starting raw after surgery..already see results, yeah!!

[Frankie's mom]

well, my frankie had his cherry eye surgery today, and it is looking really good. we'll see the final product in about 2 more weeks, and it was coincidental that i fed raw last night. just cold turkey- i was going to try to do a slow switch, but he was having such bad diarrhea, and itchy skin, that i figured the chicken and rice/cottage cheese and rice diet that i was trying was not working anyway. well, today the stools are already improved. not only that but, after his surgery, i tried to feed him some NV beef medallions, and whatever the vet thought about him not having much of an appetite was shocking to me when i saw him gobble them up, and keep his face in the bowl for the next 15 min, waiting for more! and....his energy is astounding considering the anesthesia, i still have yet to see for the next few weeks, but i am already on the raw wagon. my pup is so happy!!

[My2Frenchies]

Glad to hear that Frankie's eye surgery went well and that he is quickly on the road to recovery! :)

[pamelay2000]

I just started Butters on NV raw turkey and chicken and this morning he was like a brand new pup - not lethargic, spry and happy. Still itchy but I'll monitor it and hope that it disappears. The only odd thing is he's barely pooed - I expected to see some diarrhea with a cold turkey switch - he had 2 small weird looking stools - but my concern is he hasn't eliminated yet since early this morning (he's usually gone 3 times by now). Is that an effect of the raw diet - less stools?

[Borgan]

Yes, they poop less on raw 'cause they're absorbing more nutrients.

Re: cottage cheese - whenever I've fed Luna any kind of dairy, she's had a terribly upset stomach. 1 tsp of feta the other day cause regurge all night. I just don't think dairy for dogs is a good idea at all. It's probably not even good for people unless is organic (all those crazy hormones).

[pamelay2000]

OK
I've read dogs poop less on the raw diet but Butters has had 3 8oz patties now since last night and has barely ppoed. His last one was so small and hard I'm worried that he is constipated and uncomfortable. Was I wrong to switch him cold turket and is there anything I should do? :confused:

[franp]

If you are worried that he is constipated you can do one of two things: get some PLAIN canned pumpkin. Not the stuff that you make pie with. And give him 2 tablespoons.. That will soften his stool.

Or do you have metamucil in the house? Put some in his food. That is also fiber and will help him.

fran

[pamelay2000]

Thanks franp
I will buy the canned pumpkin tomorrow - in the meantime, do you think I should go back to kibble plus raw and transition more slowly, or even rice plus raw until he gets better acclimated?
Thanks!

[Borgan]

I wouldn't. Too much back-and-forth with foods is bad.

[franp]

No, don't go backwards. Firm stool is not bad, The only reason I went back was soft stool..

You are doing fine.

One of the advantages of Raw is less stool. We are soo used to sooooo much poop that when our dog have a proper amount of bm we freak..

Give your dog pumpkin and things should progress..


Raw in the beginning is scarey.But after a while, this will all be second nature. :D

[Frankie's mom]

maybe try a little bit of fruit as well. frankie loves bananas, and it will naturally help butters go to the bathroom, and you are still staying with the 'raw' natural food.

[pamelay2000]

Thank you all for your imput during the stressful first days of implementing the raw diet. I used canned squash (all they had) and been mixing it in with the patties - the BMs are looking better but franp, you were right, it was just getting used to the big changes. I will try the bananas for variety, thanks for the suggestion.

How about rotating the diet? How often should I do that? i.e. chicken and turkey for 1 week, venison the next?

[gmacleod]

Really, just whatever suits you :) A raw diet does not require every single meal to be balanced (any more than every single meal you eat needs to be balanced). Rather, it is balance over time that is important.

A typical BARF menu might look something like this:

DAY 1 AM - RMB(1) PM - Mix of offal, veggies, extras (choose a couple from eggs, flaxseed oil, fish oil, yoghurt, cottage cheese, etc)
DAY 2 AM - RMB(1) PM - RMB(2)
DAY 3 AM - RMB(2) PM - Mix of muscle meat, offal, veggies, extras
DAY 4 AM - RMB(1) PM - RMB(3)

DAY 5 AM - RMB(1) PM - Mix of offal, veggies, extras
DAY 6 AM - RMB(3) PM - RMB(4)
DAY 7 AM - RMB(1) PM - Mix of muscle meat, offal, veggies, extras

The numbers after the RMBs (raw meaty bones - or alternatively, a mix that includes ground bone) are to denote different meats - so RMB(1) might be chicken, and 2, 3, and 4 different meats. It's fine to use one meat as the "primary" meat you feed, but some degree of variety is required.

It would be perfectly fine to feed only chicken mixes for an entire week (or longer even), and then switch to something else for the next week or two. As long as your dog gets a reasonable variety of different RMBs and a reasonable amount of offal and muscle meat over time, then it's difficult to go too far wrong.