First week feeding raw and worried.....

Shullet2

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We have just completed our first week of feeding raw and my 3 1/2 year old EB loves it! I was really worried about it to begin with but so far I think it's going well, just one problem that I need some input on.
We started her off on chicken leg quarters. I was afraid when she ate her first bone but she handled it so well that relieved that fear, lol. She had to learn how to chew those first few days but shes a real trooper now. I would like to know if it is normal for your babies to throw up on the raw meat? Last night she threw up a mouth full of yellow liquid with a couple little pieces of chicken in it and today she is having some runny poop. My husband said he watched her go out this afternoon and she was trying really hard to poop but only a little watery stuff came out. Have I done something wrong with her feeding? Are the bones causing her to be constipated or will this pass with continued raw feeding. I don't ever want to go back to feeding her dry dog food. Poor baby had so much trouble with allergies but they are clearing up with the raw.
Any suggestions here? Does it sound like we are doing things right or do I need to add something to her chicken quarters?
Thanks.....
Susan
 

Sherry

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lets check in with [MENTION=2242]karenben[/MENTION]
 

izstigspunks

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Hi Susan, welcome! Been feeding my boys raw for 1.5 years now and I can still remember how afraid I was in the beginning.

Feeding Georgia chicken quarters is a great start. How much in total for the day does she get? I'd aim for 2 to 2.5% of adult body weight in the beginning. Stig and Punkin were 47.5 and 53lb, and I gave them about a pound each. For the first couple of weeks or so, it's normal for them to throw up a little, it can be bile or small pieces of meat and/or bone. It's absolutely common for them to poop pieces of bone too, only because their digestive systems are still getting the hang of it. The straining to poop could mean that she's getting too much bone. If you're feeding 2 quarters, I'd nix the second one and add some boneless meat instead. :yes:
 
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Shullet2

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Thanks Karen, shes getting about 2 pounds a day. She gets a chicken quarter with bone in the morning and a nice thigh in the evening. She's over weight, 72 lbs but poor thing has been on steroids and other meds for the past 6 months. With getting no results from the meds, vet then put her on the prescription diet of venison and potato and she broke out in bumps all over and we just threw out hands up and told the vet we would take care of her ourselves. I took her off all of her meds, ear drops and creams, wrinkle creams and eye drops, anti yeast meds and yes, antibiotics and antihistamines. This has been the best week shes had in a long time. Her ears are clearing up, shes actually perky..:) and her wrinkles just need a little cleaning every morning, not much goo at all..woohoo!! I know it's only been a week, but so far for my georgia girl, it's been a miracle.
I figure we would stay with the chicken for another week or two then start adding other meats, one at a time and see how she handles it.
Thanks again for all of encouragement!
Susan
PS: Vet had a fit when I told her we were feeding raw when I returned the dog food for a refund...I told her I needed the money to help buy Georgia's meat for next week...LOL I couldn't resist! So far Georgia has lost 1 pound!....:)
 

izstigspunks

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Hi Susan. I'm Jamelyn by the way. Karen should chime in soon. :D

A chicken quarter and a thigh sounds like a good amount to feed her for the day. I don't think that's 2 lbs exactly, maybe more so just over 1 lb, unless those are really big pieces of chicken, lol. But that's alright, it's still a really good amount. If you find her poops are a little runny, then I'd take off the skin for now. You can save and freeze them so they can be fed later when her system is accustomed to the diet. Don't worry, unlike for us humans, it's ok for dogs to eat meat that have been defrosted and frozen again.

Stig was on all kinds of meds too before we discovered raw. Still find it amazing how much everything turned around just a day after we started. Continue what you're doing and Georgia will get her lean figure back for sure. :up:
 

laurendoodler

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[MENTION=1209]savemejeebus[/MENTION] has given you wonderful advice. Basically everything I wanted to say, lol.

I started Delilah off on quarters too. She was throwing up quite a bit her first few weeks of raw. Heck, she still does occasionally. She throws up chunks of meat and then re-eats it. It sounds gross, but if they re-eat it..it kind of shows there's nothing wrong with them. They just ate it to quick or swallowed to big of a piece, etc.

It sounds like she might be a bit constipated. If I've fed Delilah too many boney meals, she'll have a hard time pooping. Maybe try cutting the bone back just a little bit? When I can, I try to do one bone-in meal a day, and one boneless meal a day. I don't always have boneless available, but if I don't I just feed something with a little less bone.

Glad to see another bullie owner converting to raw! It really is wonderful. Delilah was healthy to begin with but it's already done a lot for her. No more redness on her face or in her wrinkles, which is an awesome plus. It's amazing how much of a difference a food change can make. She's also apparently lost some weight..I didn't think she had anything to lose, lol. She varies between 37-40 lbs. She's the only bulldog I know with a waist line..she's got a nice figure when you look at her from above :laugh:
 

karenben

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When I started Annie on raw I started with chicken backs/frames with very little meat ,sometimes the skin on thighs,legs,breasts is just too much,if you can't get backs/ frames then strip off the skin of the chicken ,if settled in chicken then wait until the bowels are working well with no sloppy poops,the throwing up could be hunger pukes especially if your bully has been used to eating big portions,Annie was 23kg and managed fine for 2weeks on chicken backs/frames.dont rush raw feeding it's all about variety but it takes time for a dog to get used to different meats ,kaen
 
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Shullet2

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I'm so excited today, day 10 of raw feeding! My little princess had her first normal poop...:whew: I was so excited that I got down and looked at it closely and gave her all kinds of woohoos..lol. After 2 days of no poo I was beginning to think I was killing her but my fears are all gone and we are so glad we switched to raw.
Jamelyn, sorry for not looking at your name before I replied the other day, lol I've been so nervous about all of this but no more. Karen thanks for your reply also.
Thanks bunches...
Susan
 
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karenben

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Wouldn't worry about how many days your bully goes without pooping unless of course they are poorly,I've seen Annie go 4 days!,raw feed just does its job properly there's no waste,glad everything is going well,karen
 

izstigspunks

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I'm so excited today, day 10 of raw feeding! My little princess had her first normal poop...:whew: I was so excited that I got down and looked at it closely and gave her all kinds of woohoos..lol. After 2 days of no poo I was beginning to think I was killing her but my fears are all gone and we are so glad we switched to raw.
Jamelyn, sorry for not looking at your name before I replied the other day, lol I've been so nervous about all of this but no more. Karen thanks for your reply also.
Thanks bunches...
Susan

Woohoo, normal poop! This is the only forum that we worry about its consistency. Lol. That's so great to hear!
 
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Shullet2

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Thanks laurendoodle......:) I started doing her bone-in meal in the mornings and just meat in the evenings, looks like that may be the trick for her.
Susan
 

ChanelnBrutus

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No advice to add just glad things are getting better for your girl :)
 

laurendoodler

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[MENTION=5201]Shullet2[/MENTION] so glad to hear that it is helping!! :) also, little poop is normal. I've seen Delilah go a few days without any BMs..just like [MENTION=2242]karenben[/MENTION] has. She usually only goes once a day when she does go.
 

izstigspunks

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[MENTION=5201]Shullet2[/MENTION] - how's the rawfeeding going? I won't be surprised if you're an expert now. :D
 
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Shullet2

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So far it's going great! End of week three and she's really loving it, lol. We've started adding a little pork to the chicken and tomorrow I"m going to try her on just pork to see how she likes it. This girl loves her bones though and we've had to make sure shes not getting too much.
I have spent the morning fixing her some chicken and liver treats, LOL hubby says I spend more time fixing her food than I do his...:) Already have my deer meat lined up with hunter friends and a few are goning to get me some rabbits too...woohoo!! This girl has turned into a "wild thang"..she loves it and her allergies appear to be gone..I wish you all could see her ears...They are beautiful inside and the ear canal is opened up and no more yellow goo...just a little wax.
Thanks for all the help, this site has been a life saver for us!!
Susan
 

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