Feeding cocker spaniel raw

[McIntoes]

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Hello,
I have a 2 year old cocker spaniel called Angus. We fed him raw for the first year we had him but he stopped eating regularly and lost weight so we switched to a mix of dry (barking heads) and wet (lilys kitchen /mutt and pooch).

He now has A LOT of gas from both ends, his stools are runny and soft and he has issues with his anal glands not emptying.

So now I'm thinking we give raw food another go. We previously fed him mixes from Naturaw but that got v expensive when he wasn't eating it. Does anyone have experience of their dog not eating regularly on raw diet? What did you do?

 

[JudyN]

Did the gas etc. seem to coincide with the switch from raw, or was he OK on the new diet for a while? I'm wondering if a different commercial food would suit him better. Having said that, I never found a commercial non-raw that suited my dog whereas raw cleared up his gas problems overnight.

You might find he prefers his raw food slightly warmed up. But I can't really advise on picky eaters as my dog is a glutton.

 

[McIntoes]

He rarely had any gas when he was on raw. It was really noticeable when we switched that he started.

Thanks for the suggestion about warming the food. We did occasionally add warm water but I saw on other posts about microwaving so will keep that in mind too.

 

[JudyN]

You're probably aware, but watch out for hot spots if you microwave. And never, ever, try to heat up tripe in the microwave, it stinks!

Flash-frying very lightly might also work - after all, we would find fried meat more tempting than microwaved meat. Some specific mince mixes might be less palatable for your dog, too - mine's not keen if they have a high percentage of offal.

 

[excuseme]

I bought my first Cocker (show type) when I was 17, and then later we discovered the "Working type" which we still enjoy these days. I have been using the raw product for about 40 years, our puppies are weaned onto it from the very start at 2.5 to 3 weeks of age. From this very early age they are introduced onto every different type and texture of raw products that can be accessed and by the time they are 8 weeks of age they have learnt that if it is raw and offered to them then it is good to eat. We do have some who don't like the texture of lungs and will sick up whole pieces, but if it is disguised and minced with some other product it then goes down quiet well. Liver (although in small quantities is essential in a raw diet) can also be a bit strong flavoured, but normally eaten.
We now have Working type only, they are fed 100% raw and hold their body weight very well. ( they do have sensible household scraps added if available, as part of but not extra)
A daily maintenance allowance for our lot is approximately 1/2lb each per day, sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less, all depending on their individual exercise levels, and if we have used them for working in the beating line, this quiet often doubles their individual daily amount.

The raw diet does not have to be balanced every day, If you use a good variety of meat choices, also include, fish, offal and raw bones (including chicken bones) which are very safe but must be raw, you should be able to provide a healthy diet. This can help keep costs down.
Raw with good variety, balances itself over a period of a few weeks

Yes there are some products that our dogs have to learn to like, ours do not like raw Horse meat but partially cooked or flash fried (pink) then it is eaten.

Our last puppy that we bought at 8 weeks had been reared on a normal kibble, I changed her over to a raw diet within 2 days and without any tummy problems. She is 8.5 years now.

At the moment our lot are getting a lot of Venison, both on and off the bone, whole minced Pheasants (from beak to toe nail) minus the feathers and gutted, (just to remove the intestines with the poo in) and chicken carcasses.

A bag of Grain free kibble, I use (Millies Wolfheart) is always useful for emergencies, and can be quiet easily mixed / used with the raw product.

Might I suggest that you purchase a very handy little book "Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs".
This can sometimes be purchased for as little as 1p from Amazon. It is easy to read and understand, I love it.

PHEW
'

 

[RGC]

I switched our whippet’s diet to raw a few months ago and am 100% happy with the results. She’s taken to it with enthusiasm - like JudyN’s dog Mabel’s a sighthound so will eat for England. We’ve yet to see a runny poo and, all in all, we’re very happy with the change in diet. We use Bella & Duke who supply a wide variety range. The only (minimal) drawback is having sufficient freezer space - one needs to buy a certain amount to make it feasible. Best of luck.

 

[McIntoes]

@ excuseme - thank you for the book recommendation, will def look into getting that!

Thank you to all responders, all advice is hugely appreciated!