Thanks Connie, I didn't realize I was giving him too much calcium. I'll be adding half a ground up eggshell to his cooked food. I would like to switch him back to his raw diet asap, but I also don't want to stress out his belly too soon.

I agree with a slow switch and then care with sourcing.

I would like to add that even a dog as close to me as my beloved granddog Milo, in spite of my enthusiasm for raw feeding, has been on home-cooked for years now, since a few terrible bouts of GI infection. There are individuals who are better served this way.

I'm not saying that your dog necessarily needs a home-cooked or THK or other non-raw diet forever; I am saying that I wouldn't be too stressed about the possibility.

I'd just carry on, checking his poops and watching him, and knowing that I had more than one good-diet tool in my toolbox, just in case.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I agree with a slow switch and then care with sourcing.

I would like to add that even a dog as close to me as my beloved granddog Milo, in spite of my enthusiasm for raw feeding, has been on home-cooked for years now, since a few terrible bouts of GI infection. There are individuals who are better served this way.

I'm not saying that your dog necessarily needs a home-cooked or THK or other non-raw diet forever; I am saying that I wouldn't be too stressed about the possibility.

I'd just carry on, checking his poops and watching him, and knowing that I had more than one good-diet tool in my toolbox, just in case.

That makes a whole lot of sense, thanks so much! I will certainly consider rotating some THK in, he tried it before and loved it, it's just pricey... but better than another $300 vet bill I think. Cooking for him isn't any big deal either, he really enjoys it. So I'm sure I can also whip up some chicken and rice with eggshells a few nights a week especially when continuing to rotate in some hard cooked eggs (sans shell + 1/2 shell powder), canned mackerel, occasional neck bones, etc.

I have Lew Olson's book so I can also get a bunch of cooked diet recipes from there, too.

Certainly raw is the best food choice for many dogs, if you can afford it and do it properly. My vet isn't against raw, but she does caution about bacterial contamination issues, and making sure diet is balanced. If your dog is susceptable to bacterial contamination for whatever reason, I'd be cautious about feeding raw meat from commercial slaughterhouses (what you'd buy in Costco, more than likely).

My shepherd has been healthy and on kibble since a week or so of black tarry stool that caused her to be borderline anemic, nauseous, and overall un-well. This occured after I started a raw diet. Likely from contaminated chicken. I'd keep an eye on your dog for any further bleeding. Black stool is pretty obvious if you are paying attention, but it's not as alarming as red-bloody stool and could pass un-noticed if you're not monitoring your dog. My dog recovered after another round of stronger antibiotics. A bleeder in the upper GI is nothing to be lax about. My human friend nearly died of a bleeding ulcer at age 19 (too much Coca-cola and genetic predisposition).

Every dog's GI tract is unique. Raw may not be the best choice for your dog.

you can get the larger bags at costco of chicken breasts that are more economical i that helps. Or get whole chickens and cut them up. Hope you pup is completely healed..I know how it is to have a sick puppy, my Cody-man was quite sick before.
sharon

Well it's just over a week later. He's still on one antibiotic and one other med that coats his stomach so any possible ulcers will have a chance to heal.

I've had him on cooked (boiled) boneless chicken thighs, hard cooked eggs (every other day), ground eggshell, and Honest Kitchen food now for four days after ceasing his turkey and rice meals.

His stools are back to normal and he's doing great. I'll have the vet do another stool analysis next week to confirm that there is no more blood in the stool (I can't see any, but that doesn't mean it's not there in small amounts, right?).

I've re-read the chapter on cooked diets in Lew Olson's book and will, for now, continue a diet of cooked boneless chicken thighs, cooked chicken gizzards, hard cooked eggs, canned mackeral, cottage cheese, yogurt, sweet potato, Honest Kitchen and the occasional pork neck or chicken/turkey neck bones thrown in.