Hello.

Grey is 8 months old now and has been on RAW since I got him at 8 weeks. His diet usually consists of chicken leg quarters, the occasional egg, sardines, etc. About 10 days ago, he started getting runny stool, so I switched him to the bland boiled chicken (no bones) and rice diet which the vet had recommended months before when he had diarrhea before. It worked then, binding his stools, but this time it didn't at all. Still runny stools!

So I fed him some pigs feet which have always bound him up in the past (and, besides that, he LOVES pig's feet). That worked. Normal stools. Then I switched back to chicken wings, RAW, thinking that the higher bone/meat ratio (as compared to chicken leg quarters) would help him back to normal RAW feeding and digestion. Yesterday was his first day with the RAW chicken wings.

Today, he's back to runny stools. He feels fine. Normal temperature. TONS of energy (as usual). So, I'll take him to the vetr on Monday when they open to look for worms (though I'm fairly certain he doesn't have any---he's never out of my sight eating things in the backyard).

So, I'm wondering: does he have chicken allergies? Is there a way to check for sure (aside from my chicken-pig-chicken experiment)? Has anyone else had this problem? If he does have a chicken allergy, what else can form the basis of a RAW diet?

Thanks in advance...
Jon and Grey

 Quote:

..... I'm wondering: does he have chicken allergies? Is there a way to check for sure (aside from my chicken-pig-chicken experiment)?...

Hi, Jon,

Of course he *could* be allergic to chicken, and, in fact, what commercial manufacturers call "poultry mix" is in the top five or so canine allergens. And diarrhea *could* be a sign of a food allergy or sensitivity........

But my own long and varied experiences with allergic dogs, along with everything I have read, would tell me to suspect something besides chicken allergy first.

I say that because canine allergies are so much more likely to present as skin itch-and-scratch and inflammation, maybe with secondary infections in the ears and skin, that as suddenly-runny stools. Again, it's not unheard of, but.........

You're certain that nothing new was added around the time of the diarrhea? Canned fish often causes diarrhea if fed in quantity or suddenly.

If there's nothing at all you can think of to eliminate from his diet, *and* if he checks out fine at the vet on Monday, then I think I'd try a week of no-chicken (lamb neck, riblets, or anything you can get easily) with some canned plain pumpkin (not pie filling), and then re-introduce chicken with no skin, white meat only at first, and see what happens.

Then, if there really is a chicken allergy or sensitivity, there are plenty of alternatives here, in their meal suggestions, and on all the raw-feeding sites:
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

I hope you'll post back with the vet results Monday.

 Quote:

....I'm wondering: does he have chicken allergies? Is there a way to check for sure (aside from my chicken-pig-chicken experiment)? Has anyone else had this problem? If he does have a chicken allergy, what else can form the basis of a RAW diet?

Sorry, Jon, I forgot part. I thought of this while I was out: I meant to try the lamb flaps with a little canned pumpkin after you have the present diarrhea controlled.

Since you won't be using the usual cooked chicken breast with rice for that soothing phase, you might want to try cooked white fish fillets (sole or other very non-oily white fish), which you can get cheaply if it's frozen (especially if you have Trader Joe's where you are). It's light and it's high-protein, and you can stir well-cooked rice in with it and simmer the whole thing, plus a tablespoon or two of the plain cooked (canned) pumpkin.

When I feed white fish, I do feel along the pin-bone area against the grain for any strays, because they're sharp and long. If there are a couple, just pull them out.


You can also try just the rice, well-cooked and a little soupy, with the pumpkin stirred in, for a day. These aren't long-term diets, obviously, but will help with food-related diarrhea. You could do these things now, IMO, while waiting for the vet appointment Monday.


I'm not a health professional.

It could also be Giardia that can cause runny stool, if there haven't been any diet changes to cause it. Beef knuckle bones are also good at firming up stools in addition to the pure pumpkin. I would be surprised if it was chicken allergies. Let us know what the vet says.

One of my dogs is a show line GSD that is allergic to chicken, among other things.....anyway, I found this out through a very expensive blood test a few years ago. He had always had stool issues on and off and so I was relieved, thinking oh, good, found the problem, now feed carefully and it is solved.

Well, not so fast!! The continued occasional and unpredictable bouts of diarreah (I always blamed it on his possibly getting to some snack the kids left laying around)were more than an occasional fluke! He was just diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and colitis!! This diagnosis came after testing for EPI,( his level came back at 5.5)and feeding boiled beef and rice for 2+ weeks. His runny stools also had clear jelly like mucous, which was YUCK!

I guess what I'm saying, is....there might not be an easy answer. I suggest working closely with your vet in the case of continued GI distress, and paying careful attention to feeding the highest quality food you can. I cannot feed him raw anymore( not since he was very young). I now had to take him off of the Natures Recipe Vegetarian and Solid Gold Millenium ( among the few foods not containing foods he's allergic to)that I normally would mix together for him.
His new food is only available through the vet, which stinks! It is called Eukanuba Response FP, and it is expensive! Since I started him on it this week, combined with some Prozyme to help him along, since his EPI level was so borderline....he has been pooping better than ever in his whole life!!We are also waiting on a fecal test sent out to a lab to check for things like Giardia and Cryptosporidium.....

I wish you the very best, good luck with your dog!!

Jeannette, sounds like you're talking about my dog. I sent you a PM. How's that new food working out?