Switching To Partial Raw Diet

[Guest xengab]

Hi.

Im aware that when switching to feeding raw the poops get runny.

 

What I need to know is HOW LONG will this last? We are now feeding chicken kibble (one he's been on for 6 months) and Primal Pronto Beef (raw). 2 cups of kibble and 1/4 cup of the raw beef.

We started Tuesday morning and he's been very runny since then.

We already feed him the olweo carrorts as he likes them and seems to help feel full longer.

 

Should I switch to chicken? Or switch to their roll that is JUST meat and organs without any other oils or whatevers?

[locket]

I really don't know, we made the switch but didn't get any runny stools. Do you have bones in your preparation? That's what firm up the stools otherwise it is gooey, but not runny.

Maybe he does not process beef very well?

You are partially switching? Not fully raw? If fully raw, I would suggest you switch cold blooded, no transition.

[Guest xengab]

It does have ground bound in the mix.

 

We've mostly fed him chicken as he seems to prefer it but he was turning off his food so I grabbed beef instead.

[XTRAWLD]

In my experience, if you are switching to raw just go cold turkey.

[Guest xengab]

My husband will not feed him a totally raw diet. I've tried to explain how its good for the dog but he refuses. So this was the compromise. I do plan on trying to convert him though.

Edited September 16, 2016 by xengab

[locket]

Then the best would be to separate into 2 meals. 1 raw, 1 kibble as they are processed differently. Maybe that's the runny problem here?

[Guest xengab]

OK, so I'll get some chicken, see if that firms him back up, if not. Feed raw in the morning and kibble at night. THANKS!

[XTRAWLD]

Agreed. One meal raw, one meal kibble. Don't mix.

[Remolacha]

I've never had a problem with runny poop when switching a dog to raw, so it might be the beef. Also, my current dogs don't like Primal, do you have access to another brand?

 

(not saying there is anything wrong with Primal, just that my dogs don't like it)

[Guest xengab]

Yes. Harder to get for us though. We want to use USA sourced and processed meats. He likes it though, eats it like it's the best thing out there.

[NeylasMom]

Runny poop shouldn't be a problem with a switch to raw. Are you using the Primal ground beef? If so, the bone content is only 9%, which is too low and is probably your problem. Why not just buy meaty bones from your grocery store? Do you have a good one that has well sourced meats? I get my dog's raw food from 3 places - Whole Foods for their chicken legs. I buy the Bell & Evans legs, which are not organic, but are antibiotic, hormone free, blah blah from the USA. Beef heart and liver comes from a local farm that delivers to me. And the rest of their food comes from Hare Today: https://hare-today.com/

 

Hare Today is a good option if you don't have access to products locally.

 

I would feed ground chicken with a higher bone content and once he's digesting that well, switch to whole chicken legs or quarters. Once he's good with that you can start introducing other proteins. The Hare Today ground has an appropriate meat to bone ratio and also contains some organ, which is important for certain nutrients: https://hare-today.com/product/raw_pet_food/ground_chickenbonesorgans_1_lb_fine_ground

 

And yes, if you can't convince your husband to switch completely (curious what his reservations are, maybe we can help) then I would feed one meal of kibble and one of raw.

[Burpdog]

Grace (Dobe) -- soft stools, even soaked kibble, etc. etc. Taylor's (grey) was never that good, but formed. I bit the bullet and they now get: a slice of Fresh Pet, a cup or so of BilJac frozen and homemade (black rice, quinoa, veggies and boiled meat, usually beef).

 

Finally -- everyone has turds! Doing the happy dance

[Guest xengab]

I got the chicken. to test to see if that is the issue. Plus I managed to find a pet store that has lots of different raw foods. They agreed it is most likely the protein switch that upset his tummy.

 

As for hubby, he just says no, it expensive or to hard to do or whatever he wants to come up with at the time. Just will take some time to educate him and get him more comfortable with raw. Weird as we used to feed our cats raw chicken necks once a week without issue.
I want to go with a good food that is already pre-mixed with all the stuff m dog needs so easier to do.

[RedHead]

Hopefully the protein switch helps. Switching to raw rarely causes runny stools. I switch all my dogs over cold turkey and have almost instant firm poops. Raw can sometimes cause issues if it is introduced to a dog that is already in the middle of digestive and gut issues. If the gut bacteria is way of whack, sometimes the dog has trouble handling the bacteria in the raw (that a healthy gut would have no issues with). If that is the case, I would feed a bland chicken/rice type diet to settle things down before introducing the raw.

 

I mix raw with kibble sometimes (that's likely similar to what your grey ate on the track) and it is absolutely fine for most dogs. You may want to try to separate them to pinpoint the problem though. Or feed all kibble one day and all raw the next to see which food is causing the problems.

[XTRAWLD]

If the gut bacteria is way of whack, sometimes the dog has trouble handling the bacteria in the raw (that a healthy gut would have no issues with).

Hit the nail on the head with that one!

 

Ryder gets some kibble when he plays with his kibble ball or other mind stimulating games or as a reward for training. I don't feed it as a meal any more though.

[Guest xengab]

Yes, once we switched back to chicken, he began to firm back up. So no more beef for my boy. Just never considered it would be an issue. Thanks everyone.

[locket]

Greyt!

[NeylasMom]

Yes, once we switched back to chicken, he began to firm back up. So no more beef for my boy. Just never considered it would be an issue. Thanks everyone.

Glad he's firmed up. Don't rule out beef though please. If you're going to feed raw, you need to feed a variety of proteins. Red meats contain some things you can't get in chicken. I still suspect the issue with the beef was the low bone content. So down the road, consider reintroducing it, but alternate it with something with higher bone content. My dogs boneless meals are separated by bone in ones, same with organ meats. If I gave all of the boneless/organ meals in a row, I'd have dogs with stool issues too. Edited September 22, 2016 by NeylasMom

[Guest rferguson]

** the nail on the head with that one!

 

Ryder gets some kibble when he plays with his kibble ball or other mind stimulating games or as a reward for training. I don't feed it as a meal any more though.

Yep.. some kibble is the plan du jour... it picks up on some stray vitamin you may be missing, it is also economical.

 

I firmed up my boy's stools with white rice (cooked of course) and/or pure canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix).

 

Interesting: he goes to the pumpkin first when eating.

 

Watching him eat a chicken leg, pumpkin, rice and a dollop of cheap ground beef... it occurred to me his diet was better than mine.