Hi all

Last week some of you might remember I asked for some advice on raw feeding because one of my dogs suffers from colitis. I'm so disapointed, I started my two dobes on it and one of them started bringing up bile and passing blood I've put both back on commercial food, now this evening my collie (the one that originally started me on barf) regurgitated all his food (completely unchewed) and passed a pool of blood. Three days ago he vomited and brought up a whole chicken bone this was about twelve hours after he'd been fed. I really don't want to go back to rubbish. Has anyone any suggestions?  My young collie bitch seems to be thriving on it but then she seems to thrive on anything. I can't tell you how disapointed I feel!!! I've thought that maybe I could grind the bones that would solve one problem but the grinder I bought (on ebay) says not to put bones in it. That's 80 quid down the drain. Does anyone know of something I can buy that will do the job? Thanks for any suggestions.

To be honest I would go right back to basics and start over again with bland rice and fish and move on from there once things have settled down! I've always felt that Colitis is a very reactive issue and I would work at getting that resolved before embarking on barf or commercial food? All the best, good luck! Dawn

Id be down to the vets to make sure there isnt something more sinister going on.

Then hopefully if all is well, going on a bland diet for a week or so.

Then if you wanted to go back to the raw feeding, do so carefully, starting wtih bland things an da limited range and working your way up to more exciting/richer stuff.

I would use pliers to hang on to wings whilst you feed them, feed dogs seperately so they dont gulp down food, and steer clear of weightbearing bones until they get the hang of both chewing properly and digesting bone.

You can bash bones up by putting the wing in a teatowel and smacking it repeatedly with a lump hammer - or, the kind of grinder you need is the hand wound old fashioned kind, and you will need a bit of muscle to grind chicken wings in them, although i have done it!

If the grinder is the wrong kind, just bung it back on ebay in a weeks time!

Em

Hi newfiedreams and theemx,
I have gone back to basics as is my standard procedure when the colitis rears it's ugly head. Unfortunately there's little that I can do when it strikes, the vet thinks its a dietary thing with my border collie, I had conviced myself that it was the commercial dog food that was doing it, I still think it but the damage is probably done and maybe there's no going back. I've tried holding the food with pliers as advised but he's not interested then, he's a funny boy, has never been one for chewing, in the past when given something to chew he just puts his paw on it to claim it as his and then ignores it. I think the idea of bashing the bones with a hammer is good one and will certainly give it a go. As for my dobie I took her to the vet and he believes it to be a different thing to what my bc has and put her on a course of antibiotics which I may say is already working although the problem was on the wane by the time I got her there. For now its bland meals all round and I shall try raw foods again in a little while, thanks for your advice it certainly helps when you feel desperate. Ann

Hi kizkel, maybe try some of the prize choice blocks (frozen) that you can get from Pets at Home.  They are great for your confidence ;) and I have noticed that when my dog has them she still poo's as if she had just eaten a plate of chick wings.  It is ground meat with the bone included.  Just defrost and feed.
Sarah

Hi Rozzer,   Thanks for replying but hopefully I won't have to buy anything, I thought what the hell if I've bought the grinder and it's just sitting there I might as well try it so I put a few wings through it and hey presto ground chicken wings. To be honest I'm a little bit nervous as to just what goes into these pet foods having read some pretty horrendous things about the prepared stuff. My OH reckons the grinder might burn out, if so I shall certainly consider the blocks. Thanks again.    Ann