Raw feeding shepherds. - Page 4

I feed Veal legs but the bone is still soft unlike adult bones, i will only give weight bearing bones as a recreational bone,(not very often thou)  they tend to lick the marrow and chew the cartledge area then leave the hard sharft
When feeding chicken wings for the first time make sure the dog is chewing the wing befor it is swollowed.
NOT all dogs know how to chew

Unless you are feeding xtra large leg bones for recreation;  I watch all of them while eating with all types of bones.  I don't feed them and go away.  I keep watch.  Just a precaution;  I have a 12 year old and a 10 year old so they occassionally do have something get stuck in a tooth or something;  I don't worry so much about the  younger dogs as they seem to be able to handle everything very well.  The only leg bearing bones I have had trouble with as far as foul are turkey legs.  I don't use them anymore.  I roast them and take the meat off and use for another meal.  I do not use any other leg bearing bones (beef, port, lamb) other than recreational bones which after they pick off the meat and chew for a while I pick them up and dispose. 

I cannot tell you the difference in the teeth;  my 12 year old had to have a dental sometimes 2 times/year before she started raw;  had several pulled and was heading for more dental work before we started her on raw.  They are sparkling white now and no more loose teeth. 

dak44 - yes, you can put weight on a dog with a raw diet.  depends on what you feed and how much...as well as your dog's age, digestion, and activity level, etc.

scarlet - yes, stay away from weight bearing bones!  i know exactly how my rottie chews, so they are not a problem for him.  he typically eats the marrow out, and then scrapes the ends.  what you DON'T want your dog to do is try to bite, crunch, crack the bone (because it's so dense), or grab it with his back teeth trying to break it in half.  there are plenty of people who have given marrow bones for years with no problems.  but in general....newbies should stay away from weight bearing bones, and advanced feeders who know their dogs well enough can obviously choose whether or not to give them.

as for deer legs, they are weight bearing bones (obviously), and although they're not carrying as much as a cow, they still carry a considerable amount of weight.  i personally don't like feeding them because of the way they break - hollow like turkey wings/legs, with pointy ends.  if i do feed something like that, something that i am cautious about, i'll just watch my dog while he eats.  and if he cracks something in a way that i don't like, i just take it away.  (and obviously newbies should ALWAYS watch their dogs when they eat...in fact, everyone should unless you're willing to take 100% of the blame if something should go wrong).

as for marrow, it's very good for them, but you can also just scoop it out and add it to meals if you like.  just be careful of the source of your marrow bones.  toxins are stored in bone marrow, and you will never know what toxins or how much, so make sure you get organic/grass-fed marrow bones, or similar.

darylehret - love the puppy pic, lol.  poor bambi though :(

best is give them a whole knuckle bone.  I use a knuckle bone a week for a meal replacement of the raw.  Good for teeth and the firm exit on the other end helps too.  LOL

Most of the time, the entire knuckle is gone.

The picture of the puppies eating is adorable;  look at their coats glisten.  Love that.  Nan

Pharaoh has eaten raw since eight weeks old.  My previous GSDs were switched to raw as adults.  The older dog had so many allergies.  There was only one food he could eat, Anmar.  One day I went to the feed store and they told me that it wasn't being manufatured anymore.  So, I switched them both overnight.  Once they figured out how to eat the chicken backs, there were no problems.  There was only improvement.

Pharaoh gets 1 cup of TOTW Priarie formula some days.  I soak it in warm water and feed it with canned sardines packed in water and a chicken leg.  I don't give it to him every day and it never disturbs his digestion. 

I give him green tripe about three times a week. 

Mostly, his meals are different all the time.  He is a major calorie burner.  He is a big muscular, fairly lean dog.

Michele

I just tweeked my girls feeding something similiar to the above post. I feed blue buffalo in the morning with chicken livers. I had some left over rib meat so I gave the fat soaked in water with the kibble. And this morning chopped about 2 ounces of the raw rib meat soaked in hot water.


Reggie

Reggie:  are you aware that Blue Buffalo has a recall? 

Just curious:  why are you soaking the meat in hot water??  Is it just to get it to a room temperature or??