My dog on raw diet has diarrhea and yellow poop. Is it normal?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Azrael! Yes, it very likely is the food. A lot of dogs tolerate raw diets but there is a higher risk of food borne pathogens like Salmonella. But regardless of raw vs commercial dog food if he has a food allergy to the protein source (chicken, etc) he will vomit, have diarrhea, lose weight. He may also have inflammatory bowel disease which is usually treated with a special diet as well as steroids. Another possibility is pancreatic conditions like Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency. EPI is common in German Shepherds and it is when the pancreas doesn't produce the appropriate digestive enzyme and it needs to be supplemented. I would deworm him, do general blood work, do a B12/folate/TLI/PLI test, change his to a prescription hydrolyzed diet like Royal Canin HP or Ultimino or Hill's Z/d or Purina HA. Give him 2 months on that diet to see if his issues resolve. I hope this helps!

Thank you for your questions about Koda. I would not say that is normal and I suspect it may be a sign that he does not tolerate the new diet as well. The jury is still out on grain free food, some pets do well on it and other ones develop heart conditions and constipation issues. Most vets generally do not recommend them. I do advise changing the diet again. If you are looking for a nice food, I recommend a brand called Royal Canin. It is generally very easy to digest and most pets who eat this diet have nice coats, good stool quality and low stool quantity (a sign that the diet does not contain many fillers). Change the diet slowly over about a weeks time. If the diarrhea continues, have the stool checked for parasites as this can also cause changes to the stool. I hope you found this helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Meeka! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something she shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites, the raw diet or even organ disease. Since the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check her for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. Raw diets can contain bacteria that could be responsible for the diarrhea: https://www.petcoach.co/article/raw-and-homemade-diets-what-you-need-to-know/ Additionally, you need to ensure the diet is balanced and complete or you could run into problems long term. The diet should be AAFCO certified. Make sure to alert the veterinarian about the diet change. Any immunocompromised people in the clinic need to be cautious (just in case). I hope Meeka starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Raw diet is not easily digestible. If you want to continue o give raw diet, you could try to add something else to increase the density of the feces. Boiled rice or potatoes could be the right option. If the signs persist despite this addition, I would switch her back to old diet. Every variation of the diet should be made gradually over one week.

It is possible it is the raw food diet diet causing Charley's bloody diarrhea. That's because raw meat carries bacteria that can make your dog sick. It could also be due to intestinal parasites, so make sure she is up to date on her deworming treatments. Withhold food for 12 to 24 hours then feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in a commercial dry dog food for her. I would recommend feeding the commercial day dog food diet to her because there is no risk of poisoning from bacteria, either to her or you. If Charley isn't fully vaccinated, there is a chance she could have parvovirus, but given that she is happy and energetic, it's more likely related to her diet. If she does become very lethargic or the bland diet doesn't help the diarrhea, I would take her into the vet.

That is not a problem but could be an early sign of diarrhoea. As a first approach I would suggest to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

His poop is bright yellow b/c of his current diet (just rice and cottage cheese). He should have some protein in there, so I would suggest adding chicken or ground turkey. Also as long as he is not straining to poop, there is no cause for concern for the fewer stools, especially since he isn't eating anything with much substance. As long as he is acting normal, there is no major cause for concern here. Slowly transition him back to his normal diet once your vet says he is good to do so, and his stools should return to normal. Best of luck with your pet Billy moving forward. Take care!