 poop size and shape question when feeding raw
#299988 - 10/21/2010 11:13 AM |
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I never really paid close attention to poop size/shape until I was reading the recent constipation thread the other day and the importance of logs vs marbles.
Louie's poop seems to consist of both logs (like mini tootsie rolls) and marbles (peanut M&Ms), usually during the same session. And sometimes the logs/marbles would be covered by a diarrhea like coating and these past 2 days we've noticed him dripping out a water like liquid (a few drops) before and/or after the logs. This could be due to us introducing ground beef (50% chuck/50% round mix), egg shells, and salmon oil but I'm not quite sure. We've been feeding raw for 3 weeks (whole chickens cut up and also the gizzards/liver that comes with it).
The poop doesn't smell and it falls apart when I pinch it (through the bag of course).
What do you folks think about these symptoms? Normal or not?
Louie!
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Simon Tai ]
#299990 - 10/21/2010 11:27 AM |
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Sounds like a little mucous coating that you are describing.
I suspect the liquid drops you are seeing are the anal glands being expressed.
Both of those things can accompany really hard, bony poops.
I can't be sure, because I haven't seen the food mix, or the poop with my own eyes. So, I'm not saying change anything. The menu sounds fine.
How often are you seeing the mucousy poop? And it is hard underneath the "slime"?
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#299996 - 10/21/2010 11:35 AM |
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Sounds like a little mucous coating that you are describing.
I suspect the liquid drops you are seeing are the anal glands being expressed.
Both of those things can accompany really hard, bony poops.
I can't be sure, because I haven't seen the food mix, or the poop with my own eyes. So, I'm not saying change anything. The menu sounds fine.
How often are you seeing the mucousy poop? And it is hard underneath the "slime"?
Since going to raw, he's pooping around twice a day. So out of the 40 poops he's taken (20 days x 2), ~8 have been mucous covered. And out of that 3 have been from the last 2 days. And yes, that's from a detailed feeding/pooping log.
Is expressing the anal gland good/bad/necessary?
Louie!
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Simon Tai ]
#300005 - 10/21/2010 12:38 PM |
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The anal gland expression is good. Otherwise the glands would stay full of fluid and become a pain in the ass.:smile: Firm stools are suppose to express them.
If it were me, I wouldn't be alarmed at the mucous. If it kept happening all the time then I would look for a cause, but just a few wouldn't bother me.
I don't know if it is from irritation, or what, but sometimes really hard stools are covered in mucous.
At least that sounds like what is happening here.
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#300006 - 10/21/2010 12:43 PM |
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And I would probably feed a couple of muscle-meat meals. But first tell us more of what his meals consist of any why you are adding eggshell to RMBs. That is, were you adding them to whole cut-up chicken?
Did he ever have normal log poops? Did you always add eggshell to the meals that were made up of RMBs?
"ground beef (50% chuck/50% round mix), egg shells, and salmon oil .... We've been feeding raw for 3 weeks (whole chickens cut up and also the gizzards/liver that comes with it)."
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#300008 - 10/21/2010 01:02 PM |
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And I would probably feed a couple of muscle-meat meals. But first tell us more of what his meals consist of any why you are adding eggshell to RMBs. That is, were you adding them to whole cut-up chicken?
Did he ever have normal log poops? Did you always add eggshell to the meals that were made up of RMBs?
"ground beef (50% chuck/50% round mix), egg shells, and salmon oil .... We've been feeding raw for 3 weeks (whole chickens cut up and also the gizzards/liver that comes with it)."
We usually feed about 12 oz of RMB in the morning (chicken thighs, backs, quarters, etc) and an evening meal of ground beef (4 oz) mixed with half a crushed up egg shell and salmon oil. We started adding in the ground beef about a week ago. Before that it was just chicken all the time. We'd give him the breast meat from the cut up chicken w/o bone at night.
Louie!
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Simon Tai ]
#300016 - 10/21/2010 01:42 PM |
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And did he ever have normal log poops?
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#300027 - 10/21/2010 03:14 PM |
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And did he ever have normal log poops?
Sometimes? It seems like he has more log like poop on raw than he had with kibble. It's just the raw logs are so much smaller (like a tootsie roll).
Louie!
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Simon Tai ]
#300033 - 10/21/2010 03:59 PM |
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Well, I think I would experiment a bit with the calcium (bone/eggshell) amount.
I also think I would take him to the vet for anal gland expression next time he's due to get weighed or get any kind of flea/heartworm stuff or something.
I agree with Michael that the menu sounds fine, but then you are seeing poop results that can be related to a little too much bone (or eggshell). Is he straining at all? Having the poops fall apart in the baggy also makes them sound a little heavy on the calcium, as do the marbles.
I'm also with Michael that nothing sounds scary or worrisome, but I would probably back off on the calcium for a day (like cut it in half by leaving out the eggshell and giving a less bony RMB) and adding some plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling). These two things together should produce a bulkier and less dry poop, and also reassure you when it comes out with no mucus from hardness/straining, and no "logs (like mini tootsie rolls) and marbles (peanut M&Ms), usually during the same session."
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Re: poop size and shape question when feeding raw
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#300045 - 10/21/2010 05:31 PM |
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Thanks Connie. We will try that (more muscle meat, less bones/eggshells + pumpkin) and see how it goes.
We're going to the vet soon for a regular checkup so we'll see if anything turns up there.
Thanks Mike too.
Louie!
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