You have to feed bone with the meat - if you want to feed a ground product get a product with ground bone. Meat only is not balanced and will cause loose stools. Why are you feeding meat only?

Diana,

She is just starting out with raw diet, so she is gradually introducing what he will need.

Maisha,

What were you planning on adding for first RMB's?
I would use chicken backs or necks and with whatever you start with, make sure to take off as much fat as you can.
I would also add a little plain live cultured yogurt to his ground stuff before you add RMB's so that he can get used to that. It is a good way to help him digest.

That is what I did, but I am sure others did different things.

 Quote: Maisha Butler

... Should I hold off on the RMBs?

No. I'd go with the protocol Carol mentioned. Backs and necks are terrific soft first RMB.

As you add in the RMBs I think you'll see the stool correct itself.

I've been slowly increasing Enoch's RMBs so he could get to 60% RMBs and 35% muscle meat. I also increased the amount of food. He is 13 weeks old and he's getting bigger. He is approximately 25 pounds as of a few days ago. I just want to briefly mention that I was worry he was too skinny and he seemed to gobble down his food in just seconds.

Anyway he was on a good pooping schedule. He would go in the morning and then in the evening. It was like clock work. Well since we increased his food 2 and a half days ago he's had loose stools. Is this to be expected? We've added pumpkin to help with this. He's also been completely off schedule. I get up at 3 and then my brother gets up at 6 and I get back up at 8. Normally he will poop when I take him out at 8. Well the other day my brother woke up to find that he had already eliminated in his crate. Part of this a handler mistake because my brother heard him whining but he thought he was dreaming.

So this takes us to this morning. I'm going to relay our stupidity so you wonderful people can truly help us. Yesterday he pooped twice in the morning and that was it. We took him out several times for 15 to 20 minute spans and nothing. I got up at 3 and took him out. Nothing. My brother got up at 6 and Wham, there it was! He looked at us like, "I can't believe you guys let this happen again." I took him out again around 6:30 and his poop was loose. He went out again at 12:30 and it was firm but after his lunch at 1 it was loose again. So I understand our mistake in the morning. I should have slept downstairs with him so I could be there when he had to go. But is he going to adjust to this change in his diet and get back on to his normal pooping schedule? I thought it was a good sign when my brother told me the poop was firm but I was discouraged when he called me later on and said it was loose. Any suggestions for a group of people who have never fed a dog raw or housebroken a dog?

Maisha,

Did you gradually raise or change the percentages? Or did you raise them all at once?

Also, did you add any new meat that he has never had before?

All dogs are different in their reactions to change of diet, some are okay with cold turkey changes and some need to be gradually changed so their digestive system have time to accept the change.

I didn't add new meat. He's been on chicken backs and necks and ground turkey for, I would guess, a few weeks now. I did increase the amount of food plus the amount of RMBs. We were doing 1.1 pounds (1 pound and 2 ounces) and we went up to 1.7 pounds (1 pound and 11 ounces) We were doing 50% ground turkey and 50 percent chicken necks or backs. And we changed it to 65 percent chicken necks or backs and 35% ground turkey. We have not added any organ meat. So I'm thinking too much, right? What should I do now?

Okay, Connie is WAY better but I will take a stab at it.....

I am thinking it might be

1) too much food so maybe back off to 1.3 to 1.4
2) maybe a little too much bone, however with the ground meat it should be okay.....

3) If you are worried about his weight, maybe try to gradually leave some more of the skin and fat on the chicken backs.....slowly though.

4) Maybe try three meals a day (if you are not doing that now)

5) Feed earlier in the evening

6) Go back to the old schedule until stool firms up and then slowly change the ratios.

Are you adding plain live cultured yogurt or any other probiotic to his food?

 Quote: Carol Boche

1) too much food so maybe back off to 1.3 to 1.4
2) maybe a little too much bone, however with the ground meat it should be okay.....

3) If you are worried about his weight, maybe try to gradually leave some more of the skin and fat on the chicken backs.....slowly though.

4) Maybe try three meals a day (if you are not doing that now)

5) Feed earlier in the evening

6) Go back to the old schedule until stool firms up and then slowly change the ratios.

Are you adding plain live cultured yogurt or any other probiotic to his food?

I pick #6.

I would always choose to step back to where everything was good and then make my changes more gradually that I did last time.

But all of Carol's suggestions are good ones, except that for #3 I would wait until no more soft poop.

And yes, I'd adjust the supper hour too until this is fixed because of the dog having diarrhea in the crate.

Yeah, I thought about #3 after I posted it.

Just FYI, if I have a dog or pup that I think needs more, I add a little at a time and if I need to go back to or extend three meals a day to do this, I do.

Thanks guys. I do feed him 3 times a day. And I will back to when he was doing well. I just thought he wasn't growing at the speed in which the growth chart was saying he should be at the age he is at. I feed his last meal at 5 in the evening. Should I move it up to 4? Again thanks to you guys both for being so patient with our lack of knowledge on raw feeding. It's kind of ironic since my sister is a raw foodist. LOL.