I did go to the vet, after nearly a week of the diarrhea, that appeared to be clearing up, then turned back to bloody and liquid. Diagnosed with colitis. I think I'll stick to kibble for now, until I'm more settled. I'm a travel nurse, in Texas only until June, and having to search out a good vet for support with the switch and what not is too daunting. Call me chicken, but I won't be feeding it to my dog anymore for awhile!

 Quote: stephanie biros

So, in attempting to slowly switch to a raw diet, as my dogs digestive system seems pretty touchy, I've been still mostly feeding kibble, but replacing one of his meals every other day with a chicken wing or leg ...

 Quote: stephanie biros

I did go to the vet ... Diagnosed with colitis.

I hope that the two or more of the folks here who went through colitis with a dog on part-kibble-part-raw will add to this.

Stephanie, this has nothing at all to do with you; you were doing what many have done very successfully: a gradual shift that made for a lengthy period of kibble-and-raw together.

But where I used to just say "keep the kibble and raw meals widely separated if you must feed both" (although I sure never recommended both), I don't say that now.

If there is kibble in the stomach, the kibble slows down the normally speedy passage of raw food by a factor of two or three. There are other aspects of the problem of having raw and kibble cohabitating in the stomach, but this one, that can result in colonizing pathogens, is major.

These stories are piling up, both here and on another board, despite the fact that one well-known K9 nutrition board contends over and over that this "was never really true."

Most dogs are fine with this. Many many people do this. I imagine that the board that calls this caution unnecessary has had a lot of people report these good experiences.

But a couple of these colitis stories every month, always linked to kibble-plus-raw diets, are enough that I just don't think it's a good idea.

And Stephanie, you might want to consider THK. I'm so glad you got the dog to the vet and that he's OK.

 Quote: stephanie biros

I think I'll stick to kibble for now, until I'm more settled. I'm a travel nurse, in Texas only until June, and having to search out a good vet for support with the switch and what not is too daunting.

Hi Stephanie. Switching a dog to raw can be as easy as cold turkey, or as slow and laborious as months of slowly inching your way through ingredients until you can feed a well rounded meal. Given your circumstances, and the fact that you know your dog's digestive system can be sensitive, I think it's just fine for you to wait until you're more settled, and can create a support system in the event of digestive issues that don't respond to home treatment.

I DO think you should try raw again in the future though , there's usually always a way to make a raw diet work, with recipe testing for problematic tummies... it'll just take some dedication.

FWIW, my dog (raw fed for 2 years) came down with a pretty nasty case of diarrhea over the winter and he ended up needing antibiotics to kick it after our vet diagnosed colitis. Colitis is a VERY general term for an irritated digestive system, and it's a symptom, not a cause. Who knows what Oscar picked up that sparked his issues, but it resolved right away with the antibiotics, and we resumed his normal raw feeding as soon as he was back in top form.

Hope your pup is feeling better now, and good luck!

~Natalya

Connie makes excellent points... I forgot this dog was getting BOTH kibble and raw...

~Natalya

Stephanie, I didn't feed kibble and raw together, but when I switched to raw, my dog got bloody poop after she got into some pancakes. The grain in the pancakes is the only thing I could ever figure out that caused it. I am super careful about not letting her get into any kind of grain type food now (my 3 year old grandson is here a lot and I am on constant watch).

Hang in there and maybe you can try a natural raw diet later, but I would, at the least, give the dog the very best kibble available with no/few grains.

This is just based on my experiences with my dog. By the way, my dog is a 10 pound ankle biter and she doesn't have any trouble at all with appropriate size bones and such. I don't grind it or anything. Just rip 'er off a hunk.

Good luck and glad you went to the vet.

Realize, too, that the bloody poop may persist with the kibble.

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

 Quote: Tommy DeVito

Barbara I'm unemployed at the moment (like many) and stressed as all get out. I've taken to more crate time and acting like Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful the rest of the time.

I hope this won't make me look any more like a dork, but I haven't seen the movie yet so I'm in the dark!! Not the first time this has happened, I assure you.

Tommy, is acting like Roberto Benigni a good thing or should we be calling out the doggie social service??

Hang in there... this is a crazy, crazy time for lots of folks. Dogs are good stress relievers ya' know, so make time for more grooming and belly rubs (his, not yours!!).

During the Nazi days, Roberto plays a father who plays games with his son so his son doesn't really know what is going on (concentration camps, etc), he does this during German takeover of his neighborhood. His kid thinks it's all a big game and anytime his father is around he is +, etc. Go rent it, he won an Oscar for the movie.

http://www.marvistavet.net/html/body_colitis.html

Y'all may have already seen this, but I thought it had a very good overview of colitis.

I like how it explains the differences of diarrhea originating in the small vs. large intestine.

I'm easily amused.

The vet did recommend if I switch to raw in the future I should probably try probiotics along with it. (Though she did not recommend the raw diet, of course.) Point taken with regards to mixing kibble and raw.

That's a great site for colitis info!!