Raw Food Diet

[Erica]

I would recommend a towel or something where he can put it down and work on it; the chewing action is a good part of why raw is so good for the teeth. I feed Delta on a specific towel and wash it pretty frequently; without the towel, he'll bring it to a carpet. Opal, when she steals his food (very infrequent - normally I remember to pick it up before we leave the room ), will also bring it to a carpet or something to eat it on versus the wood or tile floor.

Fingers crossed that his contentment continues!

[delladooo]

For portion control you want to be feeding (as an average starting point) 2.5% of his body weight assuming he's at a good weight (I can't remember at the minute if you said he wasn't, forgive me it's not even 5am yet). As Erica says best to not cut it up if he's quite happy to chew it. I'm glad you got a break from the barking, good luck with it continuing

[JudyN]

Fingers crossed

Jasper also likes to drag his food onto the carpet, so I feed him either outside or shut in the kitchen or the conservatory - he's not the sort of dog I'd want to usher back onto a towel while he's got a carcase in his mouth Then the floor just gets a quick wipe-down (if I remember.... ).

[Shalista]

All quiet still!!!!
But.....I'm concerned Bax's colitis is flaring up again. Cause it's deep snow he didn't want to poop all day and when he finally did it was night so I couldn't get a good look. Checked it this morning and it does look pretty loose for him.

(Quick review of what colitis is. it comes in two flavors, acute and chronic. Bax has chronic. As best I can tell it's an imbalance in bacteria in the colon which causes inflammation. this results in blood in the stool, loose stool, and mucusy or slimy stool. one of the treatments for it is just dumping fiber into the diet which was why Bax was on the DCO food since it's basically nothing but fiber.)

How would you add fiber in a raw diet? Can you? I know there's medication he could take but I'd rather steer clear of the pharmaceuticals if I can. I'm... hesitant... to go to the vet and ask since they kind of scoffed at raw food before I'm not sure they'd be sympathetic to me basically giving my dog colitis again.

Thoughts?

EDIT: browsing other forums and they seem to say try to stick it out for a bit? They're arguing that colitis is FIXED by raw which... isn't adding up to what i know about it? But i'm willing to wait a bit and see.

EDIT2: "It started with bad diarrhea, then copious amounts of mucus, then the most shocking – she passed streams of fresh blood." So nice to hear I'm not alone. the first time Bax did that i thought he was dying. Rushed him to the vet christmas eve. hoping it doesn't get that bad again =( He's been so solid since i switched him to DCO.

[Fundog]

2.5% is a bit high for Bax, who I recall you say is getting to be fairly chunky. Best to reduce that to 2%. And he may even slim down a bit.

Raw meat is full of fiber-- muscle fiber is just a different kind of fiber from plant fiber.

The chewing of large chunks has already been mentioned, they are correct. Chewing up large chunks of frozen raw meat and bone is not only good for the teeth, but it is good, satisfying mental exercise as well.

My Dottie Monster has colitis (I never saw any blood in the stool, though). The raw diet really helped her. When the price of red meat became prohibitive, we switched to a meat and potato kibble (grain free). I've been very happy with it. Some dogs do need more of an adjustment period. Some dogs take as long as two weeks to adjust. Maybe add a bit more bone. Keep at it.

I also either fed my girls outside, or in the house, they had a specific runner rug they liked to eat on, and always went to that rug. It's the type of rug that is fairly easy to just scrub clean with a damp towel and some food-safe disinfectant spray.

Visiting other raw feeding forums is a good idea. They can really help with sourcing, especially if you live in a metropolitan area-- sometimes forum members who live near each other form coops and go in together on a large bulk item.

[JudyN]

They're arguing that colitis is FIXED by raw which... isn't adding up to what i know about it?

Just be aware that some raw feeders think that raw feeding will fix everything from leprosy to third-world debt

I wouldn't try to add fibre to his diet. Does his chicken have any bone in? If not, bone in some form might help. When Jasper was a bit loose a while back my food suppliers sold me some ground bone. I only had to add something like a teaspoon to his food and the difference was remarkable - in fact he went too much the other way I don't know if you'd be able to get hold of any, or even if it's possible to make your own. Failing that, you could try raw chicken wings, maybe smashed with a hammer so he doesn't swallow big lumps. Although I think it's best to avoid whole bones for a week or so, plenty of people do give them from the start.

[delladooo]

My bad, as Fundog says if he's a little chunky a lower percentage will be good for him. That early in the day doesn't help me think!

Although I think it's best to avoid whole bones for a week or so, plenty of people do give them from the start.

On a personal note, I added bone for both Laufey and MiMi straight away and they were fine but they both have rather strong stomachs and probably not something I'd do with a sensitive stomach

[Shalista]

Yeah Bax is just eating boneless chicken breasts at the moment. Like i said earlier i didnt even know dogs were SUPPOSED to eat bone

So if i just gave him a chicken (with the bone in) he'd just...eat... the bone?

I'm having trouble shaking the whole "dont let your dog eat bones" part of my upbringing. but i'll even take away twigs he's chewing, on the off chance he swallows a piece and punctures an intestine or something.

And I'll have to break out the scales. we do have a nice set but i just haven't weighed out his portions yet. (i have a sneaky suspicion that SOMEONE has been getting very generous meal times)

And yes, Bax is a bit chunky allready

So add bone (in small amounts) and wait it out?

(i also mentioned Bax's diet change to a class mate and she was horrified that i would feed raw meat to a dog. I may have had my doubts about it but i at least knew dogs COULD.)

[JudyN]

So if i just gave him a chicken (with the bone in) he'd just...eat... the bone?

Yup some people simply give their dog a whole chicken, or rabbit, or whatever, and when they think the dog's had enough, take it away, rinse it and give it to them again at the next mealtime. Before Jasper was raw fed he once found a dead rabbit and ate every little bit of it, ears, fur and all. it didn't sound too good when he crunched through the skull

Twigs are different - dogs can't digest twigs. Were you here when I told the tale of the lolly stick Jasper ate that didn't reappear for weeks? When it did, it looked exactly the same as when it went in (though now appearing to have chocolate ice cream on it, not vanilla ). (I had been worried about it and was keeping an eye on him but after a few days I assumed it must have come out without me noticing or been digested.)

Just ask people who query it what they think foxes & wolves eat

It does take a while to get your head round it and it's natural to be worried, especially when it's been recommended by 'a bunch of people you met on the internet' and when most vets don't support it. What convinced me is the huge number of people both on the internet and in 'real life' I've come across who have changed to raw and never looked back, and that I could count on the fingers of one hand those who have tried raw and returned to commercial.

[Fundog]

Yep, definitely give him some wings or other bone-in portions of chicken. I recommend wings for a dog Bax's size, though, since a whole thigh or even a drumstick would be a bit big-- as in too much food, even more weight gain etc.-- not that he couldn't manage it.

I used to give my girls each a large frozen bone-in thigh, and they would have that thing crunched and swallowed in about three minutes. The key here is meaty bone, that is to say, the bone is covered by a good portion of meat. That makes it safer. Chicken necks would be enjoyable for him too.

[Shalista]

Welp, there goes MY appetite. Bax was very unsure of his first bone. (he got a chicken back my mom charitably donated from her freezer.) He kept doing the whole, back legs stretched out, neck stretched forward as he sniffed and licked it. I unfortunatly happened to be eating my dinner when he finally decided to give it a good chew. Maybe I'll get used to it but as of now hearing him crunch through bone is... frankly... disgusting.

(Also props to him, for a little guy he's got pretty powerful jaws to be blowing through that back )

[Fundog]

As Nettle once told me a long time ago, "It shows just how inhibited bite inhibition really is." If any dog REALLY wanted to hurt us, they could, and with devastating results.

[Erica]

It is a bit bizarre at first. Hopefully you get used to it - or perhaps you should eat before feeding him for the time being, if it bothers your appetite

[Shalista]

After consuming two chicken backs (not for the same meal, dont worry, he wont be THAT fat) Bax had a pretty solid poo. It was much smaller then usual so in my normal parinoia I'm all "Now he's bound up!" But I'll wait and see.

I am surprised tbh that he's not having loose stool. i thought for sure it would be terrible by now.

[Erica]

Raw fed poo is SOOO much smaller than kibble-fed; that's very normal! Pippin, 20 lbs, is kibble fed. Delta, 45 lbs, is raw fed. Their poos are about the same size! ...at least, when Delta hasn't been chomping on a ton of dried sweet potato.