Re: [pyrnet] Question on Foods

["Tracy Bassett" <espinay@dynamite.com.au>]

<< I tried the ground turkey, ground turkey w/vegetables and lamb with
vegetables, mixed them with his regular food and they all did horrible
things to his tummy. I thought it might be that the quality was poor and
tried just adding some raw chicken and beef to his dinner, but that didn't
work any better. >>Elaine

Hi Elaine,

Has he had any raw foods before and did you start by just feeding a small
amount at first?  Remember this sort of thing is all a new experience for
your dogs system and many take a little 'adjustment' to get used to it.  It
is a bit like you going to a foreign country and feeling sick from the
water/food.  The locals are fine because they are used to it.  Once you
adjust to the food/water in that area, you have no problems either.

I know of someone in the army that recently spent a number of months in East
Timor eating nothing but ration packs (dried/dehydrated food).  When he got
back, his stomach could not handle fresh food.  It took about a week for him
to get used to it again.

Keeping the new food 'low fat' to begin with can also help.

A lot of people also find that feeding raw foods as a separate meal to
kibble works better too as the kibble apparently tends to move slower
through the dogs system and 'holds up' the digestion of the raw stuff.

Another thing that can help is building up the good bacteria in his system
which are often depleted on a diet of heat processed food.  A probiotic
supplement or yoghurt with live cultures can help.

And remember - many dogs seem to also have 'upsets' even when just changing
kibble brands.

Tracy Bassett
Canberra, Australia
espinay@dynamite.com.au
visit my webpage at http://members.dynamite.com.au/espinay/index.htm