[Brittany Mom]

I feed the Force, Embark, Love, and Zeal on a rotating basis. They get Honest Kitchen in the AM and Bravo raw in the PM. I also give them beef knuckle bones, duck feet, bullysticks and trachea for their chewing pleasure. All of which come from Bravo. I too have a 3 yr old Britt, but I have to watch his weight because he has a tendency to gain weight.

[pugmomsandy]

There are hundreds of foods to try out. Maybe your dog is not used to high protein grain free. What were you feeding before and how long? There are foods “in the middle” if you want to try that. I feed a range of 4 to 5 star foods and haven’t had any issues with more poop or larger poop. And actually my fosters have the largest and more frequent poops after being vetted and then I get them. I also give the dogs some probiotics a couple times a week. The best poops are on raw food with bones – small, formed, no smell like the size of little bird eggs. I have small dogs though. But what I’m saying is, try something else. My fosters do good on Nutrisource Heartland Select and grain free Lamb. I would call those “in the middle”.

[OhBichonPlease]

Our rescued Bichon went from going once usually, sometimes twice a day [sizable pile, lighter brown and a bit floppy sometimes] on a low-quality corn based kibble to pooping 2-3 times a day [mostly dark brown, harder/more solid, slimmer and well-formed] on Wellness Core. We spoiled her a bit at first and she gained three pounds during her first month or two with us. She lost that weight easily when we switched to a high quality grain free kibble and nicer dog treats crumbled into tiny pieces. As far as bowel movements during the transition and continuing now, most of the time it is easy out, but sometimes she squat-walks for a minute or two until she feels like everything has passed. She recently went on a hunger strike [and lost a half pound in about a week] and didn’t eat kibble for a week straight and hardly touched treats, human food or stinky, delicious wet food until after giving her some Pepcids. [I created a topic about doggie heartburn in another section on this forum and am curious about other people’s experiences with food refusal due to heartburn or indigestion.] Things are back to normal and settling down digestion-wise, but we are interested in rotating her food and trying different brands and are starting on Dr Tim’s grain free. I am curious to see what this does to her stool volume [never a sentiment I thought I would have]. I too though stool volume would decrease due to her grain-free kibble, but put down her increased regularity to finally getting proper nutrition with quality fiber sources. During her week of not eating, I started making ice cube treats [out of necessity to preserve what was being laid down, but not consumed] made with Wellness 95% salmon and organic canned pumpkin – she loves these frozen goodies [gets 1-2 cubes most days] and I will probably continue to provide them for her for the benefits to skin & coat and digestion. I may even add a bit of yogurt as I understand that freezing doesn’t affect probiotics and I want her to have as wide a variety of helpful gut flora as possible. [As a note, she was pooping more before we started adding pumpkin to her diet. Since she has been getting her ‘salmon pops’ and eating kibble again more regularly – but never yet enthusiastically – she has continued with going 2-3 times a day and never in the morning anymore, curiously.]
Don’t get me wrong – I am happy to see stuff moving through regardless or quantity or frequency, but I read lots of posts where people discussed decreased stool volume and that has not been my personal experience either, so far.
You might also try adding canned pumpkin or frozen or fresh green beans to your dog’s food – that will provide fiber helping pull stuff through and also contributing to a feeling a fullness. It may make your dog poop even more though.
Dog treats can be a major culprit in weight gain, so you may want to switch to treating with toys/playing, smaller treats with healthier ingredients, carrot slices, bones for chewing or something like the Lickety Stik – a great liquid treat [in multiple flavors] with a roller ball dispenser [perfect for training and keeping pockets clean and smell-free]. There are hundreds of licks per bottle and it is super-low calorie – they claim only 1 calorie every 10 licks so you can still indulge your dog without extra/empty calories.

[theBCnut]

Hi ShelterGirl

Plaque build up on teeth is due to starch in dogs, just as it is in humans. Kibble is a high starch food. If you don’t want plaque build up on your dogs teeth, you brush them, just like you do in humans. Or you can try feeding raw meaty bones. Dogs that eat nothing but kibble still need to have their teeth cleaned regularly, so obviously kibble is not the answer to plaque build up.

No type of food leads to obesity, overfeeding any type of food leads to obesity. Weight issues are a matter of calories in, calories out.

[theBCnut]

I haven’t got turkey necks from them, but I’ve gotten all different ribs from them.

[Akari_32]

Yes, I’m using a combination of PetFlow, manufacturer websites, and DFA’s Dog Food Calculator to determine whats available, how many calories per cup it is, and how many cups it’d take to feed 130 pound, fixed, senior, lazy bones Dweedle-weedle. Him and Haley have the same activity level (almost negative :p) and Bentley’s one-ish cup a day doesn’t really add up to much compared to them, and I barely even notice any extra in the food bills (taking into account my couponing, as well).

The Wellness sale ended about a week ago, I think. The ProPlan sale at PetCo ended on the 23rd.

Good luck with your new food mix 🙂 My guys tend to not care, as long as its just a tiny bit eatable LOL

[Duke The Boxer]

Nope I haven’t tried. I will definitely look for them. But I guess you get them local? I’m thinking maybe through hare today gone tomorrow.

[theBCnut]

Have you ever tried a turkey neck? Or rib bones? Ribs are softer than weight bearing bones, but are hard enough for a pretty good chewing workout. They are my favorite for teeth cleaning for my dogs.

[Duke The Boxer]

Patty can you recommend me a bone for duke. He is a heavy chewer and loves rope toys. But I want to give him bones except I’m worried about one of his teeth fracturing. Please help.

[theBCnut]

But you need to be very aware of your dog’s chewing style. Hard bones, i.e. weight bearing bones are the ones that are more likely to cause teeth fractures in dogs that are serious chewers.

Also, these are marrow bones and marrow is a high fat substance which may be inappropriate for some dogs. Marrow can be scooped out of bones and replaced with something else, like frozen yogurt or canned dog food.

[Rahat]

Hard Natural Bones are a natural way to clean teeth and exercise muscles. They improve a dog’s dental health by giving the dog a chance to exercise gums and scrape teeth. Natural Bones can be fed anytime as a snack or reward, as a substitute for chewing furniture (especially useful for teething puppies!), to occupy a dog during travel time or to help alleviate separation anxiety. They provide an enjoyable chewing experience and satisfy a dogs natural carnivorous instincts.

[theBCnut]

Dogs with compromised immune systems can get bacterial infections from raw diets. And if a dog is greedy, it can glup too big a piece of bone. I like chicken necks for small dogs because the bones are already small and mostly cartilage anyway, but since they are all connected together, it encourages chewing. My JRT is used to raw and gnawing bones, so she can handle a pretty good sized chunk of turkey neck and even some ribs.

Most dogs have no problems. Their short digestive tract is designed to handle bacteria and their teeth are made for crunching on bones.

[MsDad]

Cherikeeusa, right now I’m feeding Nature’s Logic kibble to my F1 Goldendoodle but I’m getting ready to switch him to a raw diet. I’ve been doing a LOT of research and raw greatly reduces the risk of bloat. Pork and chicken are both fine for dogs. I’m looking at Tucker’s Bones as my raw diet and it is pork-based.

[Naturella]

Hello, everyone!

I have a probably dumb question, but what is the worst thing that could happen to a dog if fed raw food? Any chance of salmonella or e.coli? Anything else? I want to give my 8-month Jack Russell-Rat Terrier mix some raw in addition to his kibble (RMBs, some recreational bones, and organ meat), but my boyfriend is worried he may get something from it…

[Akari_32]

Haha, I’ve had that happen a few times lol It’s ok 🙂

I have noticed since adding fish oil to Bentley’s food I’ve been able to feed him less. You may recall this little 8 pound freak eats a whole cup @.@ I was adding it daily, when his fur was really bad, but since its almost back to full length now, I’ve only been doing it a few times a week. I’ve been giving him 1/2 to 1 cup now, usually closer to 3/4 to 1. I wonder if I should apply this theory to Haley? She needs the meat on her bones, not Bentley! lol

Also related to this… I was going to pick up some apple cider vinegar for Haley yesterday, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right kind! I read somewhere about unfiltered and something else, but I couldn’t find anything like that on the bottle, so I opted not to get it yet, since we seem to be on a pretty good track with those ProSence doggy vitamins. I also considered keifer, but forgot to pick it up LOL I just want unflavored, plain, correct? And how much of each of these should I give her?

Where can I get kelp and spirulina? There aren’t really any near by health food food stores, so I’m limited to Publix, WinnDixie (yuck!) and WalMart (more yuck!), and maybe Target. And again, how much do I give?

[kaylee1989]

I know there are a couple questions already about Red Barn products, but I am looking for more answers. I have been giving my dachshund their products on occasion. Yesterday, I just bought about 4 of their products, because his birthday is Friday. I wanted to surpise him, since he LOVES chewing on bones and things like that. Well the place I bought them from had a sign saying “Made in USA” but he told me that they had chicken treats from China. Kind of gave me a red flag. So I call them, they discontinued those chicken treats (they weren’t associated with the recent recall). They do however have treats made in USA, Paraguay, and Canada. A big question I forgot to ask is if they have any ingredients sourced from China or another country. I also decided to throw away the product from Paraguay although my dog has had it once in the past :/.

Does anyone else give their dogs these products? Is there anything good or bad anyone has to say about them? (I currently have peanut butter barn bagel, barky bark, knuckle bones, pig ear, and have given him femur bones etc in the past.) It really stinks that it’s so scary to even treat your dog anymore. Also if anyone has any suggestions for anything else I could buy him to chew on..please let me know. I also bought some bone like treats made out of bull hide or something? I know rawhide is not the best, but this guy told me if it’s made from bulls it’s better..I don’t know if he’s pulling my leg?)

I also have antlers, kong at my house for him to chew on. I’ve tried nylabones, but not impressed. He LOVES to chew though and loves new things to chew on especially and I feel like I can’t take that joy away from him. That’s why I decided to buy the Red Barn products. If it was a bad decision though, I will not give them to him.

Thanks for your help.

[theBCnut]

The short answer is no, not necessarily. Allergies and intolerances to food are very specific. As an example, one of my dogs is intolerant of chicken muscle meat, but not chicken liver. I didn’t bother to test it too much so I don’t know if he could handle white meat but not dark or dark but not white, and I don’t know if he reacts to chicken bones, because I can’t get every last speck of meat off a raw bone, and I really didn’t care that much. I avoid chicken with him but he does get a food with chicken liver in it, and it happens to be the food that he does best on. However, there are dogs that are allergic/intolerant to chicken, duck, turkey, etc so they say the are allergic to all poultry, but if they never ate a titmouse or a kingfisher, they can’t be allergic to them. They can only have allergies/intolerances to things they have been exposed to. BTW, they can have exposure in utero too, I imagine.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi jewels!

I think most would agree that high protein is good for large breed puppies. Yes, Patty was saying that some people use 30% as the minimum protein level that they will feed. I am one of those people. I believe HDM once said that there is no such thing as too much protein for a healthy dog. For a large breed puppy (LGP) you really have to be careful with the the amount of calcium in the food because they are prone to developing bone issues if their bones grow too fast.

The calcium and phosphorous on the bags and websites are usually reported as a minimum percentage (ie 1.0% min). HDM contacted the companies and asked for the actual percentages (not minimums) of calcium and phosphorous in their foods, then calculated how many grams of each were in 1000kcal of the food. This factors in the calorie counts in the foods. Some foods can be deceiving because they look like they have low calcium but because of the calorie count you have to feed more of it so you end up feeding more calcium than is safe for a growing large breed puppy.

So yes, as far as calcium goes, you are missing a piece- the formula that HDM uses to convert the calcium % to grams of calcium per 1000kcal. That would only give you a minimum number though because that’s what is reported on the bag. You would need to contact the company to get the actual amount of calcium in the food. That’s why it’s easiest for all of us to use the list that HDM made.

NV Prairie LGP is on the list so you are fine with what you have been feeding. If you want to use a higher protein food for the next in his rotation, you could try Annamaet Aqualuk or Salcha (30%), Black Gold Ultimate Grain Free 32/18 Salmon (32%), Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch (32%), Wellness Core Puppy (36%).

I hope this is helpful and clears some things up for you.

[jewels]

Rescue Dane Mom and Pattyvaughn, when you say 30% is a personal limit for some are you meaning 30% is the minimum protein percent? Do most on this site agree that you can’t have too high of protein for a large breed puppy? I’m trying to be aware of the calcium percentage and have been referring to HDM’s list. I just want to make sure that I’m not missing some other important detail. I have a Standard Poodle puppy who was 16 weeks on Monday. The breeder advised that I feed him a 50/50 mixture of Eukanuba Adult and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (which is also an adult formula). She said this mixture worked best to ensure that the puppy didn’t grow too fast and his bones and muscles/ligaments would grow at the same pace. She said she’d been using this formula with her puppies for some time and had fantastic results. I met the parents and grandparents of my puppy as well as older siblings from a previous litter and all were very healthy, active dogs. She does all her “testing” before she breeds any of her dogs and they all have good results, so it’s hard to argue with her approach. I was still hesitant to feed a puppy and adult food, however, so I chose NV Prairie Large Breed Puppy and switched him over. I hope I did the right thing! He has been on this NV formula for a month now and his stool is still fairly soft. It has form when it comes out, but it is too soft to pick up right away… if that makes sense. I’d like to start rotating him with a few other foods, but want to make sure I have the calcium and protein thing down first! Another question on calcium… I know a food should be no more than 3.5 g calcium, but on the list everything looks like it’s hovering around the 1.0 mark. Obviously there must be a piece I’m missing here… Thanks for the help!

[chrisalcor]

I agree with Patti – I raise rottweilers have push protein whenever possible. I use all life stages most often – and lots of grain free. Don’t forget lots of raw meaty bones. It increases the calcium, supplements with the chewing needs and the protein in the marrow is great for their skin, coats and muscle growth.

[Cyndi]

I feed my dog her turkey necks and other RMB’s (Raw Meaty Bones) in the laundry room on a towel. She’s real good about staying in one spot on the towel while she eats. Some other raw feeders here feed RMB’s in the dog’s crate. & some people feed them outside…

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Cyndi.

[pugmomsandy]

Either. If your dog likes and tolerates it raw, then feed it raw. If he needs to transition to raw then slightly cook it first. Some dogs when first starting raw don’t like the texture of raw (funny, I know) and they have to lightly sear the meat. Maybe they’re not used to cold food, not sure. And some pups need time to adjust to raw and might have some GI issues. Of course, give bones raw.

[hkrpdp1994]

While we were doing inventory at work, we came across a “fresh” batch of red barn dog bones that are filled with peanut butter, caked in mold. PLEASE be aware of this an take this into consideration before buying anything made out side of the U.S.

[pugmomsandy]

I ended up mixing foods because I couldn’t decide what food I wanted to use since there’s a million kinds out there! So after 3 years of trying things out, my staples are Nutrisource (grain free and small/med breed puppy), Nature’s Select (local) only the grain free or Hi-Pro formulas, Brothers Complete, Merrick (local), occasionally Nutrisca (some issues with their chicken from China and possible farmed salmon) so I just get their Lamb food, Vital Essentials freeze dried nibblets and I’ve thought about Victor because they are local too (made in Texas). For cans, I use Merrick, Wellness Stews, Weruva, Nature’s Logic, Hound and Gatos and sometimes Nutrisca lamb. Dehydrated foods I use are The Honest Kitchen, Addiction (with Big Dog Natural), Sojo’s (with Big Dog Natural) and I make my own raw food with duck, goat, tripe and organs and supplements and they eat whole raw sardines and sometimes RMB (raw meaty bones) like necks, pork ribs and chicken legs. All foods have their pros and cons and not all dogs do well on certain foods. For me, these work. I am thinking of boycotting Dogswell though. Too many issues with their treats and they use chinese chicken. Actually, I think I’ll scratch them totally off my list now… and Sojo’s uses some dried veggies from China so that’s going to have to go too when my bag is gone. It is frustrating sometimes trying to find good foods with good ingredients. I’ve probably used about 20 different kibbles in the past 3 or 4 years (my dog is 6 now). He’s such an inspiration for me to make homemade!! I lub him so much!! He has his own freezer full of goodies!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

I think you can also push out the marrow from the marrow bones. I have several empties laying around I could mail you. Also you can find cow hooves for chewing on. Try looking at http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/bbs/smartlist_86/made_in_the_usa.html They have an American Made section. Merrick makes bully sticks also.

[theBCnut]

Marrow bones, i.e. leg bones are VERY high in fat and so are spinal bones with spinal tissue included. Ribs have a boney matrix in them.

[Dolly]

Shes a golden retreiver-border collie mix, so about 50-55 pounds. I could try a rib, I was under the impression that any bones would have bone marrow, which is really high in fat(?), but like I said before I really have no idea. I will do some research/ ask my vet about the rib bones. It is difficult cutting fat out of a dog’s diet!

[theBCnut]

What size dog is she? Maybe a chicken or turket neck with the skin removed. That’s a tricky one because most edible bones are also where the fat is. Maybe if you could get a raw rib and remove the meat and fat from it, it would do.

[Dolly]

Okay thank you both! I read about coconut oil and do plan to use it. Are there any other meats I can use in small amounts? I bought chicken liver yesterday while at the store but just read that they may be too high in fat? She’s a 50lb dog, so I think I might be ok adding in small amounts every few days, but I honestly have no idea, I haven’t ate meat or had to cook it for anyone since I was a young teenager, so I’m sort of lost here.. I’m also wondering if there are any safe bones I can use to help her clean her teeth. I was feeding bully sticks and Z bones but I am having trouble finding bully sticks that I know are sourced in the US and they stopped selling the Z bones at any of the pet stores around here- any other ideas here? I can’t do anything like antlers, the bully sticks are even a little hard for her to chew..

[Naturella]

Molzy,

Thanks for the tip! I will be watching him and his BMs and stools for as long as I am certain the bones are gone (I feel them), or I would assume they are digested after 2 weeks.

[Naturella]

Marie, no problem. I am actually happy that you care so much about my (and others’) dog/s. 🙂

What you have seen that person ask for in the facebook group is horrible, they could have at least tried to gift the dog to kind people, who may agree to take it in and treat it, so I understand where you are coming from.

I have been checking Bruno’s stool, so far good stool and good BMs. I will continue to do so intil Friday – by then the bones, or any remnants of them SHOULD have passed if his stool is still as good and his BMs regular, I believe.

I think he may just have a hair in his throat because he keeps wheezing/coughing every now and again. Sometimes he pulls strings off his bed when he’s still awake in it, but hasn’t done it over the night, not that we know of, he is usually a sound sleeper unless he hears noise. So it may well be something in his throat that I can’t see that irritates him. But now he is happy, playful, running around playing with my roommate’s dog, and has finally eaten his kibble.

Patty, I will try the bread thing – I did give him some in the morning, but I will give him a little bit a couple more times today before we go to bed (small amounts), just in case, and keep checking for the bones. Thanks for the advice!

[theBCnut]

My vet suggests feeding small amounts of bread every hour or so until bones have passed. This helps keep the intestines wide open and moving supposedly. Good luck.

[Naturella]

Cyndi,

He ate about 1/8 cup of the bones. We are still home, monitoring him. He looks like he’s feeling better. Just a bit of a wheeze, but playful again…

Yes, I pledge to never, ever feed cooked bones again!

[Cyndi]

How much of the bone did your dog eat? I’m not sure I’d wait til the problem worsens. Never, ever feed any cooked bones. That is a perforation of something just waiting to happen.

[Cyndi]

Raw bones are perfectly fine. Chicken wings are fine, especially for smaller dogs. They can chew them up and swallow them. Cooked bones are hard and can splinter, so they are a no no. If your dogs are gulpers, chicken wings may be too small. You want them to chew them up and get the teeth cleaning benefits from the bone and not just swallow them whole.

[DogManDan]

guys i have a question, im new to raw feeding… do you serve the bones as a whole especially with chicken wings, I’m kinda hesitant to give them the whole wing afraid they might choke or something due to those pointy bones.

[Naturella]

Hello, everyone…

So, I am in a bit of a pickle…

As much as I have educated myself on good (raw) and bad (cooked) bones to give my dog, yesterday at about 3.15pm I gave him a medium rack of smoked lamb ribs. He cleared most of the meat off the bones first, and then proceeded to eat them too… I was watching him the whole time, and as soon as I saw a sharp edge on one of the bones, I took them away. He kind of burped and his tummy rumbled, but he seemed fine (last time he had such bones, it was barbecue pork rib ends, and he threw them up). Later he had his kibble, water, treat, he was playful and normal. He went to sleep okay.

At around 7.22am he woke me and my boyfriend up with loud wheezing/dry-heaving… He looked like he was trying to cough or throw something up, but either couldn’t, or there was nothing in his tummy to cough/throw up… After about 2 minutes it stopped. He was not interested in water, and seemed tired and miserable. Wheezing didn’t stop completely, just significantly reduced. He then slept another hour while I was researching intestinal punctures and bleeding symptoms in dogs…

After my boyfriend went to work, I woke the puppy up and checked his mouth to see if I can see a hair or something in his throat. I didn’t see any. He was wheezing every now and again, so I went to the kitchen and mixed plain yoghurt with canned pumpkin puree, and fed him that on bread pieces. He consumed eagerly about 2/3 slice of whole wheat bread and about 1/6 cup of yoghurt-pumpkin mixture. My idea behind it was to introduce good bacteria and probiotics (yoghurt) in his system; get his tummy tightened up and calmed down (pumpkin), and push any hair (if it was there to begin with) down his throat (bread). It didn’t seem to do much about the wheezing, which is not as bad as at 7.22am at all, but it is still there. He had good appetite for the above items. Oh, when he’s asleep, the wheezing is not there, his breathing is good. He also stretches just fine and doesn’t coil up after, which leads me to believe that he is not in pain…

He still looked weak and miserable, so we laid down together for a bit (he is a snuggler), but I am too nervous to lay down, so I got up to post this and ask for help/advice.

Here is the thing. I have $28.00 in my account, so IF possible, I would like to avoid taking him to the vet. Of course, I read that I need to monitor him and his stool, and if he is coughing/throwing up/pooping blood, we will be at the vet in no time anyway. A lot of websites said to wait and see.
My question is, how long is okay to wait, and how long is too long? Is there any way for me to know if his tummy is intact? I felt around it and he was still, didn’t seem in pain, but looks under the weather… He just kinda woke up but he’s not his usual perky self… Just laying down looking at me…
He is a 7.5-month (or so) old Miniature Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-(Deer )Chihuahua mix (a guess – he was found at 2-3 months (or so) old, so we’re not sure what he is). He weighs about 11 lbs, and the bones he ate I would estimate at 1/8 cup or so.

If Dr. Mike can maybe comment and help me out, or any of you guys, who have some knowledge on the matter, I would greatly appreciate it!

P.S. NEVER feeding cooked bones ever again! I promise!

[Naturella]

So, I made asked this question under another topic, but I feel like it deserves its own.

Here it is:

What is your stance on natural chews, such as bully sticks, dehydrated meaty bits (gullet strips, tripe and tendon pieces, etc.), antlers, Himalayan Dog Chews, and so on, versus raw meaty bones (RMBs)? Which is better? I know which is less messy, but still, I want to know which is better for a dog, and the one that is worse, how much worse it is? Or (ideally), are they sort of close/equal in the purposes they server (chewing entertainment and nutritional value)?

[Akari_32]

I find chicken necks to be too small for Bentley, and skin on the pigs feet too tough. However, the Maltese side of him makes him small and dainty, so he doesn’t have chewing power. If the skin was removed from the pigs feet, I think he’d be ok with them. His favorite bones are turkey necks and ham hocks/pig knuckles. Chicken livers and gizards are pretty big, but he figures out how to eat them just fine after a few minutes of problem solving. Unfortunately, we have squat for meats, parts, and organs, and what we do have is crazy high priced, so I don’t get to try much 🙁

Where do you live that you have both Kroger and Publix? That’s funny :p

The profile picture is done through another website. Go up to the very first subforum, and there’s a thread in there that tells you how.

[pugmomsandy]

I use Wellness Stews, Merrick (Turducken, Wild Buffalo Grill), Nutrisca, Weruva (Jammin Salmon, Marbella Paella) and these are chunky. Some of the Merrick canned foods have bones in them. Maybe he’d like that.

[theBCnut]

Read chapter 6 Building Beef and Chicken ABC Recipes Step-By-Step

Go to Recipe #2: Poultry
Your poultry grind that has meat/bones/organs should replace the chicken necks, thighs, hearts, and livers. You need to add the rest of it.

[pugmomsandy]

pacer1978

Since you’ve already introduced raw into the diet, just try out a raw meaty bone and see how they do. I have small dogs and started with chicken wings and necks. And then went to chicken legs. I do have 2 that chomp their bones pretty well and one that does a so-so job at it but in 2 years of raw meaty bones, he hasn’t had any issues. You can attach a large vice clamp onto a RMB or tie part of it to a broom stick or something like that so he can’t gulp the whole thing down and hopefully learns to not gulp. If gulping is a problem, then I would feed grinds and nothing harder than chicken bones. I would say that chicken necks and duck necks and very small turkey necks (about 1 inch diameter or less) are ok to slightly gulp down. This is what my 30 lb dog does! You can always whack the neck with a hammer first. If you want to incorporate raw and still feed kibble and other commercial products, then I would suggest chicken, turkey or duck necks 3 times a week and then maybe a couple meals of just ground meats/organ/calcium supplement (or commercial raw). Baby back pork ribs are also easy to break so that might be an option too. Frankly, I don’t think there is anything “sharp” in a small poultry neck bone so that might be a good bone for you to use. You can also buy a large leg bone just for them to enjoy chewing on instead of eating it.

[mrsGHT]

Hello – I’m fairly new to this site, and only feed raw occasionally as we live in Alaska and all types of meat are very expensive. I’m looking for a way to cut the cost and increase the raw meals for both dogs. We have a 4 year old Great Pyranees (Bounder) and a 10 month old Bouvier (Raleigh). I have fed turkey drumsticks to Bounder many times and she does a great job gnawing and chewing on the bone. Raleigh has had other types of meat, and some bone. Tonight I gave him his first turkey leg – he scarfed it down, and didn’t chew the bone as well as I would have liked. Do I need to be concerned about him eating such a large chunk of bone without adequate chewing? Thank you for such a wonderful site!

[theBCnut]

Even when I’m doing 20% I want the calcium/phosphorus at least close to balanced and I still add a vit E stabilized fish oil or oily fish.

For a dog that is entrenched in the habit of gulping it’s food, I would not feed whole bones, unless it was in something that was too big for the dog to swallow it. I would use grinds or premixes and boneless meats. That being said, I believe a dog can be trained to eat properly, but you have to be willing to take the time.

[pugmomsandy]

oceans11,

Yes a mix of Instinct and kibble and bones will do!

[RescueDaneMom]

I think any incorporation of raw or fresh foods is a good thing. I’ve just started adding raw to my dog’s diet. I think it’d be easier for you if you stick with the 20% rule. You can add up to 20% (by volume I think) of additional fresh foods without throwing off the balance of nutrients in commercial kibble. That way you don’t have to worry about adding extra supplements and such to make the food complete and balanced. I think it has also been said that you can feed one meal of raw and one meal of kibble and still be ok with vitamins/minerals.

I add the following things to my dog’s food (not all at the same time): lightly cooked eggs (over easy), cottage cheese, kefir, canned sardines in water, and canned pink salmon. I will also add some canned tripe by Tripett.

I also add commercial raw, either Primal or Stella and Chewy’s. Lately I’ve been using the Primal grinds (muscle meat, organs, and bone) which are not complete and balanced. If you used more than 20% of this in a meal than you would need to balance it. You can get Primal from an independent pet store. See primalpetfoods.com for more info. Also a bonus, the bones in the grinds are ground up so small that there is no hazard of choking!

If you are interested in learning more about raw food there are two books that are always recommended: “Real food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Taylor & Becker and “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. They have recipes for raw and cooked foods. I have made one batch of raw using Taylor & Becker’s recipe. I wasn’t too difficult but I had to go to two different stores to get what I needed. It is easier for me right now to use the Primal grinds instead of making my own raw food.

In my opinion, commercial raw food is a good compromise if you don’t want to go full raw. Yes it is still processed, but very minimally and much less than kibble. It is also convenient for those that are busy or simply don’t have or want to take the time to source raw meats and make their own raw food meals from scratch.

These are just my opinions. There are others here that have way more experience than I do such as HoundDogMom, Pattyvaughn, and pugmomsandy. They may have more feedback for you.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi there-

I have always fed mostly kibble, and will not give my dogs whole pieces of raw. Recently, I went to 50 50 dry and raw because I bought a grinder to grind up the bones. So far, everyone loves it and see to ne doing fine on it. I buy meats from various places, including butcher, market, processor etc. I found that I actually save several hundred dollar a month doing this, versus just feeding the kibble, dehydrawtd, commercial premade raw and canned that I used to.

[pacer1978]

I’m sorry if these questions were already asked. There are so many posts, that I feel it may just be faster to ask instead of reading through every topic on the forum. I am mostly a kibble type since that is convenient and fast, though I do feed my dogs premium kibble: NV, NP, Earthborn Holistic, and Fromm for instance.

Here are my questions. If I do incorporate raw into their diet, how do I go about doing that? Where do you purchase this from? Is there a butcher you go through? How much does it cost typically? I have stayed away from raw thinking it would be unsanitary and very expensive. Plus, I try not to give my dogs bones since they inhale their food and seem to cough and gag a lot after eating one. My thought is that it gets stuck in their throat. Not to mention, I will come home to a pile of bile with sharp bones in the mix and that freaks me out. I’m afraid the sharp bones will do damage to them. Sometimes I will purchase the NV raw patties and freeze dried food and sprinkle or chop that up into their food, but probably don’t do it often for it to make any difference. I’m sure that their raw food is not the same anyway since it is probably still processed in some way.
I know many of you here believe 100% in the raw diet, but I remember when I first investigated it, I had read articles that didn’t support it. One lady explained how she switched to raw and her dog ended up extremely sick with contamination. Any ideas on that? I feel right now with supplements, treats, and premium kibble I am spending so much on their food as it is. I want the best for my dogs, however. I feel you shouldn’t take them on if you can’t provide for them the best you can. Who knows…maybe the raw is cheaper than what I’m spending right now. On the other hand, I’m the main person that handles the feedings in my house. I doubt on the nights I’m at school my husband will have the patients or agreeableness to feed and deal with raw food. Anyway, just looking for your thoughts on some of these questions. I always thought raw was too difficult to feed since there really isn’t a place for me to purchase this other than my grocery store. For some reason, I figured most people purchased it another way. Thanks for anyone reading!

[theBCnut]

Responsible breeders don’t sell puppies this way. Puppy mills do.

[Oceans11]

I am picking up our 10 week old Coton de Tulear puppy next week. The breeder has him on kibble and is sending some home with us. I plan to transition him to Nature\’s Variety Instinct Raw and give him raw meaty bones several times a week for teeth cleaning purposes. My question is whether or not I should alternate giving him kibble and the raw diet?