, etc) or are you just feeding raw beef and chicken cuts? A raw diet takes a lot of research and preparation to do correctly and if you go into it without researching you can end up with a malnourished dog.

You may also want to add in yogurt to promote digestive health. Some pumpkin can help get things back on track (it helps both firm up soft stool and relieve constipation) - but if his runs are because of a poorly planned out diet like it seems to be - you need to make diet changes. The pumpkin suggestion is more to help a dog with an upset stomach - if you are not feeding a proper diet the problems will continue and will get worse no matter what.

 

You might want to get a good quality kibble like Orijen grain free red and canned green tripe. Use this as a combo, and you will get many of the benefits of a raw diet with out having the knowlege to do raw correctly, mean while get a book and read up on doing raw correctly.
If your even doing it wrong, i'm not gonna jump to conclusions.

 

Khanfueshus say pup stomach need digestive enzymes or intestinal flora.

 

By the way, pudding shit is often an indicator that you are not giving enough bones - and as you said yourself once he has a bone it firms up. I think you need to go back to square one and replan your diet as I said above, it sounds like your diet is not portioned correctly.

 

I think his raw diet only consisted of chicken and beef and that's all he was feeding. Alot of people who don't research raw, think that you can just feed meat and nothing else. I bet that's what the problem is.

 

Bones play a big part in raw feeding, try adding cottage cheese hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt to there raw meat, 10% of a raw diet should be bones. the dogs stools should be almost white if you are giving the right amount of bones...

 

Correct, but he also said the shit was black which indicates blood high up in the digestive tract, either in the stomach or the large intestine. He really needs to get the pup off the raw and feed it some boiled chicken and rice until the gut heals up. Then proceed with a proper raw diet of meat, bones, fats, oils and organs. If the black shit continues he needs to see a vet, blood in the stool can be serious and may have nothing to do with the raw diet.

 

My dog is doing a lot better. Before I was just feeding chicken leg quarters and beef. Now I added boil white rice into the mix, some liver, and cottage cheese. I only feed the cottage cheese in his morning meal. I also stop adding water into his feed and give him water whenever he wants. His stool is firm now.

 

You need to feed more organ than just liver. Please either take the time to research the proper meat ratios or switch to kibble.
Some quick info on ratios below copied from this link: RAW PREY MODEL GUIDELINES - Raw Food Diet Forum

As for the poop, if it is black and tarry it indicates internal bleeding, and yes a trip to the vet would generally be the first order of business.

 

well said:rolleyes:

 

well said........:rolleyes:

 

What kind of advice is this??? Clearly you know little about dog nutrition. He's feeding raw for a reason, cereal and grain are the number 1,and 2 food allergens. What they need to do is cut back on ALL the beef and fast for 24 hrs. After that , NOTHING but chicken backs, and make sure you cruch the bones with a hammer to tic tac size pieces, The bone supplies all the fiber you need. Do this until the stool is firm, ( 3-4 ) days. (p.s.) Sorry for being rude, but you just cant be giving bad advice.

 

:eek: o wow...runs and hides behind the couch :flashtit: