Hi All

You will remember my posts from before about Robbie the westie, well good news in some areas he has not licked his feet now for over 3 weeks and they are looking much better we left the thornit powder off and started using the diatomateous earth powder and the results are amazing after 4 days of using this the licking started to get less and less and i am over the moon, the fur is still red/browny but i have been told this will take ages to go back to normal but the feet themselves are looking much much better, i cannot believe how good this stuff is, when we saw the vet this week he said his feet looked much better and when i said what i had used and how amazing it was he said it was probably just a coincidence as that sort of powder would not stop the lick cycle but i don't care what he thinks i have the proof it has worked so stuff his thoughts, better than ab's any day.
The remaining problem i have is the soft motion still on the raw diet which i cannot understand, i am giving him raw chicken wings/lamb rib bones/chicken thighs alternate days for his breakfast so he gets a bone meal every day, then evening i am giving him minced meal of either chicken/chicken tripe i am slowly introducing new proteins but the homeopath said to do this very very slowly as too much too soon could upset things again, some days his motion is really firm other days when you pick it up you can push it straight in and flatten in where there is no firmness to it, any ideas as to why his motion is not firming up enough, glands are still being emptied every 2/3 weeks at the moment which is better than every week but still not how we want it to be, they are not infected just normal stuff coming out of them, the vet seems to think the motion is still too soft to empty as he passes motion but i am not so sure.
Just hoping we are starting on the right track at last, not had ab's now since January which is a massively good sign, just wish his motion would firm up so i could help the other end, i am currently feeding him 250g per day split between 2 meals as we needed to gain him so weight and he is now nearly 9kg so the food is obviously agreeing with him as last summer he was nearly underweight as 7kg.
Any ideas would be very grateful for, i am trying my best to introduce new proteins as i know he needs a variety but when i am being told to do this very slowly i need to follow advice from vets aswell

Does the chicken/chicken tripe mince contain bone?

With regards to firmness, or not, of stools some dogs simply seem to manage things differently regardless of food.  ie one dog on exactly the same diet as another will produce different stools.

I have one who only goes twice a day, regular as clockwork and his stools are pretty identical most days - barring illness or upset.  Another dog who goes once at the beginning of a walk (very firm) then at least twice gain shortly after (getting progressively looser).  This dog will after swimming just produce very runny liquid poo (yuk, sorry)

As long as you have a balanced diet that you are happy with, is keeping your boy enthusiastic and satisfied, and is recognised as the 'best' diet for his condition then you have to let it be.  His motions will change from time to time, particularly if he is enjoying the spring grass at the moment, but longer term you'll probably find it settles into a pattern of sorts.  Usually the morning poo is firmer.

I wouldn't be tempted to add any more bone, it sounds ok, but don't forget offal.

I am concerned about the softness of the motion as the glands are still blocking regularly and my vet is not keen on removing them which means regular emptying in turn not really fair to robbie, the vet mentioned that soft stools will never clear the glands which is why i am trying to find a way of keeping the stools firm.
Yeah i know i need to feed offal, have been recommended the raw 2 go food which contains the 80 10 10 ratio and have noticed a lot of people on here are feeding this and seem to be happy with it, the mince meal i am feeding at the moment doesn't contain offal at all, i have heard too much offal can make them go the other way with loose motions though is this right?

Cant add anything to what has been said but so pleased for you both that things are looking up.

I am using the rawtogo minces and am very pleased with them.  All of my dogs motions are firm and we haven't had any loose ones unless they have had recreational bones

liver makes my dogs loose!

>i have heard too much offal can make them go the other way with loose motions though is this right?

Yes it can but if you want to provide a balanced raw diet you can't leave it out.

I add extra liver after a high bone meal for that very reason - to prevent constipation.  In your situation I'd add a tiny amount every day or every other day to ensure it didn't have an adverse effect on his motions but to stick as close to the recommended 80/10/10 % ratio as possible.  For the amounts you need fopr your size dog I'd suggest that you blitz the liver in a food processor and freeze it in an ice cube tray.