raw bones - Page 1

i've been gradually feeding raw more and more to my 2 dogs. i used to get my cleaver out and hack up chicken backs, wings and necks (i just cannot get over my fear of chicken bones!), but i and my kitchen ended up covered with nasty little gobbets of raw meat and i felt like a bizarre crazed butcher! i've been feeding (about 3x a wk) nature's variety frozen raw to supplement their royal canin gsd. i've found out that oma's pride is available in my hometown just over the hill. BUT, both my dogs, while they absolutely LOVE raw bones (bison, lamb, so far) they always throw up later on (usually at 3 or 4 in the morning). i try to monitor them, but, geez, they just EAT the damn things. should i just give up in the bones? i'm trying to give them the best diet i can, along with good "chewies", but i am so tired of dog barf, plus i worry that the bones are going to hurt them. i won't even consider giving them raw chicken bones unless they are minced. am i just not keeping good enough track of them with the bones or is this common?

And where does it say that your dogs MUST have raw bones for optimum health? I've never given my dogs bones, and never will. I've heard too many horror stories about blockages of the bowel, perforations, or lacerations, even with supposedly 'safe' bones. I can even give you a link for a dog that died from eating turkey necks, which are supposedly so safe that people give them to their puppies as their first raw treat.  Some people think bones are safe as long as they're too big and thick not to splinter and be swallowed (marrow bones, shank bones, etc.)  My puppy demoishes the toughest dog toys on the market. I wouldn't trust her not to do the same with a bone, and once it's swallowed, it either has to come back up, or go on through, as you've discovered!

My dogs have beautiful coats, especially my male, their breath is sweet, their teeth clean, and their energy levels high. I feed them only top grade kibble, plus the occasional treat from the table. They chew on sticks from my trees when outside, and inside, they get Bad Cuz squeaky toys and pressed rawhide bones. (The ones that are twisted into knots are too easy to tear up and swallow in large pieces. The pressed rawhide gives their jaws a good workout, but I"m careful when they start to get too small, in case they swallow the remaining 'bone' whole.)

I get this all the time from those who have adopted raw as their religion: Oh, the dog died...must have fed the wrong type of bone! I don't give a rat's ass if it was the right bone or the wrong bone, DEAD IS DEAD, and one dog dead as a result of eating bones is one dog too many, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S MY DOG!

If you are worried about the dangers of feeding then don't/

Simple.

I am worried about the dangers of feeding processed food to my dogs so I don't.

Simple

Do what you think is best for your dogs.

I do.

I feed raw and have done so for 7 years but raw feeding is not for everyone.

I would not feed rawhide either.  Far too dangerous.

For every pro there is a con and/or anti, so make choices that you are comfortable with.

I am an advocate for feeding your dog what works for them. I prefer to feed my dogs a raw diet, it works for them. However, I find that most people who begin a raw diet do not have all the information needed. That is partially why I wouldn't use a premade raw diet for my dogs. Each of my dogs, of which I have several, require a different "recipe" for what they eat raw. Using a premade doesn't meet their individual needs.

There are a couple of possible reasons why your dogs might be vomiting. If you have ruled out anything medical, then yes, it could be the diet. It might even be a very easy fix. As easy as, letting the raw you feed set to room temperature, before you give it to the dogs.  Could be you are feeding too much. Are the dogs so excited about the raw that they are eating it very fast? Are you using a probiotic? There needs to be a certain ratio of bone, to muscle meat to offal, which should be based on each dogs weight, size, and nutritional need. On top of all this, there is a period of time called "detox" that many dogs go through when they begin a raw diet. It is the time the body purges all the toxins. With some dogs it can last a couple weeks, a few days, and some dogs there are no visible signs of "detox". Some of the things that occur are vomiting and nasty explosive stools.  Usually when a dog is fed a varied diet of raw in conjunction with a kibble, the detox takes longer, because the dog never really goes through the whole process.

There are several excellent resources for raw feeding that address this and some other concerns people have with feeding raw.

the dogs only vomit after bones, not the raw food, even if i mince up raw chicken. it's only the big bones. i quit giving them rawhide a long time ago because they both just ate them. they have a couple of bigger non raw bones that they do pretty well with; i watch and if they start chipping away pieces at the ends, i throw them out. they have no interest in rubber chew toys, not even if they are stuffed with anything. angus especially has big, very strong jaws and demolishes pretty much anything he chews on. i'm just trying to find something to satisfy their chewing instincts and, while they love the raw bones, they cannot handle the bits they eat. i'll just keep trying to find the right thing for them, but i'll have to give up on the raw bones. thanks for the input.

No raw poultry bones for my dogs.

SS

The raw bones that they are hacking up...are they the weight-bearing "leg" bones of the bison/lamb/steer?  Those are harder to both chew and digest and often do come back up.  It can be the same with beef and bison rib bones, but not usually to the same extreme.

I only give those "marrow" bones as recreational bones and only under supervision. 

Raw poultry bones, rabbit bones, fish and most (non-weight-bearing) lamb or steer bones have never been an issue with mine at all as far as hocking the bones back up.  (I don't feed pork that often but they've never been an issue either.)

I also don't whack up the chicken backs, rabbit, etc.  Smaller portions the dogs can "gulp" rather than "chew" - a big reason that they come back up.  I give them whole.  The dogs chew, swallow, no regurtitation.   It slows them down and there's the added benefit of teeth cleaning. 

I've been doing it that way for more than 20 years without ever having a problem.

Mine has no probelm with RAW poultry bones either, but if somone is worried they can grind them up.

fionadunne, the bones are weight bearing from lamb or bison. they chew the ends and then start crunching them up. i will try just marrow bones to see how they do. the chicken i mince, no big bits at all - smaller than a pea. but the benefit is getting the protein and calcium, not any good for chewing. many years ago we used to get raw rib bones (beef) from a restaurant called fuddruckers. but they quit selling (huge black trash bags full for $1 - i think) them. maybe the health dept. we'd buy those for the dogs we had at that time. i remember my vet getting upset about them. my vet now is ambiguous about raw, but even tho they sell science diet in the office, they have never tried to sell it to me, in fact, are happier that i feed royal canin.

shelley, what kind of bones do you give? and sueincc, do you give other than chicken too?

deeswolf, angus is always excited about his food. as i prepare it he sits and cries or "talks". our claire only gets excited about raw, if its just kibble, she takes her sweet time. sometimes she justs walks away so i put her food up til the next feeding. angus won't help himself to hers, but he tries to stare her bowl down from across the room. i try to watch his weight carefully; he is overlarge and was diagnosed w/hd last year. he is only 18 months. i've joked that he is our mutant, because he is a long coat and a big boy. he is 28" at the top of his withers and he weighs about 85lbs. he is not fat. i have the breeder check him from time to time to make sure i'm not letting him pork out. i think the raw diet is helping him eat well and stay lean. and yep, he's neutered.

Quit minching up the bones...they are gulping them....air and too fast.....give them a few each time and let them crush and crumch....they will do it in a slower pace.and wont throw up.....reduce the amount your giving......feed two times a day instead of one....ought to quit throwing it up     neck and wing chicken and backs are great...no lamb or bison here in Texas   pork neck bones  only a few at a time..... give round steak bones fresh to chew on  ....later at a different time...leave marrow in...