# PMR and blood in stool?



## pittymama (Dec 9, 2010)

my dogs had been eating ground raw for a couple of weeks and now PMR for the past week. yesterday fern had loose stool/diarrhea a few times with some blood sitting on top (not seeming to be mixed in). i gave her rice last night and again this morning. she is a gulper and isn't chewing her chicken much before swallowing it down. i'm concerned that she may have gotten cut within her digestive tract from ingesting the bones....what do you guys think? 

I'm trying to stay open minded but the bloody stool is making me question PMR..and i'm reluctant to feed it tonight. maybe i should do ground turkey and rice. 

thoughts? thank you.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

What exactly did she eat before the diarrhea? Sometimes Lucky will have a real red tint to her poo after she's had some organ meat. Maybe the chicken had some organs still attached and that upset Fern's tummy....

Has she pooped again yet?


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## candiceb (Jan 22, 2010)

Small amounts of blood in stool is not too much to be alarmed about generally. It's usually an indicator of stress on the digestive system, and I would bet it's because of the loose stool.

Take a look at what you're feeding her. For the first few weeks she should only eat one protein, preferably chicken. Make sure you're removing any skin and excess fat to start. Is there anything else she might have gotten into? Any unusual treats, garbage, or leftovers?

If it were my dog, I would fast her tonight, and start again tomorrow. Some people recommend rice for digestive upsets, but you could also try something called slippery elm bark. It sells in liquid or pill form, and I think it's generally found with other natural supplements.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Fresh red blood isn't indicative of a cut somewhere along the digestive tract. Don't worry about the bones doing this because even the sharpest seeming fragments aren't nearly strong enough to cut through the intestinal lining. Even surgical steel has to have a ton of pressure behind it to make a cut. 

My guess is that the blood is from a bit of irritation and colitis from her large intestine. This is pretty normal for dogs that are newly transitioned to a rmb diet. I wouldn't do the rice remedy because that is meant for kibble fed dogs. What you do when on raw is increase the amount of bone you feed. Bone binds stools up, kinda like fiber.

I suggest you stop doing the rice thing and increase bone content. If you're feeding chicken quarters make sure all skin and excess fat and organ are all trimmed off. Maybe slice away some extra meat. If it makes you feel more comfortable with feeding bones smash the quarter up with a hammer before giving it. I'd feed nothing but bone in chicken for at least the next two weeks. 

What exactly have they been getting to eat? Food and treats, everything....


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dog-health-issues-question/5869-blood-stool.html


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

pittymama said:


> my dogs had been eating ground raw for a couple of weeks and now PMR for the past week. yesterday fern had loose stool/diarrhea a few times with some blood sitting on top (not seeming to be mixed in).


Your reaction is typical of newbies the first time they see some blood in stool. It's not uncommon for new dogs to have this. It will be less and less frequent as time goes on. It's not a big deal and it's not dangerous.



> i gave her rice last night and again this morning.


Like Natalie said, rice isn't something you should give her.



> she is a gulper and isn't chewing her chicken much before swallowing it down.


Don't worry about that. Dogs don't chew like humans. They only crunch until its small enough to fit down their throat. Some amazingly large pieces can fit down their throat. My dogs have swallowed whole chicken quarters before with no problem.



> i'm concerned that she may have gotten cut within her digestive tract from ingesting the bones....what do you guys think?


Again, like Natalie said, Nope, didn't happen. :smile:



> I'm trying to stay open minded but the bloody stool is making me question PMR..and i'm reluctant to feed it tonight. maybe i should do ground turkey and rice.


You are going backwards if you do that. Don't worry. Dogs have been eating like this for a million years. They know how to do it and they are well equipped to do it. It is the way their bodies were designed to eat.

Relax and enjoy your dog's newfound pleasures :smile:


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Back when Max started raw there was a tiny but annoying bit of blood in his stool. The gut isn't used to the small volume and tiny amount of poop firmer upper yet. I fed more bone and was impressed, next day nice firm and blood free poop.


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## candiceb (Jan 22, 2010)

How is Fern doing?


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## pittymama (Dec 9, 2010)

candiceb said:


> Small amounts of blood in stool is not too much to be alarmed about generally. It's usually an indicator of stress on the digestive system, and I would bet it's because of the loose stool.
> 
> Take a look at what you're feeding her. For the first few weeks she should only eat one protein, preferably chicken. Make sure you're removing any skin and excess fat to start. Is there anything else she might have gotten into? Any unusual treats, garbage, or leftovers?
> 
> If it were my dog, I would fast her tonight, and start again tomorrow. Some people recommend rice for digestive upsets, but you could also try something called slippery elm bark. It sells in liquid or pill form, and I think it's generally found with other natural supplements.


thank you for this! i've been feeding just chicken and have given a few pieces of chicken hearts and gizzards once per week so far. i hadn't realized the organs were too rich to introduce during the first few weeks and also just learned that i should be removing the skin initially. she seems better now. i did give her some rice for the next couple of meals as well. 

funny, i take deglycerolized licorice with slippery elm sometimes for my own upset stomach - never thought to give slippery elm to a dog.


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## pittymama (Dec 9, 2010)

thanks danemama! sorry i'm just getting back to this thread now - i had a week off and didn't have my username and password with me at home! 

i did however get to spend some time reading over your info from your prey model raw website and learned of a few mistakes i've been making there. plus, some friends from the rescue i'm affiliated with had advised me of the same. 

i've been feeding chicken quarters, just started removing the skin after the day fern had diarrhea, and again have given a few chicken hearts and gizzards. i will rely on increasing the bone content next time instead of rice now that i know better. i do still feed some traditional dry organic treats. should i not be doing this? 

i'm looking into purchasing a dehydrator so i can make my own jerky. thoughts? 

i'm glad to hear the bones won't tear their intestines. it's just going to take a while for me to learn all the details here and become entirely comfortable with pmr feeding. thank you so much for helping me! 




danemama08 said:


> Fresh red blood isn't indicative of a cut somewhere along the digestive tract. Don't worry about the bones doing this because even the sharpest seeming fragments aren't nearly strong enough to cut through the intestinal lining. Even surgical steel has to have a ton of pressure behind it to make a cut.
> 
> My guess is that the blood is from a bit of irritation and colitis from her large intestine. This is pretty normal for dogs that are newly transitioned to a rmb diet. I wouldn't do the rice remedy because that is meant for kibble fed dogs. What you do when on raw is increase the amount of bone you feed. Bone binds stools up, kinda like fiber.
> 
> ...


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## pittymama (Dec 9, 2010)

thank you for this!! i feel much better now and continue to do so the more i learn. 

actually, when i first took fern home from her temporary foster (8 months ago), she had been eating premixed ground raw. i switched her to wellness core (wasn't quite ready for raw at the time) and she had runny, bloody stools for a couple of weeks before she was normal again. i think her system can be sensitive when transitioning, but overall she seems to be healthy in that regard. 

in retrospect, i should have just kept her on raw....she was suppose to be my foster but stayed with me for only three days before i decided to adopt her. introductions with my boy asa were challenging and i sort of had my hands full for the first couple of weeks so it would have just been too much for me to try and switch feed too. 










RawFedDogs said:


> Your reaction is typical of newbies the first time they see some blood in stool. It's not uncommon for new dogs to have this. It will be less and less frequent as time goes on. It's not a big deal and it's not dangerous.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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