# 2 Weeks of raw, still diarrhea



## GSDSammie (Dec 13, 2010)

We switched our 5 year old female GSD to raw 2 weeks ago, and during this time she's had diarrhea, some itchy skin, the typical detox symptoms I read about. I've been told it can take about 2 weeks for her body to adjust. We thought she would have been there already. How long did it take for your dogs to adjust, at what point should we consider moving away from raw back to kibble?


She's just been eating chicken for these past two weeks, and she LOVES it. We've been feeding her chicken leg quarters. We feel that it would be difficult to switch her back to kibble now that she knows what raw tastes like!


I should note that we've had another shepherd on raw for the past 7 years, successfully!


Thank you in advance.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Could be she's sensitive to chicken! MANY dogs are!

Could be you are feeding too much skin and fat in the beginning. Most GSD's need to be eased into that.

I would remove all fat and skin for a few days and see if it improves. Then add it back in very slowly. 

After you start adding the skin and fat back in in small amounts:
If stool get loose, go back to previous amount fed (where stool was solid) and hold at that amount for a few days until his gut gets use to it. Then increase again. This is called "bowel tolerance". This way you'll find how much she can tolerate. Our male gets the scoots if I add too much fat to a meal.


Could be massive detoxing!


You do know that eventually you need to add organs to make it complete and balanced...right? That can also cause diarrhea, so very small amounts to begin with.



Also, I'd be adding a digestive enzyme (helps assimilate food) and probiotic (keeps the "good" bacteria in the gut).

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You can add some plain canned pumpkin to firm her up! 



Moms


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## hoytn (Oct 1, 2017)

GSD are known for being sensitive when it comes to new food. Try to add some rice to harden the stool.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

You are assuming these are detox symptoms? I would switch proteins to something like venison or pork.


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## IronhideKennels (Jul 20, 2016)

2 weeks is not enough time for a detox to happen - I have observed a minimum of 4-6 weeks, and sometimes a little longer.

I would definitely reduce the fat if you haven't already, go back to no secreting organs for a few days, and maybe up the bone content slightly.

Slippery elm does wonders to settle an upset gut 

I would not switch proteins at this point (unless you are fairly certain there is a sensitivity to this protein). I would scale back the diet to a very simple form for a few days, provide supportive care to get the gut back on track (Probiotics, slippery elm etc), and see how she does. Diarrhea can also be a detox symptom. This is how the body expels toxins QUICKLY - but it can also be part of the body's inflammatory response to a protein that is not tolerated. If it was me, I would give it a bit more time before deciding to switch proteins and try again. If this is the route you choose, find a novel protein the dog has not had much of or at all in her life. Easier ones to get include lamb, goat, and pork. But I have done some networking and have access to bison, elk, trout, salmon and horse meat - most of which are novel proteins for dogs. Not many commercial foods use those protein sources 

Once you start to see some improvement in the stool then I would start adding organ and fat back in, but very slowly.


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## thong1234 (Dec 5, 2017)

My Pup had the same symptoms, but after 2 weeks she was all good.


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