# at a loss for the right food.



## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

I have 2 boxers, an 18month old male and a 3 yr old female. They have both been on a raw diet for a while. My female stopped eating any raw food and my male would have horrible bowel issues if he ate anything other than chx back or necks. Def not a complete diet. The male was weened onto raw and the female on it from the time she was 6 months old until she stopped eating it at 2. She did well on it when she ate.

So I had them on Orijen for the past 3-4 months. All was better with my female but my male rarely had solid stool. I fed less and he got way to thin and no improvements. Probiotics, digestive enzymes, canned pumpkin, yougurt, brown ice, oatmeal...I tried it all. No go, still not working for him. Then I tried cali nat herring for him ( a big bag worth on a slow switch). WORSE, much worse. I keep her on orijen bu then she had similar issues recently.

Back on orijen for them both...after another month, I tried TOTW wetlands and BOTH dogs did horrible. Gassy, loose stool, huge piles. I'm at such a loss here and have no idea what will work for them. I'm willing to try 2 sep foods but I am so sick of making them sick by trying to find something to work.

ideally, I want to feed a grain free food but will try anything at this point.
Natural Balance LID? It's really low in fat and sweet potato is the # ingredient. I think Evo and Core will be too rich. Wellness limited ingredients?

any suggestions?


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

What exactly were you feeding them when you fed them raw? Any fruits, veggies, grains, plant matter, etc?


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Your one dog may have an allergy to one of the ingredients in Orijen. I had my big dog on Orijen but my little dog would sneak bites of it and it would make her horribly sick. She gets horrendous diarhea and colitis from any food that has salmon, salmon oil, or olive oil in it. It took me awhile to figure out what ingredients were causing her problems. I switched him to Evo because it has no salmon and she can eat it just fine. You might want to try Evo. It is totally grain free and come in two varieties. We use the small bites original, haven't tried the red meat version yet. The canned Evo has different ingredients (it has salmon in it) so be sure and read all ingredients when you try a new food. Often the canned versions have different ingredients then the dry.


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## BGBY (Sep 22, 2009)

Have you read RAW Feeding 101? 

I have a boxer too! :biggrin:


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

60% RMB (organic chicken 1/4's mostly)
20% meat (ground chix, beef or turkey)
20% offal (liver, heart, gizzards)

They would get tripe 1x a week as well as salmon oil, yogurt, cottage cheese and every other week makral. No veggie matter. I do not believe they need it with the tripe and they would not eat it anyway. Only got grains when they had an upset tummy (chicken/rice).

I have decided not to feed raw for the time being and am looking for a decent grain free kibble that agree's with both of them.


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

BGBY said:


> Have you read RAW Feeding 101?
> 
> I have a boxer too! :biggrin:


yes thank you. I have studied raw feeding for over 3 yrs. I have read countless books and articles- plus my breeder is a raw feeder for over 6 yrs.

Like I said, I am not feeding them raw for the time being and am looking for a decent kibble that agrees with them both.


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## BGBY (Sep 22, 2009)

TwoBoxers said:


> 60% RMB (organic chicken 1/4's mostly)
> 20% meat (ground chix, beef or turkey)
> 20% offal (liver, heart, gizzards)
> 
> ...




Heart and gizzards are muscles. :wink: Hope you find something that works for your pups. Just trying to help.


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

chowder said:


> Your one dog may have an allergy to one of the ingredients in Orijen. I had my big dog on Orijen but my little dog would sneak bites of it and it would make her horribly sick. She gets horrendous diarhea and colitis from any food that has salmon, salmon oil, or olive oil in it. It took me awhile to figure out what ingredients were causing her problems. I switched him to Evo because it has no salmon and she can eat it just fine. You might want to try Evo. It is totally grain free and come in two varieties. We use the small bites original, haven't tried the red meat version yet. The canned Evo has different ingredients (it has salmon in it) so be sure and read all ingredients when you try a new food. Often the canned versions have different ingredients then the dry.


That is what I'm guessing about an intolerance. From what I understand, meat in a raw format may be fine but processed in the form of kibble can be an issue. I think EVO may be too rich, no?
Boxers are notorious for having digestive issues and from what I have read, EVO RM is very rich and a lot boxers do not do well on it.


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

BGBY said:


> Heart and gizzards are muscles. :wink: Hope you find something that works for your pups. Just trying to help.


heart is actually both :biggrin:


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## BGBY (Sep 22, 2009)

TwoBoxers said:


> heart is actually both :biggrin:


Taken from the link I posted to you above...
*What organs do I feed?
Liver is the most important and should be at least half of the organs fed. Any kind of liver will do. Chicken, beef, pork, lamb, any of them. A variety is best over time. Kidney is the next most nutritious organ to feed. Also lung and pancreas. Heart is not an organ but a muscle and is good to feed too. Gizzard is also a muscle.*

I'm just sayin... 

Regardless, I hope you can find something that will help your boxers. Good luck! :smile:


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

there are various opinions on ratios and what to feed when you feed raw. What works for you may not work for others and my mentor considers heart a muscle and an organ and he dogs thrive off this ratios.

This is not my breeder but I respect her an her opinions on raw feeding and her site has a wealth of info on it.
What We Feed - Newcastle Boxers

another one of my favs as well"
BARF for Beginners - Most Frequently Asked Questions

Okay I appreciate the comment and conversation.. BUT.

I DID not start this topic to discuss raw food, ratios and what raw food to feed. I was just looking for opinions on a decent kibble and that's it.


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## TwoBoxers (Aug 29, 2009)

so far EVO or EVO RM has been the only rec?
any others, I'm about to hit up the local food store.


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## BGBY (Sep 22, 2009)

I know. :smile:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

TwoBoxers said:


> so far EVO or EVO RM has been the only rec?
> any others, I'm about to hit up the local food store.


Both of my dogs have eaten Innova with no problems. Same manufacturer of Evo but not totally grain free. My dog with the digestive issues does well on the Innova Senior and Rocky ate the Innova puppy without any problems before I switched him totally to Orijen and Evo. It is not as rich at Evo so might suit your dog with the digestive issues. They also eat the canned Innova with no problems and it is more meaty then the dry.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I'd say Evo is your next best bet. Remember it can take up to two months for your dog's digestive tract to sort itself out so give it time with the new food and do a really slow transition over to it. Of course, if the Orijen isn't working at all for your boxer anyway, you could always do chicken and rice to settle the tummy then wean in the new food. That can sometimes be easier on their system than just a straight switch or continuing to feed something that isn't working. I'd try your other dog on the Evo as well just to see if you can get em both on the same thing, but if you're willing to feed two separate foods, might as well keep her on what's working if Evo doesn't suit her as well.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

TwoBoxers said:


> there are various opinions on ratios and what to feed when you feed raw. What works for you may not work for others and my mentor considers heart a muscle and an organ and he dogs thrive off this ratios.
> 
> This is not my breeder but I respect her an her opinions on raw feeding and her site has a wealth of info on it.
> What We Feed - Newcastle Boxers
> ...


I think that people on here are just curious to what you were feeding on a raw diet, not trying to criticise you or anything. I think for the most part if dogs are not doing well on a raw diet it's because they are not being fed correctly. Raw is not an exact science but you sure can do it incorrectly, which can cause all sorts of problems. 

I would say that if your dogs were doing fine on the diet for a long time, then there might be something else that contributed to them getting sick. *How long were your dogs sick on raw before you chose to switch?*
Both of my dogs did not do well on EVO. They were on it for about 6 months before I switched to raw. They never really had firm stools, it seemed to be too rich for them. I think that most grain free foods are going to be super rich, due to such a high percentage of protein in the food, but lots of dogs do well on it.

I would say that any of the premium foods could be considered. Definitely go to your local feed store and talk to the owner about all the foods they carry. Hope you find some answers and good luck.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

TwoBoxers said:


> there are various opinions on ratios and what to feed when you feed raw. What works for you may not work for others and my mentor considers heart a muscle and an organ and he dogs thrive off this ratios.
> 
> This is not my breeder but I respect her an her opinions on raw feeding and her site has a wealth of info on it.
> What We Feed - Newcastle Boxers
> ...


Understandable being frustrated by not hearing exactly what you expected, but people are just asking how you're feeding raw so they can perhaps suggest another ratio for you. The one you're using isnt working, based on what you said, so perhaps we can offer you an opinon on another ratio or meats that will work without having to go from a great raw diet to a dumbed down kibble diet- that's all.

With that said: California Natural worked wonders for my Corgi that was having really bad digestive upset when we went from raw to Evo. (going back to raw as soon as I move out and have my own freezer. YAY!)


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## sganow (Apr 16, 2009)

We've had good luck with Nature's Variety.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

If you want to switch to kibble go ahead. I can't suggest any as they are all pretty much equally bad. The kibbles with the most protein and less carbs would be better. If you really want to help your dog's digestive problems then I can help you with that. It will not include feeding kibble.


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## Whiskey's Momma (Sep 23, 2009)

*Probiotics*

Have you tried adding probiotics to your dogs diet...really helps with runny poop. Pet Dophilus by a company named jarrow works really good. The cheapist I have found it is at Swansonvitamins.com.....or you can get it at your local natural pet food store. Also maybe digestive enzymes can help, this is a little harder to find. My dog eats Wellness and I add these two things and other supplements because they are good for him....he has done really well on the Wellness....no more itch paws or skin. I was previously feeding Nutro Natural Choice.:tongue:


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