How long have you been feeding raw? And what is usually the boneless dinner meat?
If your dog is newer to raw, he may need more bone until his body gets used to it. Also, fatty meats like pork, can cause loose stools as can too much at one meal.
How many of us feed raw??
- Thread starter TaraLynn
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How long have you been feeding raw? And what is usually the boneless dinner meat?
If your dog is newer to raw, he may need more bone until his body gets used to it. Also, fatty meats like pork, can cause loose stools as can too much at one meal.
When I could afford it I fed Pascal raw, first thing I'm going back too even before cable TV when hubby gets a good paying job again (darn economy).
I got mine from Darwin's, they deliver it right to your door it's awesome!
www.darwinspet.com
Check out their website it has a lot of useful information on it.
I got mine from Darwin's, they deliver it right to your door it's awesome!
www.darwinspet.com
Check out their website it has a lot of useful information on it.
romeosangiovese
Forums Enthusiast
He has been on raw on weekends for about 3 months now (and when we had holidays around the weekends, it'd be for 3 or 4 days at a stretch). His meals on those weekends almost always consisted of meat with bone and he's had a variety (lamb rib, chicken wing, chicken leg, mutton rib, pork rib, salmon fillet, beef meat, liver). He didn't have any loose poop then. Always firm, sometimes abit ashy from too much bone.
But since last weekend, I'm doing all raw, following the prey model closely. Yesterday ne mutton rib in the morning with soft but formed stools after that and salmon + a wee slice of liver and sweetbread (just introduced) at night and had the runs.
Too much too soon? Or not enough bone? I'm wondering since I'm going all raw now maybe I should go back to basics and start with just chicken and work up the variety and then add the organs? If I introduce more bone now will I be able to remove that extra once he's into raw for a longer extended period?
I find it strange he hadn't any problems before but is now having some. I'm keeping a poop diary now!
It wouldn't hurt to go back to step one and start over with him. The raw weekends, while great, don't really do much to get him acclimated to raw. The mutton, liver and sweatbread combination is likely what resulted in the loose poops, not the lack of bone. Of course, every dog is different. I know some dogs that need bone every day. Personally, my guys get bone every 2-3 days without issue. It will be completely up to your dog on how he handles it.
If it is a case where he needs bone every day, then you may benefit from feeding only one meal a day. That way you can give all the bone they need at the same meal as the other stuff.
I know, as humans we cringe at the idea of only eating once per day. But dog's physiology is much different than our own! They were designed to eat large amounts and then wait, in the wild going days without eating and then gorging as much as they can possibly consume. Of course, only the hardest of hard-core raw feeders do that now (called the gorge-fast method), though it is a possibility if you were interested. But feeding once per day can mimic that cycle quite well.
A dog doesn't actually feel full until their stomach is stretched with a large meal, so small meals throughout the day (or even two smaller meals) isn't enough to fill them up, so they are always in a state of "a little bit hungry", hence a big component to the fact that many dogs are chow-hounds. Most raw feeders I know feed once per day, and have reported great results. Less begging for food, more satiated, etc. I feed twice per day, but only out of necessity. Gio needs to take his medication with food, and he gets it twice per day, so two meals it is. If he ever gets off of this particular medication, we are going to a once-a-day feeding. I did it for a couple of weeks before the meds, and they LOVED it! And, it was helpful because I was able to feed larger more complicated food items (which the dogs love) because I didn't need to chop things down to smaller serving sizes.
If it is a case where he needs bone every day, then you may benefit from feeding only one meal a day. That way you can give all the bone they need at the same meal as the other stuff.
I know, as humans we cringe at the idea of only eating once per day. But dog's physiology is much different than our own! They were designed to eat large amounts and then wait, in the wild going days without eating and then gorging as much as they can possibly consume. Of course, only the hardest of hard-core raw feeders do that now (called the gorge-fast method), though it is a possibility if you were interested. But feeding once per day can mimic that cycle quite well.
A dog doesn't actually feel full until their stomach is stretched with a large meal, so small meals throughout the day (or even two smaller meals) isn't enough to fill them up, so they are always in a state of "a little bit hungry", hence a big component to the fact that many dogs are chow-hounds. Most raw feeders I know feed once per day, and have reported great results. Less begging for food, more satiated, etc. I feed twice per day, but only out of necessity. Gio needs to take his medication with food, and he gets it twice per day, so two meals it is. If he ever gets off of this particular medication, we are going to a once-a-day feeding. I did it for a couple of weeks before the meds, and they LOVED it! And, it was helpful because I was able to feed larger more complicated food items (which the dogs love) because I didn't need to chop things down to smaller serving sizes.
romeosangiovese
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Thanks GeeRome!! Great advice. I'll start from the beginning again - Romeo woke me up at 5am for a super early morning (watery) poop. 
I like the idea of feeding once a day. There were several times before where he didn't seem all too interested in his dinner (pre-raw) and I was wondering if that was a sign to move to once a day.
I'll do bone-in chicken only for 2 meals from now till the end of the week so as not to upset his eating pattern too, then if all's well, I'll move to one meal. It would be nice to feed him something the size of his head!
Thanks!!
I like the idea of feeding once a day. There were several times before where he didn't seem all too interested in his dinner (pre-raw) and I was wondering if that was a sign to move to once a day. I'll do bone-in chicken only for 2 meals from now till the end of the week so as not to upset his eating pattern too, then if all's well, I'll move to one meal. It would be nice to feed him something the size of his head!
Thanks!!
I feed mine once a day and it really makes life sooo much easier for me! Even the youngsters once they hit about 4 months old can tolerate it and younger than that, I feed twice a day once they are eating the bone and enough that I feel they can handle it.
I can't usually get meats as big as their heads
but I do try to get it as big as I can as often as I can. Usually if it is the bone-in, it's a peice of chicken with extra meat with it. The boneless can either be a large peice of meat or a few smaller peices. I never use ground except for weaning puppies or my 'meatballs' that I use to get the organs and DE in them (I can't handle the organs LOL)
I can't usually get meats as big as their heads
but I do try to get it as big as I can as often as I can. Usually if it is the bone-in, it's a peice of chicken with extra meat with it. The boneless can either be a large peice of meat or a few smaller peices. I never use ground except for weaning puppies or my 'meatballs' that I use to get the organs and DE in them (I can't handle the organs LOL)romeosangiovese
Forums Enthusiast
When I came home today, Romeo pooped and it was solid! For the most part anyway. There were 2 or 3 small watery drops, but solid! There was much cheering and celebration in the house. It was really stinky tho!
I chopped up a whole chicken and have been feeding him parts of the chicken (each piece with bone) twice a day since Wednesday morning (it's Thurs night now) and it seems his digestive system is stabilizing. Phew!
I will start feeding once a day once I can add organs in and I'm sure everything's ok.
It was really stinky tho!I chopped up a whole chicken and have been feeding him parts of the chicken (each piece with bone) twice a day since Wednesday morning (it's Thurs night now) and it seems his digestive system is stabilizing. Phew!
I will start feeding once a day once I can add organs in and I'm sure everything's ok.
romeosangiovese
Forums Enthusiast
Anyone has a dog on raw that doesn't like to touch the meat with his paws??
Romeo usually gets parts of a chicken (usually a whole chicken chopped up into 6 or 8 parts). Over the weekend, I tried to give him half of a chicken, not chopped up, so he can tear at it and decide when he's full and I'd save the rest of it for the next day. But he didn't that. Instead, he licked at it abit. Tore some meat off with his tiny front teeth. Barely crunched any bone.
I am guilty of holding on to the chicken for him to munch on, on weekdays before this. I did this coz I would train him with his meals. Now I think he's lost the ability to eat on his own!! He was able before (during the time when I fed raw only on weekends) to hold on to lambs ribs while lying on the floor and savour them slowly. What happened!! How can I get him to be the predator he is again!
He's eaten little over the weekend because I refused to let him train me into feeding him. I left the food on the floor, and if he stayed away from the food after giving it a little lick and nibble for more than 15 mins, I took the meat away. Should I keep down this path?
Romeo usually gets parts of a chicken (usually a whole chicken chopped up into 6 or 8 parts). Over the weekend, I tried to give him half of a chicken, not chopped up, so he can tear at it and decide when he's full and I'd save the rest of it for the next day. But he didn't that. Instead, he licked at it abit. Tore some meat off with his tiny front teeth. Barely crunched any bone.
I am guilty of holding on to the chicken for him to munch on, on weekdays before this. I did this coz I would train him with his meals. Now I think he's lost the ability to eat on his own!! He was able before (during the time when I fed raw only on weekends) to hold on to lambs ribs while lying on the floor and savour them slowly. What happened!! How can I get him to be the predator he is again!
He's eaten little over the weekend because I refused to let him train me into feeding him. I left the food on the floor, and if he stayed away from the food after giving it a little lick and nibble for more than 15 mins, I took the meat away. Should I keep down this path?
My Romeo (maybe it's the name??) is like that as well!
It took him a long time to be willing to touch the meat with his paws. Instead he would opt to squish the meat to the floor with his chest in order to hold it down. 
He eventually learned, though, and now digs right in. Just keep up what you are doing, eventually he will figure it out.