Raw Feeding..Where is the poop??

[Lkirkland]

So I switched hank to raw about 5 days ago and he is doing great. My only question is where has all the poop gone? He used to poop 2 or 3 big piles a day and now he only does 1 or 2 very small amounts per day. They seem to be an okay consistency but I'm just baffled at how little is coming out!!

 

[NeSaxena]

That's awesome then! Basically, kibble has a lot of crap that doesn't get processed by these guys. Once you switch them to raw, they're getting everything they need, no extras or fillers, so they poop less! Boone used to go maybe 6 or 7 times a day, now it's once a day or once in two days. Enjoy it - less cleanup!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Pretty much! His body is using the large majority of whats going in, therefor there's MUCH LESS to come out. Isn't it awesome? If you don't get it cleaned up right away it'll break down into dirt really quickly too.

 

[NYDDB]

Yeah-- it's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

My mastiff produces less stool than my previous dog (a Lab, who was mostly kibble-fed)-- and outweighs him by 50 pounds!

 

[DMikeM]

Lots of water in RAW feeding which also contributes to less waste. You might also notice a decrease in water consumption once your routine gets established.

 

[jersey girl]

Ditto to what Mike said. My girl hardly drinks water during the day. Generally it's only after a long walk or when she has a play date and is exhausted.

 

[DennasMom]

I love the little poops side-effect!!
If you want bigger poops, give your pup some veggies to much on. It's amazing how some of it will go straight through, basically un-touched by the digestive tract.

 

[Hank DDB]

Tots agree with all the above, Raw is awesome! Soooo many advantages over dry food.

 

[Elsa22813]

I couldn't agree more. Mine poop way less also.

 

[musicdeb]

I was like you when I first started feeding Titan raw. I thought something was wrong with him. Welcome to the wonderful world of raw diet!

 

[NeSaxena]

I know I used to keep PMing Ruth every time Boone didn't go potty the whole day. I still PM her when he doesn't and it's coming up to the third day. Apparently, a PM to her means he'll run outside and poo BEFORE she has a chance to reply

 

[Spock]

Recently started Spock on raw too, what a difference!

 

[MNpresa]

New addition to the family, starting puppy on RAW diet (HELP!?)

New member here. I'll be bring home a new member to our family, a Presa Canario once she arrives in mid-August. I've been doing alot of research concerning diets, and am completely thrilled to be starting the RAW diet for my puppy. Her kennel doesn't feed RAW, so I'm wondering if any expirienced owners had any advice on portions to start&nbsp;her on to slowly change her diet. I'd also be interested to hear about the portions of meat/organs and other supplements to your dogs RAW diets. <BR><BR>Thanks for any help you can provide! Looking forward to posting regularly!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Re: New addition to the family, starting puppy on RAW diet (HELP!?)

New member here. I'll be bring home a new member to our family, a Presa Canario once she arrives in mid-August. I've been doing alot of research concerning diets, and am completely thrilled to be starting the RAW diet for my puppy. Her kennel doesn't feed RAW, so I'm wondering if any expirienced owners had any advice on portions to start&nbsp;her on to slowly change her diet. I'd also be interested to hear about the portions of meat/organs and other supplements to your dogs RAW diets. <BR><BR>Thanks for any help you can provide! Looking forward to posting regularly!

Start here: Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats then come back and ask all your questions. There's a BUNCH of us who feed raw, but its easier to have you start there, where its already typed out, than to retype it (ok, I'm lazy I admit it....)

 

[ruthcatrin]

The one thing I'd change from what that site suggests is that it suggests figuring a puppy's intake by 10% of the current weight, and we suggest figuring 2-3% of the pups estimated adult weight. Much easier IMO, and you adjust based on the individual dog ANYWAY.

 

[MNpresa]

Perfect, I'll start there! Thank you for the help.

 

[MNpresa]

Very interesting and helpful information! Thanks Ruth. I do have a question, what's your stance on feeding raw vs. using the BARF diet? I've discussed and read about both, and am having a hard time deciding what would be most benficial.

 

[DennasMom]

I've read enough articles about the benefits of fruit and veggies - even for canines - that we "plan" for whole-prey-raw, but then use fruit & veggies as treats and "adders". I don't plan for the fruit & veggies, but Denna gets quite a bit just by watching me cook the humans' dinner every night - trimmed pieces go in her dish before the compost pile. And she loves it all, too...

I have also noticed a LOT of the fruit & veggies come out in the exact same form as they went in... so there definitely is some truth to the non-digestibility of many forms of vegetable matter...

And, if you want to bulk up the poop (getting back to the original posters subject matter)... just add non-meat-material to the meals! You'll see it all come right out the other end!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Dogs have a shorter digestive system than humans. This means that its harder for them to get everything out fruits and vegis than it is for a human and it can put a strain on their system doing so. There are arguments about pureed vegis vs steamed vegis, vs raw vegis. In the end I decided to go Prey Model Raw, and we use fruits and vegi's as treats and snacks. They don't get tons of them in a day, so there's little added strain on their system. Considering how little the pieces of vegi's change between going in one and end coming out the other I don't believe they get much of anything out of them....

 

[LadyDogLover]

Besides being healthier for the dog, that's one if the great things about a raw diet...LESS POOP.