# Dog Poo on raw diet.



## Derek S (Oct 27, 2012)

I gotta say, it is wonderful to be on a forum that has so many people dedicated to the well being of their dogs. I go to WalMart and see people buying the "'OL Roy" and pedigree canned stuff and I just want to cringe!

Anyway, question: Just started feeding raw to my dogs. What should the poo look like?

I live on 8 acres of mostly forest and they tend to go in the bush mostly but the ones I do see seem to be harder than usual. My little one poops super dry, rock-like nuggets and I'm a little concerned about this. They were on Taste of the wild, cut with 4 LIFE, cut with Natural balance and all 4 shared one can of high end stuff like TOTW/Solid Gold etc. Their stools were firm to soft but rarely runny.

Since feeding raw, I've tried to monitor not only their "input" but "output" as well, just not sure what I should be looking for aside from runny stools and vomiting.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

You don't want to see "cement" poops but they can happen.
It usually is a sign that the bone content is too high


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## Derek S (Oct 27, 2012)

Wimble Woof said:


> You don't want to see "cement" poops but they can happen.
> It usually is a sign that the bone content is too high


Now that I think about it, they do get quite a bit of beef rib bones, the little one goes nuts for them. I think I'll cut back on the ribs.
Would chicken bones have the same effect? Leg quarters are about the only thing affordable out here, I really don't want to de-bone but I'll keep monitoring and do what I gotta do!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Feed more boneless meat and it will be fine. For a pound of chicken quarter which are about 30% bone you would offer 2 pounds of boneless meat to get to the 10% bone required for calcium and phosphorus. Beef ribs seem to be half bone so offer more like 4 pounds of boneless for 1 pound of ribs if they eat the whole thing. Work up to that amount, you don't want super soft stools either.

Feeding bone is addictive for us and the dogs but eating too much bone is bad for dogs!


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## PJStar (Jul 23, 2012)

My PJ is on a raw diet. Dogs on this diet should only poop once or twice a week because they absorb and use all of the nutrients in the food. If you see loose stools, then that is an indicator that your dog may be allergic to that type of meat. This is what our vet told us.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

^ PJStar, dogs will poop different amounts. Most dogs on raw poo once or twice a day, or sometimes skip a day.

Poo will look different depending on what you fed.

Chicken, turkey, poultry, fish, and light meat will create yellow or light brown poo. It's normal for there to be varying colors mixed/mashed together in one piece of poo.

Beef, pork, lamb, goat, game, etc. will create darker poo.

Heart will often give a dog nearly black poo with a sticky tar-like consistency.

Slightly loose poo is ok. It does not mean diarrhea, it's just the waste product of what was fed. Dogs with diarrhea will poo much more often than a dog that had a normal loose poo. Loose poo can be caused by a number of things. Overfeeding, feeding enhanced meat (it should be under 100mg of sodium per 4 oz serving), feeding too much fat/skin, feeding too much organ, or feeding too much of a new protein source or cut that your dog is not accustomed to yet.

Slightly hard poo is also ok. It should *NOT* be white when it comes out. That means you fed too much bone. Extremely painful and potentially harmful for your dog. Having a slightly harder/firmer poo helps naturally express their anal glands which is good but don't overdo the bone. You'll learn as you go! Once I fed a joint from a pork roast that I had taken most of the meat off of and it made my dog's poo go beyond hard poo into sand poo. Like sand from her butt! Sounds funny, but can you imagine how uncomfortable that would be? Not so fun for poor puppy. Try not to feel too bad if your dog has really hard poo. Learn from your mistake.


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## Derek S (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies and great info! Only on a dog forum would people be so willing to talk in so much detail about poo! That is so awesome!
Thanks for the tips on what color to expect with different meats, especially watching for bad signs like super hard/sandy poo. I've actually seen this with my Heeler after surgery for a blockage. He likes bottle caps for some reason. He didn't eat for almost a week and when he finally did go, it was like a tootsie roll covered in sand.
I'm a newb with raw feeding and it's clear to me that I've been overdoing it with the bone. I'm going to cut back on bone and try a little more water with the veggie/fruit puree.
I've also been trying to cut back on the fat content as well, so far so good, the little one's stool has been softening up a bit, (she goes on the pad), the others I've been following around in the morning on our romps in the forest, they give me a strange look
because I usually give them their "privacy". 
Maybe I'm overfeeding because they poop once a day. I've always thought that was normal but they've been on dry/canned all this time. Maybe that will change. Dogs aren't overweight but considering how much exercise they get, maybe they SHOULD be leaner. My understanding is that if they are on a balanced raw diet, they should lean out. Only time will tell.


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## kathylcsw (Jul 4, 2011)

raw will help add muscle but if they need to lose some weight that will only happen if you cut back on the amount you are feeding. You really don't need to add fruits or veggies. If the poop is too hard just feed more muscle meat and less bone. If poop is loose add more bone. One of mine only needs bone every 3rd meal and the other gets bone every other meal. Mine also poop at least once a day and often twice per day. Once in a great while they will skip a day but I would be worried if they went an entire week without pooping.


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