[Kristin C]

Has anyone fed their dog chicken feet? If so, raw or dehydrated? I have some raw ones I am using for chicken stock and was just wondering if it’s better to dehydrate them, which concerns me because of the cooked bones.

[frostyrockyk]

I started this in case other folks had the same problem . I saw in a post the use of cottage cheese in home made food & made me think of this . RE: calcium , I got the cook book ” REAL FOOD for healthy dogs & cats ” in the book they cover many , many things . I know too much of anything can be bad , like a belly full of rocks & a huge vet bill to cut him open to take them out ! I don’t recall word for word , but they talked about the need for Phosphorus with calcium . There are also charts of how much per weight of dog . Like many here I also mix up what I feed my dog , my guess I don’t feed enough calcium , I don’t give it every meal & also give her cottage cheese , milk , sour cream , cheese , ice cream , yogurt . She gets deer bones from the woods on her own & killed & eaten rabbits . RE: raw bones , most people likely can’t get them , but if you know any deer hunters , the full rib cage is good for them to chew on . The ribs are good because the dogs eat them like buggs bunny eats a carrot . They use their back teeth to nip off bits of about 1/4 inch at a time , so there are no shards that would cut their insides , just crushed bone . Their teeth come out super clean . I’m not a raw food kind of guy & am a little freaked out about what they may catch from the deer. But hunting season in MO. is mostly cold so I don’t think it will spoil too soon . Other than the ribs , I take away any bones they bring home . I have raised Grt. Pureness dogs for about 30 years & only had problems with 1 a few months ago , that’s why I’m here. They eat a lot & I have fed them LOTS of table scraps , deer & catfish for ever & had zero problems related to food . I don’t know what killed Frosty ?? The Med. College cut him up to find out because they couldn’t save him & they wanted to know why . Bottom line , they don’t know for sure , age 2 1/2 , possible toxin . The av. age of my dogs was 12 years , the ones not hit by a truck , shot , antifreeze, or just gone & never came back ??? Bo Bear was shot in one eye by a turkey hunter & later BLIND sided by a truck ! He was not fixed & 1 rainy night just took off running & that was the last time I saw him alive . I think it’s a good Idea to get them fixed if you don’t want pups . Every single one was the BEST DOG EVER!!

[theBCnut]

The recommendation is just that-a recommendation, not the amount you must feed. Gaining 4 lbs in one week IS NOT healthy, even for a dog that needs to gain weight, and especially not for a large breed dog. Weight gain should be slow and steady. She may end up needing 3 cups a day, but probably not while she is having diarrhea issues and you may need to build her up to that amount slowly, so her body can get used to having that much nutrition at once. She may need her food in 3 meals at this point so they can be smaller meals. At this age, you should be able to see her last ribs and her hip bones and about 3 vertebra. Don’t worry about her being skinny, that can wait until the stool issue is fixed, as long as she isn’t loosing a bunch more weight.

[frostyrockyk]

When Frosty the Gr. Pyrenees was a pup he ate rocks . The vet said that was very bad & he would need to cut him open if he kept it up . He said he would grow out of it , but that his body craved bricks to build the big dog from & his puppy food ( benifil ) was not getting it done . He said feed him cottage cheese to help build up his bones . I think it worked well , it didn’t take long & he stopped eating rocks . I NOW FEED BONE MEAL WITH PHOSPHORUS with my home cooking , I think that helps the dogs take calcium into their body.

[Jenny Rellick]

No. Raw diet dogs eat bones every day, and they have just as much calcium. If your puppy is going through the elk antlers fast, costing you a lot of money, you might invest in a moose sntler segment. The large size adds a challenge for the dog to hold onto it (they are heavy.)

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lily also has rope toys that she loves to chew on. She’s not particularly picky though. She likes Nylabones, but it sounds like he wouldn’t like those too much. They can also be choking hazards if the dog bites off large pieces, and the harder ones can break teeth. Lily also loves the Himalayan Dog Chews, a hard, edible chew that softens as the dog chews. They are a bit pricey but they last a really long time.

I know many people on the forums use Raw Meaty Bones for chewing, and they are also supposed to help with teeth cleaning. I don’t use these so I can’t exactly recommend them, but if someone else comes by they can talk about those more in detail.

Also, natural chews like Bully Sticks and Pig Ears can be good for some dogs. In my experience bully sticks have smelled really bad, but they do make low-oder ones. It is important to get them from a reputable, USA made company to avid contamination. Same with the RMBs. Also, with any chew you are giving, always supervise your dog while chewing. Watch for him biting of chokeable sized pieces, and take it away when it is small enough to be a choking hazard.

[Kayla]

I noticed my Dog loves to chew but he is very picky on his bones and treats. Any ideas? He has one rope bone thing that he loves to tug and play with…and tries to chew on it but I always take it away from him because it has tiny strings on it and I don’t want him actually ingesting it.

I also tried to buy rubber ball and bone toys but he won’t mess with him. Needless to say, his favorite toy is the rope bone thing. His rope is like this one.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/BOODA-Pet-Products-Two-Knot-Rope-Bone-Dog-Toy-in-Red-White-and-Blue/15573238

[USA]

Hi Bri,

It’s good to see you feeding raw twice a week. For most dogs this is a big improvement over ANY kibble!

Heart – I notice the meal you added the liver to was Beef Heart. Even though heart is a muscle, it is a different kind of muscle than the breast or leg or thigh, etc. The heart is a non-striated muscle, while the muscles everyone usually thinks about are all striated muscles.

I like to say that nutrient-wise, heart is about halfway between regular muscle meat (breast thigh, etc) and the much richer organ meats (liver, kidneys, etc). Now that is just an estimate. The point is that heart is richer than breast but not as rich as liver, so it should still be used in moderation (up to 20% of meal).

As others have said, the calcium in the Dinner Mixes is calculated based on meat without bone. So the extra calcium that would come from you adding bones is not needed, and could actually be detrimental!

This is what Steve Brown had to say about adding organs to his Dinner Mixes:

“Thanks for the note.

Yes, it’s okay to add muscle meat and some organ meat, but please don’t
add a lot of liver. Keep the liver to less than 10% of the total meat.
Adding up to 20% hearts is fine.

Steve Brown”

On a side note (cause I’m a dog man), constipation can be pretty common in raw diets ESPECIALLY if they contain bone! Your cat probably could use some fiber added to the Darwins to ease any constipation issues. I use a couple of different types. Psyllium husks are very fiber rich and I add no more than 1 teaspoon per pound of food. Flax, Chia and Hemp seeds are not as rich in fiber as Psyllium, but they are also good for the skin. I add about 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.

Keep up the Good Work!

[InkedMarie]

I judge my dogs treats as much as I their food. Treats I like are anything from The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s and grainfree ones from Buddy Biscuits. I don’t feed much for treats so others are probably more helpful than me. Definitely not Milk Bones!

[Mik L]

Wow, I didn’t realize this was a police forum. I see we have children logged on here. People are entitled to their opinion and there’s not need for supervision here. Micro manage some where else. My dog loves greenies and his teeth doesn’t have much tartar. When I took him to get his teeth clean the vet said I was doing a good job, thanks greenies…. My vet advises against any bones even raw hide.

[Akari_32]

Just a note for the bones, I use this mix and offer bone in meat about once a week, and give it with no mix, just the bone in meat. Seems to be working just fine so far. I was offering the mix at the same time, but Bentley would have a hard time pooping afterwards. This mix does not require the addition of organ meats, though if you did use them, I’d not use the mix at the same time, personally. However, I do throw in the occational small piece of liver or kidney (like one chicken liver, or a 1×1 cube of beef kidney) to his normal meals to make it interesting. Anything more substantial, I would be careful with.

And for mixing with the meat, I feed slabs of meat (half breasts, whole thighs, whole tenders, large chuncks of hearts, etc) or ground because he doesn’t chew small pieces. When I don’t feed ground, I mix the premix with a little bit of water, about 3 tablespoons of water to one tablespoon of mix– I just eye ball it– and he licks it up after he eats his meat. I so also add a small splash of water when using ground to make it mix easier.

Bentley eats fast, but he’s a good strong chewer. Start with a piece of meat that is mostly meat with some bone that’s a decent size (like a chicken thigh or leg) and go from there. Bentley is 7 or so pounds. He inhales 1-2 inch cubes of meats and gizzards (he no longer gets gizzards because they do a number on his tummy while they try and digest whole, and he’s quite the baby when he’s even remotely uncomfortable lol), but is good with larger pieces and bones. Takes him about 10 minutes to finish off a chicken leg, and about 45 seconds to eat 5 oz of ground pork.

[Lori]

Looking for someone who could evaluate this recipe and tell me what I would need to add to be complete. (recipe came from Cockers Forever page) Thank you!

1 whole chicken (I also chop up the heart etc. and put that in) OR 10 chicken thighs. If using thighs, add a few chicken livers
3/4 head of garlic (not one clove but a head)–( use 1 TBS. minced garlic)
1 handful of broccoli (cut up)–or 1/2 package frozen
4 carrots (cut up)–or 1/2 bag frozen, sliced
2 whole zucchini (cut up with skin on)
1 whole yellow squash (large, cut up with skin on)
handful of green beans, fresh,(OR 1/2 bag frozen)
3 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 handful of peas (or canned or frozen)
1 tablespoon of parsley
2 cups of oatmeal (put in the last 1/2 hour cooking time)

In a 10 qt stock pot (stainless steel ONLY) put 2-3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, heat and add the chicken, bones, skin and all. Fill pot with water to cover chicken. Add veggies and more water to cover. Cook over low to low-med heat for 2 hours. Add oats at the end or they tend to stick. After the stew has finished cooking (carrots are soft), take the chicken out of the mix and let cool…when cool debone it and mix it back into the stew.
I then use an electric mixer thing to mush all of it together.

Freeze what you don’t need immediately after it has cooled. (One batch makes about 30-34 cups of stew)

[Dog_Obsessed]

I was also told by my vet that you should either be able to make an indent with your thumbnail or bend it with your hands. Some Nylabones meet this requirement, though they are not suitable for heavy chewers. Himalayan dog chews soften significantly as the dog chews, so I think the main risk is dogs that just try to crunch them like a chip.

[Elizabeth P]

I spent a lot of money on a canine dentist when my dog broke a tooth. The dentist told me that dog teeth are much softer than ours, and that very hard chews (Nylabones, Himalayan dog chews) will break their teeth. Now, I know I often looked for the hardest chew so it would last, but it turns out that is not good for a dog’s teeth. Dr. Modrcin (DVM, Kansas City) says if you can’t score it with your thumb nail, it is too hard. Yikes, that knocks out just about everything. I use stuffed Kongs a lot. I also think bully sticks are okay, because as soon as the dog’s saliva hits them, they get soft. But yes, you have to watch carefully that they don’t gnaw down to a stub and swallow it whole. The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) recommends Busy Hearty Hide by Purina, and this is the only “hide” product I use. And of course, like anything, you have to be sure your dog doesn’t swallow it whole. There just isn’t one-size-fits-all product, because it depends on your dog and your willingness to supervise.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Nylabones: Lily is probably one of the few dogs that nylabones actually work well for. I don’t give her the ones meant for strong chewers, because I am afraid they will hurt her teeth. I give her the “dental bones” with ridges that say “for moderate chewers.” She chews off some of the ridges, but it says on the package that anything smaller than a grain of rice, which these are, will pass right through. After a few months she chews enough pegs off that I replace it. I NEVER give her her bone unsupervised. I think that if your dog is not a heavy chewer, but does like to chew, and you supervise carefully then the not as hard chews could be a good option.

Bully Sticks: I gave these ones to a foster dog. The dog loved them, but they smelled AWFUL. There are odor-free ones you can buy though. I have heard of some issues of contamination, not sure if that is just the ones made in China. I would wait for someone else on the form to give an opinion before deciding if these, or the Nylabones, are right for your dog.

[L P]

I have always wanted to raw feed but don’t have the time or resources to do it myself. However lately a frozen raw food brand has been available here in Spain, it is the only one, and I want to feed it to my dog and my cat (who currently eat Orijen kibble).

I need opinion on if this food is appropriate and complete for my pets: I would be adding taurin powder for my cat, as well as completing with raw bones from time to time.

Here is a link to the catalogue (see pages 3 and 4 for food pictures): http://www.dietayum.com/img/cms/catalogo-dieta-yum.pdf

Since it is in spanish, here is a translation of all their menus (I have asked, and the grinded meat includes bones and organs, and all the meat is human grade):

Chicken & cow menu: 60% chicken, 19% cow, 9.9% carrot, 5% beet, 5% turnip, 1% olive oil, 0.001% garlic.

Beef menu: 79% beef, 9.9% carrot, 5% beet, 5% turnip, 1% egg shells, 1% salmon oil, 0.001% garlic.

Salmon menu: 20% salmon, 59% cow, 8.9% carrot, 5% beet, 5% turnip, 1% egg shells, 1% salmon oil, 0.001% garlic.

Turkey menu: 60% turkey, 20% lamb tripe, 9.5% pumpkin, 9.4% apple, 1% olive oil, 0.001% garlic.

Lamb menu: 19% lamb, 60% chicken, 9.9% carrot, 5% beet, 5% turnip, 1% olive oil, 0.001% garlic.

Puppy menu: 40% chicken, 20% green tripe, 15% cow, 5% salmon, 5% beet, 5% carrot, 3.9% sardines, 3% turnip, 1% egg shells, 1% seaweed (spirulina), 1% olive oil, 0.001% garlic.

Thanks in advance for your opinion and help!

[Gloria K]

What are your thoughts on Bully Sticks and nylon bones?

[Avery M]

Just this monday my boyfriend and I picked up a 10 week old australian shepherd. This is the first dog I’ve been entirely responsible for and I’m definitely consider raw as an option (especially if I can find an affordable way to do it). I’ve read some articles and watched youtube examples of other people’s meal preps. So far what I’ve gathered is that is that I should slowly introduce and then rotate a variety of meats (I was thinking chicken, turkey and beef) as well as adding organs several times a week, and meaty bones daily. I’ve also noticed many people disagree on whether any vegetables are necessary. I have several main questions: Do I need to rotate the kind of animal the organs and bones come from like I do the meat? What, if any, adjustments do I need to make for her given that she’s a puppy? Is their a substitute for the green trife (I’m not sure if that’s what it’s called, I believe it may be stomach of some sort?) like a probiotic or something? I’m not sure where to get that.. If there is anything else I should know or advice to give me that would be great. Thank you.

[Naturella]

Girl, you know I will, I’ve been eying Wellness for a WHILE! And with $12 off, HELLO! 🙂

Misty, thanks to Akari’s tips, I am able to feed my one 15-lb dog for about $8 or so/month (that’s about $2-$2.50/week) on really, really good dry, dehydrated, air-dried, freeze-dried, and canned foods, plus fresh food toppers, such as raw eggs, raw bones, canned sardines, yoghurt/kefir, and coconut oil. AND I have stocked up on food for him for about a year (until July/August 2015). So yeah, she is the ultimate coupon guru there is for dog and cat food and supplies. And fish and reptiles, if you’re into that. 😉

[theBCnut]

Hi CL

Yes, for some dogs holding it is much worse. You can try clamping a set of vice grips onto it to make sure they take it slow. I know of an old poster here that used the old metal tube from his vacuum cleaner and attached raw to that to slow his dog down. Most dogs do learn that they have to chew their food. The bones in turkey necks are small enough for large dogs to pass, if they don’t chew them. The bones in chicken and duck necks are small enough for small dogs to pass. But for a toy dog, I think I would hit them with a hammer, if I wasn’t sure if the dog would chew.

[C L]

LordF, I am new to feeding bones, but I think this one is a no brainer. Don’t give him pork rib bones anymore, problem solved, since he does so well with other things. Btw, you have a beautiful dog (looking at profile pic).

[C L]

theBCnut, thank you for your input. I’m trying to read as much as possible so that I help my dog and do not harm her in the process of helping her. I did read the marrow bone should be on the larger side so they can’t get a good grip to clamp down and break a tooth. I also read about the marrow thing, and how rich it can be, so I don’t let her consume it all in one day. Bones make me a little nervous , but I see how it does her good, and the level of enjoyment she has as she works on the bone. I picked out a marrow bone with as much meat as possible so she could work the outside of the bone. The butcher cut it down for me, since it was a big long bone, but not too small.

The smoked bone that has a good amount of meat on it is hormone & antibiotic free. They told me it was naturally smoked. They told me how they do it, but I’ll have to ask again when I buy them.

I’d like to try her on chicken or turkey necks next. I’m still a little nervous about her being able to eat the bone. I read that it could be good to hold onto it to see how the dog consumes it, to make sure they don’t gulp it, but I think holding it could encourage some dogs to want to consume it quickly as they resource guard it.

[Lord F]

Yeah he chews up turkey necks just fine. They get chicken feet and wings, pork neck and femurs, turkey neck, marrow bones, lamb femurs, whole rabbit, and pork and beef hooves and he seems to chew everything really well. It’s just the pork ribs that he’ll swallow.
Is there anything I should look out for as far as there being a problem with the ribs he’s swallowed?

[Akari_32]

I don’t normally break out any sort of long sleeves until it gets into the 50s, but the house was at 70, and poor ginger was shivering the whole day. I wouldn’t have put a sweater on her if it wasn’t so windy. It was icy with the wind chill what even I needed a hoodie! The poor girl doesn’t have hardly any meat on her bones, and her fur is so short and she’s so small that I worry about her getting too cold lol It was hot by the time we got home, though, and we were only gone about 45 mins lol it is back to being warm again, as Patty said, however :p

[theBCnut]

I can’t answer all your questions, but I’ll try to answer some. First, there is no guarantee that your cat will eat raw. They can be kind of peculiar about switching types of food, so the first thing to try is to switch the cat to canned food. Pick up dry food and allow the cat to get hungry, not starving, just hungry, and then offer canned food. If kitty eats it, great!! If not, after an hour, offer the dry food for 20 minutes, then pick it up. Next meal time, offer canned food first again. You may have to offer quite a number of times before she will eat it, or you may be one of the lucky ones. Once you have your cat on all canned food, start the process over again switching to raw.

There are many people that do not give any supplements, but they are the ones that need to be really careful to feed whole prey raw. Your dog might not eat kale, but if they eat an herbivore, they will be getting predigested greens that the food animal ate. You can predigest your own choice of veggies but blanching and pureeing.

You can also feed turkey and fish, so beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and fish are plenty of different proteins, and maybe a few times a year you can find lamb.

I use premixes +-3 days a week and no premix the rest of the time. I want to be sure to cover my bases.

Soup bones are not RMBs. RMBs are bones that are soft and can be completely eaten at meal time. Ribs from lamb, pork, or calves are good RMBs. So are neck bones from those same animals. All parts of chicken and turkey have good bones in them too. You should be able to get heart and liver and maybe kidney for organs. Maybe you can occasionally get some whole prey, even whole prey grinds, from Hare Today or My Pet Carnivore, to make up for not feeding other organs.

You can feed grinds to your cat, if you make sure they have heart in them, or add a taurine supplement. It her meats are frozen, you need to make sure the water that separates out as it defrosts is mixed back in, because that is where a lot of taurine is lost. I get whole carcass grinds from Hare Today for my cats, both rabbit and quail.

[Naturella]

Tracy,

I second Susan – the smell could be a mouth issue or a stomach/digestion issue.

As for dental hygiene, you could give some bully sticks or other natural chews that actually help clean teeth (kibble doesn’t clean dog teeth any more than a cookie cleans human teeth). His mouth may not smell better but it will be cleaner. Or, if you would, you can give raw meaty bones – now those are supposed to really clean teeth, and combined with daily brushing, you should be good on the oral hygiene.

For the tummy, try considering digestive enzymes and/or probiotics. They may help.

[Bobby dog]

You are very welcome!

Not sure if the fish you bought is cooked or not, but do not feed raw salmon or trout to the dogs because they may contain bacteria that causes death in dogs. Good idea to puree it if you are uncertain about the bones, better safe than sorry.

You will really find that PDF useful. On top of it being packed with great info, it’s an easy read and written so that you can reference info easily. Your questions about food and portions should be answered in there. I don’t feed the ABC diet in one day, I feed all the extras throughout the week as toppers. Please ask if you can’t find what you are looking for; someone here should be able to help.

It does sound like a yeasty skin issue. Dandruff is much better than open sores so the Malesab must have helped. How do you stand budget wise with purchasing more shampoo? I found another budget friendly option for shampoo if you are interested.

My dog had a bad yeast infection last year. It took 8 months of consistent care and tweaking his diet to rid him of it. Changing his diet was integral in the healing process. If at all possible getting them off Ol’ Roy will be the most help. I know it’s not up to you, but if your uncle could at least switch to a food without chemicals, dyes, and meat & bone meal it would be a step in the right direction. With the added fresh foods you are improving their diets regardless, however by eliminating the chemicals etc. I believe you would see their health continue to improve. You might have a fighting chance to prove your point because more than likely some of the issues the dog had a few months ago will show up again after a few weeks back on Ol’ Roy.

I was feeding Bobby a canned food along the lines of Ol’ Roy that contained chemical preservatives and dyes, the kibble I fed was not bad. He had a skin infection so I took him to the Vet. During the visit my Vet discussed the importance of a healthy diet and suggested I stop feeding that canned food and choose another. When I eliminated it from his diet I saw an improvement in his skin within two weeks. That gave me the incentive to find out what else I could do for him.

I can’t answer your questions about enzymes, I don’t use them. Having no teeth would not necessarily be a reason to add enzymes. There was a very interesting conversation on the review side about using enzymes and whether or not they even survive the stomach. This did not pertain to enzymes used for pancreatic issues. Maybe someone else will be able to answer your questions.

I love the results I get from probiotics; wish I started using them long ago. I feed my cat kefir 3x/wk and my dog daily. I upped Bobby’s dose of probiotics when he had a yeasty skin relapse a month ago. When I feel he’s back on track I probably will feed it every other day. I think your choice of probiotics is a good one. Even though I am feeding kefir, it is more out of convenience for me since Bobby and the cats are doing well and like it. Kefir is very affordable, but I think your choice is more economical in the long run and you get more strains of probiotics. Write back with the weights of the dogs who will be getting them, I have info on dosage for human probiotics.

Canned food is much easier for dogs to digest since it is not as processed as dry food. There are several budget friendly canned foods out there. Depending on if they have teeth pulled mixing kibble with canned is an option too. At this point I am guessing it depends on what your Uncle decides to feed them. At the very least, you can add enough water to kibble prior to feeding them to make it a canned consistency if necessary.

I am not sure about specific exercises for arthritis & hip dysplasia. Keeping arthritic animals slim and fit is extremely important. The fish you are adding to their food is really good for arthritic pets! Try searching the forum for this topic and hopefully someone with experience on this subject will stop by.

[Victoria W]

They say the choco lab has healed up quicker from her allergies this year b/c of the malasab. I think she has some kind of yeast infection b/c the malasab helped a lot and its for gram + – infections. They all did good at eating pb without a long transition, I know thats not recommended but Ive switched my own dogs over in one feeding before also and Ive seen none have stomach problems. They have a vet apt with the other vet in town Fri maybe he will know what to do with their teeth problems. The sardines I feed are in the largest can I can find and I feed them pink salmon occasionally b/c I think you said to b4 also, I just dont rotate them out regularly. I went to the fish market yesterday and got some of their packaged mix and match catch, sardines, a little salmon, some whitefish and some other species that the market actually sells for pet food ( since I dont think all the bones are small enough Ive been pureeing it in the blender) The next door neighbor who also has hunting dogs gets that for his dogs and recommended it. Were lucky to have a local meat shop that sells hearts and other organ meat so I picked some of that up too. How much should i feed of the organ meat and how often should they get it? Would a rotation of every other day with the fish be okay or too much of a good thing? None of the dogs are allowed chews as my relatives think they will choke on them….I asked to give them some braided bully sticks and I was able to only to have the black lab seem to choke on peices b/c he doesnt know how to properly chew the treat. Im headed to Petco after this post and Im going to pick up some Prudence Absolute Immune Health Powder High Potency for Dogs or whatever they recommend b/c they dont have any of the ones you suggested I think and then Ill use that until the Dr. Langer’s probiotics come in. What will happen if the two dogs with bad teeth end up having to have them pulled or partially removed, can a dog make it without teeth I assume a soft diet would be their only option and is that healthy???

[Kathleen C]

Dogs may not need a dessert (my fingers forgot the extra s), but they enjoy them just as much as we do. Green beans have very few calories so I don’t worry about giving those. You’re right about the Milk Bones though. A treat with 3 or 4 calories each or for several would be a good idea if I could find one. Any suggestions?

[InkedMarie]

Dogs eat poop for so many reasons, you may never know. The best way to curb this behavior is to pick up the poop. That may mean taking him out on leash. That may mean using a small kennel for pottying.

Dogs don’t need dessert. If you must feed a snack, Milkbones are not a good choice. Look for high quality low calorie foods. I don’t use many treats but I do have some SoJo’s that are low cal.

[Jenny Rellick]

My dog, Leo, was like yours–begging for more food. He went from 62 lbs. down to 50 lbs.over the course of a year on a grain-free dry food. Here are my 4 tips for dog weight loss:

1. Feed the calories for your dog’s ideal weight, not her current weight: Leo gets 725 calories per day, including treats, and has gotten that amount since he hit 62 lbs.. Use The Dog Food Calculator on this site’s home page to figure out you dog’s caloric needs, entering an estimated ideal weight in pounds from your vet or from a time before your dog was overweight, and for activity level, select “overweight.” Leo’s food is 500 calories per cup, and I feed him 1 and 1/3 cups per day, for 650 calories from a high protein dog food. I leave 75 calories for other food, and because the grain-free food I use is so nutritious, I am confident he is well-nourished with the small quantity. Leo gets 2 meals of 2/3 cups, measured with a measuring cup (never eye-ball the quantity.)

2. Pump up the volume with warm water: Use a big, flat-bottom bowl to spread the kibble out, and add enough warm water to just cover the kibble, letting it steep on the counter for a minute or two.. Some kibble swells to make it more filling, and even if your part kibble doesn’t swell much, you are making a tasty broth to drink without adding calories. The water makes the meal take longer to eat, and tricks Leo into drinking extra water, which is necessary for weight loss. My dog goes crazy fpr the aroma while it steeps. Many vets recommend canned dog food for weight loss for exactly these benefits I provide by adding warm water to dry food. My way is much less expensive.

3. Feed green beans liberally with every meal. You can use frozen or salt-free canned (never give salted canned vegetables to a dog.) Of all the vegetables, green beans have an extremely low caloric density but, when cooked (canned green beans are pre-cooked and can be fed directly,) they are appealing to dogs. My dog won’t eat cabbage, lettuce, or celery, but he loves green beans. He gets 1/2 cup at each meal, stirred into the steeped kibble. This adds about 20 calories per meal, but he feels very satisfied with each meal, gets plenty of fiber for bowel regularity, and thinks I am preparing something special for him at each meal. He watches each step, and if I leave the kitchen while the kibble is steeping, he barks and cries as if to say, “you are forgetting to finish cooking my dinner!” If he starts begging before I put the green beans in, I show him the bowl and say, “Don’t you want green beans?” He barks and cries until I add the green beans! If I run out of green beans, he looks so disappointed. When I get back from the store, he goes to his bowl and waits just to get his half cup of green beans by itself.

4. Give very small treats. Except for 2 regular Greenies per week (90 calories each,) Leo gets tiny treats for going potty the right way or listening well. They are about 1/2 the size of the tip of my pinky finger. Most dogs will enjoy one treat three times more than they enjoy three treats all at once. Liver biscotti treats are Leo’s favorite tiny treat. Zuke’s mini naturals are also a convenient size. You could chop up human cold cuts or pepperoni and keep them as treats in the refrigerator. If your dog loves to chew for a long time, antlers are great because only a small amount is ingested or digested at a time, and your dog will burn calories by chewing. Elk antlers seem to be a good size and wear down just fast enough for Leo to get flavor and satisfaction from his efforts. Marrow bones from cattle are similarly good chews for dogs, but bully sticks, pig’s ears, raw hide, and the like present a choking hazard, can cause bowel blockages, have empty calories, and often contain chemicals. By the way, my dog loves his Greenies so much that they serve as his emergency recall reward. For the emergency recall reward, don’t worry about calories!

[Kathleen C]

OK, this is not a puppy I have that’s eating his poop. I’ve been on before about other things with Jack, the 4 yr old Boston Terrier I’m trying to get to lose weight. He eats his poop I believe because he is hungry. I feed him 1/4 cup twice a day (1/2 cup) and things like Milk Bones and carrots and green beans as desert. He started eating his poop a couple of months ago and I run out and pick up what he does then and what he did the time before. However, today he quickly grabbed what he’d just done, knowing I’d pick it up right away. That’s a first time for this activity. BC, you say above maybe it’s a good idea to change the food. This poop eating started when he was first on the Wellness Core Reduced Fat and now I’m feeding him the Wellness Core Small Dog regular food so it’s been when he was eating Wellness. Could there be something in that which is the cause? What other low fat food out there would be good for him to lose weight? I’m getting pretty upset about this and he also hasn’t lost any weight with either Core foods.

[theBCnut]

Just be very careful. Marrow bones are harder than the bones we recommend and many dogs break teeth on them. The smoking process cooks them to some degree and some of these smoked bones splinter dangerously. IDK how much of an issue it would be for a dog as small as yours though. Make sure she doesn’t get too much marrow, so she doesn’t come down with panceatitis. And finally, some smoked bones have nasty chemicals in the “smoked flavor” and really aren’t good.

[C L]

If it wasn’t so late as I was watching your dogs eating the chicken necks and backs, my eyes would have be popping out of my head! Just watching that chicken neck disappear little by little, as you hear the crunching! Your dogs did very well.

I’m just investigating feeding bones. I bought marrow bones for my 3-1/2 pd 12 year old Chi. She eats Nature’s Variety raw organic chicken mostly, so she’s used to raw food. I put an old bedsheet down, thinking maybe she will understand I want to to eat this bone on it, and she did stay on the sheet, long enough to bury the bone in the sheet by pushing the sheet over it with her nose! I tried giving it to her again, but this time, I dug some marrow out & put it on my finger, which enticed her to eat the marrow, but I took it away before she ate all of the marrow.

I gave her this other type of bone that’s supposed to be a femur, but sliced lenghwise in half and lightly smoked with some meat on it. She really got into that to pull the meat off and the fat and I could see how that would clean her teeth.

[Michael H]

Hi everyone! Not sure if this is the right forum section to post this, but I’m in dire need of some help.

We have an almost 9 year old rescued Basset Hound, who we have been struggling to manage yeast and chronic inflamed skin since we’ve had him this past year. The vet has him on persistent hydroxyzine and prednisone, of which I try to give the least effective dose, as especially prednisone I’m not that comfortable using due to the side effects.

Upon shelling out for an allergy test (environmental and diet [Spectrum Groups Spot Report]), we’ve found out he’s positive for 19 things and borderline for another 7 out of a total of 91 tested items.

His symptoms are always the worst in the spring/summer, as one of the main allergens is grass, which as far as I know I can’t do much about. I’ve replanted our yard to grass that he’s supposedly not allergic to, but anything that blows our way from a neighboring yard cancels that out.

There are a lot of dietary items as well, and finding a food for him has been a nightmare. I’ve considered cooking food for him, but unsure what’s considered “balanced”, and raw feeding makes me a bit nervous as I’ve heard that grocery-grade meats can possibly be tainted since they are meant to be cooked until a safe temperature, and I don’t want to hurt him. Any outlet in our area that sells organic/free range/etc. isn’t very accessible or is very expensive.

The list of foods he tested positive for are:

Venison
Eggs
Lamb
Wheat
Rice
Oats
Potato
Carrots

Borderline Foods:
Dairy (Milk)

Low-scoring/Negative:
Beef
Rabbit
Poultry Mix
Pork
Soy
Corn
Beet
Flax
Barley
Brewers Yeast
Kelp
Alfalfa
Fish Mix
Green Pea
Duck

So, I have to avoid conventional grains. Due to his yeast issues/dermatitus, I’m also assuming that the lowest starch/low glycemic food would be in his best interest. The main issue I’m running into is that most grain free foods use potatoes, eggs, or carrots, which he’s also allergic to.

On one had it seems that wet food may be the way to go, but as he’s older, his teeth aren’t the best. They are all still intact, but he doesn’t really gnaw on anything at all (can’t really with his droops, they are probably easy to chomp down on and would hurt) to clean them, and brushing hasn’t seemed to do a whole lot, so I’m fearing that wet food may make it worse. I’ve bought knuckle bones for him and our other dog, but he only eats the tasty stuff on the outside and his sister gets the hand-me-down since she will actually gnaw and grind it down. Her teeth are excellent in regards to tartar.

From the test it looks like he can have peas, lentils, or chickpeas as a binder, but again I’m unsure of how much starch content may be in the resulting food. I’m finding sweet potato in a lot of the foods as well, but it wasn’t tested for, and I’m unsure of how related they may be.

So far I’ve tried Taste of the Wild Wetlands & Pacific Stream (which we feed to our other dog), but they didn’t do a whole lot for him-both contain either sweet potatoes, potato, or egg. Our other dog doesn’t seem to have any issues thus far at 3 years, thank goodness, and hopefully it stays that way.

The best looking food I’ve come across is Orijen 6 fish, but it’s very expensive. It doesn’t start listing carb sources until the 12th ingredient, but I can’t really tell if that’s a good or bad thing-chickpeas, red lentils, green lentils, and green peas all have protein as well, and they seem to count that towards the protein % for the food, so their ingredient %’s could be just as high as if it were listed as the second ingredient, like I find in a lot of other, cheaper foods.

If we can get any help with this, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Mike & Beth

[Kristin C]

Hi Nancy-I fed my dogs beef rib bones a couple weeks ago and it’s not for me. I’m not sure if you were on my DFA post that day. Once all the meat was gone they did not want to give up the bones. And my fear is that they’ll break a tooth, which my older dog did on a beef marrow bone which I no longer feed. We stick with the consumable RMBs, chicken necks and backs, and turkey necks, duck parts. I have to order them as I don’t find them at the grocer, other than occasionally turkey necks.

[Nancy C]

In reply to Kristin… After my experiences w kibble I too changed to raw with the help of several wonderful people here and I can’t imagine going back. For me it’s a bit of a job to find resources other than whole foods ( un medicated /chemicalized chicken) and the Butcher shop. I have been to a slaugther house, called local grass feeding farmers (who never return calls) and am networking to find a more cost effective source for the variety of raw food. Nonetheless I will continue the raw because I can SEE a difference in my dogs. My GSD’s teeth are so much cleaner from HARE TODAY’s great Turkey Necks. I am still anxious about feeding the BEEF RIB BONES (any suggestions?) In my head I know his molars can chew them but I keep being afraid he’ll swallow a sharp piece which could cause trouble on it’s journey through and out the other end. Anyone else’s dogs doing fine on chewing Beef Rib Bones? I am asking around and it appears they are not a problem, and are very healthy. Tom Lonsdale DVM writes a worthwhile book RAW MEATY BONES and has a website with that title. I know I need to overcome this concern. Best of Luck, Kristin!

[Kristin C]

Hey Sandi – you are lucky! What I would look out for is feeding your dog too much from one source, beef (50%-does anyone disagree?), and be careful on too much sweet potato, starch. Raw poultry bones once or twice per week and one of the base mixes BC mentioned (THK or SSLL) are good. I would add organ meat to the beef in proper proportion, as well as other meat sources. Canned sardines once per week are good, but as long as you are feeding cooked salmon that’s sufficient. I would personally never feed raw salmon or pork.

[Gabe F]

Just recently got into this myself. I needed a meat grinder for an upcoming elk hunt. I ended up with the STX Megaforce, sold on Amazon for around $200. Rave reviews and not too expensive. I got it because many reviewers specifically mentioned using it to grind up chicken wings.

So far I am very happy. It will grind just about anything I put in there. After processing my “human” food, I used this grinder to make a 30 pound vat of ground elk (left over bits, organ meat), dove, rabbit, peas, carrots. The dove were whole and frozen (no feathers or head). Just sliced them in half, and fed them through, bones, guts, skins and all. I ran it through twice but the resulting burger looked and smelled delicious! And oh yeah, the dogs loved it too!

You might need a commercial grinder if you really plan on doing bigger bones from the rabbit or chicken. The Weston looks like it might fit the bill. Good Luck!

[Akari_32]

I had the same problem as you, trying to translate large breed feeding into small dog portions. I ended up just sort of making up as I went. I have an 8 lb Jack Russell mix and I use See Spot Live Longer, and 5 oz of meat (whole, cut up roaster or fried chickens, beef heart, ground pork, chicken heart, gizzards– all cheap in my area), and about once a week I’ll give just a 5-6 oz portion of a chicken leg or thigh, with no pre mix (the extra calcium in the pre mix makes his poop too hard when he gets bones lol). I use just under a tablespoon of mix, since the directions are 2 tablespoons per pound of meat, and I give him 5 oz. I freeze each portion of meat in quart freezer bags, and thaw daily, serving at room temp (in fridge over night, and then taken out a few hours before serving).

The pre mix is mixed into a little water (probably about a tablespoon or two), and the meat is served in large pieces, with the exception of hearts and gizzards, which are cubed into 1 inch squares, and obviously the ground meat. The mix is even so good that he licks the bowl completely clean– and he hates most veggies! Lol

[Lord F]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I wouldn’t be able to use a processor because I do plan on grinding up bones, rabbit, duck, and chicken to be specific.
I’ve heard that Weston is really good! It says on the website that the #8 can grind all the bones I’ve listed above. Does anyone have experience with this one personally?

[theBCnut]

For my 45 lb dogs, I have some 4″ marrow bones and I still scrape out the ends. I leave about 2 tbs and I don’t give them their fish oil or coconut oil on those days. Would you give the Brute a tbs of added fat? Or would that be too much for him?

[Melissaandcrew]

I think the one I currently have is the Wesson 32. Love it. My first grinder was the Tasan 108 aka TS 108. I could grind chicken quarters with it no problem. You do have to cut the quarters up small in order to fit them through the shoot, and it is a slow process, but I managed. I did burn out the gear within the first year I had it, but lets face it, I was grinding a lot. The company I bought it from covered it under warranty(chicken bones or other soft bones covered, no turkey) They replace the gear box thingy free of charge, just paid shipping back. I bought the second one from them as well when the first broke and now keep it as a back up. I got them through the One Stop Jerky Company. Wonderful customer service as well.

[Lillian N]

thanks for your reply 🙂 I wanted to start incorporating some raw into my dogs diet and so I’m taking baby steps. I found a package of turkey backs at Sprouts today for just $1.45 and I bought it, intending to chop it into chunks for them to have as a treat once a week. I know that people here say turkey backs are fine raw but when I took it out of the package to prep it I was uneasy seeing how many tiny sharp bones are in it. I gave them each a small piece of the softer bone to test and they took a little time crunching it up but I still didn’t feel safe (the chewing was very loud) so I just pulled all the meat off and tossed the bones. Still, I came away with a ziploc full of good meat and (tendons?) chewy parts that at least amounted to a can of dog food which would cost me around that much anyway. The backs also had some organ meat attached. Anyway, if anyone can suggest to me some other easy raw mixes I can give my dogs I would appreciate it. Plus if they are meatballs seeing as that would be the easiest for me to freeze and portion out. I have 5 and 7 lb chihuahuas btw

[Nancy C]

Thank you. That is what I was going to do. You just confirmed. I am unsure about the bone though. Would imagine a neck bone would not be large and this does not look large — of course this is just a HALF of a neck so what i see is this bone embedded in all the yummy meat. So I would not want him to get choked on it. I would say, from where the sawing in half took place the bone looks about the size of a large egg – the width of it that is. That’s the view from the SAWED side of the piece of meat. The opposite side is rounded as it would be the outer part of the neck, if I am articulating well enough.
I know so little about bones, but my understanding is that small ones CAN BE a bigger problem than a large one… so THAT is my concern. I am going back to the butcher soon and could take it and ASK HIM to get the bone OUT…. does that sound like a good idea? The GSD could probably chew it up – being goat. ??? Thank you for all your expertise, BC.

[Hildie V]

For every bit of meat (phosphorous) you need calcium to balance the ratio

The amount in kale and yogurt isn’t enough. Phosphorous depletes calcium. That is why dogs on raw and bones don’t need supplement because the bone calcium rations the meat phosphorous

When not giving bones you *need* to add calcium, I don’t like calcium pills because you can get it by powdered eggshell

[jakes mom]

Didn’t I read somewhere that pork needs to be frozen for a few weeks before feeding raw? I have pork neck bones in the freezer now, was waiting a little longer before giving one to Jake.

[Lillian N]

Yes, I would cut the two smallest bones off the end of the rack, trim as much of the fat off as I could and leave on all the meat. Would 1 bone each be too much for my 5 and 7 lb chis? Should I just split one bone for them?

[Kristin C]

Hey John, I probably spend an average of $25-35 per week to feed my 2 dogs homemade raw. They are 25 and 35 lbs and that’s if I can get chicken for $1.99 or less per/lb and beef for $2.99 per lb. I rotate in novel proteins for variety so I’m sure that increases it a bit, but I also get raw meaty bones for less sometimes at the grocer so that might balance it out. I just get my chicken or beef at the grocer and order the novelty proteins and organs online.

[theBCnut]

The only issue is the amount of fat. If you can cut it with some meat left on it, but trim off some of the fat, you should be fine. Bones without any meat may cause some issues because they can constipate dogs.

My dogs are getting beef short ribs tonight.