Won't eat raw! 3 days and going!

[s3rous]

Hello, I have done research on RAW or BARF feeding for a long time, but didn't have the room to store the meat. I now have an extra freezer and want to switch to raw. Titan has had problems with food allergies (i believe) since he was a puppy. He is now 2 1/2. I want to switch him cold turkey off of his current food that he is not doing very well on. I withheld food for a day and introduced chicken to him. He would not touch it. I tried raw pork and beef ribs. He would not touch any of it. It has been 3 days of no food and I was getting worried, so I mixed the chicken with some salmon. He woofed down the salmon and licked the chicken free of any juice and walked away. I have also cut up the chicken and blended it with just a little of his old food and he will not eat it. I am assuming that salmon is not a meat that I can start him on and build is it? I have to get him to eat some RMBs first and build off that?

Thanks

[Judi W]

The best diet in the world is useless if the dog doesn't eat it. Also, if allergies are suspected, I don't think you'd want to be using so many different meat sources. I would think whether kibble or raw, you'd want to limit to one meat source.

I'll bet there are people here who will give you some hints for making the switch. The old saw has always been when the dog gets hungry enough he will eat, but offering different all the time is not usually the solution. Pick what you want him to eat but make it a small amount, put it down, leave it for about 20 minutes and pick it up again. Offering different each meal will make the dog picky.

I don't know if these old rules apply to raw however, so let's see what the raw feeders have to say. I'll be interested.

[diddybopper04]

Some dogs who never had raw food as youngsters don't understand that this is food. They have never had to break bones or use their jaws to eat.

If it's a young healthy dog, I would tend to continue the fast until he is hungry enough to eat whatever you present, making sure he is getting plenty of liquids. Raw eggs, yoghurt, broth, juices, etc.

Some dogs do not like cold food, so bringing it to room temp before feeding may help as well.

Other options include grinding the meat until he is used to it enough to try to eat some bones.

[diddybopper04]

Also, Judy's points, as always, are valid. Decide what meat you want him to eat first (I would stick with the chicken), and stick with it.

Also, for a young healthy 2.5 year old dog, a 24 hour fast is nothing. My dogs fast 24 hours once a week. As long as the dog has plenty of water, he can fast for several days with little or no ill effect.

[frontierrots]

I don't feed whole bones anymore. BUT for dogs new to raw- ground or whole- you often get that same reaction

The solution is to start with ground raw (premade works best for this) and brown it lightly. Most dogs will eat cooked meat. Once they are eating it well, you brown it less and less til you offer it warmed but not browned. Then finally straight from the fridge

Food ALLERGIES are not common at all in dogs. Food sensitivities are. This is the puking dog right? I would start with a single protein source and see how that goes first. Rabbit and beef tend to have a bigger refusal rate than ground chicken, but whole chicken is often refused as well

[s3rous]

Thanks for the replies. I tried all those meat sources on the first day just to see if it was the chicken he didn't like or the cold meat. He turned up his nose to each, so I have only been giving him chicken for the past 3 days. I did sear the chicken a bit in oil to see if he would eat it , but he didn't. I will try ground chicken, and cook it a bit. So you guys think that 4 days of fasting is not excessive? Also, what is the deal with fish? Can it be a main source of meat, or just occasionally? I ask, becuase I have a cheap source of fish since I am close to the ocean.

Thanks

[Judi W]

I would suggest that you be careful about feeding raw fish. I haven't looked up the details recently, but liver flukes are common.

[rottnelmo]

Some dogs REFUSE to eat raw meat. Elmo will NOT eat raw meat what so ever, he will spit it out and trust me I have tried!!!!

When I fed raw, I used the prepared food (Steve's and Nature's Menu) BUT I still fed it frozen. He LOVED it frozen and would NOT eat that thawed as well.

Also, if you suspect a food allergy, instead of doing all this switching, I would suggest a RAST test to see what it is he is allergic too.

Maybe try a better quality kibble that is an allergy forumla.

[rottnkidd]

I'm a bit perplexed by why the dog outright refuses to eat. I know of raw feeder's who have brought rescues into their homes and immediately fed them raw without an issue. Do you feel confident about feeding this way?
The reason I ask is because it is not uncommon to be apprehensive when introducing raw. Dogs are very intuitive and pick up on this easily. If you're worried, your dog will sense this and may refuse to eat.
Now, assuming you feed 2 meals a day, I'd suggest feeding 1 meal of his original diet and very gradually start adding in small amounts of fresh foods to it (like an egg, or ground meat, or some canned fish).
If you'll be feeding the 2nd meal as raw meaty bones, you can sprinkle over 'some' parmesan or feta cheese or a dash of garlic powder to entice him.
If you're smiling, upbeat and confident while preparing AND serving his food yet he still refuses to eat, then seriously consider looking for a good kibble so you both can be happy!
Best wishes!
kathy
p.s. I wouldn't allow another day to go by without feeding this dog!

[moondog]

Why does this dog have to eat raw? After the trip that Luna and I have taken while trying to stabilize her intestinal disease, I learned a very important thing...if a dog flat out refuses to eat, there is usually a damn good reason for it, and not one that should be taken lightly or will be fixed by what WE might think they should be eating. What they should be eating is the food that they can tolerate. It took Luna and I a long time to find the right diet for her, and she's the one who led us there, not me. We got there by following what she NEEDED, not by what I might have WANTED.

If this dog has food allergies OR sensitivities, he should be put on an allergy elimination diet. He should be offered, if possible, a cooked diet with a novel protein and a novel carbohydrate that he has not eaten on a regular basis previously. Once tolerable protein and carbohydrate sources have been found, a balanced diet can be built around them.

I would not wait another day without feeding him something he is willing to eat, either. He may get to the point where he doesn't recognize hunger and his appetite vanishes completely. Offer him a meal of cooked white rice (2/3) and cooked ground beef (1/3) and let us know if he eats it.

With all due respect, I do think that when we've reached the point where not eating raw is a considered behavior problem, we have really crossed the line.

[spidey]

The best diet in the world is useless if the dog doesn't eat it.

I think it's very important to remember this. Regardless of what you'd like to feed the dog, if he won't eat it, you have to feed something else. I'd go back to kibble for a few days (not eating for a few days can make the appetite all but disappear) and then do as Kathy suggests and try adding raw in if you absolutely must try and get this dog to eat raw - if he still won't eat it, just choose a super-premium kibble. In my opinion, the dog's told you as clearly as he can that he just doesn't want to eat the raw right now, and I see no reason to insist that he does.

And I very much agree with what moondog says.

[chivas]

I tried RAW once too and my Chivas refused to eat chicken and my sheltie would not touch raw no matter what i did! Chivas did end up going completely raw after i tried buffalo on her and she loved it. Indy wouldnt touch it even if I offered him a spot on Lassie and all the greenies he could eat. Hated it, I suppose they have likes and dislikes too. He loves his Canidae with a side trip into Chicken Soup once in a while.
Kim

[diddybopper04]

Many good points have been made. Going back to something the dog WILL eat, and working to gradually introduce him to raw is very good advice.

Also, if you are going to feed ground chicken for any length of time, remember, if you do NOT include the bones, you must then include a bone/mineral supplement. It's MUCH easier to just grind WITH the bones. Other things to try include different pieces and parts of the chicken. If he wont' try backs, try leg quarters or necks or wings or organ meat.

If I am going to fast a dog for any length of time (longer than 24 hours), they get a "power drink" twice a day.

Mix about 2 cups of plain whole milk yoghurt with a raw egg

add:

1 teaspoon Solid Gold Sea Meal supplement
1 tablespoon of raw local honey
1 tablespoon of ground or crushed dried alfalfa leaves
1/2 tsp slippery elm powder

[brunie's mom]

Raw is a great way of feeding a dog....but honestly if he does not like it or maybe it does not agree with him, then I suggest that you stop even trying right now.

My female will eat raw, but it all comes back up during the night, I've tried warming the meat, grinding the meat, searing a little, probiotics, digestive enzymes......BUT...she cannot tolerate it. So she eats Canidae and some days she get's tripe, or raw eggs, mackeral, yogurt etc. and she is doing great. My pup does fine on raw...but I also switch him around ...some days BARF, some days kibble....he seems to tolerate it very well.

I would suggest, you get your dog eating anything right now...and then get him back on the kibble that he did well with...then slowly give him one meal of cooked meat and see how he does. If there are no bones in the meat you will have to add calcium.

Gina

[rottnelmo]

Originally Posted by diddybopper04

Mix about 2 cups of plain whole milk yoghurt with a raw egg

add:

1 teaspoon Solid Gold Sea Meal supplement
1 tablespoon of raw local honey
1 tablespoon of ground or crushed dried alfalfa leaves
1/2 tsp slippery elm powder

Becareful with Sea Meal...some dogs can not tolerate it at all. Elmo had a high sensitivity to it and would throw up every time he was fed it. My in-laws three dogs also had issues with it and it was one product I was never able to feed.