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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Reassurance about raw feeding, please.

10 replies

M10s · 07/04/2014 20:25

I have recently started our very small dog on raw feeding.

He's a bit of a lapdog about food, very fussy, there is so much 'dog' food that he won't eat and almost without realising it we were allowing him far too much of those over-flavoured over-processed wet foods aimed at the small dog market.

Add to that the fact that he won't chew rawhide or dental chews or biscuits, it's hardly surprising that (despite trying to take care of his teeth) I was starting to come up against hard to remove plaque along the gum line.

Don't want to go down the route of a rotten toothed dog, so I decided to try him on raw meat. I've started gradually, over time, with chicken. It's gone well. No upset tummy or bowel and he loves it, thinks he's a big dog. Grin

Today was the first time he had a complete 'raw' day and I gave him a whole chicken thigh (big meal for my dog). He took his time, really enjoying it, got all the meat off really slowly and then ate the thigh bone in about thirty seconds!

I think that's okay. Everything I've read recently says that's okay, but it was a big bone next to his little face and it disappeared in seconds, and it felt really strange to just let him eat it. (I was brought up with the belief that you should never give dogs bones and if you did at best you'd end up with a splinter to the throat and at worst with an impacted intestine).

So a bit of reassurance would be great, if there are any raw feeding experts out there. Is it really okay to let him do this? (He loved it and his teeth are a little bit cleaner tonight). Oh and can I also ask, is it okay to freeze chicken thighs, thaw them and then feed raw.

Thank you.

OP posts:
Ephedra · 07/04/2014 20:31

We fed our last dog raw and it was great. The only reason we don't feed current dog raw food is because bones make him really ill.

I would say you are doing fine. Raw bones are fine but not cooked bones. We never bothered thawing stuff for the last dog just gave it too him frozen but you can freeze then thaw then feed your dog.

M10s · 07/04/2014 20:39

Thank you Ephedra, that's good to know, because I really want to go on doing this.

I have never known him eat anything with such relish and it's so easy to feed without all the faffing about associated with his 'lap-dog' meals (not to mention cheaper). Wish I'd done this years ago!

OP posts:
MothershipG · 07/04/2014 20:43

I have small dogs, Affenpinschers, that I give chicken legs, thighs and wings to and it always looks a bit scary, but they've been having them for years and no problems so far! (Fingers crossed - not that I am at all superstitious about tempting fate!)

To be honest I worry more about my Mini Schnauzer who swallows them with a couple of crunches!

M10s · 07/04/2014 21:00

That is exactly how it looked, Affenpinschers, a bit scary! I couldn't believe that I wasn't going to have to haul him off to the vet to have it removed!!!

(This is a dog that pretends he couldn't possibly bite his way through a quarter inch dental chew).

OP posts:
M10s · 07/04/2014 21:03

Oh I'm sorry. I just called you after your dogs!!! Blush

I meant, MothershipG, of course! More hurry cutting and pasting less haste!

OP posts:
fanoftheinvisibleman · 07/04/2014 23:08

Chicken thighs are fine Smile My dog isn't tiny but he is small (8kg) and tackles stuff like thighs, wings, lumps of pork and lamb spine and ribs.

InTheRedCorner · 07/04/2014 23:43

It Sounds like he really enjoyed his dinner! Bones sound scary to us maybe because we chew our food where dogs tear and chomp?

My Ddog is a huge puppy at 43kg so a whole carcass or half a sheep head doesn't faze her Smile

Sh had no interest in her dried food when we rescued her but now she body slams me when. Walk in with a blue butchers bag.

If you think he is rushing you could try holding on to the wing or thigh to slow him down and I also feed straight from frozen sometimes.

musicposy · 08/04/2014 05:07

Are thighs ok? I read somewhere you shouldn't use weight bearing bones.
I was put off chicken neck pieces after Ddog2 regurgitated them on the bed in the night a couple of times Envy (that's boak, not envy!). But we've never had any trouble with whole wings despite the fact they get only 2 or 3 crunches and are gone. I think their stomachs are much more acid than ours and dissolve the bone pretty quickly.
I also freeze, usually in pre-weighed portions, and then defrost. Never any problems doing this.

fanoftheinvisibleman · 08/04/2014 07:25

it is cattle weight bearing bones that are the problem musicposey.

musicposy · 08/04/2014 09:14

Thank you - it's so easy to get confused. Will happily give chicken thighs then. Ddog2 will be very happy!

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