Transitioning to raw food too fast?

[ChristineL]

Please help! ? . I started giving my rescued pup "Hope" home-cooked meals since the day I brought her home on 1/15, for about a week. Her appetite has always been good. I then on the second week, fed her raw beef sliders by Small Batch. On the second day of feeding that, she started having stomach issues (i.e., gurgling, lack of appetite in the morning but appetite returned in the afternoon as she asked for food)..I'm not sure if it's the garlic in the sliders that upset her stomach (I saw tons of crushed garlic). So I stopped feeding her that and started cooking turkey with vegetables for her for the past three days hoping to settle her stomach and it did. She did just fine. My goal is to put her on raw food diet (complete and balance diet)...I gave her tonight some raw duck blend (80/10/10) by Souly's Raw (local), Green Juju and a splash of local goat's milk and bone broth. She loved it - She inhaled the entire plate. Roughly about an hour after dinner, she did snuffle mat for 30 minutes (I used SmallBatch Turkey bites) (Hope's BEAM was good), then immediately after she's done with the snuffle mat, she ran and had soft stool with mucus. I checked Souly's Raw's website and learned that soft stool with mucus is normal during transition..however, Hope's stomach has been grumbling ever since and she seems uncomfortable (symptoms: stomach grumbling, little panting before she fell asleep then shallow / fast breath during sleep). My question is, should I stick to the plan and give her the raw food and see how she responds to it the second time? I can eliminate some items in the meal like mixed greens. Or should I stop feeding her raw food completely? Or should I do 1/2 cooked and 1/2 raw? P.S. I give her Adored Beast Healthy Gut (pre and pro biotic with enzyme) with her dinner every day. I just want to do her right as she had a very rough life on the street as a stray for a long time. Thank you for your help.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Diet can certainly be a challenge for animals as well as people. Since she was fine with the cooked turkey and vegetables, I would use that as our base to explore other foods, raw and cooked. Since the small batch seems to cause upset, I would pop those in the freezer to try much later. There is no one right answer for food, as each individual is unique. Once healthy and balanced, most foods should not cause problems.
Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Christine-

Consider a fast for her today (water and raw goat's milk, especially if Answers fermented Goat's Milk is fine). Give her GI tract a chance to rest.

Then start back on small amounts (~1/4 of the amount you had been feeding).

Also try to stick with one or two fresh foods for a few days until her microbiome and gut issue have a chance to settle down.

 

[Dr. Sue]

Hi Christine,
I think that you hit the nail on the head - the transition to raw was too fast. Plus she's new to your family and lots of change at once can cause digestive upset. I'll echo Dr. Christina - keep going with the cooked food diet and very slowly sneak in raw over weeks to months. I have best luck starting with Answers Fermented Raw Goat Cheese treats - just one or two to start.

Dr. Sue

 

[ChristineL]

Thank you Doctors! I will do as you advised and transition more slowly until she settles down. I appreciate you all. ?

 

[ChristineL]

Hi it's me again re transitioning...when the time comes, what is the best way for this transition? I.e., raw for breakfast then cooked for dinner...or mix of raw and cooked?

 

[ChristineL]

Hi All. Just a quick update - Hope is now on full raw and Answer's goat milk and she's thriving! ?