"I feel a push for a prescription kibble will be coming into my life Monday, and I need to know BEFORE then, if possible, that what I am doing for her is the best thing I can be doing...and hopefully, we'll get her solid BEFORE Monday comes, and that won't even be an issue."


Don't worry about this factor. You are the owner and it's your decision. Even if what ends up happening is treating for giardia, a careful bland home-made diet, if needed, is quite doable without prescription kibble. And it's also quite doable to make it palatable and balanced.

So no need to be anxiously worrying about "all fixed" by Monday. Monday may be needed for additional parasitic protozoan tests (or treatment).

Methodical trumps avoiding confrontation about waiting-room food, and you are the one who decides that. No confrontation necessary .... simple statement of choice.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (08/03/2012 05:50 PM)
Edit reason: asterisk added

The best is backs to start with. Even necks are great for very young pups.But back are best with a pup that likes to gulp their food. With the babcks you get a little skin(although I'd may even remove that with a 1st time starter to raw & young pup, at least to start with.)some of the kidney stuck to the back & then you can add other muscle meats for variety(down the road...adding one new thing at a time for a few days, just in case of some reaction, before adding somethhing new again) Cut them in half if need be...but if the pup is handling qtrs...I doubt that it is needed. Wings are ok for a snack here & there, or a meal in a pinch,but are not the greatest choice for an actual meal RMB. Not enough meat on them.

You can also be feeding too much food & that can cause the looser poop.

A leg qtr being fed for every meal is not the best overall balance of RMBs & muscle meat. You need to have the ability use other muscle meats & that doesnt' really allow that without over feeding for a smaller dog. For a pup it is VERY important to have the balances correct to insure proper growth, skelletal structure & nerves. You also run the risk of fracturing teeth in a young dog with weightbearing bones.

A good way to feed pups raw & have the balance correct, for folks just starting out feeding raw, is to use a pre made raw diet. I have used Bravo with very young pups for the first couple of months & give some wings & necks as snacks here & there to prepare them for eating regular RMBs. I have also done my own home made diet with pups...but I also use the Bravo with that for 1 meal a day until they are 4 months & then several times a weeks after that until 6 months..then all homemade diet. I want to insure that the pup is getter a perfect diet to grow on. Doing it wrong can be very dangerous for you puppy.

Feeding raw is not hard...but there really is very little room for error with pups. JMHO I have been feeding a homemade raw diet for 9 years to 4 dogs (3 of which were from 8 wk old pups) & 1 adult.

Just some thoughts.

Sometimes it take several times testing to confirm giardia. Not saying that's what is going on...just saying.

AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!! I gave a long reply, and it's not there! And I have to get going! :-( So...

Real quick, her poops are now soft, almost formed, but not pick-up-able logs. Never saw logs from her. She's been on the raw for about a week, and the poops are pretty much the same. The biggest differences between the raw and boiled are that on the boiled, she was pooping more often, stinkier, and greater quantities. She only had one part day of truly watery, and got over that fast on the boiled. But still, even on boiled, her poops were soft-formed, never logs.

I can do the chicken backs and wings, cut off whole chickens, but can't go out to buy any pre-made raw right now. So, I'm either doing the chicken backs/wings, or I'm doing boiled chicken again. Quantity would be a question, then, if you think I might be over-feeding. According to calculations that I got from another source, she "should" be eating somewhere between 1.5-2.5 lbs. Is this too much? I don't have exact calculations, but I'd say she's been getting closer to 1.5 lbs, hoping to get her solid and not overfeed.

Ok...I will be back as much as I can, but there is great unrest in the house, so I have to go tie everyone up. LOL Dinner maybe even? ;-) Thanks so much for all the responses!!

I forgot...Sportmix puppy, and Freshpet Beef roll was what the breeder fed her before.

And...I believe that she gained about 2 lbs the first week, but haven't weighed her since...will see on Monday.

And, yes, I do worry too much about what the vet is going to say. For that reason alone, I surprise myself that I decided to stick to the raw plan. LOL I'm a wuss.

It's your pup...don't let the vet coerce you into ANYTHING!

Was/is there any unusual poop color? Like yellowishness?

And you mean unusual stinkiness, right? Any mucus?

And yes, there's much more poop on rice, of course. The stinkiness being more pronounced, I'm guessing, is from the bigger poop.

When she has projectile diarrhea first day, what color was it? Brown, or more yellowish?

Is she hydrated? Do you know how to check for hydration?

"Since then, her poops have all been soft, almost formed, but not log-like, and definitely not pick-up-able, if you know what I mean. "

So no liquid or pudding at present, right? On raw, right? I'm trying to ferret out whether you're seeing any signs of blockage ..... "almost formed" sounds like not.

Everything to me sounds a lot like giardia (or coccidia).

I hope Dr, Betty sees this.

You have enough chicken to make (to cut) backs and (peel them) for the weekend?

Maybe very small frequent meals for the weekend is the best bet, if you know she is hydrated and you keep her so. (This isn't exactly the usual temporary acute diarrhea, where you'd fast and then give very soupy overcooked white rice to soothe the inflamed gut .....)

I wish it wasn't Friday night.

Is she acting OK? Not lethargic?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Was/is there any unusual poop color? Like yellowishness? Brown to dark brown poops. The softer ones seem to be lighter brown, no yellow.

And you mean unusual stinkiness, right? Any mucus? Yes, bigger poops from the chicken and rice were stinkier, probably because of their size, also the softer poops are stinkier. We did see mucus when starting her on raw, and before I started removing skin from the chicken. That has decreased now, I'd say to no mucus now.

And yes, there's much more poop on rice, of course. The stinkiness being more pronounced, I'm guessing, is from the bigger poop.

When she has projectile diarrhea first day, what color was it? Brown, or more yellowish? Her diarrhea has been mostly just brown. At it's worst, it was brown watery. I think her first day, though, if I remember correctly, it was just brown.

Is she hydrated? Do you know how to check for hydration? I do not know how to check for hydration, but she does drink well, I think.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

"Since then, her poops have all been soft, almost formed, but not log-like, and definitely not pick-up-able, if you know what I mean. "

So no liquid or pudding at present, right? On raw, right? I'm trying to ferret out whether you're seeing any signs of blockage ..... "almost formed" sounds like not. Presently, soft, brown poops. Definitely couldn't call it a log, definitely too sloppy to pick up, but also not just a pile of liquid or pudding. She is on raw, and has been for about a week.

Everything to me sounds a lot like giardia (or coccidia). I can definitely have her checked again on Monday. The vet did take a sample "fresh from the tap" last week, and didn't find any bad stuff at all.

You have enough chicken to make (to cut) backs and (peel them) for the weekend? I believe I do. I just did 2 chickens, and I think I have 4-6 more in the freezer. LOL

Maybe very small frequent meals for the weekend is the best bet, if you know she is hydrated and you keep her so. (This isn't exactly the usual temporary acute diarrhea, where you'd fast and then give very soupy overcooked white rice to soothe the inflamed gut .....)

I wish it wasn't Friday night.

Is she acting OK? Not lethargic? She is WILD. LOL In great spirits, and not at all lethargic. I think she feels GOOD.

Just to double check...she has been getting approximately 1.5 lbs, maybe as much as 2. Is this a good amount? She's a small girl right now, like, only 10 ish lbs.