# OMG! Whole bones in poop



## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

Miikka started on a raw diet a few days ago. She is about 18 weeks old now. I've mostly been feeding her chicken hindquarters. Today my son had her out in the backyard playing. After about a half hour or so he comes yelling into the house about Miikka's poop. I went out and took a look. There was an entire chicken bone mixed in the poo. Looked like a leg bone. Of course the meat was stripped but the bone was entirely intact. How can this diet be good for her?? Is this a normal thing?










Also, I don’t think the poop was as it should be either. It was light brown in color (pale), soft, and slightly watery. Should I stop the raw food and go back to kibble for a while? 

Thanks! 
Cheryl


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Well, the bone isnt going to stay in there! Its normal.
You should stick with the raw as its better for her in the long run.
Give it a couple weeks.


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

if you just started her on raw her poop will be looser at first. she probably swallowed that bone whole and thats how it came out. what I did with Fanta when she hoovered stuff I just would hold a chicken Q with my fingers and let her crush the bone. now sometimes she waits for me to help her.









As Angel says, stick with it. its good for her.


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

So it’s ok, then? Really?? I panicked when I saw an entire bone in her poo. I even placed a call into my vet. She was with a patient and will call me back. My vet is not a big believer in the raw diet so she’ll probably tell me to stop it.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

If you are nervous (like me), buy boneless!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Don't worry Cheryl, this is normal.







Your dog's body will be digesting bone much better soon. This happened a few times when Grimm began raw. He's been on raw about 2 years now, and no problems!

You may tell your vet that everything is fine.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Angel RIf you are nervous (like me), buy boneless!


Bone are PART of the diet when you feed raw.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Dogs cannot go boneless. Bones provide critical nutrients, and help form stool too. Feeding only muscle meat would mean loose stool and extremely poor nutrition. The raw diet is actually formed around bones.









You can opt to feed a ground premade raw in which the bones are ground, but they are fresh bones which provide the nessesary rich nutrients.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Angel RIf you are nervous (like me), buy boneless!


Bones (RAW) are a necessary part of the diet.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: miikkasmomMiikka started on a raw diet a few days ago. She is about 18 weeks old now. I've mostly been feeding her chicken hindquarters. Today my son had her out in the backyard playing. After about a half hour or so he comes yelling into the house about Miikka's poop. I went out and took a look. There was an entire chicken bone mixed in the poo. Looked like a leg bone. Of course the meat was stripped but the bone was entirely intact. How can this diet be good for her?? Is this a normal thing?


It's not ABnormal for a young dog just starting the diet.

One thing you might want to do is make sure she's CHEWING the food and not just swallowing it whole.







Or you can take a hammer and whack the bones to make them easier for her to digest.



> Quote:Also, I don’t think the poop was as it should be either. It was light brown in color (pale), soft, and slightly watery.


It could be because of the switch or it could be from feeding too much.

How much are you feeding each day?


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Amaruq
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Angel RIf you are nervous (like me), buy boneless!
> ...


Well OK so I mis said that. lol
Kilo gets BRAVO chicken blend with bones chopped into it already.
SO, my bad!


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The Gang
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: miikkasmomMiikka started on a raw diet a few days ago. She is about 18 weeks old now. I've mostly been feeding her chicken hindquarters. Today my son had her out in the backyard playing. After about a half hour or so he comes yelling into the house about Miikka's poop. I went out and took a look. There was an entire chicken bone mixed in the poo. Looked like a leg bone. Of course the meat was stripped but the bone was entirely intact. How can this diet be good for her?? Is this a normal thing?
> ...


<span style="color: #CC33CC">I'm pretty sure I started off feeding her WAY too much! I was giving her a hindquarter twice a day (along with some veggies). Then I re-read that 1 hindquarter per day is enough.</span>


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## lucymom (Jan 2, 2009)

Would a meat grinder be an option for you to buy? The ones that grind bones are not cheap. I think that most folks who do raw avoid grinding and let the dogs' tummies adapt to digesting the bones. I was getting chunks of bone in Aik and Zuzu's poops for several weeks until they got used to it. But if you are anxious, and can afford a grinder, that's an option.

It also took me a few weeks to adjust the meaty bones/muscle meat/veggie/yogurt ratios to get the nice bouncy raw poop we strive for. To help with the wateries in the first week, I put a dollop of pumpkin (canned, not the sugary pie filling) in the food and it helped firm things up.

I was scared to death for at least the first month about feeding raw, but some of the good folks here, who have replied to you, held my hand and talked me off the ledge. Both my pup and older dog are doing great now!

And always supervise her while she's eating.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: miikkasmomI'm pretty sure I started off feeding her WAY too much! I was giving her a hindquarter twice a day (along with some veggies). Then I re-read that 1 hindquarter per day is enough.


You CANNOT go number the _number_ of things - you HAVE to go by the *weight*.

For example, here's what my guys get:

Mauser - 15 ounces RMBs, 15 ounces MM, 1 oz OM 
Sasha - 6 oz RMBs, 6 oz MM, .5 oz OM
Tazer - 5 oz RMBs, 5 oz MM, .25 oz OM
Winnie and Kaynya - 4 oz RMBs, 4 oz MM, .25 oz OM (Kaynya gets 1/8 of an ounce)

Spike - 3.5 oz RMBs, 3.5 oz MM, 1/8 oz OM


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: JenniferDWould a meat grinder be an option for you to buy? The ones that grind bones are not cheap. I think that most folks who do raw avoid grinding and let the dogs' tummies adapt to digesting the bones. I was getting chunks of bone in Aik and Zuzu's poops for several weeks until they got used to it. But if you are anxious, and can afford a grinder, that's an option.
> 
> It also took me a few weeks to adjust the meaty bones/muscle meat/veggie/yogurt ratios to get the nice bouncy raw poop we strive for. To help with the wateries in the first week, I put a dollop of pumpkin (canned, not the sugary pie filling) in the food and it helped firm things up.
> 
> ...


I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one scared about feeding raw









The meat grinder is a good idea too! I did go look at some on the internet. However, none said whether or not they could grind bones. At least none of the ones I looked at...but I only looked at 3-4 different one. I did find one one sale for $99.95 (marked down from $160.00). It's electric. But it didnt say it could grind bones







Oh well. 

I always keep a close eye on her while she's eating. Yes, she does tend to inhale her food. I have to figure out how I can stop her from doing that. 

Thanks for your help!
Cheryl


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The Gang
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: miikkasmomI'm pretty sure I started off feeding her WAY too much! I was giving her a hindquarter twice a day (along with some veggies). Then I re-read that 1 hindquarter per day is enough.
> ...


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

How about something more easily digested like chicken backs? Those have smaller bones and a much higher surface area than leg bones which means the acids will have an easier time of digesting. This may be a good starter food along with chicken necks.


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

So my vet called. She said to STOP the raw diet immediately (I knew she would say that). Feed cooked chicken and rice for a few days, then go back to kibble. I wasnt home when she called. My husband agreeded with her. However, he has had huge issues with the raw diet from the get-go. He does not thinks it's a good idea at all but he hasn't bothered to educate himself on it either.


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

and I bet its the kibble that you can buy right from that vet, right? LOL

I was kind of worried at first too but you will see after few meals you both will get used to it.


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: smykeand I bet its the kibble that you can buy right from that vet, right? LOL
> 
> I was kind of worried at first too but you will see after few meals you both will get used to it.


Actually, yes! Well, you're sort of right. At last months vet check up she sent me home with a 10 pound bag of Science Diet. I didn't tell her that I wouldn't feed that stuff to my dog if my life depended on it. She probably thinks I'm using it. Really, I donated it to the animal shelter









At the time, I was feeding Miikka Orijen...and I told her that but she insisted I take the SD home and try it.









I need to find a vet that believes in feeding raw. I really do!


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## pinkanml (Sep 3, 2007)

Next time you see her (even if you stick with raw, which you should!) bring in a small bag of Orijen and let her take a look at the ingredients and kindly ask her to explain in detail how SD is better. 

I'd love to see the look on her face!


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

We've had a couple of episodes of meal urping and re-eating due to bones not being chewed well enough--If I feed India a leg quarter, I need to hold it and make sure that she chews it. For some reason, she doesn't chew them much before swallowing, but she does chew backs. Weird.

~Kristin


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

It takes a few days or so for a dog to adapt to their natural diet of bones and meat. They have spent their lives on kibble, so it may possibly even take as much as a week or so! It did for Grimm. No more urps, happy poops, and a HEALTHY dog. 

As more and more of us feed raw, have splendidly healthy dogs, vets will adapt and change. They will become more open in time to raw feeding, a natural diet.

As far as kibble goes, I've fed my previous dogs kibble and they did well... "did well" but had gas, were itchy, had huge poops, shed a lot, doggy odor, etc.. what I thought was "normal" for a dog. As for Orijen vs SD, if I HAD to feed kibble I would choose Orijen. Nowadayz there are tons of grain-free kibbles out there. But either way, it is basicly just dried, processed, overcooked meat-flavored croutons sprayed with vitamins. So little of the nutrition listed on the bag is actually then bioavailable anymore after the processing and cooking. A dog's body has a harder time processing the stuff. 

Good for you for sticking with the natural raw diet!







Hang in there. It will get better and easier as your dog adjusts to what is natural and healthy!


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

from what I hear you will have a hard time finding a vet that will endorse a raw diet.

Vet I saw with Fanta (one that slammed her on the table etc. you might have seen my thread on it) actually admitted that raw diet was right/natural for her (I was shocked!) but then flat out said that no vet will endorse it, since its complicated and average Joe may not be able to do it right and they will not risk the liability.


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## Vio79 (Dec 29, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: pinkanmlNext time you see her (even if you stick with raw, which you should!) bring in a small bag of Orijen and let her take a look at the ingredients and kindly ask her to explain in detail how SD is better.
> 
> I'd love to see the look on her face!












I couldn't believe the ingredients in Hill's Prescription Z/D Diet, which is what our vet recommended to feed Max for EIGHT WEEKS to determine if he was food-allergic. I think Science diet is like the same thing. Disgusting. These vets need to educate themselves instead of being bought by the huge food companies.

At least now I know when we start Max on raw (if that ever happens), I shouldn't be alarmed about bones in his poo!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

I don't know if this is so in America, but in Germany dog foods for allergic dogs that are perscription are mainly corn and rice and wheat. I'd be itching already if I were a dog! Sawdust in a bag, grains really make dogs pretty itchy, gassy, and their poops HUGE. 

Vets will come around as more and more clients have researched and then fed a correctly balanced raw diet. That's us, guys!







We understand why we add fish oil, understand why tripe and yogurt are beneficial. We continue to learn and expand our understanding, but our dogs' coats and general health is far better now than when we had them on kibble. 

It is a big diet change, so it may take a bit for the dog's body to digest bones well. That's okay. It'll happen!


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

Where can I buy chicken backs?


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Do you have any "meat stores" near you? Here's a link to the one that I just called (10 pound bags of backs for 69 cents/pound):

http://www.the-meatstore.com/

You can also ask at the meat counter of your local grocery--they may be able to order backs from their supplier.

~Kristin


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

I would do a yellow page search for meat distributors near where you live and call them to see if they sell to the public. That way, you can buy them in bulk and save some $$.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I found my raw supplier from Yahoo groups, by searching "Alabama Raw", you might try the same for your state/city.


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## SandiR2 (Sep 15, 2009)

My Sweetbay supermarket sells packages of chicken necks and backs for $0.50/lb and pork necks for $0.69/lb. If there's one near you that might be a place to look. The other grocers in the area don't carry necks or backs on a regular basis.


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## JaimeZX (Jun 12, 2012)

I searched for just this topic when, this afternoon, my puppy pooped out nothing but a piece of chicken leg bone! But (according to this thread) seeing as how she hasn't been eating bones for very long I guess I won't worry.

In other news - you can't buy tripe (green or otherwise) in Virginia, apparently.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You can have it shipped, A Place for Paws - Columbiana, Ohio - Home will ship it but it is pricier as you have to pay a deposit for the container/send it back which isn't worth the postage.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

JaimeZX said:


> I searched for just this topic when, this afternoon, my puppy pooped out nothing but a piece of chicken leg bone! But (according to this thread) seeing as how she hasn't been eating bones for very long I guess I won't worry.
> 
> In other news - you can't buy tripe (green or otherwise) in Virginia, apparently.


I would go for backs and necks for now. Leg bone may be a bit much for her as she is still little. 
You can certainly have tripe shipped . SAD Sushi is a great place to buy from.
http://www.saddogsushi.com/
If you want to buy some locally, contact Wylie Wagg in Fairfax. They can order some for you. 
Wylie Wagg
Pender Village Shopping Center
3903-F Fair Ridge Dr
Fairfax, VA 22033
(703) 830-5454
Wylie Wagg


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

JaimeZX said:


> I searched for just this topic when, this afternoon, my puppy pooped out nothing but a piece of chicken leg bone! But (according to this thread) seeing as how she hasn't been eating bones for very long I guess I won't worry.


If she is pooping out the whole bone then she isn't chewing. Part of the benefit of bones is that they offer teeth cleaning. And, if they are pooped out whole then the dog most likely is not receiving the benefits of the minerals in the bones.

I would try different bones for awhile and see how that goes.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Oh, and try freezing them a little. Forces them to chew.


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## JaimeZX (Jun 12, 2012)

Great inputs, all. FWIW, it wasn't the whole leg bone, just about a 1" long piece... it was just a *whole* 1" long piece. She doesn't gulp, actually. She takes a LONG time to chew each piece, and that's the only bone I've found in her poop so far.

And Sunflowers - thanks for the leads on tripe!


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Mine had bones in his poop for the first week or two after starting the diet. I think it's just their digestive system needing to adjust from a high-carb kibble diet to a proper protein-based diet. It was smaller segments than 1", though.

I would suggest holding the leg quarter while she eats until she learns how to chew. Some dogs need help to avoid gulping.


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