# Raw feeding help



## Bundle (Apr 26, 2015)

Hello I've not posted in a whole and wonder if anyone can help?

Alfie is 8 months and has been raw fed since weaning and seems to have thrived on it - he's 10.7kg! He's been diagnosed today with colitis which now I look back he has probably had since the off go  His vet whilst not against raw is not very pro.....says raw challenges his system. For the next two weeks I'm happy to feed cooked chicken but wonder what my best options are after that? Any advice welcome. Thank you xx


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

So did they test for Salmonella or E. coli? That is usually the reason why vets belief raw diets lead to colitis from what I've read. 

Perhaps probiotics, digestive enzymes, and supplements. Also not all meats are equal. Food like rabbit are much lower in fats than beef. This is a blog I saw that was quite comprehensive and probably more helpful. 
http://tinkerwolf.com/2012/05/14/colitis-and-raw-meaty-bones-phoebes-story/


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## Bundle (Apr 26, 2015)

Thank you.....the article is great and I feel reassured that a raw diet is the best I can be giving him. There's such a lot of controversy around raw and because our vet isn't a huge fan of raw I had a bit of a wobble! 

He hasn't done any tests but has asked me to take some stool samples in during the next bout. He's also given me some probiotic paste and suggested I add a teaspoon of yoghurt to his food when he's recovered.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

2nd has navigated colitis with Molly for quite awhile. She'll have some good ideas. It might be that the benefits of raw get outweighed by the risks for a dog with a very sore tummy already. If it were me I'd be prepared to be flexible.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

The advantage of doing your own raw diet is that you can pin point what upsets your dog's tummy over commercial raw and definitely commercial kibble. If you can pin point what triggers the colitis, then you can make sure to avoid that. Also raw, as the blog noted, is not one formula. Maybe consulting with a holistic vet can help get the right supplements for Alfie and guide you with more specific feedback about his raw diet. 


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Molly has pancreatitis rather than colitis and it has certainly taught me there is not such thing as a perfect diet which suits every dog - it is all about feeding the dog you have in the best way - so for Molly that is a home cooked diet which is low in fat and for Chance it is a very high level kibble which is grain free (and would be far too high in fat levels for Molly) 

Raw can be a very good diet for lots of dogs and not always liked by vets - but I am interested why you feel Alfie has always had colitis as if he is having frequent episodes to me it sounds like something in his diet is not suiting him. It may be he is not suited to raw or it could be he is not suited to one particular thing he is having so if you wish to stay with raw I would start again and just introduce one protein at a time and each change keep him with that for at least a week to see if any problems emerge before adding another protein. 

if you can't get him settled happily on a good mixed diet containing all he needs on raw (including enough variety to ensure good mix including bone) then it may be time to consider alternatives as even the best diet is not truly the best if the dog is struggling with tummy issues now and then


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## Bundle (Apr 26, 2015)

Thank you, very helpful comments.
I think the three recent episodes are clearly because his tummy is sensitive. Two and a half weeks ago he ate some daffodil bulbs and had to be made sick and have charcoal and be on plain cooked chicken for a few days. Two days later he got the squits so had to be starved for 24hrs. Then back on the boiled chicken for a few more days. Then I reintroduced his raw diet and after 2 days the squits returned. I was reluctant to starve again and a colleague suggested slippery elm bark which I gave him twice a day. When I reduced the slippery elm the squits returned....so I went to the vet. He diagnosed colitis. I also explained that when we went out for his walk his first poo would be normal but subsequent ones became watery....and he said this was colitis with an explanation around how food was processed. This only happens on walks and he said excitable dogs often get it. Alfie is quite hyper on walks and people have often remarked that I must have my hands full.....but at home he's calm and chilled. So I'm wondering that as colitis can be a reaction to stress perhaps he finds walks "stressful" and that triggers this reaction......rather than the diet itself being wrong.

The vet suggested giving him a teaspoon of natural yoghurt each day once he is back to normal. And my plan is to reintroduce his raw food gently over a week or so and as I'm doing diy I can monitor the introduction of new proteins and see if there is a trigger food to avoid. Does this sound sensible? xx


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Colitis/Pancreatitis, I am clearly suffering from confuseditis.

My old dog Max used to have one normal stool and then sometimes some dribbly ones on really long walks, now I feel guilty I never worried about it too much. Happily I know nothing about Rufus's bowel habits, it makes life easier.


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi, does you dog just have his dog food with no additional treats added? If he has treats and I mean anything at all then stop them completely and see what happens. I just recently had a dog that had blood and mucus and the vet was heading down the change of diet and testing route, turns out it was all the treats the dog was ha if. After stopping all treats the bowel movements have been normal.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Karen that's a really great point. I have moved all of their treats at home to freeze dried and give very small pieces. I've also noticed a lot of treats are liver, which I know can cause bad tummy problems if even just a little too much for sensitive pups (that would be Beemer). 

I've also started adding new raw goat's milk as my food supplier was telling me benefits. There are a lot. Maybe that can help Alfie too. 

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/goat-milk-for-dogs/

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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

I was reading an article yesterday about raw and how some dogs systems just can't cope with it so the next best thing is home cooked as it starts the breakdown of the meat. So I would definitely go down this route if my dogs couldn't tolerate raw. After all you control the quality and the contents. No rubbish that way. Just pure food cooked with love.


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## Bundle (Apr 26, 2015)

Thank you. Alfie has very few treats and sometimes none so I don't think it's the few he has. I'm such a meanie with treats he has to make do with praise unless he does something particularly good!

I think I've pinpointed the culprit of the recent night time episodes that were distressing for him.... to be lamb as evidently meat with a high fat content can be bad for dogs with colitis. Shame as he enjoys a lamb spine but......!

In terms of steadily looser poos on walks, it seems this is common and probabaly down to excitement. So I think I can stop worrying.

Thank you to you all for taking the time to comment. I found all your comments really helpful. xx


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