May 24, 2011

Our dog was recently switched to a raw diet. She did fine for a couple of weeks and then started to vomit yellow bile and even vomited right after she ate a couple of times. I know there are a couple of books you recommend, will they help us with this?

Full Question:
Hi Cindy,

Recently we switched our 7 year old dog named Molly (she resembles an australian shepherd) from kibble to raw feeding. I switched her cold turkey and it seemed to work well the first 2 weeks then she started to throw up yellow bile and even vomited right after she ate a couple of times. I started with chicken necks then chicken quarters. My wife definitely is happy we switched but the bones are a concern for her but not for me. (I love hearing the cracking and crunching!) Then when Molly started to vomit my wife insisted we start cooking the meat (no bones). We boil chicken, pork, beef and throw it in the food chopper. It seems to be fine but I wish my dog was gnawing on a RMB. After 7 years of kibble her teeth definitely need RMBs. She doesn't stink anymore and no more itching! We were having to give her a bath once a week! And it still didn't help! My question is.... is there some type of preplanned diet I could use as a guide to go back to raw? You recommend a couple of books which I have written down but do they give the information I am looking for? The vomiting definitely concerned us and we just didn't know what to do at that point. Was it too much chicken and bones? Any advice would be great.

With Regards,
Brad and Debbie
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I would suggest adding digestive enzymes to her meals, until she is acclimated to her new diet. Sometimes dogs have issues digesting the bones at first and will vomit. It’s not really a big deal in most cases, but I’ve found the enzymes help most dogs with the switch. Chicken leg quarter bones can be tough for many dogs new to raw, I prefer to use bone in chicken breast for the transition. The bones are softer and easier to digest.

I would recommend having these 2 books in your library, you’ll use them a lot at first. Raw Dog Food and Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats. We give both of these books to our puppy customers and we almost never get questions on raw feeding.

Here is a Q & A section on raw feeding.

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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