OK I'm trying to get this "natural" thing going but I'm running into some problems. I read "Natural Nutrition for Cats and Dogs" (thanks Deanna) but did not get an answer to my problem. I had been giving my dog a mixture of kibble and muscle meat. She did excellent. I then introduced bones. I gave her 1 chicken leg- waited 4 days- everything OK. Gave another- waited 2 days- everything OK. Gave another- all hell broke loose. She had horrible diaherra that night (Friday), then all Saturday. On Sunday morning, she "pooped" a cup of blood. It was the most horrifying thing I have seen. I took her to the emergency vet to get checked out (I know about HGE - which I wont attemp to spell). They came up with nothing. Gave her some pills and prescribed a "bland diet". The next day she was good as new. I didn't even do the bland, just a little kibble- no problems. Fine since then with no bones, but with mixed in muscle meat. What happened? It seems a little severe for detox, and she was still not on a full raw diet. Obviously I'm scared to death to give her another bone, but I know its an important part of the diet. Has anyone else seen this? Any suggestions on how to proceed? Thanks.

Did the vet screen a stool sample for bacterial pathogens? If that was clean, a possibility would be a substantial size piece of bone reaching the colon. Foreign bodies in the colon can irritate, and the body as a defense mechanism will increase the rate of passage and decrease water reabsorption. This would be a watery high volume case of the runs.

Jeff, sorry your girl had a bad experience. Have you fed any other type of RMB's at all? Chicken necks seem to be a very easy start for most dogs. They are mostly cartilidge and very small. There are also probiotics that can assist in bone digestion for dogs that have been fed kibble prior.

Weight bearing bones are more likely to sliver than necks or backs. I am able to feed my dogs leg quarters with no problems, but they have been eating bones for a long time and all that comes out the other end is a whitish log. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

http://b-naturals.com/default.php carries many supplements and Lew is very good at answering questions you may have about which ones you may need for your individual dog.

Thanks guys.

Chad, yes the vet took stool sample but what they checked for I have no idea. I think you may be right about the bone getting in the colon though. Deanna I was going to try necks, but I wanted to hear from you guys first before my second attempt. Kallie is on Ultra probiotic from B-naturals if that helps. I fed her a drumstick because she is usually a very good eater, chews real well. From what you guys say, I think in this case she may have become a little bit of a pig and woofed down the bone without a good chewing. I will try again when I get up some more nerve...

we haven't been barfing as long as some of you folks have and i'd like to hear some thoughts on dogs with pancreatic problems. i have a couple of friends who have dogs with pancreatic disorders. they have been told by their vets that the dog may not eat anything but certain dog foods. it seems to me that meat would be a better choice than grains when it comes to the pancreas....considering how starches convert to sugar which kicks the pancreas into action in an attempt to keep blood sugar levels stable. i'm not sure what's going on there. can someone enlighten me? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Many dogs with pancreatic problems have done wonderful on BARF. I would be careful , however , and likely grind the meat/bones so that the body does not have to work as hard. It can really depend on how bad the problem is. I have heard of one person who could not get any of the supplements that most people add to their dogs food (which is a powder made up of pure pancreas) and instead added pure raw pancreas and the dog did wonderful on it.

I had a dog that had some problems (although not at all extreme like other dogs) and when he was switched to raw all his problems went away. He lived til he was 12.

hmmmm. feeding raw pancreas makes sense to me. enzymes for digestion and insulin for blood sugar. thanks for input. i was hoping to generate a little more discussion here.....anybody else????

Hi Pat,

Check your PM's. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />