I have had my dog on a raw diet for the past month and a half. He has been eating mostly chicken leg quarters with some chicken gizzards and hearts. He is doing alright with the chicken liver as long as it is not a large amount two days in a row. So, he gets about one ounce every other day. He has also had cooked eggs.

About four days ago I introduced beef heart and he seemed to be doing fine with it. I was giving him an ounce a night. I upped it to two ounces last night but today he had loose poops. I did not give him any tonight. Should I go back to giving him an ounce a day or should I wait a couple days?

Before this latest loose poop incident I was considering cutting back on his bone amount because he was going at least one or two days without pooping. I feel like I just can't get the ratios right. How often do your dogs poop on raw and how do you know if they are healthy poops? These loose poops are always discouraging.

Also, he is making me nervous with how he eats. On another site, I was told to feed him his food frozen to keep him from gulping. He looks like he is choking half the time he eats! Would frozen bones be more hard? I think I am going to see if he will do better with chicken breast with bone as a staple instead of the leg quarters because of him trying to inhale his food. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Chicken breast with bone, isnt much bone. Can you get backs? I've always had trouble with quarters, unless I grind them or mince them with a cleever.

Also, you know hearts and gizzards are a muscle meat? Not considered an organ like the liver.

Yeah, I use the hearts and gizzards to fill out his meal if the bone in stuff isn't enough.

Would it be o.k. to add this when he has liquid-y poops or would it make things worse?

http://www.k9cuisine.com/p-1422-fruitables-pet-food-pumpkin-and-ginger-dry-food-mixer-digestive-supplement-for-dogs-cats.aspx

I've never heard of it, I don't know anything about ginger and dogs, but I use regular plain pumpkin from the grocery store all the time.

Beef Heart is really rich and its easy to give them too much, I've had problems with it with all my dogs. Chicken backs always seem like just the right ratio, quarters now and then when they were on sale. Don't panic, Connie and Tracy can talk you through most everything you'll come accross.

I have not seen any chicken backs. I was thinking about just getting a whole chicken and cutting it up instead.

What do you look for when you buy pumpkin from the store?

Its just plain canned pumpkin. No sweeteners or anything. Its either by the baking stuff or canned fruit section.

I would back up. I think all of this will be fixed with a slower re-start.

The best thing when you have GI distress like this (alternating constipation and diarrhea) is going to be to start with one RMB, chicken backs if you can get them, and not add stuff until you have firm log poops. Then one item is added at a time, each time with a poop check before adding the next one. Heart will be later (but you can freeze what you have).


First, is this an adult? Second, can you get chicken backs?

First, I'd see if you can get backs. (I just read your last post.)

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Edited by Connie Sutherland (08/30/2012 06:06 PM)
Edit reason: delete duplicate