Never a kinder soul than my Beau - Page 3

I have 2 dogs that will have the same issues if given only raw, and one of them will have horribly loose stools if given more then 1/4 cup raw.

Dogs are like people, some do well on low cab diets, others do well on high carb diets...... some are healthy as vagens......

Glad your pup's doing better today, he's a beauty.

Other than the fact that he was eating raw when he got sick, what evidence do we have that he got sick BECAUSE of what he was eating? 

I could have a heart attack while eating an orange...doesn't mean the orange caused it. Vets who make money on Science Diet will never like raw feeding, and will blame it on anything that comes up with an animal. Tell them the dog is eating Iams, and they might find the real cause of the problem. 

I would be very concerned with finding out what REALLY made a puppy sick in case it happens again. Could be something he ate without your knowledge, could be something in the kibble, could be something in the raw, could be a virus or bacteria of some sort, could be coccidia or giardia (which can occasionally make an already skinny dog very skinny very quickly)... could be a hundred things. 

I don't remember if you were feeding him kibble and raw, but that is a BIG NO NO. One or the other or you are inviting problems, especially in an immature immune system. 

Was he vaccinated recently?

Re-reading the posts, I will say that 4 meals per day is too many for a carnivore. Fasting is essential to proper digestive health in a dog. Feeding all that TOTW (which is of questionable quality ingredients and could just as likely contain bacteria as raw food) and pork at the same time would leave him wide open for any bacteria or parasite to "take hold" since, as you said, the digestion rates differ so greatly. I don't feed even little puppies more than twice per day.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-you-should-fast-your-dog/

Your pup is adorable! I hope he's feeling better.

I just want to mention that have been feeding raw for 12 years and have never had a problem.  But I have never fed raw pork.  The bones i give are uncooked beef knuckel bones or small chicken carcuses or wing tips (all organic from a local farmer). My dogs love raw meat (NOT ground) that is starting to go bad (yuck!) and have never had a problem with it, but prefer to feed fresh also from a local farmer. I have found that too many bones will constipate and too much fat gives diarrhea.

Wolves will bury a large kill in a shallow hole and dig it up when they want to feed. My dogs love to bury a meaty bone and dig it up weeks later. Dogs have much stronger stomach acid than we do so they can handle the bacteria that would kill or make a human very sick.

Kibble is cooked/processed so any oils such as safflower or flax that are added will go rancid with the high temperatures unless the kibble is coated with the oils after the cooking process.

Cooking your pups food is another option if you're uncomfortable with raw. I sometimes give a cooked meal with ground beef, sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce or pureed brocolli for example. I add bone meal in place of the bones because cooked bones can splinter. I add 1 tbsp of cold pressed safflower oil just before serving. Just a thought.

Juno11

Hugs to Beau!

I am so glad he is OK, sorry I misread your post, thought you lost him.  JHC, I just thought NOT another loss, it is getting unbearable.  Great days ahead,  Nan

The important thing is that this puppy is doing well. The origin of his illness may never be known. Many dogs thrive on raw, just as many on commercial food, some do well on Ole Roy. I had a dog make it to 23 eating only Burger Bits.  

We took a trip back to the vet, just got home. While they tested his fecal again and it was negative for Giardia or parasites, the vet is trying some Albon for Coccidia. Dr. Andre wanted to see him one more time before she went home, and to see if I was able to get more fecal samples. I spoke with his breeder, they also told me to try the Albon.

I am thankful for most of the comments, and opinions on what could've caused it are always helpful. Right now, Beau is doing better, no runs and no vomiting for quite a few hours. Attitude is perking up and he seems more like himself.

I contacted the breeder, and was informed that because of the frequent park visits and possible Goose poop consumption, THAT could've caused Coccidia, either way, he's getting Albon for 8 days, 250mg per tablet.

They also did a Parvo test tonight, which was negative, thank god. 

Now we wait and see. I have a cot set up by his pen, so I'll be sleeping by him all night, tonight and if anything changes, of course he will be going back to the vet. 

It could've been the pork, it could've been lake water, it could've been flying pink elephants, I may never know, but I'm not going to be told I'm feeding him a poor quality food simply because it isn't raw. Raw works for certain dogs, it doesn't for others, that's great, if it works for you, cudos, I tried feeding it, it did NOT work for us, I won't be trying it again, that is MY right and I'm not worried about my puppy's quality of life simply because he isn't fed raw. For goodness sake, I just want him feeling better, I'm not going to sit here and split hairs over Raw feeding vs. Kibble.


EDITED TO ADD: My adult dog also didn't do well on the Raw. We gave it a shot, an honest effort, I just can't justify feeding it anymore, to either of my kids. It may come off as an attitude problem, but truly, it's been a long, worrysome day, and being told my baby possibly could've had Parvo didn't make it any easier. It's been a long, difficult day, filled with worry, and fear. I'm just feeling the way any mother would who just wants their kid feeling better and not knowing the cause of his illness. I just don't know what else to do, I've called vets, I've visited vets, I've had them run many tests, if there is something I'm honestly missing here, APART FROM THE RAW (at this point, it's a dead horse, no point in continuing to beat it) please, feel free to chime in. He DOES seem to be improving as of 8:00pm tonight, I'm hoping he will continue to improve.

If he gets sick again, then try to determine the source. Feed him a brand name kibble, keep him trim, give him plenty of fresh air and exercise, and continue to do the best you know how. In return he will do as well as his genes allow.

Unrelated, but intersting to know, Beau weighed in at a whopping 29.0lbs tonight, at about 14wks old.

BIG BOY...

Poor baby! I hope he gets better! I know that GSDs have notoriously picky bellies, and some just can't digest raw as well as other foods. My GSD was on EVO for a while and started losing weight, and vomiting, and I found out she just can't digest it. I'm feeding a limited diet for her belly, and occasionally cooking boiled chicken and rice for her. I hope he gets better.