[Cotons mom]

OK I have two cottons both a year old. I am really interested in giving them raw bones both for recreation and meals but am so afraid of them choking. The little guy is 10 pounds and his sister is 17 pounds. I feel them a raw diet (primal, S&C, and a few others) and give them frozen/defrosted tripe from vital essentials.

What animal size would be appropriate for them? and do I need to take the marrow out of the marrow bones to keep them from getting too much fat and then GI distress?

Thanks so much

[Naturella]

Cotons mom,

I have a 13.5-lb JR-Rat Terrier mix, so he’s right in between the sizes of your two dogs.

Once a week I give him either a chicken back, or a beef/pork neck piece (RMBs) as a meal (Sunday night). For recreation, I have given raw marrow bones, about 2-inches long, maybe a bit less, from my local Publix (they sell the longer ones and the short ones, they call them soup bones). Chicken backs and beef/pork neck pieces also come from there. I have noticed Publix is very responsive to customer demand and I believe they have had customers request those pieces so they decided to sell them. I would also give Bruno raw chicken necks, and turkey neck pieces. I have given him a rabbit neck before too.

He has never choked, and he works on them diligently. The marrow bone he gets once a month, so he doesn’t get excessive fat from the marrow especially because I also feed coconut oil a few times/week and canned fish once/week. Once the marrow is gone, sometimes I would take the bone and fill it with a variation of “doggie ice-cream”) – plain yoghurt, coconut oil, turmeric, peanut butter, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of ground flax seeds as a base, and either some berries and/or bananas, or some canned pumpkin/sweet potato. Blend together, fill the bone and freeze it, and give once/week until it is time for his next marrow serving – that’s what I do at least. Bruno loves it to bits.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Naturella.

[Cotons mom]

Naturella thanks so much for the info. I love your recipe for the “doggie ice cream” I’m going to make some very soon. I wish I lived near a Publix but we don’t have them in Richmond, VA. My little guy, I just weighed him, has lost 4 lbs in the past month and his sister has also lost the same amount of weight. I feed by the charts on the food that I give them, but I know that this is not the thread for this topic, so back to the matter at hand. Anyway the little guys mouth is very small and he has an overbite so he has a little trouble chewing hard food, would he do OK with the chicken/turkey necks. How about the wings of chicken. Does the marrow cause loose stools or do dogs do well when left in the bone.

[Naturella]

Cotons mom, no problem! Hope your pups like it! Sometimes I toss in a teaspoon or tablespoon of local honey – depending on the amount I’m making – into the base “ice cream” mix. 🙂

As for the overbite (isn’t that a normal bite?), and whether he would be fine with the necks, I really don’t know. I think there is only one way to find out though! Same with the marrow – I think it really depends on the dog. Bruno can handle his marrow well, but doesn’t mean every 13.5-lb dog will. So just try and see how they respond.

Good luck! 🙂

[Kristy M]

I have a question for you big breed folks that feed raw. We have two spoiled indoor rough collies and a doggie door, which means they can get in and out whenever they want. How do you feed messy stuff like this without trashing your house? I can’t lock them outdoors with their bones, and the weather in Atlanta is frequently too hot or too rainy to force them outdoors for extended time anyway…

[theBCnut]

I feed mine their raw food in crates mostly.

[crazy4cats]

We have an inexpensive large area rug that we try to make them stay on while eating/chewing their bones.

[Kristin C]

We feed our raw grinds out of a jar or dog food bowl right in our kitchen. RMB’s get fed outside in our driveway, but we only do that once per week and we supervise. Dried beef trachea we feed as a treat outside (or in the garage), weather permitting.

[jakes mom]

I just put Jake on a big beach towel, he plants himself there and doesn’t move til the bone is gone.

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