Hello and welcome to the forum...I would also stock up on some chicken wings and maybe do those first as they are more boney for the transition and then the drumstick maybe a days later depending on how they do..Glad yo decided to take the plunge, you won't regret it..

 

Welcome - you dogs are adorable! Very glad you are starting raw.

Have you seen this site? great how-to on the first few weeks of raw.
How to Get Started | Prey Model Raw

 

Thank you a lot, I will definitely do as you advised!!!

 

Thank you very much I will check it out!!!

 

Now from what I've learned from my research, I can feed them a chicken leg each for the first few weeks and see how they do on that and then think about adding different protein and other organs later on? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

Yep, thats exactly right. Feed bone in chicken the first few weeks. Once they handle that without an issue you start adding other proteins in...one per week until you've transitioned all the proteins that are easily available to you, saving organ meat for last.

Definitely read the links that were already given to you, as well as the sticky threads in the main raw feeding section. Those will be helpful in the beginning because MOST newbs have tons of questions! And feel free to ask any and all questions. We are always happy to help!

Welcome to DFC!

 

Thank you, I fed them each a chicken wing tonight and as expected, my little boy practically swallowed the whole thing in 20 seconds! Its been a few hours and he is just fine. My little girl took her time and chewed and pulled and savored it. I was pretty nervous but thankfully everything went smoothly! I just had a little challenge with the cleanup part, I had to go at them with a few baby wipes to get the raw smell off... Any advice on that or is that something I will just get used to?

Thank you for all the advice and additional reading, its helped soooo much!

 

I'm glad everything went well! Snorkels' first bone was a chicken neck and she swallowed it whole. i kept expecting it to come out the other end looking the same way as it went in.

Did he crunch it up or just pretty much swallow it? If he's eating too fast, you might want to freeze it or hold it while he eats until he gets the hang of it.

Not sure about the baby wipes - I'm not too sanitary so whatever was left over has never bothered me. I figure they clean themselves up pretty well although my husband will sometimes wipe snorkels' feet off because they do sometimes get quite greasy.

 

HI & Welcome

 

Welcome! Its great that you have decided to start raw feeding. There are so many benefits to it you won't even believe! You will have lots of question as you go, so please ask. There is lots of knowledge here for you to soak up! :welcome:

 

Thank you Jenny! I'm so happy with all the advice I've gotten from everyone here. I'm just taking it one day at a time, and 2nd day of feeding went much better than yesterday! Though my boy still scares me with the gagging/ choking noises he makes while eating but I watch him closely during and after and he seems just fine. He is just crazy when it comes to food! We've had him for almost a year now and he still eats like it was his first meal in weeks. My bf and I have tried to train him and get him to calm down but still doesn't work. But anyway, at least he hasn't thrown up since the last day I fed him kibble, so that's a big plus! 3 days! He used to throw up a little everyday. We thought it was just because he ate too fast or played right away after he ate. Now I really feel that it was the kibble that was doing that to him, poor guy. I'm just still waiting for poop though. They used to go in the morning and in the evening. Should I expect a change in this poop schedule now that they're supposed to have smaller poops?

They haven't gone in 2 whole days and I'm just wondering if I should be concerned?

 

Ours poop once per day, and they are very small poops. Sometimes its every other day for ours as well.

 

Ok great to know, very helpful, thank you!

 

Please help! I think the chicken wing I fed my little girl today might still have been a little too frozen and now one of her premolars on the right side is very loose. The tooth is actually sitting askew and is very loose when I touch it. There's no bleeding and she doesn't flinch or pull away when I touch it. She is 3 years old and has never had a strong jaw. Is this something common or should I be very concerned?
I've attached a picture I hope it shows enough how sideways it's sitting in her jaw.
Thank you!!!

 

How old is your dog? It looks like it could be a retained puppy tooth. If it is an adult tooth, it doesn't look like it was formed right.

 

Thank you for your reply! I thought about what you said and I searched pictures of a dog's dental anatomy. I never thought to count my dog's teeth before! Anyway I counted and she has an extra one on her right side. So it makes perfect sense that this one which is now half-dangling, half holding on to her gums is a baby tooth. It was more attached yesterday when I first saw and touched it, now its not. And there doesn't seem to be a root attached. She never liked to chew a lot and she was always fed small kibble so maybe that's why it never fell out? Should I just sit back and let it fall out on its own? She is 3 and 5 months so I never thought she would still have baby teeth..

 

Welcome to the forums! Everyone here is so very helpful, you chose the right place to come to for information about raw feeding

 

So true! I'm amazed how helpful everyone is, I thought no one would pay attention to me. haha... I am so glad I signed up here!!!

Yes I am loving the poop, they finally went and it doesn't smell as bad. I only know that because my little girl left a surprise for me this morning, we recently moved and she's having some problems adjusting her poop schedule/ area even though we take them out twice a day

 

Hello All!!!

Update: Bree's dangling baby tooth fell off.. Well she swallowed it actually since it's nowhere to be found. She is doing great. They are still loving their food and doesn't show any problems or difficulties! Yay!
Are chicken feet too hard for their size? My boy has a tough big jaw but my girl has a smaller, more delicate one so I've been mostly feeding her chicken wings.. Am I baby-ing her too much? Bowey has no problem chomping on chicken drumsticks. I was thinking of feeding them chicken feet and gizzards.. Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

And also Bowey has always had problems with throwing up. He used to throw up everyday but now only every now and then. I don't know much about his background, I adopted him from this guy a few months ago who used to feed him table scraps. I've read that his breed is known for stomach issues. He is 2 and 1/2 years old and I was told he was a Shihtzu Pomeranian mix. Is it a serious problem? He's a gulper (a new term I learned, thank you!), he has regular bowel movements and he's mostly a lazy dog but has no problems running around and wrestling with his sister when it's playtime. Any thoughts/ suggestions appreciated!! Thank you in advance!

 

I'm so glad everything is going well!

I think alot of people feed their small dogs chicken feet. Since Snorkels is almost toothless, I do cut her up a toe because she could only swallow it whole; there's no meat to grab hold of. But I think lots of small dogs eat them just fine.

Not sure about the throwing up - my dogs throw up occasionally, and eat it all back up. They will often do it alot more when they are new to raw food. But if he's been doing it all along, it might not completely go away.

 

Thank you! He hasn't thrown up in a couple days.. I'm taking him in next week to get his shots, microchip and get him neutered.. I will bring up the throwing up problem too.

 

When we got our dog Richter he was throwing up every day or every other day. I finally found out that it was stress, if he got into trouble or if he got exited. It took several months and it still sometimes happens when he drinks to much to fast.

I think as he gets use to being in a home it will get better.

 

Thank you this was very helpful! We do try not to stress him out. He's mostly lazy but when he's active, he's VERY active. Hopefully his neuter appointment next week would help with his over-excitement. I don't ever expect him to stop gulping his food though

 

welcome to the forum and raw...

glad to hear things are going well. first thing i fed my pug was a drumstick which he promptly swallowed hole...

he is a gulper, too, although now is better than he was two years ago.

i think you're doing fine...you've gotten some great advice.....

 

Thank you for the reassurance! Yes I have gotten a LOT of golden advice and I couldn't have done it without! I cannot thank everyone enough...

 

we feed ours chicken feet, nails and all....they love them.

how are yours doing?