# Thinking of going back to kibble:(



## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

It has been almost two weeks of frustration since going to a raw diet. My 6 month shepherd loves to eat raw, but I am having issues with his poops. I just can't seem to get things moving consistently. One day he is loose the next he is constipated and I have only gotten 1-2 normal poops the past two weeks. I have tried different ratios of RMB to MM. 

Also, it seems like his coat is thinning out.

What do you all suggest?

Thanks


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## Annikas Mom (Jun 10, 2004)

Pre-made is always an option to see if it is really an issue of ratio or maybe an issue of some meals being too rich... I know some folks that feed pre-made raw at one meal and the other meal consists of duck, turkey, pork or venison necks...seems to work for them... 

I feed pre-made exclusively with necks or marrow bones for teeth cleaning and recreation. I found that the price difference was worth the peace of mind and time I saved...


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

ok, you've been feeding raw for 2 wks, what exactly have you been feeding and about how much?


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

Can you post more info? What types and cuts of meat are you feeding, and have you fed organ meat at all?
I wouldn't give up after 2 weeks, their systems can take time to adjust.


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

I have been feeding chicken necks & boneless chicken thighs. I am currently feeding twice a day(32oz total), 16oz am(8oz chx necks, 8oz boneless thighs, 1tsp of wild alaskan salmon oil) & the same in the pm.

I originally started out with leg quarters/chx backs for a few days but that really gave him the runs. When I first switched to the chx necks & thighs he had a firm movement, but it has been up and down since. I have also tried giving a couple spoonfuls of pure pumpkin.


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

I forgot to mention that it was suggested to me to remove the OM from his diet at this time, because he was so loose.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I can understand how frustrating this must be for you! What about giving some digestive enzymes? 

I would stick it out a while longer but that said, not all dogs do well on raw. I think feeding preprepared and seeing how he does on that is a good idea. Rafi eats Bravo preprepared raw and does well on that. He also gets a supplement from Honest Kitchen called Perfect Form and it does indeed give his poops perfect form.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Did you remove the skin/fat off the backs/quarters? When I first started with raw I removed that so it wouldn't be too rich for their system. Now I can leave the skin on and trim some of the fat away.

He may have a problem with chicken...have you tried any other protein source? Organ meats?

*ignore the OM part, I just saw your post


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

I have not tried any other protein sources. I have beef heart in the freezer. He has always done well on a chicken & rice kibble formula. I don't know if it is the chicken or not he does not scratch or bite at himself in any way.


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

Yes, I do remove most of the skin that may be on the thighs.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

chicken/rice kibble is diff. he might not be allergic to it (biting/scratching) but he might have problems digesting it. if you're removing skin and still having problems I'd got to a diff. source say beef and try that.


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

Angela, what would be a good choice for beef RMB? or are you suggesting maybe using chicken necks(RMB) and beef hearts(MM) together?


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

you might be able to in the interim as there's not meat on the necks (assuming skinless here). I can get beef ribs from my butcher for dogs.

I would suggest turkey but i don't know if too similar or not.

Rmb's:

Chicken Necks Chicken Wings Whole Chicken carcasses Chicken Backs 
Turkey Necks Turkey Wings 
Duck 
Rabbit
Quail 
Beef brisket Beef neck 
Pig feet Pork necks


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Has he been weighed recently?


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

Yes when we started the raw diet on July 19, he weighed roughly 46lbs. I took him to the vet Tuesday to have a fecal exam(which can back fine) and he weighed 43lbs so he has lost some weight but I figured it was due to the loose stools.


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## lbrownjr (Nov 23, 2007)

went to vet Tuesday July 28th.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

If I were feeding my dog and I were feeding chicken necks and chicken MM...I would probably feed 5-6 oz of the necks and the rest MM. If I were feeding 1 lb of quarters...it would be more like .75 (maybe a little more) lbs of quarters and the rest MM (quarters have a lot of meat on them).

Maybe that will help...


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Chicken is pretty high in fat- especially the bone in pieces, even if you do remove the skin.

I would try turkey. Turkey necks and ground turkey. T necks are pretty boney so don't over do them.

I also feed potatoes, peeled boiled and mashed, and find that they help by adding calories without adding fat and the bit of fiber does them well.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

I feed Lulu 8oz of raw pre-prepared (K9 Kraving) and then a cup or so of kibble (TOTW) for lunch and then a whole chicken quarter for dinner and she has had no problems at all except when she gets into something she shouldn't like the cat food! She got into the cat food one day (all fish variety and canned salmon) and she had horrible poops for 24 hours. How much salmon oil are you using? I was advised here to wait to add the salmon oil. I just started incorporating it two days ago and so far she is okay, but I did wait a month before adding it to be sure she was "regular" on the raw diet. 

The pre-prepared has the veggie mush, vitamins and OM's incorporated as well as the ground meat and bones which they pre-measure which is I use that for one of her meals. I pay about $2 a lb for the K9 Kraving but I get it directly from the distributor here and since I suppliment the chicken for her other meal (around .60 for one chicken quarter) it only comes to around $1.60 a day to feed Lou. The other stuff is hard for me to find here and the places that do have it want over $2 a lb even for chicken backs/necks so I haven't tried those yet.


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