Raw diet? Sensitive tummy? Vet says no!

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Jingleballs

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My oldie has had an upset tummy for the last week – very loose stools and going every hour or two.

We took him off his previcox but that didn’t help so he ended up at the vets on some Pro Kolin and tramadol – his tummy did get better and the tramadol did wonders for his pain but his stools were still a bit loose although he was going at a much more regular rate.

We went back on Friday and got some antibiotics and his stools are now pretty much back to normal – they were a bit orange at the weekend but apparently back to normal colour and consistency today. We'll give him a couple of more days and then try him back on the Previcox - the vet didn't think this was the cause as he's been on it for a few months with no issues but said that it could aggrivate the underlying issue.

I’d been talking to the vet about diet and how I was toying with the idea of trying him on the raw diet and had bought some Prime Choice chicken and lamb mince but hadn’t used it yet due to his tummy upset.

He was very reluctant to put him on this type of diet stating that in his opinion, the risk of salmonellosis was too high. When I’d put forward that argument that this type of diet was more in line with a scavengers diet he agreed but claimed that historically, dogs who did live as scavengers had a much shorter life span and one of the factors impacting this was their diet. He didn’t totally discourage me and said by all means to try it but said that personally, he’d be very reluctant to up t 12 year old dog with a sensitive stomach on this type of diet.

Feeding raw seems to be increasingly popular – are there any others out there who have tried older dogs or dogs with sensitive tummy’s on the raw diet? How did you get on?
 
Do it! I have a Czech Wolfdog who has an extremely sensitive tummy and can't be on anything else. I feed Natural Instinct and I wouldn't go back to regular dog food. If he escapes to the other yard dogs place (naughty puppy!) and eats their pedigree, his belly swells up and his stools are just slop (sorry!) :D but since being on the raw diet they are completely normal :)
 
I'd try him on it & see how he is.
My old boy, who's 14, has eaten raw food & bones all his life but he can't manage it anymore as it upsets his stomach.
So he has tinned food & small bite biscuits mixed in, including Bakers (bad, bad owner that I am) but he likes it & it doesn't upset his tummy. He's a big lad (mix of grey hound, deer hound & wolf hound) but he finds small bite bisciuts easier to eat now he'a an old codger.
I don't know why the raw meat upsets him now but I'd be tempted to try your oldie on it & see if it agrees with him, you can always stop if it's no good for him.
 
RCP Equestrian said:
Do it! I have a Czech Wolfdog who has an extremely sensitive tummy and can't be on anything else. I feed Natural Instinct and I wouldn't go back to regular dog food. If he escapes to the other yard dogs place (naughty puppy!) and eats their pedigree, his belly swells up and his stools are just slop (sorry!) :D but since being on the raw diet they are completely normal :)
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Totally agree!! Wolfie breeds in particular have a very low tolerance for carbs, but any breed can suffer from what is an extremely unnatural diet for dogs - even though there is scientific evidence that some dogs do produce the enzyme amylase, proving that their digestive system is starting to evolve into a more omniverous diet.

That said though, there are tens of thousands of dogs of all types and breeds who cannot digest carbs - mine included - and I would certainly advise the OP to ignore the vet and do a trial of raw meat and a little pureed raw vegetable with a raw, meaty bone regularly. Raw chicken wings are good too.
 
Raw chicken bones are fine (infact chicken wings are pretty much the staple of most RAW diets) - it is COOKED chicken bones which are very, very dangerous, as they have a tendency to splinter.
 
I was very lucky that my vet advised raw diet after my dog's pancreatitis - he was very helpful through the change and completely changed MY until then lifelong perspective of how to feed a dog. Mine has a super sensitive belly and frequently gets belly aches. On her previous diet, they would continue through the night and often require medication. Now, we understand her gut inflammations better and as long as we remove all skin from her carcasses we haven't had a belly ache in ages.
 
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