great deal on bones.

Bellesmom said:
I checked all the bones after my last post, and there are no sharp edges on any of them.. I think that Belle will be able to get some, but not all the marrow. she has a lot of tartar for a young dog, and I am hoping that some of it will be removed by them.. I would like to feed raw, but have been reading up on it and it must be very expensive to buy all that meat. a chicken here is $8.00, so to buy all the meat one would need I think would be beyond our income, although feeding it once or twice a week would be something I would like to try. must admit though, that raw chicken bones make me nervous although I have read that because they kill the chickens at a young age, the bones are soft.

those that feed chicken legs and thighs, do you let them eat the bone?
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So one chicken feeds Toffee, who's a big guy probably for almost a week.. lol
It's really highly efficient to feed raw... and yes I feed the WHOLE chicken with the bones... lately I have given whole salmon with the bones and head too... Now that is fun to watch too but I only feed him that outside, lol Raw Bones are not brittle like they are when you cook them. It is only the hocks and knuckles and shoulder bones, those WHOLE bones that I worry about, personally.

I am not the expert around here but all I can say that Toffee (and I) are SO much better off with raw... it made it MUCH better for his allergies and his intolerance compared to processed dog food! I had tried a trial when he had the allergic reaction and I wanted to rule out food allergies and for that time I fed him stuff from the Vet, because of convienience but he ended up throwing up again like he did when he was a puppy... So, back to raw it went and more flea medication, and he seems to be great again :)

I am also on a tight budget, but I find it almost cheaper than buying the high end dog food.. I just buy in bulk what's on sale at the grocery store and portion and freeze...
As mentioned in other threads I still give kibble in a pinch and use kibble as training treats etc.
 
Bellesmom said:
those that feed chicken legs and thighs, do you let them eat the bone?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The bone provides the fiber needed to stop them from getting cannon butt. I can get chicken leg quarters at about $.77 per pound, sometimes on sale for $.49 per pound, and the last 100 pounds was $.39 per pound :biggrin2: They also get occasional kibble (one gets mostly kibble), eggs, beef, pork, tilapia when I can get it cheap.
 
I have some chicken breast halves in the freezer.. was thinking of getting my feet wet starting with 1 day a week.. are chicken breast safe with those little breast bones? I'd like to start with what I have to see how it goes.

so the day I feed raw, I would not give her any dry food, is that right? and would 1 leg, or 1/2 a breast be enough for a 25 lb dog?
 
FeednRaw

I have 2 shelties I feed raw. One is 3 and the other 7 months. The 7 month old supposedly had a sensitive stomach on was on very expensive food. Right, eating raw she gets everything and is perfectly fine. I buy all their meat for less than $1 per pound and it is much cheaper than high quality grain free food. PLus I save a ton on vet visits for skin issues and tummy problems. Most of my chicken is .59 or less and I get free lamb lung and trachea from a processor. Beef heart and pork roast are .99. They eat all the bones they can get and Ihave never had a problem. I have even weaned a collie litter straight to raw and they were eating chicken frames at 5 weeks.

Liz
 
LizT said:
I have 2 shelties I feed raw. One is 3 and the other 7 months. The 7 month old supposedly had a sensitive stomach on was on very expensive food. Right, eating raw she gets everything and is perfectly fine. I buy all their meat for less than $1 per pound and it is much cheaper than high quality grain free food. PLus I save a ton on vet visits for skin issues and tummy problems. Most of my chicken is .59 or less and I get free lamb lung and trachea from a processor. Beef heart and pork roast are .99. They eat all the bones they can get and Ihave never had a problem. I have even weaned a collie litter straight to raw and they were eating chicken frames at 5 weeks.

Liz
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Welcome Liz, AND I love to hear raw successes! I just can't believe more people aren't trying it, lol
I am fascinated by what deals people get, sounds like you got a good one with the processor! Wish I could get a set up like that, lol
 
if you touch those breast bones you will see they are soft and pliable and some bones are soft enough for you to break them apart with no effort. Doggies know very well what to do with them, some rare time they might think a little, specially if you fed small chunks and now gave them large piece of meat.
I get kosher organic chicken necks for $0.79 and drumsticks for $1.29, beef, again free range, no preservatives $2.40 and so is pork appr same price, turkey necks 89 cents, and then various organ meats, rare meats like bison, lamb watch for sale at local butcher's or specialty shops. I get locally tripe for $12 for 5 lbs tube. It is my preference to buy as high quality meat as I can afford. I think of it as investing in a health of my pups and not into my vet bills.
 
Bellesmom said:
I checked all the bones after my last post, and there are no sharp edges on any of them.. I think that Belle will be able to get some, but not all the marrow. she has a lot of tartar for a young dog, and I am hoping that some of it will be removed by them.. I would like to feed raw, but have been reading up on it and it must be very expensive to buy all that meat. a chicken here is $8.00, so to buy all the meat one would need I think would be beyond our income, although feeding it once or twice a week would be something I would like to try. must admit though, that raw chicken bones make me nervous although I have read that because they kill the chickens at a young age, the bones are soft.

those that feed chicken legs and thighs, do you let them eat the bone?
Click to expand...


Miko, who is only 6mos old, has had a couple of raw meals... he ate chicken thighs with the bone in and did perfectly fine. The uncooked chicken bones really do have a softer texture than you'd imagine.
 
thanks for your replies.. yesterday Belle ate one of the bones that had some beef on it.. I took it away from her a bit as she was getting quite aggressive with it, and I wondered how the raw beef would affect her poos but surprise of surprises (to me at least) they were better than before. I am definitely going to try the raw now.. but probably only a couple of days a week until I see how she does on it.

one more question, she weighs 25 lbs.. so would she get 1/2 a chicken breast? or should I quarter it? I presume that on the days she eats raw she would not get the dry food.

one thing about being on the dry food, even though it is supposed to be a high quality dry food, she has bad doggy breath and a lot of tarter build up which is the main reason I want to supplement with raw, or change brands..
 
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2-3% of their body weight is the rule. For a 25 pound dog, that would be about ten ounces per day. Spend a few days weighing things so you get the idea. I only feed once a day, because it's hard to split up big pieces of meat for two meals.
 
i would suggest 2-3 % of desired weight, not the actual one.
One drumstick for meal is plenty for 25# girl, so if the chicken breast is large I would split it in 3 portions if it is medium/ smaller size, half would be good. I would give kibble for evening meal/ I feed twice a day/
 
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