Raw Food Diet

[ClareMarsh]

As far as I'm aware you can and I keep meaning to get some mice/day old chicks etc for Ted so he can have a go at whole prey

But I'd be very worried about what had been done to those rats prior to them being killed so unless you can guarantee they're free from drugs etc I'd steer clear.

[Nettle]

I wouldn't for exactly those reasons.

[WufWuf]

I got a pigs tail for 59cent the other day and chopped it into 4/5 pieces (can't remember and too lazy to check). It has give her the best chewing time of all the RMB's I've tried she's been chewing for about an hour now .

I cut some of the fat off it and it seems to have a good meat/bone ratio but I just thought I'd see if it was something that was a suitable meal as I've not seen anyone mention them on here!

[Nettle]

Piggy tails - great! I haven't mentioned them because they are so hard to get here. What a super chew toy.

[WufWuf]

Thanks Nettle!

It's a very old fashioned butchers they also stock tongue, tripe and trotters not stuff you see in any of the modern butchers where I live.

Honey is a big fan of the piggy tail and her tummy seems fine to.

My husband's was a bit taken aback when he saw it but reckons he just needs some time to get used to seeing severed limbs outside of horror movies!

[bendog]

I've never seen pig tails for sale here, but I did get a few trotters the other week.
Ben won't touch it, but it gives Sasha and Poppy 2 hours of chewing each! Which is great for me
Not enough meat to really be a meal, but more meat the day after seems to work. Though if your hubby doesn't like the tail he won't like the trotters!

Few more questions about which meats are ok as I've not ventured further than chicken, rabbit, and pork ribs. And since I'm not feeding Sasha on chicken she's not getting much variety.

Are these ok to feed:
Beef ribs
Tripe (how much/how often?)
Lamb ribs - I'm assuming this isn't the same as a rack of lamb since they have bare bones?
Turkey legs (these look HUGE - and I doubt I've got a knife strong enough to cut them in half, and very meaty, but are they ok for a meal?)
Lamb spine (I know to avoid weight bearing bones, but is spine ok? I had some unspecified lamb joints off a friend and the dogs didn't seem to be able to manage the bones, just ate the meat off them, they were ball and socket joints, no idea which body part!)

Basically - could I have some examples of large animal bones (cow, sheep, pig etc) that are ok to feed to smallish dogs?

[ClareMarsh]

It's all ok, just a question of whether they can manage them! I know people give ball and socket joints for chewing purposes.

Have a look at this http://www.rawfeddogs.net/Recipe/Lamb-Breast/, by lamb ribs I think you mean lamb breast? Ted's had some of that before and done ok. Turkey legs you can give and then stick back in the fridge for the next meal when they're done (assuming they do stop eating ) otherwise you'd need to feed ALOT less the next day Here's a little JRT with a turkey leg so your lot should be able to have a go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3QlXp7olHI

[easilyconfused]

I feed beef ribs, lamb ribs (breast) and pork ribs are fine. Spine is also ok to feed.
Turkey legs are good to feed to but you have to get well reared ones as most commercially fed ones are pumped full of drugs so i tend to avoid.
The weight bearing bone rule applies more to mammals than birds but as a rule of thumb a ball and socket joint indicates a weight bearing bone.

edit green tripe every morning for my lot

[ClareMarsh]

It's all ok, just a question of whether they can manage them! I know people give ball and socket joints for chewing purposes.

Have a look at this http://www.rawfeddogs.net/Recipe/Lamb-Breast/, by lamb ribs I think you mean lamb breast? Ted's had some of that before and done ok. Turkey legs you can give and then stick back in the fridge for the next meal when they're done (assuming they do stop eating ) otherwise you'd need to feed ALOT less the next day Here's a little JRT with a turkey leg so your lot should be able to have a go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3QlXp7olHI

[bendog]

Oh they don't stop! I can take food off them as a swap,trade a bone for small piece of heart for example, but I prefer not to do this. So far with trades I've always given the bone back. Longest I've seen them eat is two hours straight, but only because I haven't found anything that will last longer than that, I suspect theyd keep going all day, until they pop. I've heard dogs on raw are supposed to self regulate but ours certainly don't!

Thanks for the info!

[lindadrodriguez]

Hi everyone! My shih-tzu Buster was doing great on raw chicken wings and legs. He eats apples with peanut butter. Sometimes veggies. Then I decided to give him beef ribs. Now he has been pooping black, runny stools. At first it freaked me out, but then I remembered reading somewhere that he could possibly be allergic to beef. I put him on raw after his ears and eyes were just running constantly with brown gunk from allergies. That is slowing down big time. Since I started him on raw. But Lilly my other Shih-tzu choked the other day on a chicken bone and my son was home and had a fit. He poured water into her mouth until she passed it. So now he doesn't think I should give them bones at all. When they were eating just chicken legs, they were pooping white with no smell. Now Busters stool stinks!!! I did get them marrow bones which they love. So now my question is Can they just stay on chicken legs and marrow bones? They do fine on turkey too and sardines packed in water. Am I worrying too much or what? I only feed them bones that could break when I am there with them. I go to work and leave them a marrow bone and they love it. That bone does not seem to be dangerous. What do you think? I appreciate all comments. I want to make sure my babies are safe. I just lost my bichon to a neighbors rat poison on their patio. Thanks so much, Linda, Buster and Lilly Washington state

[Nettle]

When I feed my dogs raw beef or venison, they have black stinky stools because the meat is so much richer. So what I do is feed raw meaty bones the day after. Dogs (and us) don't produce the 'perfect' motion every day, and I have found that red meat (including horse when I used to feed that) has this effect but it is not detrimental. I've been feeding this way for many years now.

[rachel540]

Hello! I just wondered if there were any fruit or veggies that i could freeze that were less likely to cause an upset tummy?

[bendog]

Virtually any fruit and veg is ok. Just a matter of playing around and finding out what she likes. Example ours like dried banana but not fresh, cooked broccoli but aren't keen on raw, love frozen peas, carrot, apples and pears, Ben will eat pepper but the others won't, sash will eat celery but the others won't etc. Never feed onion and I've heard that broccoli, and tomatoes should be given in moderation (ie not huge amounts everyday) but as far as I know everything else is fine to feed, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked. For most nutritional benefit people say you should blend/ grate or lightly cook veg but there's benefits to the whole stuff to for chewing on and helping digestion etc.

[rachel540]

Ok might try Pepper with a big frozen carrot over the weekend see how she gets on and at least we can watch her initially for any dramatic toilet breaks. I've got a feeling it won't last her two minutes but it's worth a try. thanks x