New to raw food diet and need help, please.

[Angeldog]

Hello everyone.
I own a nine year old English Bull Terrier, and I have recently tried to put her onto a raw food diet. She seems to love it. Her skin has cleared up; her coat is very white and glossy, but she is decidedly not herself. She is eating well and it is all passing through (so no bones stuck) but she has lost a lot of weight and has no energy. She stands with her head and shoulders down, which is not a Bully.
Is she too old to have changed her diet?
Am I over doing the protein? I sometimes read no veg, then I read add veg.
I haven't given her any extra vitiams or oils.
I live in England and our vets seem to be really against raw food diets.
I need help please.

 

[debo-dumbo-ears]

What exactly are you feeding? How long have you been feeding this way? How long has she been acting "down"? (ps, I feed a raw diet, so I won't be bashing it)

 

[Debbie]

I've moved your thread to the Bull Terrier Health forum in hopes you get more replies to your questions.

Raw food info

 

[Hucklebutt]

that is interesting...I feed a partial raw diet, and I have great results with it. How much are you feeding? I would add veggies, cause I add veggies to mine, so I use carrots, cucumbers, apples and bannanas switching back and forth. How is her stool quality? solid? maybe she is not eating enough...I would offer her more, if she is loosing weight. what meat are you feeding? we definitly need more info..

 

[Angeldog]

She weighs 20 kilos (44lbs). We are giving her 400-600g of chicken pieces, including bones, and have started giving her some rice (cooked) with raw veg.
We have been told she has arthritis in her back knees and ankles and her back legs are really shaking.
Her stools have really changed. They are very small, white and hard like a biscuit. They do not smell at all.
Although she is obviously ill, she is still eating and passing stools regularly. She isn't drinking very much.

I am new to this site and am not sure where to post the reply to peoples questions. Do I just put up a general reply? In case I can't work out how to talk to individuals thank you to debo-bumbo-ears; Debbie for moving my thread into the right place, and Hucklebutt.

 

[debo-dumbo-ears]

Did her energy decrease immediately after you started feeding raw? Or did it change after you started adding the rice?
How long have you been feeding raw now?

 

[Hucklebutt]

I think I can help solve her problems. Her stiffness could be arthritis or hip dysplasia. For the stiffness, give her some glucosamine and congratin supplements with her food. It will help a million times!! As the water consumption, that is unsure to me...but definitly try the pills, or see a vet ASAP please. best of luck to ya! always keep an eye on her gum color, if the gum color is white that means she is in grave danger, always make sure they are a fleshy pink color.

 

[Kingy]

As you have said....head & shoulders down is deffo not a bully, it certainly appears she is in discomfort.

I have never fed the raw diet (although i'm not against it) raw is very high in protein & it is usually advised the older the dog the lower the protein intake. As this diet is new to her maybe it is a little to much for her system. What has she been fed in the past??

I would take her to see the vet, i know it's annoying when they don't agree with your choices, they can be rather condesending -but better safe than sorry.

I have sent you a PM

In answer to your other question....You can just put up a general reply for anyone on the forum, if you want to comment on a specific post you can click on the "quote" button in the bottom right corner of each post, this will then higlight what that person has said within your post.

 

[scratchin dog]

Typically with a raw diet a dog will initially lose weight. All the weight/fat gaining useless carbs contained in the kibble are now gone. If you do not want her to lose any more weight then you need to increase the food. Its all trial and error until you see how you want your dog to look and then maintain the food amount to maintain its weight. Dogs do not need carbs (rice) added to the food. If she has no energy then you need to increase the fat content by adding oils to the diet. Dogs get their energy from fats not carbs. Adding the rice will not hurt in fact it will probably add some weight but its not necessary on a raw diet. Get some salmon oil or flax seed oil and add that to the diet. Does the chicken pieces you give have any fat or skin on them? Too much chicken fat is no good but there should be some fat.
Raw meat is 70% water so that is why you noticed she is not drinking as much. Its normal on a raw diet and one of the reasons a raw diet is better than kibble. All of the nutrients and enzymes in raw meat are available to the dog and easily digested because of the moisture content. As you noticed with her stool mostly whats coming out is bone but everything else has been used by the dogs body. Very little waste compared to kibble.

---------- Post added at 04:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 AM ----------

Here's another thought. If she has arthritis and its acting up then that may explain why she is subdued or seems to have lost energy. It may have nothing to do with her diet. But certainly, having less weight to carry is better for her condition. Take her to a vet and get a diagnosis.

 

[Hucklebutt]

great post scratchin!!! you are very smart, you sure taught me alot! thank you!

 

[scratchin dog]

great post scratchin!!! you are very smart, you sure taught me alot! thank you!

Thanks! You're welcome.

 

[Victoria]

Great advice from everyone! I just wanted to add that since her poops are white, that suggests to me that she is getting too much bone. You also did not mention feeding any organs (liver, kidney, etc), which is very necessary in a raw diet, and should make up approx 10% of the meal.