# Senior dog - Sudden trouble digesting raw.



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Our Kali is 12.5yo, she also has mammary cancer.

She's been happily eating 100% raw for months now, and prior to that was on a diet of mostly grain free kibble, with occasional raw. She's never had any problems.

In the past week she has been having bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. We've treated with canned pumpkin, Daiwin, and have kept her diet as bland as possible. She's not sick otherwise, is active and behaving normally. But we have noticed lots of undigested bone in her diarrhea and vomit. Prior to this, the very rare case of diarrhea or vomiting never had any bone fragments in it.

This am she got a chicken thigh for breakfast. A few hours later she had diarrhea again (her first for several days) and there are whole pieces of undigested chicken in the diarrhea... not just bone, but pieces of meat, skin, fat. It's like she's not digesting anything.

We've never experienced undigested raw parts like this before. I know with her age and cancer it's possible that her digestive system is failing, but she is healthy and happy in all other respects. I'm wondering if we need to start grinding her food, though she's a very good chewer and I don't think even that will help if she can't even digest the meat and fat. Or if maybe we need to move her over to some form of commercial dog food again.

Any ideas?


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Hi Chris.

How her weight and has it changed at all? What about an EPI test to see if the body is producing enough digestive enzymes? Or what about just adding the enzymes to see if it helps? You said you have been keeping the diet bland, does that mean cooking rice/chicken like a lot of people do? If so hows the symptoms while on cooked food? If not what about trying cooked food to see if the issues continue? Or maybe she just picked up some bug that is moving the food through faster than it should? Hmmm, hope she feels better soon!


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Her weight hasn't changed. I can't imagine it's EPI as that's not something that will suddenly appear at 12.5 years old and she's never experienced digestive problems in the past (she's always had a "cast iron stomach").

But I do agree adding some enzymes wouldn't hurt. Good suggestion!

We've not gone to the cooked chicken/rice bland diet, no. She's still getting raw, but we've just been feeding her chicken for several days. No beef, fish, pork, eggs, OM, etc.. like the other dogs have been eating. We figured sticking with one thing and cutting out variety for a while, would be easiest on her system, adn went with chicken as it's the easiest to digest. Might try the cooked chicken/rice thing.

I'm hoping it's just a bug and she'll get over it, but never seen a bug seem to shut down all digestion before. The occasional bone fragment in a stool is one thing, but chicken parts that look like they were just run through a blender but otherwise not digested is nothing I've ever encountered. And I admit, at her age and with cancer I'm scared this may mean something serious.









Thanks for the suggestions!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Chris WildOur Kali is 12.5yo, she also has mammary cancer.
> 
> She's been happily eating 100% raw for months now, and prior to that was on a diet of mostly grain free kibble, with occasional raw. She's never had any problems.
> 
> ...


I would stop feeding raw--for whatever reason, her body isn't responding well to it any more. My Chama is also now unable to digest raw properly. My solution was to cook for her. Since she has cancer you could do some research on a cancer diet and prepare that for her. I have been using quinoa, sweet potatoes, eggs, salmon and ground duck or ground beef with pureed, raw green veggies. She's doing great on that food. 

Seniors do have digestive changes and the cancer is an added stress on their system.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I'd take her in for pancreas testing (ultrasound, bloodwork, etc). If you have an internist, that's a good place to start. Your regular vet can bring in a radiologist for the ultrasound and obviously a general vet can do a complete CBC. But if the results are borderline, then I'd definitely want an internal medicine specialist onboard to know where to go in terms of actual treatment. 

I heard an expert speak at a conference that when dogs can't tolerate raw, it seems likely to be pancreas related. I was so impressed by her that I drove quite a way to consult with her on Zamboni. We chatted more about this issue (because Zamboni could never eat raw, had soft stool on and off for a while, then came down with an "acute" case of pancreatitis that nearly killed her). 

She said that the pancreas can simmer inflamed for a while before it displays "classic" pancreatitis symptoms. She thinks it happens more than we think and that dogs are misdiagnosed as a result. 

I wouldn't be inclined to give her enzymes or anything like that until I got that pancreas checked out...


http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_pancreatitis.html

http://www.judithstock.com/Speaking_of_Animals/Pancreatitis_in_Dogs/pancreatitis_in_dogs.html


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

I would switch her to a completely ground raw diet and see if that helps.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I know nothing about raw or cancer either for that matter, but could the cancer have metasticized to her pancreas? 

I think I would add enzymes just a starting point to see if it helps. 

Hope the elderly lady bounces back for you.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Oxana can't handle it anymore either. Ground or not. She's back on TOTW and doing fine with that. Everyone else is still on raw.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: KathyWbut could the cancer have metasticized to her pancreas?


It's entirely possible, and that's what I'm afraid of.









Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'm glad to hear that a senior not being able to tolerate raw anymore isn't a rarity and Kali isn't unique in that respect and that may be all it is.

We'll try ground raw, kibble and cooked and see if any of them seem to help. Will also talk to the vet about adding enzymes. And in the meantime will keep fingers crossed that she just picked up some sort of doggy flu bug and will get over it.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Sorry to hear about Kali's troubles. Hope that a change in diet is all she needs.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

How's Kali coming along?


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