Raw diet and bones?

[lmperez]

I was at the feed store yesturday and the pet food rep was there talking about the raw diet. I was convienved again to go back to feeding raw. I do believe it is best for them but I have a few other breed of dogs besides yorkies and it get expensive to feed all raw so it was recommended to suppliment with raw bones like chicken necks, wings or backs. Has anyone ever did this and what are your thoughts? She told me that because they are raw they don't spinter and they are soft enough for them to chew and they will digest in their stomachs because the acid they produce is so much stronger then our and in the wild that is what they have done. She says it also keeps teeth clean and they will never require a dental. Again thoughts?

[vtran08]

I have 3 Yorkies that eat raw everyday. I go thru a little more then 15 lbs of raw meat a day for the 3 of them....everyday. You can give them any bone as long as it's raw. so giving them a whole chicken with bones and all is an i love you forever in my home! They always have raw bones hiding around in their beds til they want to eat them. my dogs sometimes like to let their meat rot then eat it. freezer burnt meat is also ok to give. Their stomach acid will digest it with no problems. i have a whole big freezer stocked with raw meat. everything from chicken, pork, and beef to duck, deer, rabbits, squirrels and whatever else the dogs like to hunt and kill in the backyard. hunting has its advantages :-)
i've have been feeding my 3 yorkies raw for over a year now. i've noticed that it keeps their coat nicer. they also go potty less since meat contains water and kibble is dry (making them thirstier) and the poo is less smelly and i never have to worry about picking up after them since the poop is gone after a few days since is all nutrients and breaks down quickly.
I always have kibble laying around for them also as they do sometimes get tired of eating raw.

[lmperez]

Originally Posted by vtran08

I have 3 Yorkies that eat raw everyday. I go thru a little more then 15 lbs of raw meat a day for the 3 of them....everyday. You can give them any bone as long as it's raw. so giving them a whole chicken with bones and all is an i love you forever in my home! They always have raw bones hiding around in their beds til they want to eat them. my dogs sometimes like to let their meat rot then eat it. freezer burnt meat is also ok to give. Their stomach acid will digest it with no problems. i have a whole big freezer stocked with raw meat. everything from chicken, pork, and beef to duck, deer, rabbits, squirrels and whatever else the dogs like to hunt and kill in the backyard. hunting has its advantages :-)
i've have been feeding my 3 yorkies raw for over a year now. i've noticed that it keeps their coat nicer. they also go potty less since meat contains water and kibble is dry (making them thirstier) and the poo is less smelly and i never have to worry about picking up after them since the poop is gone after a few days since is all nutrients and breaks down quickly.
I always have kibble laying around for them also as they do sometimes get tired of eating raw.

Do you grind up the food or give them chunks? How big are your yorkies? Do you add suppliments? Which kind? As far as the bones and teeth do the "soup bones" to naw on both clean teeth or just the ones they actually chew up (chiken wings)? I have a whippet 35 lbs two shih tuz mixes and two tiny yorkies 2.5 and 3 lbs.

[vtran08]

Originally Posted by lmperez

Do you grind up the food or give them chunks? How big are your yorkies? Do you add suppliments? Which kind? As far as the bones and teeth do the "soup bones" to naw on both clean teeth or just the ones they actually chew up (chiken wings)? I have a whippet 35 lbs two shih tuz mixes and two tiny yorkies 2.5 and 3 lbs.

I dont grind up anything for my dogs. i give it to them in Chunks or whole. my yorkies are 4, 6 and 10 lbs. any bones will do. i give mine raw soup bones just so they last a bit longer sometimes. they will chew them up! Chicken wings are greats. my dogs like to play with them before eating them :-)
i usually add bee pollen to their water to give them the rest of the nutrients they need. it works really well. sometimes salmon oil when i havent given them fish for awhile. They also have access to kibble all day. nature's variety instinct and before grain.

[vtran08]

here's a pic of my 4 lb little rosie eating a whole chicken. it was gone in about an hour or 2 tops :-)

[lmperez]

I have been looking on line and have come up with a few sites that have actually said raw bones can actually be bad. They claim that litttle pieces that don't get digested lodge in the intensines and puncture causing the dogs to require major surgery. Have you heard about this?

[vtran08]

I have read that also. But have never had that problem as my dogs chew up their bones and dont swallow big pieces of bones. they actually grind up the bones with their teeth creating a mess of white aint sized pieces. i find no danger in raw bones as they are softer and dont splinter then cooked bones. cooked bones are i find dangerous since dogs cant digest them like raw bones and tend to swallow bigger chunks.

[PrincessDiana]

I am confused! What do you mean by feeding raw and then supplementing with bones? We feed prey model raw and bones are a very important part of our diet. Prey model raw feeders follow a basic guideline -- 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% secreting organ with 5% of this being liver. When these guidelines are followed, the raw diet is completely balanced! There is no need for supplementation. Also, there are two types of bones, digestible bones such as chicken wings or back/necks, and then there are dense, weight-bearing bones such as femur bones that are considered "recreational" or "wreck" bones. These bones can be detrimental to larger dogs because they are extremely hard and can cause tooth damage to any dog that tries to literally eat them. However, with smaller dogs I tend to feel they are safe because small dogs lack the ability to even "try" to eat them. Any chewing they do would be more like scraping the bone. There are many YT members who give these.

Everything you were told is correct -- dogs have enzymes called lysozymes which kill bacteria. They also have shorter digestive tracts and a higher concentration of stomach acid which aid in killing bacteria and preventing it from colonizing within the body. Dogs are genetically engineered to eat raw meat! Research shows their genetic makeup is essentially still the same as a wolf. Their dentition suggests that their mouth and jaws are meant for ripping and tearing at meat and bones. They do not have the flat molars that we do for grinding and chewing. They also lack amylase, a salivary enzyme which breaks down the cell wall of plant matter. This suggests that they are carnivores and thrive on meat.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! We have been raw feeding for a couple of months now and I've spent hours reading and researching. I can help direct you in the right direction!

vtran, I am suprised that you go through 15lbs of raw meat a day. The guidelines state suggest that the daily portion of food should 3%-4% of the total body weight. For example, Franklin is 11lbs and requires roughly 4oz. of food a day. This is only one pound every four days.

[vtran08]

Originally Posted by PrincessDiana

I am confused! What do you mean by feeding raw and then supplementing with bones? We feed prey model raw and bones are a very important part of our diet. Prey model raw feeders follow a basic guideline -- 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% secreting organ with 5% of this being liver. When these guidelines are followed, the raw diet is completely balanced! There is no need for supplementation. Also, there are two types of bones, digestible bones such as chicken wings or back/necks, and then there are dense, weight-bearing bones such as femur bones that are considered "recreational" or "wreck" bones. These bones can be detrimental to larger dogs because they are extremely hard and can cause tooth damage to any dog that tries to literally eat them. However, with smaller dogs I tend to feel they are safe because small dogs lack the ability to even "try" to eat them. Any chewing they do would be more like scraping the bone. There are many YT members who give these.

Everything you were told is correct -- dogs have enzymes called lysozymes which kill bacteria. They also have shorter digestive tracts and a higher concentration of stomach acid which aid in killing bacteria and preventing it from colonizing within the body. Dogs are genetically engineered to eat raw meat! Research shows their genetic makeup is essentially still the same as a wolf. Their dentition suggests that their mouth and jaws are meant for ripping and tearing at meat and bones. They do not have the flat molars that we do for grinding and chewing. They also lack amylase, a salivary enzyme which breaks down the cell wall of plant matter. This suggests that they are carnivores and thrive on meat.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! We have been raw feeding for a couple of months now and I've spent hours reading and researching. I can help direct you in the right direction!

vtran, I am suprised that you go through 15lbs of raw meat a day. The guidelines state suggest that the daily portion of food should 3%-4% of the total body weight. For example, Franklin is 11lbs and requires roughly 4oz. of food a day. This is only one pound every four days.

i love your explanation of raw! i would of never been able to explain it that well. i have a bit of a language barrier.
i leave raw meat and bone out for my dogs all day everyday. they eat about their own weight in it everyday if not more. i would never portion food out to my dogs. i would rather have then eat til they're full and happy :-). my pups eat alot because they are extremely active running and playing in an outside all day. only time i see them laying around is at night is when they go to bed. 2 of my yorkies are also still growing. Raw feed dogs tend to grow slower and take longer.

im glad you was able to explain everything better then i did! i thought i was going to be the only trying to explain it :-)

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by vtran08

i love your explanation of raw! i would of never been able to explain it that well. i have a bit of a language barrier.
i leave raw meat and bone out for my dogs all day everyday. they eat about their own weight in it everyday if not more. i would never portion food out to my dogs. i would rather have then eat til they're full and happy :-). my pups eat alot because they are extremely active running and playing in an outside all day. only time i see them laying around is at night is when they go to bed. 2 of my yorkies are also still growing. Raw feed dogs tend to grow slower and take longer.

im glad you was able to explain everything better then i did! i thought i was going to be the only trying to explain it :-)

Oh, that makes a lot more sense!

I'm glad you felt my explanation was satisfactory. I try to tell people about raw without PREACHING to them about raw, ya know?

Out of curiosity, is Vietnamese your native language? I noticed your username was vtran08.. I'm Vietnamese!

[vtran08]

Originally Posted by PrincessDiana

Oh, that makes a lot more sense!

I'm glad you felt my explanation was satisfactory. I try to tell people about raw without PREACHING to them about raw, ya know?

Out of curiosity, is Vietnamese your native language? I noticed your username was vtran08.. I'm Vietnamese!

haha. yes im vietnamese and Chinese.

[andreag08]

Originally Posted by PrincessDiana

I am confused! What do you mean by feeding raw and then supplementing with bones? We feed prey model raw and bones are a very important part of our diet. Prey model raw feeders follow a basic guideline -- 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% secreting organ with 5% of this being liver. When these guidelines are followed, the raw diet is completely balanced! There is no need for supplementation. Also, there are two types of bones, digestible bones such as chicken wings or back/necks, and then there are dense, weight-bearing bones such as femur bones that are considered "recreational" or "wreck" bones. These bones can be detrimental to larger dogs because they are extremely hard and can cause tooth damage to any dog that tries to literally eat them. However, with smaller dogs I tend to feel they are safe because small dogs lack the ability to even "try" to eat them. Any chewing they do would be more like scraping the bone. There are many YT members who give these.

Everything you were told is correct -- dogs have enzymes called lysozymes which kill bacteria. They also have shorter digestive tracts and a higher concentration of stomach acid which aid in killing bacteria and preventing it from colonizing within the body. Dogs are genetically engineered to eat raw meat! Research shows their genetic makeup is essentially still the same as a wolf. Their dentition suggests that their mouth and jaws are meant for ripping and tearing at meat and bones. They do not have the flat molars that we do for grinding and chewing. They also lack amylase, a salivary enzyme which breaks down the cell wall of plant matter. This suggests that they are carnivores and thrive on meat.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! We have been raw feeding for a couple of months now and I've spent hours reading and researching. I can help direct you in the right direction!

vtran, I am suprised that you go through 15lbs of raw meat a day. The guidelines state suggest that the daily portion of food should 3%-4% of the total body weight. For example, Franklin is 11lbs and requires roughly 4oz. of food a day. This is only one pound every four days.

Is it to early to start feeding raw at 6 months? Bear is 6 months and 6.4 pounds now. I would definitelly considered feeding raw, just not sure if it is to early for him. Thanks

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by andreag08

Is it to early to start feeding raw at 6 months? Bear is 6 months and 6.4 pounds now. I would definitelly considered feeding raw, just not sure if it is to early for him. Thanks

No, many breeders wean their puppies on to raw! It'll prevent you from EVER needing a dental! Let me know if you need help getting started

[andreag08]

Originally Posted by PrincessDiana

No, many breeders wean their puppies on to raw! It'll prevent you from EVER needing a dental! Let me know if you need help getting started

Thank you very much for your quick reply. Could you please suggest how to start. Bear is currently on Royal Canine. He is getting cooked chicken, yogurt and green been occasionally.

Thank you

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by andreag08

Thank you very much for your quick reply. Could you please suggest how to start. Bear is currently on Royal Canine. He is getting cooked chicken, yogurt and green been occasionally.

Thank you

I would start with chicken. Chicken is the most palatable for dogs and the easiest/cheapest to find for humans. You can do a gradual switch but most raw feeders just switch cold turkey. Your dog should do fine with this but if you want you could add some canned pumpkin to help with any stomach upset. If you are still planning on feeding kibble half of the time or whatever, do keep in mind that kibble and raw digest at different rates so they need to be fed a couple of hours apart. Some people disagree with this but it's just easier to be safe.

Dogs generally need 2-4% of their body weight. More active dogs require more and less active dogs require less. I find that Franklin and Maggie do better closer to 4-4.5%. You can weigh everything at first but once you get the hang of it, you can judge by how they look/feel. For example, Franklin is 11lbs and need around 4oz. of food a day. I think for puppies you use their expected adult weight -- I'm not sure, but I'll check on it later tonight.

For the diet to be balanced you'll need to give 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% secreting organ, and 5% liver. However, I would hold off on the organ for a couple of weeks. Feed one protein (chicken) and let your dog get used to the raw. After the initial adjustment period you can introduce new proteins and organs. Raw feeders aim for 50% of the diet to be red meat. This is important for the dogs as white meat such as chicken or turkey is very lean.

When giving bone, ALWAYS give large pieces. This way the dog learns to tear and rip at the meat and there is no risk of them gulping and choking. Start off with something like a chicken wing or drumstick. Then you can add in thighs or backs or breast or whatever you want. The bone content will also help with any stomach upset there might be.

Sorry this is so long... I tried to briefly introduce you to raw. Let me know if you have any specific questions. I know it can be overwhelming at first!