# Offal and Liver dilemma



## gslover60 (Apr 8, 2011)

I’m trying to acclimate my two GSDS, one a puppy, to raw food. They are both doing well but my attempts to slowly increase organ meat (from a teaspoon) always result in diarrhea, especially with the older girl. I’m at my wits end. I don’t want to give up raw feeding but if I can’t feed organ meat, they won’t get all the nutrients they need. Has anyone overcome this problem?


----------



## cnsb (Oct 11, 2018)

I puree beef kidney and chicken liver and mix it into their glop (we do big batches). It seems to help a lot with loose stools.


----------



## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Bump...I don't feed raw, so I can't answer this. Hopefully someone who does will chime in and help!


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Organ meat should be about 10% of the diet with 5% being liver. Do you feed it twice per day, the 1 tsp?


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

gslover60 said:


> I don’t want to give up raw feeding but if I can’t feed organ meat, they won’t get all the nutrients they need. Has anyone overcome this problem?



Your dog might be a candidate for a base-mix to round out the nutrients and ensure a complete diet -- Balance It, The Honest Kitchen's Preference, Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl or Paradigm, Sojo's (with or without grain), Volhard Nutrition....lots of options! The idea behind all of them is you reconstitute a portion of the base mix (usually a powder or chunky powder) with water, add meat (and sometimes nutritional oil, like fish oil), and it's a complete, balanced meal that meets AAFCO standards.


I use Dr. Harvey's Paradigm currently, and it feeds out VERY well. I've also used The Honest Kitchen's Preference for years -- but I stopped due to the pea content in it, while peas are under investigation with the FDA. I've heard good things about both Balance It and Volhard from friends.


----------



## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

Can you use organs from a different source? IE if you are using chicken try beef or pork.


----------



## Mudypoz (Mar 3, 2016)

I haven't had that problem with a puppy, but with an adult dog. I started feeding the organ meat in tiny amounts, like you said, and I would feed it together with some pumpkin, or if I didn't have pumpkin, some slippery elm. Both will firm up the stools.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

You are missing nutrients with or without the liver. Create a spreadsheet bases on the NRC values and enter in what you are feeding. Build your diet and supplement vitamins/minerals as needed. If you add in things like oysters and eggs, you can probably do away with the organ meat but you still have to know how much to give.


----------



## [email protected] (Nov 4, 2018)

Thanks for the advice. I stopped giving her liver and offal, upped the egg and sardines, and she did fine for a while. A few days ago she started having liquid black oily stool BUT only once a day. The dogs have access from the house to the run so until yesterday I didn’t know which dog was the source. I read the terrifying stories of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract but I know each of my dogs has now and then produced similar stools and been fine. My questions are (1) is this a common occurrence with raw feeding and, if not, (2) does a single evacuation daily equate to diarrhea? We are away from home st the moment so I can’t get to my regular vet and getting to a vet from where we are isn’t simple. But, if needed, I’ll make the trip for her.


----------

