# SIBO Raw Fed Dogs



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Hi all,

This is for the raw feeders with dogs who have SIBO. When your dog has a SIBO flare up do you take them off of raw? If so, how long do wait until you switch them back onto it? 

Rafi is about 50% (Bravo chicken or beef) raw fed. His intestinal problems actually got worse when I tried to switch him over to 80% raw. He went from not very great poops to horrible poops. 

Right now I've got him on a cooked bland diet and I've just been giving him a little bit of (prepared) raw to ease him back into it. I've also got him on a course of Flagyl/Metro.

I'm just wondering when I should try to switch him back to partial raw. 

Thanks,


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

I think you're doing right by the homecooked and meds with Rafi, Ruth. To be honest, Grimm only got SIBO on kibble... the snobby, high-end grain-free premium kibble. I will also say that switching to all raw meant horrible poopps the first week. Then, stunning, star-spangled, blue-ribbon-at-county-faior poops happened. Those famous raw-feeder poops that the brag about. But again, it took a solid week to a week and a half for everything to "adjust" after the switch. Patience was the name of the game.

Just a really weird though.. could Rafi and Chama have something similar that is NOT actually SIBO, but something either contagious, or from the water supply, or the pesticides in the 'hood, or...? Just wondering, as I know Chama is dealing with overgrowth issues too.

Now that I think of it, Grimm's SIBO was not especially responsive to the metro/flagyl stuff. Might work well for Rafi though!! What did help some was a product called SymbioLact Comp. It's just powdered acidophilus, and all those other probiotics in a powder.

I will be thinking of ball-lovin', gorilla-cuddlin' Rafi and peeking for updates. Wishing him happy poops!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Hi Patti, 

I knew someone was going to ask about that! Rafi has never had a really good poop since I adopted him. Chama's issues are very recent and hers were diagnosed with a stool sample. She has an overgrowth of good bacteria. Rafi had a stool sample in at the same time but they didn't find that (or anything interesting) in his stool. 

I can't feed Rafi regular raw food with bones b/c he eats too fast (think lab speed) and I know something bad would happen with the bones. He inhales food, no chewing involved at all. 

Anyway, I guess I'll just stick with what I know is working until we finish this course of metro.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Howzabout .. what if.. he was on all homecooked? Did he ever stay on that and have any better poops on it? You must have already tried everything with him. I am just hoping that things firm up for him with the meds soon.

Okay, gross topic here, but-- some of the less-than-snazzy kibbles seem to make firm poops. The vegetable fibre equivilent of sawdust kinda holding it together.. know? What about a handful of Eukanuba Lamb and Rice Adult in his food? This way, he gets all the nutrients of the good stuff you are feeding, and the fibre may help hold his poops together more? Just a thought. Yup.. a raw feeding suggesting sneaking some Eukanuba in there.. LOL... my last GSD did absolutely AWESOME on that food, can ya believe it?

Sending more good thoughts for Rafi-sweets!


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

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow
> I can't feed Rafi regular raw food with bones b/c he eats too fast (think lab speed) and I know something bad would happen with the bones. He inhales food, no chewing involved at all.


You can either give him pieces that are so big he HAS to chew them or cut everything up into very small pieces so nothing could get stuck.

I fostered a Lab that could gulp down a full sized chicken leg quarter with only one or two bites. I went with the really small pieces for him.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Building on what Lauri said...

What about holding (for example) a chicken quarter (or whatever RMB) and having Rafi eat it that way to encourage him to chew (this is how we taught our dogs to chew the raw food when we switched them over).


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

When Risa had her first bout with SIBO (spring 2007), I put her on a bland diet for a while. Parboiled chicken and rice for a couple weeks. It did nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. So when she got SIBO again the following year, I didn't even bother to switch her diet.

I have altered her raw food menu over the years. Mainly once I realized certain foods set her off and read more about too much fat bothering SIBO dogs. But it's still raw.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: mspiker03Building on what Lauri said...
> 
> What about holding (for example) a chicken quarter (or whatever RMB) and having Rafi eat it that way to encourage him to chew (this is how we taught our dogs to chew the raw food when we switched them over).


That's an idea. I will try that and report back if I still have fingers to type.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: mspiker03Building on what Lauri said...
> ...


I still have all 10 fingers attached!!! LOL


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Max's SIBO flairs up whenever I give him anything raw, including a raw bone. I've tried him on raw several times....and it takes forever to get him stable again. Which sucks....I hate cooking the amount of food it takes for a GSD.


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