Raw and poo

[Clodagh]

Not wanting to take over PL thread about her Clumber and his bum (!) I have a query about raw. My hairdresser has got a labrador, she wants to feed raw as lost her last lab to cancer and was concerned it might have been feed related.
Her pup (now 8 months) is an obsessive poo eater and now has to wear a muzzle out but also poos about 9 times a day on raw. She was having those prepared raw tray things. They are now trying kibble as they are trying to stop the poo eating and cut down the production. On kibble she poos about 3 times a day.
So I have questions...
I thought they would poo less on raw as it is meant to be more digestible?
The pup also eats poo less on kibble, is that because she is getting the nutrients she needs more effectively? I would have thought kibble poos would have more about them, for the same digesting point above.
I am partly interested and also said I would try to find out for her, she hates having the muzzle on her dog - and dog hates it too. She would prefer to go back to raw if possible. She doesn't want to be preparing the food herself.

 

[planete]

The kibble may take more room in the pup' s stomach when it expands with the water drunk making the pup feel fuller? My views on raw feeding have been shaped by my first lurcher who was suspicious of any food which had been minced/mashed and would only eat what was easily recognisable as meat, so no pre-prepared trays for him. It made me think his instinct made him dislike the odd mixtures sold ( he does not believe unknown fruits and vegetables are suitable for him!), perhaps he knows more about raw feeding than the manufacturers? He grew up on a raw diet of mixed meats, bones and offal and is now a strapping, healthy lad but I feed the adult dogs a good kibble with some added meat nowadays. People should really feed what their dogs do best on. I have a theory that some dogs' genetics mean they are best suited to raw and other dogs have a slightly different metabolism and do best with a mix of carbohydrates and meat. Not very scientific but not sure much is in the raw debate.

 

[missmatch]

Do you know what raw mix she was feeding?
Did your friend do the single protein test? This is where she starts with one protein, say chicken, and sees if the dog reacts to it. Many many dogs react to certain proteins.
Was she sticking solely to her ready made mixes or maybe adding bits here and there? What was percentages like? A good guide is 80/10/10. Protein/bone/offal.
But not everything suits every dog. My pair were avid poo eaters and finally grew out of it when they were about 12 months old, although sheep pooh is like crack to them!!
Check worming is up to date and also the possibility of adding raw eggs and goats milk should she go back to raw.
Hope that helps.

 

[Clodagh]

Thank you both. I don't know which ones but I think she said Natures Instinct? She said she gave absolutely no treats at all, she is a bit paranoid!
She doesn't mind the dog eating sheep, deer, rabbit etc poo it is dog poo she can't cope with (I have never had a dog that did, I am sure it would make me chuck watching it!).
So do all dog poo eating dogs grow out of it?

 

[planete]

I wish I could say yes, but a girl I met at dog training has a lovely Lab who still eats dog poo at two years old. He has been back and forth at the vet's with tummy upsets and she has to either muzzle him or keep him on a lead. I wish I could be more helpful.

I caught the end of a programme some weeks ago where the trainer was teaching the owner of a poo eating dog to keep the dog focused on the owner by throwing balls and generally making the owner as interesting as possible to keep him busy and stop him thinking about poo eating. It looked like hard work for the owner but might be worth trying?

 

[missmatch]

Unfortunately some of them are poo eaters forever but there's lots of things to try. As planete said there's distraction which does work - I carry nuked liver to distract if needed
There's lots of supplements to try. My friend swears by pumpkin seeds and egg shells whereas I found there better with goats milk. It's a real trial and error. I would be looking to maybe diy. One of my recent fosters was doing fab on diy raw. Rehomed and he went downhill on instincts. Back on diy now. More variety may help?

 

[Clodagh]

OK, will make suggestions. Thank you.