Hello - I am new to feeding raw, have been feeding raw for about 3 weeks now. I feed 3 dogs, All Belgian Shepherds (Tervs) The male, (3 years) thinks it's Xmas every day :-) The 16 week old pup thinks it's Xmas too (loves her raw food) but the 2 year old bitch just won't eat. Not eating is actually the reason I have switched to raw - I was forever having problems with dogs not wanting to eath their kibble and whenever I gave them something raw they definitely would not eat their kibble - so I took the hint. My problem is the 2 year old bitch. She is in tact (I breed) and I have seen this with young bitches before but it always really bothers me. She is only 16 kgs and not gaining any weight. She ate one chicken wing yesterday morning plus one egg - did not eat at all last night and none this morning. She will only eat chicken wings. I gave her one chicken wing yesterday morning plus a leg with lots of meat on it - she does not like lots of meat on anything. Re-offered a leg and half thigh last night and this morning but no wing hence she didn't eat anything. I feed her in a crate, she is given about 15 mins after which the food is taken away if she is not eating. If she is eating she can take as long as she likes. There are NO treats or other food during the day. Does anyone have any solutions pls. I have tried to lightly fry the food but that made no difference. She is the kind of dog that will eat something new and whe you present it to her again the next day, she'll not eat it. Right now she is eating, on average, 2 chicken wings per day and some cooked chicken livers (won't eat them raw) She appears otherwise perfectly healthy, no problems with vomiting or soft stools. Thank you for listening and hoping you may be able to give me some ideas. Carla Spelt, Perth, West Australia

 Quote: Carla Spelt

... Right now she is eating, on average, 2 chicken wings per day and some cooked chicken livers (won't eat them raw) She appears otherwise perfectly healthy, no problems with vomiting or soft stools. Thank you for listening and hoping you may be able to give me some ideas. Carla Spelt, Perth, West Australia

Well, as you know, that's not a sound diet. Just one problem (among several) would be the calcium-phosphorous ratio (too much bone, too little meat) and the shortage of protein (too little meat). You wouldn't expect soft stools, I don't think, with that diet; it's probably the chicken livers that are keeping her from being constipated.

She has appropriate exercise? Have you taken a stool sample to the vet to check for parasites? She has been checked for heartworm and is on preventative?

I'd get blood work done, if those things check out OK. There are several serious diseases that present with depressed appetite.

Let us know what happens.

Hi Carla,

I've had the same problem with my dog...off and on...so I really understand the frustration. Connie gave me the suggestion of more exercise (which does help) but my dog is a fussy eater, plain and simple, who is indifferent to everything but chicken.

I've started "doctoring" his beef with a tablespoon or two of parmesan cheese or low-fat cottage and that will entice him to eat it. I've seen others suggest this so I don't think it is a raw diet no-no. I also offer the food again at the next meal...and the next...until he gets hungry enough to eat. I'm willing to try and make it more appealing but I am not willing to throw away good food and encourage picky eating habits.

Have you tried green tripe? That's considered muscle meat and my dog just loves it. I've mixed it in with the food he doesn't like and he will eat it happily.

2 chicken wings and livers is not enough food, nor does it seem balanced IMO, so you came to the right place for help. I'm sure others will chime in with their considerable advice and experience

Editing to add that I type too slow...you just got great advice from Connie.

She looks ok in her pictures if she is the one on your website.
Lots of questions.... Maybe she is just happy at that weight? Why do you want her to gain weight? How tall is she? Has she lost weight yet on the raw diet? how much kibble was she eating and how did you get her to eat that? Have you had her thyroid checked?

Have you tried her on any gound meat/bone? If she will eat wings (high bone) you could try a ground meat only for the next meal to help balance out. you could try browning it a bit too.

Have you tried a little competition for the food (use ground food for this, so no gulping of bones.) Feeding near another dog (leashed). Letting her watch another dog eat what she doesn't?

Raw green tripe is supposed to be good for putting on weight.

Editing: I see someone beat me to the tripe,

Cheers,

Thank you for responding - I've tried this mail before on a different list and got next to no responses. She is getting plenty of excersize I'm sure, but I can try to increase it somewhat and see if that makes a difference. I don't think there is a medical issue other than hormones. I've seen this before in young bitches of this breed (any Malinois owners out there with the same problem?) and the way to fix it instantly is let them have a litter. I did try that once before and it worked a treat, that dog is now overweight :-) I certainly have a litter in mind for her but not yet, she is too young and will have to wait. She was the same fussy when she was on biscuits, very very pickey with me trying all sorts of things to get her to eat, like mixing kibble with gravy. Would work for one day, not the next. I will definately try the ground meat suggestion and would love to try the green tripe but I am almost positive I can't get it anywhere here. I'll ask around but i've never seen it - wouldn't have a clue where to get it. Thank you for responding, I really appreciate it. Carla.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

Have you tried green tripe? That's considered muscle meat and my dog just loves it. I've mixed it in with the food he doesn't like and he will eat it happily.

I've even heard of a few people who would just rub the tripe on different foods to get their very picky eaters to eat.

 Quote: Carla Spelt

would love to try the green tripe but I am almost positive I can't get it anywhere here. I'll ask around but i've never seen it - wouldn't have a clue where to get it.

Do you have any butchers nearby? Just make sure that it is green tripe. There is some called white tripe. It is also tripe, but bleached and void of any nutritional benefit to your dog. More importantly it doesn't stink to high heaven like green tripe does.

It's funny how these forums work. Often just by talking about it you come up with new solutions. Just the comments that she is not getting a sound diet made me think of something I read somewhere and I decided to try my version. I went and bought 1.5kgs of ground chicken frames (RMB)added 1.2 kg of ground beef (muscle meat), 150 grams each of chopped chicken livers and chopped lamb kidneys (organs) a good shake of wheat germ and ground oats(to put on weight and bind it all up a bit), 40mills of Omega 3 oils and a large tablespoon of molasses. (very similar to what you may call satin balls) I mixed it all up and did this with the dog in the kitchen with me. She seemed very excited by the smells as I was preparing the mixture (I did fry the kidneys and livers lightly - kept raw in the middle). I gave her 350grams and she ate the lot ! ! Will be interesting to see what she does tomorrow. I'll let you know :-) and thanks for listening.

Just to answer some of questions asked here: I feed several dogs in crates and they can see each other. I want some weight on Enya because she is very very skinny. All bones with not much fat on her at all. I really don't care what she weighs as long as there is a light layer of fat over her ribs, at the moment there is not. She has a nice coat that is hiding it but i know how she feels under hand. Green tripe appears to be a real problem in Australia as butchers won't touch it (order it in) due to bacterial issues. I will try and find a slaughterhouse and see if they can help but am not looking forward to the smell. Thank you for suggestions on ground bone and meat which I have followed up on with initial success.

Just for the benefit of someone reading this thread later on, I'd like to post an update. I decided to call Enya's bluff and fed her the mince mixture as described above. I would give her time to eat and when she refused, take it away and re-present at the next mealtime. It took some time but she started to eat the mince mixture on a consistent bases. After about 10 days I decided to switch her to normal raw same as for the other dogs and it worked. It is now a month later and she has gained 2 kgs. She still does not like raw liver or kidneys so I cook those and she loves them cooked. She eats chicken wings, legs, quarters, lamb off cuts, beef bones, beef mince, whatever I can get cheap at the time. She now loves her food, eats in her crate and is currently eating about 3.5% of her ideal body weight. The most exciting part of all this is that my dogs have chanced since they eat raw. They are so much happier - there is lots of playing going on these days - much more than before and it's great to watch them tuck into their meals, ripping and pulling meat off bones and obviously loving it. A happy ending it seems :-)

Yahoo
Thanks for the update! I am sure it will benefit someone else later on.