# Raw Feeders: How much throwing up is normal during transition?



## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

So my dog Jack has been on 100% raw chicken for around a week and half or so. He has been on only chicken so far, and seemed fine except for a little gas. He threw up last night about three hours after eating and his food looked partially digested. He tried to eat it again, but I didn't let him. He threw up once more during the night, and this was little more foamy looking. I gave him just half of his breakfast around 10 am and he seemed fine until 30 minutes ago when he threw up in the car at 4:30. I thought maybe he was just car sick, but he is usually fine in the car. He threw up again at home, and has thrown up about 4 more times, but this time just foam. I tried to give him a dose of Pepcid Ac but he didn't keep it down. He is heaves and heaves and then just a small amount of foam comes out. As I am typing this he just let out a whimper, and then layed down. He is throwing up now again, but this time barely any foam came out. It is like he is trying to empty everything in his tummy.

I know it is hard to diagnose over the computer, but does this seem like it could be normal kibble to raw transitioning, a chicken intolerance (since he was gassy too), or just sick.

Will be planning on taking him to the e-vet if he isn't better by bed time or if it gets worse, but would love some advice in the meantime.


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## Jazzys Mom (Feb 28, 2012)

When my dogs transitioned from kibble to raw they didn't throw up at all. They did have vile greasy stools for about a week until the toxins were gone from their body. It sounds like you dog is in pain. What breed is he? He could be bloating. Feel his tummy and if its at all hard or distended get him to the vet immediately. He could also have a blockage so watch to make sure he is pooping. Even if his belly is soft adn he continues to throw up I would get him to the vet. I don't want to scare you but I had a dog bloat and its not pretty. Good luck!


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Okay so Jack is doing better now. He ate some grass, threw up one more time, and his tummy seems to have calmed down. Do I feed him his regular dinner, chicken w/ bone in? I was going to try adding in some turkey for the first time. I thought that if he was just intolerant to chicken than turkey could help his gas and throwing up. But if he is just sick from the transition, do I feed him anything at all? He has eaten about 1/3 the food he is supposed to get in one day, but he threw some of that up so I am just worried he will get hypoglycemic or something.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

He is a maltese and hasn't thrown up in over an hour, so I am hoping things are good. I felt his belly and it feels soft like usual. I have read some things about dog bloat and I agree with you, it is not pretty at all.


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## Jazzys Mom (Feb 28, 2012)

Lol - he won't get hypoglycemic. I never feed my dogs after they throw up like that. If he had just thrown up one time and it was over then I'd say he just had a flukey tummy. I would rest his tummy tonight and tomorrow I would only give him a little boiled chicken and rice then start him back on his raw foods the next day if he seems ok. Continue to offer water but don't let him gulp. I know this throws off his transition but it will calm him tummy down. I fed completely raw for 10 years. Now my girls get Canidae kibble and raw fruits and veggies. This is solely because I have a very strange Golden girl who refuses raw chicken! lol. Go figure! I have been through several transitions with several dogs over the years and have never had any of them throw up like that.


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## Jazzys Mom (Feb 28, 2012)

I just read you post about him being a Maltese. Make extra sure he is drinking as their small body size will dehydrate quickly. Good that his little tummy is soft so you can probably scratch bloat off the list. He probably just had a tummy bug. It seems to come on quickly and leave just as quickly is dogs I guess due to their short ailmentary tract. Wish mine was short like that - maybe I could get rid of food faster and lose weight! lol


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Ok I will just keep an eye on him and make sure he drinks water slowly. I really hope it is just a bug, he really hates feeling sick. Thanks so much for helping! I will make him some boiled chicken now.

Also since I was going to try introducing turkey today, should I hold off feeding that for a few days?


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## Jazzys Mom (Feb 28, 2012)

Yes, I would hold off on the turkey for a few days and just keep him on the boiled chicken and rice for tomorrow and then back to his raw the next day and maybe try the turkey in a few more days. Funny story (but yet not so funny - could have been a disaster) My big male Golden weighed about 85 lbs. He absolutely LOVED turkey necks. I never gave it a thought so just gave him turkey necks whole and he would chew them up. One evening I fed the dogs and I heard this gagging sound, turned and looked and Dakota had tried to swallow a WHOLE turkey neck! I had to go down his throat and pull it out! When I thought about it, the turkey neck and a dogs throat are shaped the same! Good thing I was in the room! He never got another turkey neck again - stuck to chicken necks after that and he even chewed up the chicken necks. I think he scared himself. He was my dog that bloated. Rushed him to the emer. vet and they just barely got the tube passed as his stomach was beginning to twist on itself! He stayed overnight and the next day seemed fine! He died at age 13 1/2


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I'd give him 24 hours of no food, let his GI tract rest.

Check to make sure nothing is stuck in his throat.

Often they will throw up if they didn't "chew" well enough and the chunks they swallowed were too big. Although gross, it's ok to let them re-eat it. Some dogs have a rougher transition than others. I'd stick with chicken for now, what chicken cuts are you feeding?


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

He can go hypoglycemic on you. Small dogs big problem with that. One of the first things that gets checked when a vomiting small dog comes in. The e-vet will prob want to run a pcv/tp , a simple blood test, to see how dehydrated your dog is. Small dogs that can not even keep water down can dehydrate very quickly. How old is your maltese? You obvisouly love your little guy. The e-vet can give him something to help calm his little aching belly and some subcutaneous fluids to help with the rehydration if nothing else. Little dogs do not have the reserve as big dogs. Plus you probably won't be able to sleep unless you take him.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Okay so I ended up giving him a little bit of boiled chicken before reading these posts, but not a full serving. He hasn't thrown up or anything and he is drinking water normally and is pretty much back to normal. I am still a little worried he will stick get sick tonight since both times he threw up it was around 3-4 hours after eating. We just went pee pee outside and he was all excited that he made me happy, so that is a good sign. My maltese is about 7 months, so I am a little paranoid about everything since he is so young and little. We rested at home all day after he got sick and I think we are going to take it easy the next few days as well. 

He is doing pretty well now, so I don't think I am going to have to take him in. I will stay up though just to make sure, even though I am so tired! I was so worried last night about how he threw up that I barely slept and now I will have to stay up late again. I guess that is what netflix is for. 

So far we have done chicken wings and legs, and sometimes necks. The wings are super easy for him to chew up, but I only give him the meaty parts of the legs. The leg bones look too big to chew. I just bought a whole chicken and broke it down so he got a little bit of breast meat this morning and if everything is okay with him then he will be eating the rest of it over the next week. I also read to take the fatty skin off so I have been doing that. 

Should I feed him normally tomorrow since he "seems" fine right now, or should I still hold off on food?

Edit: I wanted to add that we have only had him about three weeks. Could this in any way be related to the "stress of a new environment"? He settled in really fast as far as I could tell and didn't seem to have any trouble fitting in with the rest of "the pack" (Lila and the cats), but could his tummy be telling a different story?

The thing that makes me paranoid too is that we started raw over a week ago, wouldn't any transitional issues have shown up then? preymodelraw.com said that vomiting can be part of the process, but I wonder at what times during the transition that would occur most normally. http://preymodelraw.com/help/ 

I don't think this is likely, but if it is a chicken intolerance, how do I distinguish the difference between that and just transitioning?


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

Sounds like something either did not agree with him or irritated his belly. Only a week may not be long enough to deem him as transitioned. I would consider sticking to chicken until he is ok with chicken. You are basically asking his system to switch gears. Give him some more time, and then add a new protein. Also, like everyone else said, I would fast him after any puking session for 12 hours or so. Make sure he drinks. 

rereading this I am seeing I am only parroting others advise. Its good advice


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

I know he hasn't transitioned yet, I just thought that maybe any issues he had would have started earlier in the process. He had been eating Natures variety and Vital essentials about three weeks ago and around the two week mark I started adding in fresh raw for dinner. Once I ran out of the commercial stuff we did 100% fresh raw. So technically he has been on raw for more like 2 weeks, so that is why I wondered about the delayed tummy upset-ness.


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

LilasMom said:


> I know he hasn't transitioned yet, I just thought that maybe any issues he had would have started earlier in the process. He had been eating Natures variety and Vital essentials about three weeks ago and around the two week mark I started adding in fresh raw for dinner. Once I ran out of the commercial stuff we did 100% fresh raw. So technically he has been on raw for more like 2 weeks, so that is why I wondered about the delayed tummy upset-ness.


you can give him shaved ice or 3ml of water about every hour than increase to 4ml several hours later.several small meals also help of the chicken and rice. Is he pooping?


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

smaller breeds aren't usually treated in the same way as larger breeds...and your maltese is a small breed....

how much does he weigh and how much are you feeding him per meal?

after all of this vomiting, in my opinion, it's more important to keep him hydrated than to feed him.

either make him some no salt chicken broth and let him drink that.....or fast him until at least dinner tonight, depending on whether or not he throws up again.

my pug weighs more than your maltese, but if he pukes, he gets slippery elm capsule and i make chicken broth with fresh ginger added to calm his tummy.....

and no solid food for 24 hours. cruel, according to my pug, but better for his stomach....

since you are in transition, i would not intro the turkey just yet..and i would certainly not give him boiled chicken and rice. it's just introducing a different way of feeding during a time when you're in transition and his digestive system is in transition.

if i had to guess the original reason for vomiting, is it possible you are over feeding?

and, dogs do re eat their vomit.....if it has value to them. might want to think about letting him do that....not letting him can be more stressful to his tummy than what we think of as a disgusting habit.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

I have been giving him about 4 ounces of food a day, he is about 6.5 - 7 pounds. I didn't think I was over feeding since he is a puppy, but I could be wrong. He has been drinking water today and seems fine even though he hasn't eaten yet. He had a normal looking poo about one hour ago, and then right after than a weird poop came out. It was very soft poop and had an odd looking part. I have a photo if it would help to see what it looked like lol. 

I will just make him some chicken broth tonight with a little bit of his normal dinner. How to I make the chicken broth?


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I am so glad to hear your little guy is doing better. Pretty scary when they are so small. Sounds like he had eaten something that did not agree with him. That strange little second poo probably holds the answer to his upset tummy Pedilyte is good to have around with puking dogs. Whatever chicken broth you use make sure it is low sodium. You can boil some chicken in water(about 1 cup) to make your own chicken broth. Feed your other dogs the chicken and him the chicken broth. He will probably be fine by tonight to even offer small amounts of food.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

LilasMom said:


> I have been giving him about 4 ounces of food a day, he is about 6.5 - 7 pounds. I didn't think I was over feeding since he is a puppy, but I could be wrong. He has been drinking water today and seems fine even though he hasn't eaten yet. He had a normal looking poo about one hour ago, and then right after than a weird poop came out. It was very soft poop and had an odd looking part. I have a photo if it would help to see what it looked like lol.
> 
> I will just make him some chicken broth tonight with a little bit of his normal dinner. How to I make the chicken broth?


take some bony chicken and put it in water. if scum comes to the top on a low boil, just scrape it off and then simmer. simmer until you've cooked the life out of the chicken and the bones are really soft....don't feed the bones to the dog nor the chicken, since you're transitioning to raw.

feed the broth.  you eat the chicken.

this is what he weighs now? the 6.5 - 7 lbs? what will he weigh as an adult, approximately?

definitely get pedialyte.....best invention since the zipper. 

if you want to post the poo pic, that's fine with me. it's not as if i don't dissect my dogs' poo to make sure they're okay


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Yes he weighs about 6.5-7 pounds now. He is already 7 months so I don't think he will get much bigger. I am not really sure how big he will be, probably around 8 pounds. His mom was 8 pounds and his dad was about 5 pounds. I will pick up pedialyte next time I am at the store. Are all flavors ok to give?

Here is the link to the poop picture: http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/cappie_cat/IMG_4341.jpg


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

plain works just fine. Can even freeze to make ice cubes. Update pleas! anymore throwing up?


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Okay so far no throwing up today yet. He had his homemade broth about an hour and a half ago so hopefully that settles with him well. He kept last night's boiled chicken down so I think he is doing pretty good. I am going to stay up again tonight though just to make sure. I have an unwatched episode of Walking Dead on iTunes so Jack and I are going to watch it together while he digests his broth 

I bet something just didn't settle with him right. Like you said, it was probably something to do with the weird 2nd poop lol. 

Do you think eating kibble could have upset his tummy like this? He snuck out of the room while I was taking the laundry out a few days ago and when I went to get him I saw him coming out of my bf's cats' room where they have their food. I don't think he had enough time to eat any but you never know.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Update: Okay so he just started gagging like he was going to throw up but then he just stopped and didn't. Then I heard a little throat gurgle/burp as if a little gas came up.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

yes. eating kibble can cause a tummy ache, especially during transition.

his poo looks a little soft, but otherwise fine. 

he might just be hungry....LOL

ah, dogs suck. they can't tell us when they are ready for food. or ready for broth or not ready.....

i think you're doing fine.

tomorrow, you may want to put a wing or whatever you feed him, chicken wise, in some broth....a little broth..and let him eat a little bit. not what you usually feed him....if you can, maybe three meals tomorrow adding up to the same amount you would normally feed.

that way, you're giving less more often....so that if it's a matter of overfeeding or he's not feeling well, you'll know.

and, it's imperative he stays away from kibble for the time being...well, actually forever. give the cats a chicken wing or neck..they can go raw too


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

MagicRe said:


> yes. eating kibble can cause a tummy ache, especially during transition.
> 
> his poo looks a little soft, but otherwise fine.
> 
> ...


Believe me, I have tried. It is my boyfriend's mom's cats, and in the three years I have been with him the best I have been able to do is get her to give them wet food as a treat. They have been on Royal Canin dry for all their lives and apparently will be forever. I get really sad every time I think about their health. But she "trusts her vet". My owns cats are on 100% raw. They have had no problems so far. I don't ever plan on going back to kibble either, except for an emergency, but I would probably just use dehydrated raw instead.

So Jack threw the broth up, but it also had part of a bully stick in it so that could have been why. Not sure how he got into that, it must have been in the couch cushions. UGH he was doing so well and I was so sure all the bullies were up for the night. When we went out for pee pee time again he wanted to eat grass again. He threw up the grass and a bit of foamy stuff once we were back inside. 

*sigh*

I forget to mention that I was worried because of that slight mucous-y looking part of the poop. Is that okay? There were two other drops by it that were more liquidy.


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

LilasMom said:


> Believe me, I have tried. It is my boyfriend's mom's cats, and in the three years I have been with him the best I have been able to do is get her to give them wet food as a treat. They have been on Royal Canin dry for all their lives and apparently will be forever. I get really sad every time I think about their health. But she "trusts her vet". My owns cats are on 100% raw. They have had no problems so far. I don't ever plan on going back to kibble either, except for an emergency, but I would probably just use dehydrated raw instead.
> 
> So Jack threw the broth up, but it also had part of a bully stick in it so that could have been why. Not sure how he got into that, it must have been in the couch cushions. UGH he was doing so well and I was so sure all the bullies were up for the night. When we went out for pee pee time again he wanted to eat grass again. He threw up the grass and a bit of foamy stuff once we were back inside.
> 
> ...


get some nutrical so you can give him when he is not eating his normal meals it helps the little dogs from becoming hypoglycemic.yes his poop could be looking like that because of the irritation caused by his upset tummy my chi was like that almost a month ago.give him small amounts of the chicken broth.By the way how is he doing now.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

mucus in stool is merely the mucus lining of the intestines shedding. it is completely normal.

i was semi joking about the cat...you have enough on your hands.

might want to get some pedialyte and some slippery elm bark.....

what happens when we throw up, dog or human, or get the runs, is something called hypermotility....once it starts, generally it goes and goes until something stops it..

whilst it is good to get things out of our systems...there comes a point where we want to stop it...

for a dog, chicken broth, pedialyte, and slippery elm bark...you can get that at super supplements or vitacost.com and it should be pretty inexpensive...you can get it in capsules, which is what i do...and break the capsule into the broth.

when my bubba did the same thing on sunday, i also got some fresh ginger and made a tea and added it to the chicken broth....

dogs can go without eating. but they can't go without drinking......that's why the chicken broth for some nutrition, the pedialyte to make sure he stays within a proper electrolyte/hydration balance and the slippery elm provides a coating for the stomach and intestinal tract.....be aware that slippery elm bark will show up as mucus in stool.....as it is supposed to do.

control how much jack drinks and eats...every three to four hours....for 24 hours....and then see.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks so much for all the information, I will do just ginger chicken broth, pedialyte, and slippery elm bark today. Going to call around to see if anyone carries the bark stuff in town. Off to the store!


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

super supplements should have it.


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

LilasMom said:


> Thanks so much for all the information, I will do just ginger chicken broth, pedialyte, and slippery elm bark today. Going to call around to see if anyone carries the bark stuff in town. Off to the store!


have you dewormed him?


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> mucus in stool is merely the mucus lining of the intestines shedding. it is completely normal.
> 
> i was semi joking about the cat...you have enough on your hands.
> 
> ...


what is the dosage and mg they carry them in 370 and 400 for a small dog i plan to by it for my girls as well ?


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

Too bad the cats are on kibble, Cats do so much better with an all meat diet. That little bit of kibble probably did not hurt your dog that much.

The MUCOUS poo is normal, especially in dogs with upset gastro systems. If this does continue I think an x-ray needs to get done. 7 months old can and do put everything in their mouth. You only have had him for 3 weeks right? It is hard to tell what he might got into you prior to you getting him.


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## LilasMom (Jan 18, 2012)

He has been dewormed, and had a fecal done last saturday.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

roxiefoxie08 said:


> what is the dosage and mg they carry them in 370 and 400 for a small dog i plan to by it for my girls as well ?


for a small dog, i'd give the lower dose.

i always err on the side of less is better. you can always give it every twelve hours, but i've found that once is usually enough....

slippery elm coats the intestines which stops any absorption, so it's an herb that is used to stop the vomiting or diarrhea, coat the stomach and intestine and meant only for temporary use.


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