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  1. #1
    Puppy kerplunk105's Avatar
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    Question about Honest Kitchen

    I have a 4yo dog. Great coat, ears are never dirty, excellent weight. She's always had what I think of as a sensitive stomach. Typically once a month she will have a 1-3 day period of horrible diarrhea (total liquid). I would fast her, (giving kaopectate normally 2x) and then continue her meals with canned pumpkin. I've never really found a food/kibble that she's done well on for long periods of time.

    Recently, (about 2 weeks ago), I switched her to Honest Kitchen (base mix) Preference with Natures Variety raw (chicken) nuggets. She gets pumpkin (1x/day), egg and yogurt mixed in every other day. So on yogurt days she doesn't get egg. She is doing very well on this. Her stools have been firm and normal. However, they are *huge* and she is going 5-6 times per day. I've always been of the mindset that larger/frequent stools = more waste in the diet. My vet isn't a fan of kibble/processed foods and recommended raw. She's never been able to tolerate a "homemade" raw diet.

    I'm almost out of the HK and raw and I don't know if I should buy more or try something different due to the huge/frequent stools. Any ideas? Should I try pre-made raw and not the combo of HK and raw? Right now she is getting half raw and half Honest Kitchen 2x/day.

    Bliss was on a raw diet for most of her life and did well on it. It just seems like Tegan needs more of a "binding" diet.
    -Elizabeth & chocolate pup Nora
    Philadelphia, PA


  2. #2
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    I would guess it is probably all the fillers, the HK and the pumpkin. Pumpkin, egg, and yogurt can also cause runny sloppy poops.

    You shouldn't need the HK if you are feeding a complete prepackaged raw like the NV nuggets. I would ditch the HK, and do prepackaged. You can buy patties or chubs to save money. Chubs you have to cut up, patties are easy though. I prefer Primal or OC Raw over the NV personally. Green tripe would also be a good choice to throw in the mix. I would even cut the yogurt and the pumpkin and do a whole egg including the shell maybe once or twice a week.

    In PA you should be able to get a product called Blue Ridge Beef. They have good stuff.

    A RMB bone, like a turkey neck, would help to firm up stools and I think are important to add in order to keep the teeth clean and allow those dental/jaw benefits. You can add 10-30% of the raw food diet when using prepackaged. Primal has a pretty good calculator on their webpage.

    Good luck, let me know what you decide!
    Charlie and Burton


  3. #3
    Puppy kerplunk105's Avatar
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    See my issue with doing 100% raw is that in the past she's never been able to tolerate it (diarrhea).
    -Elizabeth & chocolate pup Nora
    Philadelphia, PA


  4. #4
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    In that case, I would try prepackaged complete raw with a digestive enhancer/probiotic. Natures Farmacy has a few good options. Animal essentials also makes a good one. Otherwise you could try PMR but it sounded like homemade wasn't what you were going for.
    Charlie and Burton


  5. #5
    Real Retriever SCDoug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charliebbarkin View Post
    In that case, I would try prepackaged complete raw with a digestive enhancer/probiotic. Natures Farmacy has a few good options. Animal essentials also makes a good one. Otherwise you could try PMR but it sounded like homemade wasn't what you were going for.
    I agree. Cut out all additional items for a while and try something like Primal freezed dried (readily available and easy to store and prepare). Maybe introduce FortiFlora daily as a probiotic.

    I've heard good things about Honest Kitchen, but I don't know anything about it. If it's considered a complete raw meal, then just feed that without any additional toppers. Lola has a sensitive stomach and we found out (through testing) that she has food allergies. We didn't go with a prescription diet, but we did break it down and reduce all variables before adding things back to her diet.
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  6. #6
    House Broken Aerodogs's Avatar
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    I'm curious if your vet has ruled out IBS? Her symptoms sound very similar to IBS, which could potentially explain her dietary issues and monthly bouts of diarrhea. Just something to consider with an otherwise healthy dog experiencing diet and stool issues.

    If she were my dog, I'd opt for a pre-made raw food trial with a simple protein, like turkey/chicken with added fiber (sweet potato, bran flakes, etc.) and a probiotic to aid in motility and balancing the bacteria (wholistic pet acidophilus is a good one, Purina also makes Forti-flora which seems to get good reviews). I have friends who feed the preference base mix and add various ground meat with great results, which you could also try. The NV raw is more balanced than feeding plain ground turkey and added to the fillers of preference, I could easily see that combo resulting in large, frequent stools, especially in a dog with a sensitive stomach. You could also try to cut back the ratio of raw to preference, do 1:3 preference to NV raw and see if that helps.

    I've fed a PMR diet for over ten years, and the majority of my fosters are switched over when I bring them home. I keep a product on hand called Perfect Form by Honest Kitchen and it's like metronidazole and pumpkin on steroids, lol. I just sprinkle it on their first two or three meals and never have an issue with an upset tummy or loose stools. It may be worth considering if she continues to have these monthly bouts of diarrhea, as giving pumpkin frequently can have a reverse effect. I hope it's not info overload, just trying to throw some ideas out there that may help.

 



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