[stacylambert]

Originally Posted by bopeep

Poop issues are common with any diet change, but they ususlly sort themselves out in a few days or weeks. If your dog has food allergies, and still has poop issues after being on raw for awhile, he might be allergic to that animal protein as well.

One of my cats is allergic to all grains, chicken, lamb and fish. She had developed severe IBD (had horrible bloody diarrhea) and was nothing but skin and bones when I adopted her. Once we got her on a raw diet, she settled down and is now a good weight, and she loooves her food

I think raw is the ideal diet too, especially for an animal with diet related health issues, but it can be dangerous if one is not doing it right, and many people don't. I tend to encourage people to read about it, but not to switch unless they are really comitted. In general, just reading about a raw diet and proper animal nutrition leads most people to choose a better prepared food, and that's great.

BP

His pooping issues are all cleared up! The weird thing was, he was fine for like the first week then had 2 days of icky poo, then back to normal.

His allergies included poultry and potatoes. At least that's what I could figure out by process of elimination. He would turn really pink and his eyes would water, and we haven't had any of that since the raw. I've even heard that a dog allergic to poultry kibble can eat raw poultry, but we haven't risked it yet. We've done rabbit, venison, and beef so far. I actually started my other boston on it a couple days ago and she had virtually no transition period. It really is amazing how well they thrive on the raw.

[bopeep]

Originally Posted by stacylambert

His pooping issues are all cleared up! The weird thing was, he was fine for like the first week then had 2 days of icky poo, then back to normal.

His allergies included poultry and potatoes. At least that's what I could figure out by process of elimination. He would turn really pink and his eyes would water, and we haven't had any of that since the raw. I've even heard that a dog allergic to poultry kibble can eat raw poultry, but we haven't risked it yet. We've done rabbit, venison, and beef so far. I actually started my other boston on it a couple days ago and she had virtually no transition period. It really is amazing how well they thrive on the raw.

Yay! Poop issues are not fun. But neither are allergies! You'll probably still have the occasional loose poop days when you feed lots of organ meat, but that's perfectly normal. I'm glad your other dog is enjoying it too - it's so much easier when all the dogs or cats are able to eat the same food!

If his gut has settled down for now, I'd suggest leaving him on what's working for several months before you start to experiment with raw poultry (let any allergy or digestive issues settle down and go away completely). It is possible he will be able to eat it raw, even though he was allergic to cooked, but it's also possible he'll react to it. Every cat/dog is different! Too many changes too quickly can cause all kinds of problems and it's easier to figure out what's what if you're only changing one thing at a time.

One thing you should definitely try in a few months are birds other than chicken or turkey. My chicken allergic cat can eat quail, duck and goose with no problem (her diet is mostly quail). Sometimes it's all birds they react to and sometimes it's just chicken or turkey.

BP

[nlm1106]

I used to use Nutro Ultra on the advise of a rep at PetSmart. He told me it was the best food available for my dogs, holistic and nutritious. I found out later that it was just the best food that PetSmart sold, but far from the best. The food was even involved in a recall. I did some research and switched to Wellness. I love this company. They have a variety of flavors and formulas for dogs with allergies and special needs. We buy the Large Breed Kibble formula for our lab and the Chicken Adult Kibble for our Jack Russell. They love it. At dinner time we mix in 1/2 can of wet for the lab and 1/4 wet for the Jack. Their coats are shinier, they seem more active, and they really lick their bowls clean now. I have also noticed that their stools aren't as smelly or as loose as they once were. I highly recommend trying this food. I was told they also have a Kibble called CORE which is made with all meat. I haven't tried this since my dogs and I are both happy with the current food but it is supposed to be for people who favor the RAW diet as an alternative packaged food. The only downside to the food is the price. A can of wet food is 2.19 a can and a 35lb bag is about $50. This gets pricey for larger dogs.

[bikinidreamin]

It gets confusing with all the options out there! My black lab, Max, was on a chicken, rice and vegie diet until his lipomas (lumps) started getting out of control. He's now doing meat and vegies with Orijen dry dog food - no grain as it's supposedly one of the causes. He's also doing a supplement to try and get rid of the lumps so I hope it works....

Beth