Raw Food Diet, Day 3- My Tummy Hurts

I'm not sure if it's the crushing loss the Patriot's suffered last night or my new raw meat diet, but I am feeling sick to my stomach today. I mean, the feasting has been going great. Last night I ate a raw femur bone during the game, as well as some blended-up veggies and raw beef. It was delicious. I did a late-night poo in a snowstorm that was very solid in its consistency. Then, my brother and I went to bed in our crates, happy with tummies full of raw meat.

It was around 2AM when I heard my brother whine and try to break out of his crate for a bathroom emergency. My mom let him out and he had diarrhea all over the living room. Unlike myself, this late-night crying is very rare for my brother who is a mature and obedient boy. I too realized that my tummy wasn't feeling so well, but I was exhausted from a long day of feasting so I went back to bed. When my brother and I woke up this morning, we both did diarrhea poos outside -- very different from the solid, 'grade A' poops I have been doing since starting the BARF diet a couple days ago. Feasting on raw chicken wings for breakfast made me feel a little better, but soon after I suffered from more diarrhea that I let loose all over my kitchen floor, making this the first inside accident I've done since being on my raw diet. Don't get me wrong, I love eating raw meat, but I am a little concerned if it may be the root of my sickness.

So, I plan on taking it easy today. I probably won't go running around the lake. I'm just going to lay back and watch some Animal Planet with my brother. I'll check in again tomorrow, hopefully with a better tummy!

Stanislaw

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Bro knows:

It is not uncommon for a dog that is at the start of their BARFing experience to go through "detox." This is the body's way of cleansing itself, getting rid of the old and making way for their new. Detox symptoms are not the same for all dogs. Some dogs might vomit, suffer from diarrhea, have dirty ears, itching skin, eye discharge... It is not uncommon for an animal that had ear issues to begin with to have related detox symptoms. Just tell your human to keep a close eye on you when you're not feeling well. If you are vomiting or having loose stools, make sure that you drink plenty of fluids. Have your person pinch up a fold of skin between your shoulders and watch how it moves back into place -- if it falls right back down, your fluid levels should be okay. If it stays up or moves back into place slowly, you need to make a trip to the vet ASAP for some fluids. As with any illness issues, if your person becomes very concerned they should take you to the doctor just to make sure you're doing fine.

Tummy problems should not continue for more than a day or two in a stretch. There are some good ways for your human to help you through these times, if you are in the middle of one of those days. Tell them NOT to give you Pepto Bismal, even though this is commonly recommended to ease diarrhea. Pepto Bismal contains an asprin-like ingredient that can actually exacerbate intestinal bleeding. Instead, have your person give you some canned pure pumpkin (plain, NOT the pie mix). Too much pumpkin can cause loose stools, so tell them to go easy on it. Also, plain yogurt with active cultures can help keep your intestinal bacteria in check. You should get about 1 heaping teaspoon per 5lbs body weight at each meal to aid in digestion.

My mom found that my brother and I do better with the help of digestive enzymes. Ideally, these enzymes should be animal based, and any enzyme mix is best to include pancreatin, pancrealipase, and betaine. Make sure there aren't too many fillers in the pills or powder. Some dogs need a little extra help when starting this diet, some do not. This is pretty easy to figure out as you go along.

Another reason for consistent diarrhea and/or vomiting could be a food allergy. If this is suspected, I would recommend following an elimination diet in order to pinpoint what food or foods might be causing the problem. It is probably best to consult with a holistic vet before embarking on a very limited meal plan, to ensure that you are doing it as effectively and safely as possible.

Finally, it may be a wise choice to start this diet with super bland meals. Don't start veggie mash until you are processing your "intro protein" well. My brother and I began with chicken wings, and we're sticking to those and ground turkey until we're up and running a little more smoothly. Some dogs have iron stomachs and can handle the change well, while others, like my brother and I, are a bit more fragile and need some more easing into things. Feel it out as you go along, and have your human keep a close eye on you throughout your tougher times.

Happy feasting!

Raw Food Diet, Day 2- Super Bowl Edition

Well it's Super Bowl Sunday and that means Super Raw Meat Feasting for both me and the Patriots. I'm sure Rodney Harrison is scarfing down a few raw chicken wings right now to get pumped to play. Although Corey "The Meat Tenderizer" Dillon no longer plays for the Patriots, they are still my favorite team. I love Randy Moss because he is tall, fast and skinny like me. My brother is more of a Wes Welker dog- he's the smallest guy out there, but plays the hardest. But first things first, let's talk poo.

After a day and a half on the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet, I have noticed a marked improvement in the quality of my poo. Although I was a little constipated last night, when I finally did go, it was tiny and a lot more solid than normal -- unlike my pre-BARF diet poos, which were massive, white and soft. The same was true for my brother, whose "leavings" appeared a bit more on the healthy side. Ah. It's nice to be regular for the first time.

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a note from the big bro:

I'm sure your humans are going to keep a close eye on your feces, as this can be a good indication on how well your body is handling the new diet. They may notice that volume has decreased significantly -- especially if you've been eating a dry kibble up until this point. The reason for this is that there just isn't a whole lot of "extras" going into your stomach (like grains and fillers), and your body is able to use most of what you take in now. So, there's less waste. Let your human know that it's not unusual for color to change as well, as this is a reflection of what we're eating. It can even change by meal if we're taking in colored veggies for that particular feast. Mucousy stools are also normal at the start of the diet. Mucous exists in the digestive tract normally, and is shed from time-to-time. If this becomes excessive and/or just doesn't ever go away for a while, a sample should be taken to the vet to make sure you don't have any unwelcome parasites or infections in your gut. The occasional black poop might result from eating darker meats or organ meats, but if this remains consistent or there is red blood in the stool for more than a day or two at a time (this can be a result of straining), tell your owner that you should get a check at the vet to make sure everything is as it should be.
***

After our morning walk, my brother and I ran inside as fast as we could to get the first quarter of our Super Raw Feast. We started with a appetizer of some yogurt, fish oil and enzymes, and then attacked a couple of raw chicken wings.

My human said that we are going to get raw femur bones once the Super Bowl starts to keep us "busy". To tell you the truth, I could care less what kind of cooked nacho-pizza-breadstick Super Bowl feast my humans are having while I am working on a fresh cow part.

So far, my new raw meat diet is awesome. My poo is looking better and I haven't had any accidents in the house in a day and a half. I didn't even pee in my diaper when my humans went out last night!

Go raw meat! Go Patriots!

Your buddy,
Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet- Day 1

Recently, my human and I evaluated a bunch of information on the raw food diet for dogs. After a bit of convincing, he finally let me abandon my kibble for a steady diet of raw chicken wings, raw lamb, bloody oxtail, femur bones, and turkey necks, supplemented with raw spinach, carrots, garlic, and other veggies. You see, I'm a 1-year-old rescue cocker-spaniel who has never really had a stomach that was quite right. I have accidents in the house (sorry dad!) and my poo is, well, a little less than solid most of the time. My human's motivation for putting me on the raw meat diet is to clear up my gastro-intestinal problems, improve my overall health, and let me live years longer than the average cocker spaniel. This is fine with me because the healthier I am, the better chance I'll have of catching a squirrel, pigeon, or rabbit. And the longer I live, the more feasting I can do.

I have to tell you that Day 1 on raw meat has been delicious. For breakfast, I ate two full chicken wings, bones and all. I crunched those bones down and swallowed them. Later on, I puked a little because I forgot to fully chew the bones. No reason to be alarmed though, I ate my puke up no problem, it was like two meals for the price of one. For dinner, I had ground raw turkey with raw veggies that my human blended up to resemble the stomach contents of a kill. I could barely contain myself when this sort of feast came out of the fridge. I scarfed that feast down faster then a plate of pierogies, my all-time non-raw favorite food. As for my nighttime poo, I'm feeling a bit constipated and I haven't let it loose yet, but I'll let you guys know about its consistency tomorrow.

With that, I say goodbye forever to my kibbles and various other non-raw snacks. It's sad to have to put my pierogies back in the fridge, but it's worth it for this raw meat thing, especially when I start to get into the real bloody meats my human picked up at the meat packing store.

Bark at you tomorrow,
Stanislaw

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notes from stan's older, wiser brother:
Tell your human to do their homework before starting the BARF diet. It is important that you get the nourishment you need to be a strong, healthy dog, and so education is a must. While it may seem very overwhelming at first, (I know my mom was a mess with worry), it gets easier over time as they get into the swing of things. My mom found it unbelievably helpful to join a Yahoo! BARFing group in her area and talk to a very knowledgeable person that is experienced in both the raw diet and cocker spaniels. Check that out. They helped her get started, saw her through some of the tougher times, and gave her a heads-up on places to buy meats for wholesale prices.

As with any major alteration, it is important to make sure that you are healthy enough to adjust to the change. Your human should check with your doctor to make sure all is well and you're ready to get feasting on some delicious necks and wings. As with people, a dog with a compromised immune system or other health issues might not do well on this diet, or may need to modify their phosphorous, fat or calcium levels. And also, a pup with teeth troubles may have issues properly breaking down bones. All of this must be addressed before proceeding with the raw diet.