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Discussion starter · #41 ·
Have you noticed them getting thinner over the past few days? Personally I wouldn't rush into feeding them huge mounts right off the bat. Gradually add more food in. For example, add in an extra chicken back to each meal per dog for a few days and see how it goes. If they are not having any problems go ahead and add a bit more in for the next couple of days. You need to find the amount that works for your dogs and the only real way to do that is by trial and error. Don't worry about the actual weight at this point, just keep mental notes on how much they eat and their body condition.
Yes, I have noticed that they have lost weight. I posted that in another post on here earlier.
 
i saw your post...and saw the responses about feeding them quarters, not backs...

that was the advice i got, too....and i had to clean up cannon butt until i got to bill (rawfeddogs).....and then here and everyone helped so much.

some dogs don't have any problems...at all. give them a piece of whatever and they are glorious...

and then there are my dogs and your dogs and oops....the script needs to be tweaked.

this is so much more relaxed than reading posts about whether or not a ten year old deer head is fit to feed or how long can roadkill be on the side of the road before it becomes unsafe....

at the moment, the only thing i think you need is a martini, a deep breath, and probably a few more freezers LOL
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
i saw your post...and saw the responses about feeding them quarters, not backs...

that was the advice i got, too....and i had to clean up cannon butt until i got to bill (rawfeddogs).....and then here and everyone helped so much.

some dogs don't have any problems...at all. give them a piece of whatever and they are glorious...

and then there are my dogs and your dogs and oops....the script needs to be tweaked.

this is so much more relaxed than reading posts about whether or not a ten year old deer head is fit to feed or how long can roadkill be on the side of the road before it becomes unsafe....

at the moment, the only thing i think you need is a martini, a deep breath, and probably a few more freezers LOL
Well you're post made me smile...thanks :)
 
No it actually wasn't on DOL it was on a yahoo group I belong to. I totally trust you Natalie that is why I posted this here.
Oh how I wish I'd found this site 3 1/2 years ago when I first started on raw. I had no idea what I was doing and the Yahoo groups were my only resource.

Looking back I'm not a fan of the yahoo groups. There's more experience and knowledge here in my opinion.

Like RFD said, we don't all feed the same way or have the exact same ideals. We do all follow a model of mostly meat, some bone, some organs. Some people dwell on the %'s, some people add things in (that I don't think are appropriate), some people just throw some meat at their dogs a couple of times a day and trust nature to balance things out (that's us :wink:).

In the end I say pick one group you feel you trust the most and stick with their advice til you get firmly grounded in raw feeding yourself. Then once the dogs are FULLY adjusted you can decide whether you want to look into some of the alternative methods you've come across. :biggrin:
 
Discussion starter · #46 ·
Hey everyone- Just wanted to give yet another update. Both Luke & Gracie are doing really well. They have pretty much adjusted and I have introduced them to some beef as well as small bits of liver. They are taking to all of it. Occassionally Luke will have a runny poop, Gracie's poo's have been very good and consistent. I am still "adjsuting" as neccessary i.e. bone versus meat. I am now NOT jumping on any and all that I see posted on the forums and or groups, I pretty much just read and take it all in and do my own thing. I am at the point now where I feel pretty confident that I know what I am doing but am also not afraid to ask (certain people) when I have a question to ask.

I took them both to the Vet for a check up, my vet was amazed at how Gracie's teeth look, they are sooooo white. (she had BAD tartar before RAW), also got a compliment on how soft and shiny LUke's coat is. We are so please with what is doing for our "kiddo's" so far.

OT: Natalie & Jon.....Luke is walking MUCH better, the cowhocking looks minimal now. The vet checked him thoroughly, Luke shows no signs of pain, Doctor felt his hips and maneuvered him a few ways and he feels as though all is well with Luke. No signs of PANO, HOD, or OCD. The Doctor said that he looks like a very healthy puppy and that his weight is perfect for his height and age. We are so happy....I was a terrible mess about that whole thing with his legs two weeks ago. I feel much better now. He also said that he has nothing against RAW at all and he thinks it is great since he even noticed the few changes already...i.e. Gracie's teeth. He said he does not feed RAW personally but thinks it IS a fine way to feed your pets. I was happy with that, better than some Vets that will lecture you FOREVER and I was definitely NOT wanting to hear all that. Some of the people I come across on here and other groups have nightmare stories about what they deal with at the Vet office because they feed RAW.

Ok...enough rambling. I just wanted to update you all. Have a great weekend!!!!
 
Discussion starter · #49 ·
I am having some issues and am in need of advice.

Gracie is still doing well with her stools however....Luke is not. He literally walks around the entire yard in a squat position and nothing comes out...when something does it is a smal squirt of diarrhea. It seems to me as if he is blocked up. Since we notice this on Sunday we have cut back on bone but that hasn't helped either. I am not sure what to do.
 
I am having some issues and am in need of advice.

Gracie is still doing well with her stools however....Luke is not. He literally walks around the entire yard in a squat position and nothing comes out...when something does it is a smal squirt of diarrhea. It seems to me as if he is blocked up. Since we notice this on Sunday we have cut back on bone but that hasn't helped either. I am not sure what to do.
He's not blocked up. Don't cut back on bone, increase it. Bone acts as fiber in the diet and will get stuff pushed through.

Cut out the liver for a while. Liver can cause diarrhea early in the diet. Actually if too much is fed, it can cause diarrhea late in the diet. :smile:

Cut down on the size of meals. Feeding too much at one time can cause diarrhea. Feed an extra meal if you need to but not too much in one meal.

Trim the skin and fat from his food for a while until he gets firm again.

Exactly what are you feeding him now?
 
Discussion starter · #51 ·
He's not blocked up. Don't cut back on bone, increase it. Bone acts as fiber in the diet and will get stuff pushed through.

Cut out the liver for a while. Liver can cause diarrhea early in the diet. Actually if too much is fed, it can cause diarrhea late in the diet. :smile:

Cut down on the size of meals. Feeding too much at one time can cause diarrhea. Feed an extra meal if you need to but not too much in one meal.

Trim the skin and fat from his food for a while until he gets firm again.

Exactly what are you feeding him now?
This is exactly what he has been getting for about the past week or so...

3 chicken backs and 3-4 chicken necks for breakfast

Then at dinner I have been giving him about 2 - 2 1/2lbs of beef trimming that I got from the local butcher, there is some fat on them, I have also added a small amount of ground beef to this as well a couple days.

What do you suggest I do from here?

Thanks for your help.
 
Cut out everything but bone in chicken. I think you've added way too much boneless, high fat meats in too early. You need to add these types of things in very slowly and gradually. Two and a half pounds is a LOT of boneless high fat meat for a newly switched dog, even for a well adjusted raw dog.

I suggest you feed chicken bone in and cleaned of all skin, fat and organs for at least two weeks. Then introduce bone in turkey gradually alternating with chicken for two weeks. Then add in bone in pork and alternating with chicken and turkey. You shouldn't feed a boneless meal for about a month.
 
Cut out everything but bone in chicken.
I agree with everything that Natalie said but I would also cut the volume some. I would try 2 chicken backs in the morning and 2 in the evening for a week or until he gets solid again. Then you can add in meatier chicken parts (bone-in) for the balance of the two weeks. I would freeze that butcher trimmings for a month or so. They are very high in fat and so is ground beef. Try some pork ribs or pork roast the 3rd week and see what happpens. After that, ask more questions and we will slowly add in different food.

You can't rush the process. You see what happens when you do. :smile:
 
Discussion starter · #54 ·
Ok...I can do this BUT...when I was just feeding such a small amount before and only chicken backs he got really thin.

Is it ok to feed 2 chicken backs and 2-3 chicken necks in the morning and then 1 chicken back and 1 quarter skinned for dinner? Although Gracie is doing well, should I also go back to this for her too?

I am sorry for driving you guys nuts with all of these questions.
 
You're not driving us nuts! We're happy to help you through it all!

You can see how they do with two meals of chicken, but I think rfd and I are just talking a few days on a lower quantity of food. Then you can slowly add in more food. They won't be harmed to lose a bit of weight for just a few days if it can get them back on track!
 
Discussion starter · #56 ·
You're not driving us nuts! We're happy to help you through it all!

You can see how they do with two meals of chicken, but I think rfd and I are just talking a few days on a lower quantity of food. Then you can slowly add in more food. They won't be harmed to lose a bit of weight for just a few days if it can get them back on track!
Ok, so then just gice Luke 2 CB for breakfast and dinner for the next few days? No quarters and no necks? Also should I take the skin off?

Is Gracie ok eating her 1 1/4lb meals still. She seems to have adjusted fine.
 
If Gracie is doing fine I see no need to change things for her.

With Luke I would start out slow, only chicken backs for the first few days and see if his stools improve. If/when they do I would gradually add in more food over the next week. It never hurts to remove all the excess fat and skin with a dog that is having diarrhea. Eventually you'd want to stop but again I would gradually cut less and less off as time goes on and you don't notice any more diarrhea.
 
Is it ok to feed 2 chicken backs and 2-3 chicken necks in the morning and then 1 chicken back and 1 quarter skinned for dinner? Although Gracie is doing well, should I also go back to this for her too?
Natalie gave you great advice. The reason for lowering the volume is because one of the causes of diarrhea is feeding too much food at once. Lets keep the volume low for a few days until things get solid again. Then we can gradually get back to normal. If we take things nice and slow IF there is another problem, we will have some idea of what caused it.

If Gracie is doing good, keep doing what you are doing with her.

I am sorry for driving you guys nuts with all of these questions.
I was nuts a long time before you got here. :smile:
 
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