# fasting, but want to start a Raw Diet



## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

My 11 month old GSD has had terrible bouts of diarrhea. I've switched foods on him trying to find the one that will keep his stools firm, to no avail.

Yesterday, after feeding him a Limited Ingredient canned food, on top of a lamb and rice puppy food, he had what I call water hose diarrhea. I'm fasting him to give his digestive tract a break, but don't know where to start back with food if I want to move to a RAW diet. Any suggestions? I tried boiled chicken and brown rice as a bland diet, and he had horrible green slime clear diarrhea...

I've had him tested for EPI and am waiting on the results, but he's been wormed over and over, had several courses of Metro (Flagyl), and I want to take a more holistic approach to his health problems.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Have you given slippery elm bark to help heal the digestive tract? Two capsules a half hour before feeding will help. I'd start him on a cooked chicken/sweet potato diet for a few days w/ the slippery elm. Probiotics and digestive enzymes should be given with the meal, too. Your dogs gut flora is probably messed up along with the irritated tract.
Read the stickys and other threads on transitioning to raw. I like to do it "cold turkey" and start with leg 1/4's. They are usually a perfect portion weight-wise and contain a good ratio of meat/bone and organ if the back is attached.


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## GSDSammie (Dec 13, 2010)

Our GSD was experiencing the same issues around that same age too. We thought it might be EPI but it ended up being flare ups of SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth) which was being treated with Metro. No kibble, no matter how high quality or basic the ingredient list was seemed to work, it was as if he wasn't absorbing the nutrients and he had chronic diarrea and was quite slim.

As soon as we switched him to a raw diet he completely improved, he's filled out, his coat is great and he hasn't had any digestive issues since we switched him and it's been a year now. We started by feeding him chicken leg quarters for his meals for a few days until his body became adjusted to the diet. This type of meat has a good ratio of bone and muscle meat. Luckily in our case he made the transition easily and after a few days we started slowly introducing other types of chicken, and eventually beef a few weeks later.

I would suggest looking into the raw diet further!


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Although I didn't have my boy tested for it, my vet suspected Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He had diarrhea constantly no matter what I fed him. So I fasted him for 24 hours and went raw, starting with chicken leg 1/4's and the change in his stools was amazing and instant. He was 16 months old at that time-I had just adopted him. The Flagyl had helped but I knew I had to do more, so decided to treat as if it were definitely IBD and glad I did. 

For the past two years I have fed raw in the morning and kibble in the evening and all was well. I recently went back to a strictly kibble diet due to lack of finances and his stools have gone soft again. Once I get back to work I will be going all raw because of this. However, I can say that while he always weighed 60-65lbs tops, at the moment he is 70 now and I never thought I would see that!


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

I'll try the slippery elm. Right now I'll try anything! Should the chicken qtr. be room temp? I'm posting on a different thread category if SIBO can only be treated with Metro, or if there is a homeopathic solution, or if I should feed the raw chicken for a while before I treat the SIBO, if he has it. In the past cooked chicken has been involved when his diarrhea was the worst...but I've got to feed him something today, he hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he's had several episodes of the Big D.


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

staceybullock said:


> I'll try the slippery elm. Right now I'll try anything! Should the chicken qtr. be room temp? I'm posting on a different thread category if SIBO can only be treated with Metro, or if there is a homeopathic solution, or if I should feed the raw chicken for a while before I treat the SIBO, if he has it. In the past cooked chicken has been involved when his diarrhea was the worst...but I've got to feed him something today, he hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he's had several episodes of the Big D.


So he ate yesterday morning? and you are already thinking of feeding him? To me a fast is not a fast unless they fast for a full day. So if he ate yesterday morning a fast would last until tomorrow morning. If he ate yesterday and you feed him today that is the same as a dog being fed once a day. The fast is to let the digestive tract rest. He has eaten recently and has had several bouts of diarrhea. If you wait until tomorrow morning he should be much emptier and his diarrhea should have slowed significantly because nothing is left.

Also get some digestive enzymes and probiotics to help him out. After a fast I feed a very small amount the first day. Like maybe 1/8 of what they are usually fed and go up slowly from there.


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

EPI results came back clear, although he was on the low side of normal for the B12 test. I fed him a chicken quarter this afternoon, and he loved it! He's never had as much food interest! I bought Lamb soup bones and some Beef bones with marrow in them, but suppose I should wait. Any other suggestions?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Those marrow bones will be too rich. Stay with the chicken for now. And bones like that are not really part of a raw diet, more of a recreational chew. If you get younger lamb,they may be soft enough as an RMB, but not the weight bearing bones. 

I agree w/ Clyde, smaller more frequent meals until his gut heals and you know how well he is digesting. Add in the enzymes/probi's. Fresh(frozen) green tripe has enzymes naturally so if you can order some, I'd start feeding that asap.
One other thing, if you OVER feed,odds are, you'll see runny poop.


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

Ok, day two of Baron's raw diet. His stools, while still runny on like the water hose they were. He's a little barfy - through up once yesterday, and I think once today (cleaned up after himself both times! yuk!) I gave him a chicken leg 1/4, and a heaping tablespoon of plain yogurt with some probiotics and digestive enzymes on top. Any suggestions or guidance?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If he is throwing up, rest his gut!!! He won't heal if it isn't rested. Then do cooked chicken/sweet potato or double boiled rice with the slippery elm 1/2 hour ahead of feeding. You can make a paste of slippery elm(open 2 capsules) with plain yogurt.


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

Solid stools for the first time in a while! He needs to gain 7-9 lbs, but because he's sensitive I need to stick with one protein and slowly introduce others. Any suggestions on timing, and where to go from here?


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

To onyx - he didn't tolerate cooked chicken and brown rice... He's firmed up, has energy, and seems to feel ok. I'm feeding him about 1/2 what he should be eating right now, but need to put weight on as soon as he settles in to the raw food...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

keep up with the probiotics/digestive enzymes, slippery elm and really try to find some green tripe...it has so many benefits for dogs with sensitivities. Not sure your location, here are a few distributors of tripe. I get the pure ground or the one with gullet, trachea. I don't get the strips as they are tough. I ordered from aplaceforpaws and my pet carnivore, can vouch for both. the others I've never ordered from. 
https://www.hare-today.com/advanced...Csid=a543b715b73c2a2b6b6c6bd0e4f956c5&x=0&y=0 , Tripe | My Pet Carnivore , A Place for Paws - Columbiana, Ohio - Tripe - The Other White Meat or GreenTripe.Com Main Index are worth checking out.


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

Day three of the RAW diet. Baron's constipated. lol....if its not one thing its another. I got a baby glycerin deal and that helped a little, but his poop is small, and not soft at all. he ate a leg quarter for breakfast yesterday, then chicken necks for dinner last night. I fed him chicken hearts for breakfast this morning with digestive enzymes, and some yogurt on top...I think I'll limit the RMB's for the moment ~ any other ideas?


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## staceybullock (Mar 22, 2012)

By the way, found a great place in Houston to support a RAW diet - Bones2Go on Jones Road.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You really should give a balance of meat/bone/organ. Chicken necks are mostly bone. Stay with the leg 1/4's, they are a good balance. I'd also "invest" in green tripe.


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