What’s the “scoop” with raw fed poops?
I have a confession to make.
I am a reformed member of the “Poop Police.”
I use to worry about my dog’s poops. What if they were too hard? Were they too runny or soft? And I absolutely hated scooping stinky, smelly kibble poops.
With so many of my clients transitioning to a Paleo/raw diet with (Biologically appropriate raw food), I wanted to answer this question quickly.
Kibble-fed dogs typically have poops that are the same size and consistency, because they eat the exact same thing, day in and day out. They are usually soft/mushy and stinky. They are sometimes very large in quantity as well.
Most raw fed dogs are offered a highly digestible food, so there is hardly any their bodies don’t use…thus, less poops, poops with no odor, and poop that is so dry and crumbly, it just might blow away in the wind before you have time to scoop it. You can cancel the monthly payment to your local “POOP 911” that comes around to pick poop in your yard. Use that for a nice dinner out with your spouse instead!!!
Typical look of raw fed poop
Bottom line.
Unless a dog cannot control their bowel movements, has several liquid stools, or is passing bright red blood, try not to over think or over-complicate things.
Oftentimes, after one to three months on a fresh food diet, pets go through a detoxification process. This is totally normal and is actually something to celebrate. Although I have never, personally experienced this myself proper raw feeding has always worked wonderfully with my dogs.
Detox for your pet will happen through the bowels and skin (but its RARE!)
During a detox, your pet will act completely normal. He’ll be happy, bright, and alert. But you might find that he’s shedding a tremendous amount of hair. Pets sometimes shed out their old, dead, dull hair, and begin growing a shiny, soft coat. (Although, I’ve never had one of my labs ever do that, nor my terriers) You might also see a lot of earwax or debris being produced from the ear. That needs to be cleaned out. But usually, dogs who previously HAD ear problems, will absolutely see them disappear, along with itchy, flakey skin, and any body odor–especially foul breath.
(TRANSITION FROM KIBBLE TO RAW DIET: I generally feed the last kibble meal in the morning of the first day of transition, then fast until the next morning, and have the first raw meal then. This, I have found, is the quickest, easiest way to transition to raw, as both will not be present in the GI tract at the same time.)
These symptoms of detoxification will pass on their own, if you even see them at all, and I have not, having fed at least 50 dogs on raw diet over the years. Pets on a fresh food diet also consume far less water than pets eating an entirely processed diet. You need to anticipate that your pet’s water intake will diminish. Canines need 70% moisture in their diet, and kibble only provides 10% at best. So your dog will drink less, and will stay hydrated more steadily throughout the day.
