Hi Guys,

Sorry this is not about the chi's but about our poodle x puppy.

Some may have read we have been having drinking & peeing issues with him that we have been trying to get under control. I have been thinking of going raw for a while so thought I would give it a go to see if it helped him. My reasoning being that dry kibble may be making him more thirsty.

Anyway Tuesday night Elmo (poodle x) & Bella had raw, corn fed chicken breast (Yogi & Pebbles were disgusted & wouldn't touch it lol). Then last night I gave them their regular kibble basically cause I wanted to use it up. Well today Elmo has runny dark green stools & some of it was quite watery!

Is this normal?

Bell seems fine as does Beau our Kelpie x who has been raw fed for quite some time and ate from the same package of chicken....

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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I'm thinking it's probably just a digestive upset from switching the diet back and forth. In general, raw poop tends to be smaller, firmer, and eventually just disintegrates to dust for all practical purposes. Since everything is fully processed there's less waste. But, that's with a properly balanced raw diet. In the beginning adjustment period it can vary what to see. I do know, though, that it's best to avoid having kibble & raw in their systems at the same time, since they process at different rates it can cause upset stomach as well. I would make a decision as to which diet you want to go with, and then stick with it so his system has a chance to adjust. Good luck! =)

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Did you give just raw chicken breast? No bone? If so, it's going to go right on through and cause a loose stool. Bone acts as fiber and firms stools. It's important to be quite bone heavy in the beginning of any raw diet.

If you want to try again, go ahead and give a few bites of raw chicken breast, but give a section of wing on the side, or the ribs/sternum bones of the breast or get a cornish hen and chunk it up into pieces of meat and bone and give that. Bone firms stools. It's essential to a new-to-raw dog.

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"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

Thanks guys, yeah you're right. I didn't think it through & should have known better. It just came to me to try him on raw as I was cutting up Beau's dinner & I should have waited....

Just so long as you think the green stool is nothing to worry about we will be giving it another go.

I am off to the butcher this afternoon to get chicken necks & wings to start everyone on & I think I'll drop in to the local pet store that I know stocks BARF (aussie made pre-made raw I have been meaning to look into for ages, gee time slips away!)

I just really want Elmo to work out as I intend to train him as a companion/therapy dog for my son, but don't know if it is appropriate for a special needs child to have a therapy dog with special needs..... Sorry going off topic, its just been on my mind.

Thanks again. Will re-read all my raw diet info (been a couple of years since we started Beaudy) and begin the cycle properly this time. Beau was easy, he is an eating machine & has NEVER turned his nose up at anything lol.

Oh and any tips on how to encourage Yogi (very fussy eater) and Pebbles (thinks she is part cat & part human & likes to try to eat human/cat food if we're not careful) would be much appreciated.

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I think you're doing fine! Just remember to go slow. If you have a bump in the road, go back to where you were doing good before and start again. It's fine to be quite bone heavy in the beginning. Some raw feeders will start out on chicken frames/backs/necks only for a couple weeks to be sure that stools are firm before adding in more meat. So you can definitely add in quite a bit of bone in the beginning. Then gradually back off.

For fussy eaters ..... if you sniff a fresh chicken breast you'll see that is is almost odorless. For dogs used to eating kibble (which is very strong smelling), that's quite a change! So you can stink it up a little by adding some parmesan cheese. Or searing for just a few seconds in a really hot pan, or drizzling with just a bit of butter or coconut oil. Ribboning the meat with scissors so the dog has something to grab onto can help reluctant eaters. Rub on a bit of canned food if nothing else works. Anything to get them licking the meat and eventually tasting it.

Is the BARF you have available there the Billinghurst brand? I've heard good things about it. And it would certainly be easy and simplify things for you. Then you can add in fresh meats and bones on the side.

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"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

Thanks Tracy

Yes it is the Billinghurst brand and I have read rave reviews. Haven't had a chance to get to the pet shop yet because I have had 3 sick kids with fevers the last couple of days - sigh. Hopefully I will make it tomorrow.

So far chicken necks are going down well, just takes a while longer to eat them and I am having resource guarding issues with Yogi which I think are related to the new male in the pack. We'll get there

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