Changed raw food. ? if is ok

[Sus]

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I was feeding Honeys raw food which Biddy loved but have changed to Natures menu (she also loves this) which is cheaper and more convenient. I can just feed a certain amount of nuggets a day now without having to weigh the food
I have noticed a change in her bowel habits, with Honeys she went once a day which was hard and formed and with Natures menu she goes twice a day but it is softer.
I was not unduly concerned but did mention it to the vet when I attended for Biddys monthly allergy injection and was told to moniter the situation and see if it continues as it can take a couple of weeks for their stomaches to adjust
I should have asked more questions, does that mean that if it continues then the food does not suit her? Am a bit confused now. This natures menu is definitely smoother (more like mousse) than the Honeys which was a lot coarser and which I added water to when Biddy was at first constipated (in case she was not drinking enough)
I am concerned because she did have anal gland problems which cleared up when I started feeding Honeys and I do not want that returning if Natures Menu is causing softer stools. She is fine at the moment but I never seem to be away from the vet these days so want to avoid any unecessary complication

 

[JudyN]

Are you able to check the composition of each food - the breakdown of meat, bone and veg/added extras?

I have heard of a raw diet sometimes aggravating anal gland problems because the stool isn't bulky enough to put pressure on the glands - smaller and firmer isn't always better. Would you say that the soft poos she's doing now are a bit too soft, or just softer than when on Honey's?

If you genuinely feel that she was doing better on Honey's overall, it would be worth staying with that as it could save you a few vet visits!

 

[Sus]

Hi JudyN, thanks for your reply
The poo is softer than when on Honeys food but not abnormally soft, I was not really concerned at all until the vet said to monitor the situation then I started to think ah bugger does that mean that there could be something wrong

 

[Sus]

Did not say, checked composition of both foods and both looked very good. Biggest difference I could see was that Honeys had ground bone and Natures menu did not

 

[JudyN]

The lack of bone could well account for the softer poos - bone does tend to firm them up. I wouldn't worry about what the vet said though - he probably just meant that you should notice if her poos get really soft, which you obviously would anyway!

I've just read this on the Nature's Menu website:

Should raw dog food recipes contain bone?​

Bones are another one of those ingredients that comes down to your specific dog. They can offer a great source of mental stimulation and the action of chewing helps to release relaxing endorphins in the brain which can have a calming effect. Bones also provide a great source of natural glucosamine and chondroitin which can be great for helping to lubricate joints. It is also commonly reported that bone content can also help make dogs’ poos firmer and easier to pick up.


On the other hand if your dog’s poos are dry, or they seem to be constipated, it’s best to avoid bone, especially if they’re older, have a sensitive digestive system or struggle to squat for long. Puppies can also find bone difficult to digest, so our Natures Menu puppy recipes are completely bone free.


For older dogs, both our Ready to Mix and Complete & Balanced ranges have options with and without bone. Where it is included, on average there’s 4% minced bone in our Complete & Balanced recipes, because we’ve found that’s the ideal amount for most dogs – and if you choose to, you can still also safely feed raw bones to your dog 1-3 times per week when following this diet. Although this isn’t essential if the diet is already a balanced one.

 

[colettedb]

August was on approx 12-14% bone over a period of about 2 weeks - I have reduced to approx 10% now as her poops have looked a bit too hard. They are hard/firm now so will keep it around this mark and keep watching- the above would be a bit low bone content for august I think

 

[Sus]

Thanks for your replies, I know now that it must be down to the content of crushed bone. I had to add water to Honeys food (as suggested by them when Biddy was a bit constipated) There is none in the Natures Menu that I am using now though I might opt for the one that contains a little crushed bone next time as Biddy will not even look at raw bones. Thank you for the information, it has made things a lot clearer for me

 

[excuseme]

It appears that some of the Natures Menu products have minced bone in and some products do not. You may have to check the ingredients in the product before purchasing. Not all of their products are sold as "Complete", but don't worry.
You will get to know which products to buy and which not to buy, variety within the products is good and a few meals without any calcium will not do any harm. Natures Menu is a good raw product.

 

[SirBruce]

Are you able to check the composition of each food - the breakdown of meat, bone and veg/added extras?

I have heard of a raw diet sometimes aggravating anal gland problems because the stool isn't bulky enough to put pressure on the glands - smaller and firmer isn't always better. Would you say that the soft poos she's doing now are a bit too soft, or just softer than when on Honey's?

If you genuinely feel that she was doing better on Honey's overall, it would be worth staying with that as it could save you a few vet visits!

I have fed my Re Homed, now 4 years old Dobermann on Raw for almost the entire time that we have had him. He came to us at 71/2 months old, as a Foster, due to having a Misdiagnosis of Hip Dysplasia.He is the fifth Dobie that we have been owned by, over a period of many years.
Our previous “rescued” girl came to us with a small supply of tinned and dry foods, which we continued to feed her. She would quite often have diarrhoea. We were recommended to try RAW, which we did and never looked back. We got her at 6 years and she lived to 111/2
Now Bruce came to us with about a years supply of “kibble” and some sachets of wet food. He really did not take to the kibble and would leave most of it.
So I bit the bullet and started him on Raw. While I have made changes, the raw is still his main food.
He gets a variety of minced meats, namely Beef, Pork,Lamb, Turkey, Duck and Green Tripe. In addition to the meats he gets Chopped carrot, White Cabbage, Cucumber, Apple or Banana.
All of that is thoroughly mixed together with 8 “squirts” of Salmon oil.
The meat is 454grms. The mix serves two meals, evening and next morning. As a topper to each a handful of Bran Flakes and two teaspoons of natural yoghurt are added.
At midday he gets either a Frozen Mackerel or Large Sardine.
He stands at 27” to the Withers and currently weighs 39.5 kgs.
I understand that this regime will not be to everyone’s liking, but it certainly is benefiting Bruce.
We had a period where he was having bilious bile of a morning, which never happens now. His weight at 43 kgs was hard to reduce, whereas now it stays static at 39.5.

 

[Flobo]

He sounds like one lucky Bruce!

 

[SirBruce]

He sounds like one lucky Bruce!

Aren’t they all

 

[SirBruce]

How do I attach a photo to my post?

 

[JoanneF]

Below your reply box, you should see a little paperclip icon with Attach Files next to it.

Click on that and select from your image files.

 

[SirBruce]

Below your reply box, you should see a little paperclip icon with Attach Files next to it.

Click on that and select from your image files.

Thank you for your reply. When I did that it replied that the picture was too large

 

[JudyN]

Test

Thank you for your reply. When I did that it replied that the picture was too large

Are you able to resize it? If using Windows, you can open it in MS Photos, right-click on it, and one of the options should be to resize. Something along the lines of 800x600 px should work.

 

[SirBruce]

Test

Are you able to resize it? If using Windows, you can open it in MS Photos, right-click on it, and one of the options should be to resize. Something along the lines of 800x600 px should work.

Thank you for reply. I am using my iPad, with which I am not sure of how to do anything very well. I had a spell in hospital and my daughter suggested having this. It’s good but I am not, HaHa. Next time I see her I will try to get her to sort this. Or there is even good old Google, which I will try right now.

 

[JudyN]

If you're stuck, I can give you my email address, then you could send them to me and I can post them for you - let me know if you'd like to do this.

 

[SirBruce]

If you're stuck, I can give you my email address, then you could send them to me and I can post them for you - let me know if you'd like to do this.

Thank you, I am currently trying to use the shortcut apps without success, but will keep trying

 

[SirBruce]

I am using a photo resizing app but need to know the acceptable size for loading to this site. It is all very frustrating.HaHa

 

[JudyN]

Try 800 x 600 pixels - I think that should work.