Constipation On A Raw Dog Food Diet

And yes, it’s true that a dog that is fed exactly the same food every day of her life, that has never been fed off the table, is never given treats of any kind, never allowed to scrounge around outside and snack on things she shouldn’t, and is so healthy that she is never given medication, can be the perfect specimen for having a healthy, well-formed stool every day.

But as we pet owners all know, having a dog this perfect is not as easy to come by as we would like.

BARF World’s philosophy of how to properly feed a dog is based on Mother Nature’s most appropriate food for the species. A dog’s natural diet is made up of bones and raw food (BARF), which are found in the prey they catch or in the dead carcasses they may stumble upon.

It’s true that a dog that consumes an adequate portion of bone in the diet will have a tendency to have a consistently white, chalky stool, and at times, may experience some slight constipation.  In these cases, constipation is normal and will resolve itself on its own.  However, if the symptom continues, there are some simple tricks that can help to relieve the problem:

• First, if giving your pet raw meaty bones as a yummy chew, reduce the amount of bones to once week.
• Another quick and easy solution is to add some extra fruit to your pet’s meal.  This is a well accepted way to temporarily regulate the bowels.
• Canned unsweetened pumpkin can also help to ease straining.
• Finally, if that doesn’t resolve the issue, try Nux Vom , a homeopathic remedy great for pets and people that helps relieve symptoms of nausea and indigestion, vomiting, and (of course) constipation.

It is interesting to observe and compare the difference in stool volume, color, and odor of dogs fed raw food as compared to those fed dry dog food (kibble) or canned pet food.  The difference in the animal’s utilization of nutrients in each diet is obvious when you immediately notice that the dog fed raw food has 25 to 30% less stool volume than the dog fed processed pet food.  This indicates a more efficient utilization of ingredients from a raw dog food diet.  The raw diet produces a chalky white stool that is consistently smaller in volume and has almost no odor.  These improvements are welcomed advantages for dog and cat owners, especially those with large and giant breed dogs.