I put my dog on RAW about 6 weeks ago (it seems so much longer) and he seems to be doing well. There are a couple of things that are bothering me, and I don't know if I should be worried or not.

You may remember he was coming off a scare with a diagnosis of enteritis, but feelings it may have been bloat, so I may be a little over protective of him.

He eats everything I have offered him, except tilapia, and has good bowel movements, with an occasionl softening up with new or too much of some meats (beef, pork mostly). That, I'm OK with.

There are just a few things that are bothering me:

Occasionally he doesn't want to eat, so I will skip that meal. That has only happened about 3 or 4 times.

I have often found grass in his stool, and when I take him out or for walks in the park, he regularly tries to eat grass. I discourage this. I have always thought this means his tummy is bothering him.

Every so often, in the morning he throws up yellow bile, sometimes with small pieces of bone. Today it was the nobby end of his chicken leg. I believe this is nothing to worry about, but with the other things, I don't know.

On a morning that he throws up, should I still feed him normally, or skip that meal?

Is all of this normal, or with his history is there anything I should do?

Thanks.

I see yellow frothy vomit in many dogs, when their stomachs are empty.

Some dogs eat grass.

Does he get any produce? Not that this is often directly connected, but you could add a spoon of baby food green beans and see what happens. Also, I gather that the grass-eating and the bile vomiting are NOT on the same days...?

How is his weight? Is his occasional lack of hunger a result of a bit of overfeeding? Does he seem totally well, happy, and vigorous on those days?

So far, no produce. I have been doing more whole prey with green tripe, the occasional blueberry, and kelp/alfalfa.

He has only once thrown up grass in his bile. I usually see it in his poop.

His weight is good. He seems happy and energetic, even on the days his appetite is low, but once in a while, for no real reson I can put my finger on, I get the feeling his stomach is bothering him. I may be ultra sensitive because of his history.

I haven't kept a diary, so it's hard to really put everythiing together. I think I will do that for a while so I will have a more accurate picture of patterns with him. I don't believe I am over feeding. Dork that I am I still weigh his portions, 1 1/2 lbs morning and night, mostly chicken with other meats too.

"green tripe, the occasional blueberry, and kelp/alfalfa" .... these fall under "produce" for me. Green tripe, especially, would be something that would negate any dietary need for grass consumption, I think, except for the oft-debated consumption of it to trigger vomiting.

So yes, a log is a great idea! I've used one to ferret out many an allergy, diarrhea, or sensitivity mystery. Great plan.

I guess I think of produce more as veggie glop, or fresh veggies.

Should I still feed him on the mornings he throws up? I have been, but wasn't sure if I should. This is purely an incidental thing, from an empty stomach, right?

He is very bad about just crunching a few times and swallowing legs whole after nicely gnawing off the thigh. Today was the first time he threw up recognizeable bone, there have been small pieces before.

He could just be a dog that is going to have a little more of a sensiteve type tummy, I guess.

And Happy Birthday Connie!

Thank you.

Yes, I never fast just for that frothy yellow vomit. I always see it at empty-stomach times, so I have not connected it with a food problem.

 Quote: Shody Lytle

This is purely an incidental thing, from an empty stomach, right?

It can be one symptom of a whole array of symptoms for a couple of ailments, but I see it a lot, all alone, from dogs who have nothing wrong but an empty stomach.

I do not worry about it in an otherwise healthy dog. Every one of mine has done it at least once or twice.

 Quote: shody lytle

I put my dog on RAW about 6 weeks ago (it seems so much longer) and he seems to be doing well. There are a couple of things that are bothering me, and I don't know if I should be worried or not.

Everytime I read your post it seems much longer to me too. Out of everybody that has switched since I've been on this forum, you sound the most confident and least scared of all the beginners.

 Quote: shody lytle

He eats everything I have offered him, except tilapia, and has good bowel movements, with an occasionl softening up with new or too much of some meats (beef, pork mostly). That, I'm OK with.

Sounds good to me too.

Just a side note. I would occasionally try tilapia again. I have had a few things that my dog refused over and over only to be eaten and enjoyed on the 15th attempt.

 Quote: shody lytle

Occasionally he doesn't want to eat, so I will skip that meal. That has only happened about 3 or 4 times.

Some dogs are good at governing themselves. 3 or 4 times....If he acts O.K. I would chalk it up to self control.

 Quote: shody lytle

I have often found grass in his stool, and when I take him out or for walks in the park, he regularly tries to eat grass. I discourage this. I have always thought this means his tummy is bothering him.

What does his body language look like when he is eating grass?

If the grass is free of weeding and pest chemicals I let mine eat. Casually grazing, to me means they just want to eat grass. Spastic, "I have to eat grass NOW!", means to me that their stomach is upset. I let mine eat grass either way. You can do whatever you like.

 Quote: shody lytle

Every so often, in the morning he throws up yellow bile, sometimes with small pieces of bone. Today it was the nobby end of his chicken leg. I believe this is nothing to worry about, but with the other things, I don't know.

On a morning that he throws up, should I still feed him normally, or skip that meal?

What time do you feed in the evening?

This can be associated with an empty stomach. If you can, you might try feeding later. Closer to bed time.

 Quote: shody lytle

Is all of this normal, or with his history is there anything I should do?

Thanks.

Occasional diarrhea or vomiting can go both ways. I don't feel comfortable giving anyone a yes or no on health issues.

My dogs sound similar to yours if that is any consolation. Sounds like you're doing great.

BTW, you are feeding 2x, right, and not once a day?

 Quote:

Everytime I read your post it seems much longer to me too. Out of everybody that has switched since I've been on this forum, you sound the most confident and least scared of all the beginners.

Thanks! I read and read and read for 6 months before taking the plunge, so I was pretty confident. I still study, and as you see, join discussion groups. I have become obsessed with RAW, My dog, and dog issues in general.

 Quote:

What does his body language look like when he is eating grass?

He will sniff it, grab a few blades, and scamper in a new direction. It's like anytime he sees tall grass, he wants to eat some. I even noticed in the yard a few tall grassy growths (yes, I'm behind on my weeding and mowing, it's been raining a lot) with the tops chewed off. He isn't usually alone in the yard, but occasionally for short times.

I usually do feed kind of late in the evening. I'm not a real rigid type of person, so our schedule isn't tight. He eats after we eat. We seldom eat before 7:00, and sometimes after 8:00.

Yes, I feed twice a day. With his history, I don't want to give him big meals.

Thanks for all the advice!