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My Manchester Terrier was switched to a raw diet ( Stella and Chewy's ) about 2 weeks ago. He loves his food, and eats every last bit of it, right away! He loves when its feeding time, he gets very excited, and just loves his food.
My biggest concern is how much effort he has to put into taking a poop. I understand the dog should have less bowel movements while eating a raw diet.. But he is pooping out bowel movements that aren't shaped properly in my opinion. Plus it takes him a minute or more of squatting down to pass a stool.. His stools are similar to the size of a golf ball. The seem very dry, and like I said, he puts a lot of effort into passing them!
I'm wondering what I could supplement his diet with to help him poop easier. I'm just a little worried about all of this... My girlfriends pomeranians are about 1/3 his size, and even their poop is larger than his since switching him to raw...
Maybe raw isn't for every one?
Any help/suggestions are appreciated.. thanks a lot!
Not sure about the raw food thing, but canned pumpkin is what my vet recommended when my dog was constipated. Also make sure he drinks plenty of water. I would call the vet and see what they recommend.
I dont feed raw but thought about it - I think they poop less and it's whitish in color - if he's comfortable, I wouldnt panic - it probably is just the changeover from kibble to raw even if it's been a couple of weeks. Would give it a bit more time. Am sure others will post their experience here.
PS WOuld call the 800 # on the back of the Stella & Chewy's bag and see what they say - if you dont have the bag, would google it
I'm wondering what I could supplement his diet with to help him poop easier.
Maybe raw isn't for every one?
Any help/suggestions are appreciated.. thanks a lot!
A raw diet is a natural diet for dogs. Unless there's some special medical or physiological issue, there's no reason to think he won't adjust.
It sounds as if your dog might not be drinking enough water - with the change in food, he may not be as thirsty as he was on prepared food thus leading to harder stools. It's not to say he doesn't need it, he just might not - comparatively speaking - feel as thirsty. You could try adding extra moisture to his food.
Many here post about the canned pumpkin as a laxative - but I've not tried it personally. My gentle laxative of choice is a tablespoon of flax or fish/cod liver oil mixed in food. Helps ease things on their way... but if using the fish option, be prepared for a bit of fish-breath.
A raw diet is a natural diet for dogs...It sounds as if your dog might not be drinking enough water - with the change in food, he may not be as thirsty as he was on prepared food thus leading to harder stools. It's not to say he doesn't need it, he just might not - comparatively speaking - feel as thirsty. You could try adding extra moisture to his food.
Many here post about the canned pumpkin as a laxative - but I've not tried it personally...
Ditto. I switched my pup to the BARF diet at 4 months - he's now 2 1/2 years old and in great health within a few weeks of switching him. (He was very sick when I rescued him.)
A couple of suggestions:
1. Pick up and read (it took me several readings) a copy of the BARF Diet books ("If you give a dog a bone..." I forget the author). I actually have adapted my pup's diet, but this was the basis.
2. In your previous post, I think you said he was eliminating golf-ball sized waste... this is not normal - that's my ditto for this poster - sounds like he needs more water. I found my pup didn't drink as much water once I switched, so I add it to his food - which the book also discusses.
3. I *have* fed a pup pumpkin - it does work. Other fruits help as well, but not all fruits are good for dogs. Bananas might help but not too ripe - they have a lot of natural sugar in them. Pumpkin also will increase your pup's energy. I actually eat it myself for extra energy now to keep up with my pup!
I believe I posted several offerings on my pup's diet... feel free to look them up. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to reply. Good luck!
Was just reading some reviews of the Honest Kitchen - anyway some dogs did have poop problems as it was a lot of fiber, for some it took longer to adjust for that reason, another seemed to lose weight - Benchwarmer, check it out, it's interesting reading -
Just remembered (reading another poster here), my pup's poop become whitish on raw diet - and much less of it. With the raw diet, without the added fillers: grains, soy, corn, wheat - you'll have much less "waste" bc those items they don't use.
One thing you also might try - not sure what the diet is you're feeding him, but if you can get some soup marrow bones from your local butcher (in the meat dept. at grocerer's who butcher their own meat) to give to the dog. I have the butcher slice mine into about 2" lengths - that's about as small as they can go without getting their fingers too close to the blade - and freeze these. Once a day, I give my pup a bone - he totally loves them and will eat out the marrow, then chew on the bones for a day or so. Watch when he takes them - bc they are fresh, you'll end up with little blood stains where he might decide to "bury" them. Mine always rushes to the bed and deposits them near the pillow. He tends not to eat them right away - even if thawed - but tends to pull them out later at night. He also will chew on the bone for a couple of days, so don't be concerned about that.
In the actual BARF diet, ppl give their dogs real bones to actually consume. My pup actually never went for that - don't know why. So I substituted rinsed, pureed eggshells (with a little water) in his diet (which also showed up in his poop), then switched to a vitamin with calcium (which unfortunately I've been told is no longer being made, so we'll have to make another switch when the bottle runs out). Anyway...
... I'm thinking there's got to be another thread on the board that discusses feeding dogs raw, so I'd recommend doing a post "Search" to find out more info. Some folks on raw simply purchase frozen or fresh patties or "logs" (in the form of the sausage we might eat), and just feed their dogs that. Personally, once I read the book (just looked it up - here's the link):
Okay... if you go to their shopping section, these books you now have to purchase on Amazon. Hm... they are expensive there now! There are six reviews... only one discourages it for older dogs, but this person has obviously been sold on Science Diet - which many vets will recommend and which is not healthy for dogs. The person said their vet told them older dogs' kidneys cannot eliminate the extra waste generated from the "rich" raw diet, but this is simply not the case. What is probably more the case is that the person has damaged their dog's kidneys along the way of life by feeding it foods that were unhealthy to begin. The raw diet is not that "rich" - raw meat, a limited amount of offal, veges, fruits, bones, and other items as needed such as calcium supplements if they aren't eating the bones.
I have personally known several ppl with older, sick dogs who switched to the BARF or other well-planned raw diet whose dogs became not only well for the first time in years but lively and energetic! The BARF diet does not generate a lot of waste - it's just the opposite. You'll have to read the book to find out more, but after having originally fed my rescued pup a variety of foods, and settling on a raw diet, I would not want to switch back or feed another dog (if I ever have one), the filler diets again.
My pup is only 2 1/2 but ppl already think he's "just a puppy". I've seen other dogs as old as 12 on the raw diet - who seem just a couple of years old. And I've seen other dogs who are just a couple of years old, who seem quite lifeless and very advanced in years on filler foods. Check the first 5 ingredients of the bag or can you use - filler, filler, meat byproduct, filler, filler - is what you'll most often see. And somewhere down the list a lot of additives and preservatives, and ... a lot of words most of us can't even pronounce. And when "scares" come out with various dog foods, my pup has always been safe.
Does it cost more? Yes, but not as much as sick pet vet bills. Does it take a little more time? Depends on if you want to prepare it yourself or buy it prepared, but what little time it takes me, is well-worth my pup's health (I got to where I was preparing one week's food in-advance each week to refrigerate - took me about two hours total). Does your dog benefit more? In more ways than you'll know. And a healthy pup... is a happy pup... is a happier you.
If the dog is already having straining - don't add more bones! How is the meat to bone ratio on the food your are giving? I have only fed leg quarters etc and not prepared raw food.
Actually most don't recommend the long beef legbones or knuckles for the hardness on the teeth. I had a dog break a molar on one of those. He was rawfed but the knuckle [raw] was recreational.
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White poop... & "raw" pet diets.
The person said their vet told them older dogs' kidneys cannot eliminate the extra waste generated from the "rich" raw diet, but this is simply not the case. What is probably more the case is that the person has damaged their dog's kidneys along the way of life by feeding it foods that were unhealthy to begin. The raw diet is not that "rich" - raw meat, a limited amount of offal, veges, fruits, bones, and other items as needed such as calcium supplements if they aren't eating the bones. 
