BARF diet puppy

Newport81

Hi I started my 6 month Bichon on natures menu puppy nuggets last Friday I still notice his stools are very soft and today it had a little blood in it?

Should I be concerned about this or is it normal when changing to a BARF diet?

Also what bones should I ask a butcher for to help with his teeth. I'd be scared to give him chicken wings in case he would choke

stoeger2000

smyths wrote: »

Hi I started my 6 month Bichon on natures menu puppy nuggets last Friday I still notice his stools are very soft and today it had a little blood in it?

Should I be concerned about this or is it normal when changing to a BARF diet?

Also what bones should I ask a butcher for to help with his teeth. I'd be scared to give him chicken wings in case he would choke

I wouldn't be giving any bones to a dog that young. Not just yet anyway.
(Open to correction on that)

tk123

If she has runny poo with blood then then she has an upset tummy. Did you fast her before switching to raw or take the gamble and do a straight swap? I gambled both times with dog and pup and it was fine thank god! Some dogs do get the runs when they switch though unfortunately.

I'd try fasting her so skip her evening meal and let her fast overnight then maybe put her on chicken and rice until it clears up then gradually mix in the NM over say a week.

For bones chicken wings/legs are fine because the bones are a lot softer than you think. You can hold the end of eg a wing so your dog will have to bite off smaller pieces instead of gulping it down. I wouldn't be giving any bones just yet though - let him get settled on the new diet for a few weeks first before you add anything else in then you try eg a chicken wing or leg and see how he gets on. It can take a while for their tummies to build up the enzymes they need to break down harder bones so sticking with softer ones like chicken wings/legs/necks, duck necks or pork ribs is probably better until you're happy he's digesting them. Then you go to the butchers and ask 'any bones for the dog' and see what you get in the lucky bag lol!

teggers5

Sorry to jump in here but just wondering where you're getting Natures diet from? Sounds like an easy mess free way to feed raw!

tk123

teggers5 wrote: »

Sorry to jump in here but just wondering where you're getting Natures diet from? Sounds like an easy mess free way to feed raw!

I'm not a fan of it - sorry OP! I think gRaw would be a better option? The meat is irish and human grade for starters? It's pretty hassle free too if you cut the chub correctly.

FoxyVixen

Just as an aside, careful with Bichons and raw food. They're renowned for having alot of allergies to all sorts of things. My friend has one who's allergic to pollen, so summer is a fun time for her.

It's possible that the dog mightn't have the tolerance for raw food, which with blood in its stool is indicative of such an issue.

bluecherry74

Would you maybe switch to plain chicken and cooked rice/potato for a few days? The Nature's Menu nuggets have a number of different ingredients and one of them could be triggering an allergy. If her poos sort themselves out while on the chicken/rice, put her back on the nuggets and see if they stay normal or go back to being runny.

I'd also second TK's recommendation of gRAW.

teggers5

tk123 wrote: »

I'm not a fan of it - sorry OP! I think gRaw would be a better option? The meat is irish and human grade for starters? It's pretty hassle free too if you cut the chub correctly.

Thanks tk, I'll look into gRaw