Vomitting / raw diet

[liz&Obi]

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Hi all,

I need some advice about raw food.
Last weekend we started Obi (6 month old JRT) on raw food as he had become very fussy with dry food. He really likes it and eats three meals a day ( on dry food he would usually only eat one meal). He was fine switching over and we didn't notice anything different until 2 nights ago where he vomited in the middle of the night twice. He then vomited again last night at 4am, in his vomit was fluff from the pillow he ripped apart earlier in the day. He has been his normal self though but just vomited again and it was all if the dinner he had 2 hours ago.
Could this be a side effect of the new diet?
If so what should I do?

 

[Tinytom]

I would say it's most likely something to do with the fluff you found.. the inners of a pillow I would watch him and if he vomits again get him to a vet as our jack Russell ate a small toy he had ripped up and some got blocked inside his intestines...I hope he is ok ...

 

[JudyN]

Check you're not giving him too much rich/offaly meats - you could try cutting back on them for a few days and then gradually reintroduce them.

 

[excuseme]

Your choice of changing to a raw diet is a good idea, there are plenty of us here to help you with the change over.
What raw products have you been giving him?

At 6 months he only needs 2 meals each day and by 9 months he will be fine on 1 feed daily. Some dogs do take a while for their stomachs to adjust to the new type of food and vomiting can be part of the system adjusting itself to the new product but in general youngsters and puppies accept raw without too many difficulties. It is easy to over feed the raw product because as it is such a nutritious product, much less is required.

As @Tinytom has mentioned it is quiet likely to be something to do with the pillow that he has destroyed . It may be a good idea to get him checked by the vet and be sure that there is nothing in his system causing a problem.
And @JudyN has also mentioned too much offal or too much liver can cause problems but this usually involves the other end with runny poo's.
Feeding less may help.

 

[liz&Obi]

Hi all, thank you so much for your replies, its nice knowing there are people out there to help in these situations.
Obi started on a beef/lamb mix and I added things like egg, spinach, peas, blueberries and sprats (not all at once). We then introduced some beef/duck mix with the same mixtures. He was having three meals a day so maybe a bit much? He vomitted a very small amount this morning but has been fine since then and is now having his evening zoomies and is full of beans! I was a little unsure what to feed him today so I stuck to the rice and boiled chicken as the vet said last time that he had an upset tummy it was the best thing. How should I reintroduce the raw food?
When feeding him what should the percentages of meat and veggies be? I usually give him about 60% meat and then the rest is the mixers.

 

[Tinytom]

I would leave all the mixers out for a while ...you can buy natures menu complete raw which comes in packs which are great for young ones ...great he has stopped being sick xx

 

[JudyN]

I agree with Tinytom, there's no need for mixers. We have an article on raw feeding here: Raw feeding

 

[liz&Obi]

Thank you all for your replies.

Obi is still loving the raw diet and is very excited about meal times but his poops are still quite runny and dark in colour. It's about three weeks since we started on the raw food.
I have been told that chicken isn't good for dogs as the antibiotics the chickens are fed cause upset tummies but I'm wondering now if this not quite right.
Would if be good to try him on chicken to see if this helps his poops?

 

[Tinytom]

I buy organic free range chicken wings no antibiotics fed ..or natures free range chicken wings ...duck necks ...lamb ribs are excellent too

 

[JudyN]

Are you feeding offal and/or heart? Duck is quite fatty, and too much can cause digestive problems. Some dogs can be sensitive to egg, too. It might be worth cutting out all but a single-protein muscle meat and, if his stomach settles, introduce the 'extras' and different proteins one at a time. Organic chicken would be a good place to start.

I've never heard of antibiotics in chicken being a problem, and suspect that this isn't backed by science.