Switching foods and diarrhea...

Hidapriscila

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Feb 15, 2011
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Lily & Humphrey
Hey All,

We have been on Blue Buffalo Wildderness Salmon for a while. We've been seeing nervous licking, tear stains and browning on my female's white feet. We read the top five food list posted on here the other week and were really intrigued with the Nature's Variety or Nature's Logic with their frozen raw diet. We started on it about 10 days ago, splitting it first 1/4 to 3/4. Now we're at 1/2 & 1/2. Last night, my female appeared to have a little diarrhea but it was dark & hard to tell. This morning, she went in her crate (which she never does). This afternoon, she's had two separate accidents in the house and went outside as well. All diarrhea.

I know food changes cause this. My question is, "When do I get worried?". My current thought is to either not feed her dinner at all tonight or just feed her plain rice with a little powdered acidophilus sprinkled over it.

Should I call the vet? Should I give it a day or two?my husband accuses me of having Munchausen by puppy syndrome, but it's hard when they can't tell you whats wrong.

Priscilla
owned by Lily & Humphrey
 

2BullyMama

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How old are your babies? It could be that raw is too much for there system..... I'm tagging [MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION]. She is the resident food guru ;-) She LOVES when I call her that.... hee hee hee
 

Sherry

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I'd mix a little rice with her new dinner menu tonight. I had switched to NVI a few months ago and had :poo: problems also. So today I started on TOTW. prairie It will take me weeks to accomplish the transition. Good luck and hope she can keep the :poo: outside for ya.
 

izstigspunks

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Is it possible that you're feeding her too much? Not too sure what the recommended amount is for NVI, but I remember reading that some foods require to be fed less than others. Again, I'm just guessing.
 

Poppy

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Hmm I've been told you shouldn't mix kibble and raw in the same meal, because they digest at different rates and can cause tummy problems. Maybe you could do raw in the morning and kibble in the evening? I'll look up some more info on this and get back to ya..
 

Poppy

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Ok so no general consensus that I could find, it really depends on the dog. Some get fed a mix and do just fine, and for other dogs it causes diarrhea. This is my guess as to what happened. IMO you should fast or only feed rice/boiled chicken mixture for a day. Then start again with small, separated meals and see how she does.

However, if in your gut you feel it warrants a visit to the vet then by all means. It's always best to follow your instincts.
 
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Hidapriscila

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Lily & Humphrey
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Thanks for all your answers! Thanks Poppy. That may give me an excuse to call the vet tomorrow. I had read that a couple weeks ago while researching raw, but it didn't occur to me today.

They are two years old, two & 1/2 I guess. She has traditionally had a goats stomach, she could switch foods and never have a problem. Our male was the allergy-ridden, diarrhea-having mess. He's doing fine though. Thinks he's a wolf eating all this meat.

We read their portion chart and it's fairly thorough. Gives a weight and activity level on the chart. Since there was no glacial in the activity level we went with low. I don't think I adjusted for them being altered, but we just moved them up to half portions so I don't think it's over eating.

We are doing the venison and I do worry about whether that is a little strong for her belly. She went two more times tonight, but outside thankfully. I don't think Grandma was attentive enough this afternoon. I'll have to make sure the kids are on top of things tomorrow.

How long til I worry in your opinions?

Priscilla
 
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Vicaroo1000

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Jun 23, 2011
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Since you're already going to the vet, why not take a FRESH sample of the poo in with you? Then they can check for parasites since you're there anyway? The test is inexpensive - but it's gotta be fresh doo doo. :barf: hahahaha

Digestion issues - after moving to a bland diet - have always resolved themselves for us in a day or so. I'm sorry I can't be more help [MENTION=1859]Hidapriscila[/MENTION]

Hang in there!
 

cali~jenn

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Not much help since I only kibble feed but canned 100% pure pumpkin helps to firm them up also. 1 tbsp a day of the pure pumpkin, not pie mix. It is usually sold near the veggies and is very hard to find once the season is over so I recommend you stock up on a good amount now while it is available. ;)
 

cowsmom

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well im late to the thread but was wondering how the pup was doing? i know that when switching to raw they can have diarrhea at first but then it goes away. i was wondering if things were better now.
 
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Hidapriscila

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Feb 15, 2011
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Lily & Humphrey
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Thanks for all your advice. We went to the vet with Lily on Friday because she threw up on daddy. Plus, he spent the day with her and saw what I had been seeing, a sick, dehydrated, lethargic doggy. They ran a dozen tests and ruled out pretty much everything but the food. We had made the switch to just rice Thursday and rice with a little hamburger Friday morning. They gave her a vitamin B shot, a shot of antibiotics and a bunch of subq fluids around her shoulders. I went to pick her up and she looked like a linebacker (well, more than usual).

We got home Friday night and she mostly wanted to sleep. Saturday morning, our male started with diarrhea too. Needless to say, the raw frozen diet went into the trash. I read alot before I started it, but when I googled downside of raw diet, I found a lot of articles I hadn't read. Salmonella is a serious concern as is eColi. I believe my puppies have Salmonella. They both presented with those symptoms. They're on antibiotic pills and a bland diet for another week. I will slowly start adding in their Blue Buffalo kibble next week. When we switch their food again, it will most definitely be to a kibble or a cooked food diet. Then I don't have to worry about my doggies or my kiddies getting a food borne illness. I know I've read stories of people on here who have had wonderful results, but I don't want to see my bullies that sick again. It was awful.

So far, on the antibiotic and the bland diet, the diarrhea has decreased and has been controllable for them (ie, they're pooping outside). Neither of them have pooped in the last day and a half which has me a little worried, but I may go home to a floor full tonight :( They are acting more like themselves which is good to see.

H&L.jpg
Thanks for your concern and advice!
Priscilla
Owned by Lily & Humphrey
 

karenben

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did you buy the frozen raw in bulk from a store?,if so you cannot be sure of the source,most raw feeder buy from the local butcher/farmer,ive raw fed for 9 months with no illness ,i only feed food fit for human consumption though given that my dog has eaten the most foul smelling rancid beef that she hid in the garden then dug it up 2 weeks later and didnt even get the runs lol,if you wish to raw feed i would buy in fresh and freeze a weeks worth you may find they will be ok on it,karen
 
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Hidapriscila

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Feb 15, 2011
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Bulldog(s) Names
Lily & Humphrey
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Thanks for the advice. I was using http://www.naturesvariety.com/. They use High Pressure Pasteurization which appealed to me. It was frozen in serving size patties. It was expensive, but convenient. I had read about making your own, our trainer did it for a while. While I appreciate the advice, we won't be feeding raw again. I've never seen my pooches so sick. Lily was nearly dehydrated to the point of needing an IV when I took her in. Plus, they're just as happy with cooked meat and no one has to worry about eColi or Salmonella. I know some of you have had amazing results, but nope...nope, nope, nope :nope:. Our initial foraging was for a local store that carried Fromm. I think we're just going to have to get over our reluctance and mail order it. I just like supporting local businesses being one myself. We're just not happy with Blue Buffalo though, so mail order is our next step. My hubby wants to cook their meals...well, wants ME to cook their meals. I don't cook for the kids 3 or 4 times a week, it's hard to justify cooking for the dogs that much.

I'm sure we'll get it figured out. After 3 days with no poop, everyone's was normal this morning. That was certainly nice. We go back to the dogtor tomorrow. I think she'll get a clean bill of health. Aside from the hip dysplasia that they found while x-raying for blockages :(

Priscilla
 

cowsmom

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oh my what an experience. but hey raw is not for everyone. some have started then went back to kibble so its ok to do so. let us know how things are progressing when you get a food for them. im glad its better. its hard seeing our pets sick.
 

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