[3dogmom]

Hi all,
I have recently switched my 3 hounds to a raw diet – Bravo performance dog food. I transitioned them slowly from their kibble and they have now been on the raw diet only for about 6 weeks. They LOVE the food!! The problem is that 2 of the 3 are having severely loose stools. The third has looser stools than usual, but not as bad as the others. I have added a probiotic to the mix, Purina Fortifore, which I am giving them each one packet once a day with their meals. I also supplement with Salmon oil, but I am not giving the the recommended dose of that yet because of the loose stools and gurgling tummies. I am wondering if the beef based food is too fatty for them? Should I switch to another protein source? They are a pure basset, a basset-beagle mix, and a blu etick basset mix (he’s handling the switch the best). I have scoured the net looking for help/suggestions, and so far this is the most knowledgeable forum I have found. Any and all help is truly appreciated!

[pugmomsandy]

I would try a different protein or different brand with slightly lower fat. You could even mix the beef with a lower fat one if they do better on lower fat. You could even just give them a skinless chicken leg/thigh 3 times a week and see if that helps.

[3dogmom]

Thanks, pugmomsandy, I appreciate the feedback. Should I give the chicken raw and with the bone? Sorry, but I am new to the raw diet and want to make sure I get it right!

[pugmomsandy]

Yes, raw skinless whole chicken leg quarter with bone or enough to give your dogs a meal of it. I have small dogs. A drumstick or a couple of wings would be enough for mine. You can usually find leg quarters on sale frequently or in large family size bags. If your worried about whole bones, smash the leg a couple times with a hammer or back of a cleaver or something. My small dogs can even eat pork ribs (but I would consider pork ribs fatty).

[pugmomsandy]

You can also try giving one meal of raw and the other meal of kibble and just give them more time to adjust to raw. Most kibbles are lower in fat than raw food. Mine have been eating raw for more than 2 years so they can consume any kind of food – raw, kibble, canned, freeze dried, high fat, low fat, doesn’t seem to phase them.

[DogFoodie]

You’re not by chance feeding products from the recalled lots, are you?

[3dogmom]

No, Betsy – that’s the first thing I checked! Thanks, though!

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