Raw Food Eating Doodles

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Comment by Robert Johnson & Joan Milligan on January 19, 2013 at 4:25pm

Angus is pretty big, 55-60 pounds, but has had no problem eating beef neck bones since he was a little bitty puppy. He has just gotten faster at it!. Depending on the store, they can be anywhere from 1/2 inch to 3 inches thick. He loves them so much he knows when it is "cocktail hour," and will ask for his bone,, and knows to eat it on his towel. This starts things up and he asks to go out for his evening toilet. While he is out, I throw out what is left of the bone, and put his towel in the wash.

Comment by Trudy Harlow on January 18, 2013 at 2:43pm

LOL, Andrea, I guarantee you that Paddy would not have a clue what to do with such a treat.  He would sniff it all over, lick it all over, and then walk away in frustration.

Comment by Trudy Harlow on January 18, 2013 at 10:52am

You can also give your dog pork rib bones, which they can eat in their entirety.  I agree about the marrow bones.  When Paddy gets beef shanks, I scoop the marrow out for him and trim the meat off the bone.  I don't give him the bone.  However, he does get just about every other kind of non-beef bone to eat, along with his raw meat, so that takes care of any gnawing needs he might have.

Comment by Jen and Annie on January 18, 2013 at 10:10am

I do not give my pups the marrow bones that are typically sold at butchers shops as 'soup bones' - I had a narrow snouted dog get their jaw stuck IN one of those before, so i've stayed far away since then.  I've also heard that teeth can be fractured when dogs try to eat bones that are too dense. We give beef rib bones, the ones that are a part of the bone-in ribeye.  The dogs love to tear the meat off of these and then nibble on the cartilage that's attached.  Once the bones are stripped clean, we give them new ones.   

Comment by jeanne & Lilly on January 17, 2013 at 3:18pm

Andrea you are right, Lilly is not getting a raw diet. Perhaps I should have posted my question elsewhere, but this seemed like the most logical place to ask. I checked with the owner of the store where I got the bones, he recommended throwing out the bone once she starts biting off pieces.

Comment by jeanne & Lilly on January 17, 2013 at 9:32am

It came frozen and is packaged by Primal pet foods, as a recreational beef marrow bone.

Comment by Shirley Splude on January 17, 2013 at 7:03am

Jeanne mine eat the pork neck bones and there are little pieces that sometimes break off. Yes I do let them eat it :) 

Comment by Trudy Harlow on January 17, 2013 at 5:06am

Jeanne, can you describe what you mean by "raw bone"?  Ideally, the bone should be covered in meat and it should not be a beef or other large animal bone, which can break dogs' teeth.  Chicken, turkey, rabbit are all good starter meats because they are bland and, if you're switching a dog that's been on kibble or canned food for a while, the blandness will help the dog's digestion.  All those bones are easy to eat.

Hope to hear back from you soon, and congratulations on wanting to feed your dog right!

Comment by jeanne & Lilly on January 16, 2013 at 8:40pm

I gave my Lilly her first raw bone today. Is it ok for her to eat little pieces of the bone she's broken off?

Comment by Jen and Annie on November 19, 2012 at 6:50pm

Shirley, Sorry I am a little late to the punch here.  Andrea gave perfect diet advice, so I'm going to give you the 'newbie' scoop.  I switched over a 7 year old boxer (who is now 10) to raw, and she took to it immediately with no hesitation.  She smelled the chicken and practically snatched it from me - and we were good to go. 

It was fairly recent (3 years ago) so I remember the freak outs I had.  Just a few things - depending on your dogs stomach sensitivities and stomach acid levels, etc - you may see loose stools at first - I know that I did and I freaked out. (Not uncontrollable accidents in the house or anything, just very loose).  Then, once her poops 'solidified' - they were so small that I got worried again - why is this 65 lb dog pooping like a beagle - does she have a blockage??  small stools are also completely normal for a raw fed dog.  Kibble stools are big and stinky, because a lot of what is being eaten (corn, soy, vegetables, fillers) - is not being utilized by the dogs body.  With raw, their bodies are able to make use of so much the food, it leaves very little after all is said and done (bonus!).  So, don't freak out because it may happen after the first few meals on raw. 

IF the loose stools carry on, you can give about a tbsp and a half of canned pumpkin (not the pie mix - just plain old pumpkin) to the bigger pup, and maybe a half tbsp to the smaller one.  Pumpkin is the magical intestine fixer upper - it firms up softies, and also softens up firmies - strange, but it works.  Ummm if your pups don't take the food right away, you can sprinkle a little parsley and garlic powder to make it smell nicer.  I had to do this with the boxer when she had a tooth pulled (NO BEEF BONES! They can and do fracture teeth) and had to eat ground meat for a week. 

After a little while on this diet, your vet can kiss your dental cleanings goodbye.  Aside from the 'issue' with the cracked tooth, my vet says that our boxer has the nicest 10 year old dogs teeth he's seen. :)

OK, sorry this is so long - just wanted to pep you up!  Let us know how it goes! YAY another convert!   

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