Hooligan's Raw Diary: Day One

[melrai]

Well! Today is the official day that I start the long journey of getting Hooligan back on raw! The problems I was having in the past was that I may have transitioned him too quickly...therefore this time around, we are going to be going reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal slow. 

I have decided to stick to one main protein during the transition process and once he is fully transitioned, I will begin to introduce new proteins to his diet. As of now, I am adding 1/2 tsp of raw to his canned food. I am using a ground mix of Chicken, Organs and Bone. 

What I have noticed is that 1/2 tsp might be TOO  much. Really. Has anyone encountered this problem? He left a couple chunks, left, the ones that had the raw quite visible (even know it was mashed up real well in the canned). Therefore tomorrow I think I might start with 1/4 tsp and work my way up. 

As for hairballs, knock on wood, there hasn't been any yet! I'm so happy with the results!

I'll keep you guys posted!

 

[mewlittle]

Hope for the best I been wanting to do raw my problem is i do not have a freezer or a meat grinder -_- 

 

[ldg]

Well, liking raw food and tolerating it are two different things.

As I recall, the transition was made quickly because he was in real distress from diarrhea at the time. Hopefully that's not an issue now? :cross:

Glad to hear the hairball issue has been resolved!

And there's certainly nothing wrong with starting veeeeeery slowly.

 

[melrai]

Well, liking raw food and tolerating it are two different things.

As I recall, the transition was made quickly because he was in real distress from diarrhea at the time.

Hopefully that's not an issue now?

Glad to hear the hairball issue has been resolved!

And there's certainly nothing wrong with starting veeeeeery slowly.

I seem to have a problem again. As I mentioned I was introduced 1/2 tsp of raw chicken/organ/bone in his canned food since the 23rd of January (literally 3 days ago). Since then, he's been puking up hairballs? I use the Egg Yolk Lecithin that has been recommended here. I give him 1/2 capsule everyday, along with some probiotics. 

He seems incredibly happy, playful and eating very well - he is also diarrhea-less but, there are still hairballs. I don't know why. Could it be an intolerance to the raw chicken? But, this was also a problem on the raw rabbit. I mean, it can't be the raw altogether can it? Do you think I am transitioning too quickly? 

UGH. SO MANY QUESTIONS 

. 

I have no idea what to do...

Melissa

 

[melrai]

I feel like I am back to square one. 

Ever since I have started giving Hooligan 1/2 tsp of raw in his grain-free canned meals (this started January 23rd) he's been puking up hairballs again. I give him a 1/2 capsule of probiotics and 1/2 capsule of Egg Yolk Lecithin with his meal 1x a day and I still seem to have problems. The thing is, before I started introducing the raw....there were no hairballs. None at all....

I am transitioning him on a chicken/organ/bone mix right now. When I tried rabbit/organ/bone, we had the same problem. Am I crazy to think that it might be the raw? I just don't know what else to do or how else to explain it. 

Has anyone here had problems like this before? Is the raw making his digestive system actually start working and producing acid that the hairballs come out? Should I give him some slippery elm with every meal? Should I change the protein?

I literally don't know what to do anymore. I don't want him to top eating his canned food because he is associating it with his puking episodes...like he did with the raw before. It just seems that everytime he gets into some raw...raw = hairballs. I can't understand why. 

Please tell me someone out there has had the same experience. I can't even go to a vet here (Montreal) because most/all of them are against raw and will tell me to go back to kibble without even checking Hooligan out first. 

Sigh. I don't know what to do...

Melissa

 

[vball91]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Maybe try just plain minced chicken in the canned? If that doesn't cause a problem, then it might be something in the mixture? Just thinking out loud and trying to eliminate culprits. Since you tried the ground mix both times, maybe just try plain meat first?

 

[ldg]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Maybe try just plain minced chicken in the canned? If that doesn't cause a problem, then it might be something in the mixture? Just thinking out loud and trying to eliminate culprits. Since you tried the ground mix both times, maybe just try plain meat first?

Start with plain meat first, and see how that goes.

What else is in the mixes? And do you know the percentages of meat/bones/organ?

I know 1/2 a teaspoon isn't much... but I remember Carolina's Lucky had an intolerance to BONE. She could not eat bone without throwing up. And Hooligan has IBD, correct? There are cases listed on http://www.ibdkitties.net where an IBD kitty did well on raw - but only if it was boneless.

What Carolina ended up doing was providing home made raw, using meat and eggshell powder. In fact, her kitties didn't tolerate fresh organs well, so she provides the organ as liver, in the form of freeze dried liver. :nod: (Contacted the company to find out the moisture content, and calculated the right amount of FD liver to feed in place of fresh).

So if he does OK on raw meat, it 's not impossible that it's the bone affecting his motility. :nod:

 

[melrai]

The mixes are quite simple: 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ. 

Hooligan is "suspected" of having IBD. As I mentioned earlier, the vets here who actually know what they are speaking about are few and far between. When I rushed him to the DMV, after his diarrhea episode, they assumed he had IBD but not specific tests were done to prove or eliminate that idea.

The thing that gets me every time was that he WAS tolerating the ground mix before. Of both Rabbit and Chicken. It's just so odd that all of a sudden he is having problems? Carolina mentioned, in my other thread, that his puking up hairballs is because his digestive system and its acids are finally working. All the hair that has been stuck up in there is coming out (one way or the other) to get his gut to a healthy state. 

I am still definitely going to try eliminating bone from his raw. See how that goes. 

Thank you so so  much for your help. 

 

[mewlittle]

I feel like I am back to square one. 

Ever since I have started giving Hooligan 1/2 tsp of raw in his grain-free canned meals (this started January 23rd) he's been puking up hairballs again. I give him a 1/2 capsule of probiotics and 1/2 capsule of Egg Yolk Lecithin with his meal 1x a day and I still seem to have problems. The thing is, before I started introducing the raw....there were no hairballs. None at all....

I am transitioning him on a chicken/organ/bone mix right now. When I tried rabbit/organ/bone, we had the same problem. Am I crazy to think that it might be the raw? I just don't know what else to do or how else to explain it. 

Has anyone here had problems like this before? Is the raw making his digestive system actually start working and producing acid that the hairballs come out? Should I give him some slippery elm with every meal? Should I change the protein?

I literally don't know what to do anymore. I don't want him to top eating his canned food because he is associating it with his puking episodes...like he did with the raw before. It just seems that everytime he gets into some raw...raw = hairballs. I can't understand why. 

Please tell me someone out there has had the same experience. I can't even go to a vet here (Montreal) because most/all of them are against raw and will tell me to go back to kibble without even checking Hooligan out first. 

Sigh. I don't know what to do...

Melissa

maybe he is allergic to rabbit? and did you try a hairball med?

 

[ldg]

How are things going?

 

[melrai]

Hi There!

Sorry for being MIA, I had to go away out of town for an emergency and just got back last night. Everything has been pretty hectic around here - I've decided to keep Hooligan on wet just for the little bit of time that it take for things to cease around here. 

Hooligan is doing great, eating well and playing and all that stuff. Although, the hairballs are back. He's had 2 this week. He coughed them up - no puke involved. But they are fairly big. He hasn't eaten raw, so I'm not quite sure what is going on. I've been giving him the Egg Yolk Lecithin AND probiotics. I'm going to add some slippery elm now 3x a week cause it seemed to really help. 

I just get so defeated and worried when the hairballs come back. When I hear that horrible hacking sound. I found a Holistic Vet here, I might bring him in soon if he has another hairball. 

I can't imagine what else I could be possible do to help him avoid having these

 

[ldg]

FYI, when our vet "prescribed" slippery elm for Chumley, we were giving it to him 2x a day (morning and evening). So if it was helping, you can bump it up as necessary. It can interfere with some nutrient absorption, so perhaps give it mixed with a small amount of wet food as a treat, separately from meals if you're going to end up bumping it up to a daily dose?

 

[carolina]

Bugsy has pretty bad hairballs - Egg lecithin is not enough for him, not even everyday. I give him slippery elm 2x a week, but when he is in crisis I give it every other day - it is awesome - fixes him right up :nod:
I just mix 1/4 tsp in the liquid left after defrosting the meat (I feed homemade), while warm. Let it gel up, and serve - he loves it, it is his special gravy :nod:

 

[melrai]

I mix it into his wet food and he seems to enjoy it? I can definitely give it to him as a "treat" if that would work better. 

I'm going to start 3x a week for now and see where that leads me. I was doing it everyday before and cut down a lot cause he was doing so much better.