# mushy poo!



## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

my guy has been on raw for about 12 days now, still on 1 chicken quarter and 1 piece of breast meat (totally 1.5ish pounds) a day and then 1 raw egg/3 1000mg salmon oil capsules at night. originally his stool was perfect and now his stool isnt so great...the only thing i think ive changed is the original few days he didnt have the raw egg and now he does. could that have caused this? his stool is cannon but, but it comes out like pudding mush.


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## mewlittle (Mar 18, 2013)

Stop the egg for awhile and see if it straightens out


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Yes stick with the chicken and if it were me I would just go back to the quarters till his stool firms up. Don't even add the extra breast meat go slow and after chicken the next best protein to add is turkey.

I would wait on the eggs till he is down the road a bit.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

ok will do! back to 1 quarter a day to see what happens, dont want him to lean out too much! lol

later on down the road, will his stomach learn to digest properly with less bone in his diet?


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Yes he will digest better down the road and he won't need as much bone, he's just very new to it. Do you feed once or twice a day? You can also add in another leg at first if it isn't enough for him.

I couldn't get chicken backs when I first started but I did find packages of legs and of thighs. So for the first few days I would give legs then I would give legs in the morning and thighs in the evening. Then I went to turkey necks and backs, ya I could get turkey backs not chicken ones. 

Just as soon as his stools firm up then add some of the breast meat back in. Just wait to add in the eggs till later when he gets use to it.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Can you get split chicken breasts? Not just the meat? That will add the extra meat he needs, along with some bone to keep things firm, in agree with everybody else, hold the egg. If you don't see an improvement hold the salmon oil for a bit as well. Too many things in the beginning can complicate a transition. He won't be lacking anything if he doesn't get salmon oil while he transitions.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

i feed him once a day in the morning. ill stop the egg, and give him 1 quarter for now and see what happens, if he starts leaning, ill up it to 2 quarters until his stool is firm!


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Be sure you are removing the skin and fat on the quarters as well for a bit. I agree with the others about holding off on the egg for now, and I would also at least back off the oil a bit too. Maybe just a couple times a week for now, and only 1or maybe 2. Slowly increase those as things get better. 

Twelve days isn't very long into raw, so you don't really want to add too much more than just bone in chicken right now. It's easy to get in toomuch of ahurry and add too much too soon. There's no rush, you'll get there in time.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

yup i trim all the fat and take off all the skin  yeah i dont mind backing down the salmon oil either, i thought i might have been giving too much. is 3 capsules 1000mg each too much normally?

i should also add, he is EXTREMELY gassy, clears out the room!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Its probably the combo of eggs and salmon oil and the recent switch to raw food. Too much all at once. 

Go back and start with JUST bone in chicken. NO salmon oil or eggs. Feed this for a few days and see how it goes, then start to add in just more chicken. Then start leaving the skin and fat on the quarters slowly and gradually. Once he can handle whole, untrimmed chicken quarters, add in ONE capsule of salmon oil. Then add in the second capsule. Then add in eggs. 

Just need to take things slow and step wise to be successful in the long run! 

Keep us posted.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

this morning he had decent stool, but for some reason he wanted to go again tonight, and it was projectile liquid! pretty stinky too lol. now, im going to associate this with him going to the vet today (nothing major, just getting some more trifexis) and i made the mistake of letting my girlfriend take him and i found out he got probably 10 biscuit treats (probably the worst kind out there) from the vet...ugh...that was around 4pm and he had his projectile poop around 8pm. can it happen that quick or was it something else possibly? the only other thing he had was 1 tiny piece of dehydrated liver treat yesterday.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I'm going to say yes. she is going to have to make sure he gets no more biscuit treats and see what happens.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

yup i put the ban hammer down on it, we still had a bunch of left over Wellness Wellbars but i told her to no more! for treats, all he gets right now is dehydrated chicken and dehydrated liver. this morning luckly it wasnt cannon but, it was formed but soft, so ill keep an eye on it! never thoguht i would be so into his stool lol.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

Yes it can happen that quick! Some dogs just have sensitive tummies, especially if they haven't recovered from the time before. all the flora in there needs some time to get things going properly again.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

should i throw some probiotics in the next couple of his meals just to help aid in some digestion or just let him do it naturally?

also, ever since he was kibble fed, he had pretty bad tarter build up caked on to his back teeth which we cant get off, vet says the only way is through a dental cleaning...do you think these bones will help break it off or should i get him the dental cleaning?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

You give some probiotics, but I've never had to so I can't advise as to which one would be best. I have always been able to clear soft pops up with giving bone in chicken for a couple of days.

Depending on how bad the tarter build up is, bone will very likely clean it off. I would try and see, before having a dentle done, unless there is a suspected problem with any rotten teeth that may need to come out.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

so now hes only going every other day to poo, so maybe hes not getting enough food or hes constipated...but when he does poop it comes out extremely crumbly at first, and then slimy/stringy/soft at the end.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

He's getting too much bone probably. Cut back a little - the crumby stuff is because it's too bony. It's normal for a dog to poo alot less on raw, and especially at first they might skip a day or several. It will normalize but will never be as often as before or as big as before, probably.

and i agree with naturalfeddogs - bones will probably clean his back teeth. Take a look in a month. it doesn't take long. Front teeth and canines are more difficult because dogs naturally protect those teeth and don't use them unless they are forced, as in having to pick at meat to get it off or scrape a large bone with their front teeth.

And make sure he's not getting anything but his raw food. The crumbly/loose at the end could be leftover diarrhea from the treats or something else.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

i added back some breast meat to see how his stools are. hopefully its improved!


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

hvtopiwala said:


> i added back some breast meat to see how his stools are. hopefully its improved!


It may not be the addition of more boneless, it's the removal of the bone that often counts. If it's not better go to bone every other day, or skip a meal with bone, however you do it.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

hmm well he still on chicken quarters, so do i just break that sucker in half or something to give him less bone? right now, i was just giving him 1 chicken quarter a day (roughly 1lb) just to stablize his stool, but he needs to be getting 1.75lbs a day for his weight, which is why i added in that breast meat.


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## April 2012 (Feb 8, 2012)

I would cut out the liver treats as well. It's very rich and for a dog who's digestion hasn't completely transitioned to raw can cause loose stool. Stay with the dehydrated chicken only and don't go overboard on those either.

If his stool isn't solid tomorrow, I would suggest a fast for 24hours and start from the beginning again. Chicken quarters with skin and fat removed.

Save all suppliments (fish oils) until you have at least 3 proteins working well with your dog.

Go slow. It's not a race. One of the worse things you can do is rush through the transition. 

Whenever you go out with your dog, bring your own treats. Too many people at pet stores, vets and other dog owners will want to treat your dog. Politely say no to those treats but if they want to give him a treat to use what you have with you. You can then further explain that your dog is on a raw or special diet and you want to control everything that goes into your dog. I have found most people are very understanding if you offer an alternative and an explanation.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

ok cool, yeah i cut out the liver treats for now.

question, if i wanted to dehydrate my own chicken, whats the process? do i dehydrate raw chicken or cooked chicken? and do i just cut up thin slices and throw it on the dehydrator? is dehydrated treats supposed to kind of break apart like Styrofoam?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Just cut thin slices of raw meat and dehydrate until you can snap it in pieces. Usually takes about 12 hours.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

do they stay crunchy? i got some store bought treats (cant remember if its freeze dried or dehydrated) but its texture breaks apart like styrofoam.


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## April 2012 (Feb 8, 2012)

Sounds to me like it's freeze dried. I used that at first but at $12 per bag, per week, for one puppy, the treats were adding up. We bought a food dehydrator and started making our own. This can be a very economical investment even if used strictly for pet treats. Some people bake them at a low heat with the door open in the oven. 

You also have to check if there's any other ingredients on the bag as well. 

If they are store bought dehydrated treats than I recommend you stop using those as well. Two reasons: most of those are made in china and packaged elsewhere and china standards are not good. Second reason: those treats have been most likely covered in glycerine to make them look shiney. This glycerine can cause loose stool. 

When I make my treats they aren't crunchy. My girls prefer them a little under dehydrated so they are still pliable but tough and holds their shape when held on any angle. It also made cutting them with scissors easy to get small enough pieces for training. My girls are still puppies and we do a lot of training still so little morsels makes the treats last longer. Remember to freeze what you aren't going to use in a day or two and keep refridgerated.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

How old is the dog in question? What breed? What weight?

And pictures just cause I like pics.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

oh ok, so you cant leave dehydrated treats out of the fridge? good to know lol..

he is a long haired GSD, 11 months old, and weighs around 64lbs. ill post some pics tommorow


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Where's the 1.75lbs coming from? Right now less will be more. How does he look body wise? How is he acting?


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

im doing between 2.5%-3% of the body weight cuz he is a little underweight and ppl told me to do that cuz hes still a puppy.


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## April 2012 (Feb 8, 2012)

I would feed two meals per day since he is still a puppy and still trying to get used to the raw. I recommend feeding in the morning and around dinner time. Too much food can cause loose stool. Feed only 1 chicken quarter per meal, nothing else. If you feel he's straining to poop after a couple days like this then eliminate some bone. The easiest way is to take the meat off the drumstick part and feed that meat along with the bone/meat from the thigh. I wouldn't eliminate too much bone at first though. Go ahead and save the bone for future use if you have the freezer space. When starting to transition you want to start at the lower end of the 2-3%, some dogs less than that. In the future you can slowly add in more per meal (half ounce to an ounce at a time), but since he's just starting you don't want to over-do it to his tummy. His body is still trying to process all this yumminess and some take more time than others to do this.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

hvtopiwala said:


> do they stay crunchy? i got some store bought treats (cant remember if its freeze dried or dehydrated) but its texture breaks apart like styrofoam.


 They will be tough like jerky.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

how do i store dehyrated meat? can i throw it in a zip lock container and leave it on the counter or does it have to be refridgerated?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I have never put them in the fridge. But then again, it doesn't last too long around here. If you are making a lot, you may want to put it in the fridge since unlike human jerky, you won't be using cure or anything.


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## April 2012 (Feb 8, 2012)

I put what I'm going to use for 2-3 days into the fridge. Anything other than that is tossed in the freezer, in a zip bag of course. I make huge batches each time I make treats, so I do have to store them. The first time I didn't know and left them on the counter in an air tight baggie and within the week there was mould starting to form and I threw them out and had to make more.

How are his stools now?


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

pretty crappy still (pudding like), i am giving him 1 chicken quarter in the morning with no skin or fat, and half a chicken quarter in the evening as a snack with no skin or fat.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Maybe try giving a half in the morning and half at night for a few days and see if that helps


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## April 2012 (Feb 8, 2012)

How much do the quarters weigh? Are you weighing every one so weight is consistent and half at night is actually half? If so, then I recommend this as well...



> DaneMama
> 
> 
> Maybe try giving a half in the morning and half at night for a few days and see if that helps


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

hey so his stool has been pretty good over the past 2-3 days but i dont want to jinx it! i have been giving him 1 chicken quarter (weighing 1lb) and 1/2lb of boneless breast meat.

now, i just bought some more quarters and they are all 1.5ish lbs....so should i just give him those and no breast meat? or give him those 1.5lb quarters with like 1/4lb of breast meat? hes poop is a bit crumbly so i dont want to end up just giving him the 1.5lb quarter and then he gets constipated cuz its too much bone :/


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

guess i jinxed myself, he started off solid this monring and ended mushy :/


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