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  #1  
Old March 15th, 2007, 01:15 PM
JohnB JohnB is offline
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Raw feeding questions

Hello, Im on my 4th day feeding raw to my 9 yr old sheperd mix (Bruce).
I made the switch cold turkey, he doesnt do well on kibble. He has an enlarged stomache, exrays also show gas blockages in the intestines slowing
his digestion. Other than that healthy and active.

Ive been feeding chicken legs, one a day for first two days and one leg and meat from a second leg the third day. Going very slow to start.

My concern is yesterday there were bones in his stool, 2 pieces, one was
hard and a little sharp. I was led to believe that raw chicken bones would
be fairly easy to digest. I really want to keep him on a raw diet, he has had no stomache upsets. His stools are very loose, but no full blown diarea.
Should i continue, or are bones in his stool a bad sign? Also i have not seen
him drink from his water bowl since on raw, but urinates as much if not more,
is this normal??

Thanks in advance for any advise.

John
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  #2  
Old March 15th, 2007, 02:30 PM
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technodoll technodoll is offline
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john, some dogs (specially older ones who have been on kibble their whole lives) need time to build up the strong digestive juices needed to digest raw bones. In the meantime I would suggest giving him a dose of broad-spectrum digestive enzymes a few minutes before his meal, to help him digest his "new food" properly. You can find them in your local drugstore, in the vitamins section - ask your pharmacist if you are not sure. human grade & dosage should be fine.

and try feeding him bigger pieces so that he really has to chew, a dog's natural instinch is "chomp, chomp, swallow" - or feed him his chicken semi-frozen, to encourage proper mastication, thereby reducing the raw bones into smaller, easier to digest pieces.

you're doing fine! hang in there and soon you will start to see great results!
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  #3  
Old March 15th, 2007, 03:44 PM
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Scott_B Scott_B is offline
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What she said
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

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  #4  
Old March 15th, 2007, 03:48 PM
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erykah1310 erykah1310 is offline
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First off, yup , what Techno said.

Secondly, the decreased water consumption is apparently normal. They get alot of their moisture from the food. ( as i am told and have noticed)
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  #5  
Old March 15th, 2007, 03:50 PM
JohnB JohnB is offline
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thanks for the advise, i picked up some digestive enzymes (omnigest ez)
has 7 different plant based enzymes sound ok?

Bruce (my dog) has a bad habit of gulping his food. First day i hung on to it while he chewed, second day i almost lost some fingers so i wont do that again. Tried mostly frozen today slowed him down but still swolled big peices.
Will pick him up some chicken quarters tomarro.

Should i wait until his stools firm up before adding another food? Is it ok to feed just the chicken legs, quarters for a week or two.

Thanks again John
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  #6  
Old March 15th, 2007, 03:55 PM
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technodoll technodoll is offline
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yes, definitely wait for his stools to firm up before introducing a new protein source. you don't want to pick up "cannon butt"

also try feeding a half-chicken, a bit frozen if you need to. let your boy work at tearing bits and pieces off the bird, and when you think he has eaten enough, remove and put in the fridge until the next meal. Feed about 2% of his body weight in food per day, split into two meals, should be ok. if he gets thin, increase the amount, or decrease if the gets plump. remember that *too much food* can also be a cause of loose stools

can we see a photo??
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  #7  
Old March 15th, 2007, 03:56 PM
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erykah1310 erykah1310 is offline
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I'd stick with the chicken for a little bit. Easiest for him right now.
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  #8  
Old March 16th, 2007, 11:26 PM
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angeldogs angeldogs is offline
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welcome to raw.and you will get the best advice here
i'm new with the raw also.and asked when my boy wasn't drinking.
Good luck.
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  #9  
Old March 16th, 2007, 11:46 PM
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sassycyclist sassycyclist is offline
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i noticed right away that kiyoshi's water consumption is way down too.
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  #10  
Old March 17th, 2007, 09:46 AM
JohnB JohnB is offline
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Thanks for the welcome angeldogs!! Caught him drinking a few times,but much less. I never liked it when he inhaled his kibble without chewing and then drank what seemed like a gallon of water.

So far so good. Still a little nervous about the bones in his stool, but there are less of them and there getting softer. My wife thinks im crazy for disecting his stool, but whatever it takes.

Will try to post some pics on Monday, Im not very computer friendly.

John
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  #11  
Old March 17th, 2007, 10:14 PM
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angeldogs angeldogs is offline
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I bought Jag a water bowl with a 5 gallon bottle and he was always drinking.
After starting raw i noticed the water wasn't going down and got worried.
Now it's in the basement for my bros dog.just use a little bowl now.

Jag was getting bone in his stool at first.I think it was giving to much bone or the stomach wasn't used to digesting them.

Yes pics will be good when you can post them.
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