Dog Food Chat banner

No Going Back I Guess!

5K views 39 replies 12 participants last post by  bumblegoat 
#1 ·
Well, Rocky definetely has an opinion about this raw feeding. We got the new grinder in the mail and I decided to try it out and stuffed a chicken wing down it. I couldn't smell anything but apparently it put out a smell because Rocky was at my feet in an instant, staring up at that grinder like he'd never smelled anything like that!

Unfortunately the thing was a piece of junk and broke instantly. The people on eBay were very nice and refunded all my money but Rocky was so upset that he didn't get that chicken (it had grease all in it). He pouted all evening and has REFUSED to eat his Evo kibble for two days now. It's just been sitting in his pan. He is still waiting for me to give him that chicken! I may have to start him on the raw chicken sooner then I wanted just to get him to eat again. Chows can be VERY stubborn dogs when they put their minds to something and he really wanted that raw chicken he smelled.

I know I can just hand Rocky the whole chicken pieces, but my husband is researching a new, better grinder. I'm still working on the 'whole chicken' idea with him and just happy we've gotten him used to the idea of raw meat. Plus there are plans to make our own hamburger and healthier food for us as long as we're getting the grinder for the dogs. I wouldn't mind actually knowing what is in my ground beef from now on.

Just thought I'd let you know Rocky's reaction to smelling the ground raw chicken. He can't wait to start on the raw. Should be an easy convert. Chelsy is already eating half primal raw premade chunks because I bought a bag to try and she is doing great on them. No digestive issues at all. By next week I should have Rocky on raw chicken. I may end up giving my last bag of Evo to my son.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
It is exciting! We are both doing it about the same time so we can compare notes. I was really worried about Chelsy since she is 13 and spent years on Natures Recipe and then finally got good on the Evo but she is doing really well on half Primal Raw chunks and half 95% meat canned Evo all this week. The only problem is that the Primal has all kinds of extra stuff in it like flaxseed and she is starting to itch now so I won't keep her on it once the bag is gone. It was just to try her out on raw for a small bag. But, her poops are absolutely perfect and she is gobbling up the food so she should be fine once we switch to raw. The one time I gave her the chicken wing to gnaw on she really went to town on it, she just couldn't actually chew any meat off of it.

I am going to get the coarsest blade they make for the grinder and make the chicken really chunky for the dogs. Then work them up to bigger chunks until they actually learn to chew the food and bones. They make some really big grinding plates so the food doesn't end up too fine at all but really coarse. It will be fun! Plus my husband is planning on making sausage and meatloaf for us!
 
#4 ·
I too am wondering how Lucky will do with the switch. She is 11 and has ate kibble her whole life (luckily she has been on decent kibble, but still...). I am hoping that she will really take to it as she is not picky at all and will eat just about anything. Duncan will do great, I am almost sure of it. He is a pig and always hungry!

I hope the switch to raw really helps Chelsy. I am sure it will and you will wonder why you didn't switch sooner! :tongue: How do you think Rocky will do? From the sounds of your first post he's ready and chompin at the bit! :biggrin:

We must compare notes! I am probably going to start the switch on Monday. When do you think you'll have your new grinder?
 
#5 ·
Just thought I'd throw out that when my 15 year old senior girl was losing weight I started giving her raw in the morning and her kibble at night mixed with cottage cheese, yogurt and stuff. I was too afraid to try all raw with her being so old. I started just giving her raw chicken quarters in the morning and she would take about 15-20 minutes to eat it but she loved it. And, best of all her teeth, which I thought were a lost cause, looked much better after a very short time. Okay, that wasn't the best of all, the best was watching her enjoy it.

Sometimes these old ones surprise us. I now wish I would have just switched her and the pup (who is no longer a pup) back then 100%. You live and learn.
 
#6 ·
I'm hoping that switching Chelsy now at age 13 will help her. Lhasa's are usually one of the longer lived dogs (My last one was over 16 on plain Purina food her whole life) so I'm hoping to get many more years from her once I switch her to raw. It's nice to hear from someone who switched an older dog and had success with it.
 
#8 ·
I got my first Lhasa back in 1978. We gave her just Pedigree dog food but also gave her a lot of 'soup bones' i.e. knuckle bones to chew on because that's what you gave to dogs them. Living in Florida, we would freeze them and then give them to the dogs frozen to cool them off. I think giving the dogs the big raw soup bones all the time actually helped compensate for the crummy dog food although I didn't know it at the time. She had some teeth and eye problems and a neck joint problem but nothing too severe and lived to be over 16 and I think it was the gnawing away on the raw bones all the time that did it.

I never associated it at the time because that is about when they started telling everyone to never give your dogs bones and only give them dog food and NO HIGH Protein for Lhasa's or old dogs....etc etc etc .....blah blah blah
 
#13 ·
My dog's not really much of an aggressive chewer. I think she likes the flavor and could care less about the rest of it. She'll usually try to get any meat off the outside, then lick the marrow out, maybe chew a little, then she leaves it. So is she possibly a candidate for being able to be given these bones?

Also, why are high quality raw food companies selling marrow bones if they're so dangerous? And if we're going with the it's-what-they-do-in-nature theory wouldn't it stand to reason they'd chew on these types of bones? I'm not trying to be argumentative I'm just hoping to gather more info :smile:
 
#14 ·
Also, why are high quality raw food companies selling marrow bones if they're so dangerous? And if we're going with the it's-what-they-do-in-nature theory wouldn't it stand to reason they'd chew on these types of bones? I'm not trying to be argumentative I'm just hoping to gather more info :smile:
First, they are cheap, and therefore very profitable. Second, they are easy to sell because consumers think they are great for dogs. You have to understand that the pet food companies sell and market products aimed at humans, not dogs. The dogs don't walk into the store, select their favorite items, and plunk down their plastic at the register. Their humans do, and the dog food companies know it.

In nature, a dog won't waste its time on a bone that is too big or too difficult for it to eat as long as there are other options available. I often find leg bones from deer in the woods, and nothing else. I'm pretty sure the coyotes are taking the best parts and leaving the stuff behind that isn't essential to their diet.
 
#20 ·
We were giving these knuckles bones to Lhasa Apso's back then. They were 15 pound dogs with very short jaws so the danger from broken or damaged teeth were pretty small. The knuckle bones were about the size of the dogs whole heads so they couldn't even get the bone in their mouths for a good chomp. It really gave them a workout, though.

I actually looked for a soup bone in my grocery store the other day and couldn't believe what I saw. They had taken the knuckle bone, SLICED IT into 1/2 inch thin slices with a bone saw, put two slices in a styrofoam meat tray and called it 'soup bones' and charged an outrageous price for it next to the gourmet beef livers!!!!

I've really got to find a new grocery store !!!!
 
#22 ·
I think seeing it makes it a little more realistic



Fortunately Natalie works as a vet tech and we get our services at a discount. I would have hated to have had to pay full price to have this tooth extracted. Marrow bones are NOT worth the risk to me, EVER. Without even taking the cost into account, Shiloh now has to suffer the rest of her life not being able to chew as well on one side of her mouth.
 
#24 ·
But if mine isn't an aggressive chewer at all I don't see the real danger in giving them to her. That seems to me like not letting my daughter ride her bike because there's a chance she could get hurt.

I could understand if she was a rough chewer and really worked on the bones, but the most work she puts into it is trying to get as much marrow out of it as possible
 
#27 ·
Thanks! I'll definitely keep a close eye on how she plays with them. And I'll look for good deals on ribs!

Magicre I have a customer who buys bags of rabbit's feet from us (we sell bags of feet and bags of ears). His dog loves them but won't touch them until he clips the nails. Haha! Tiki thought they were fantastic with the nails on. I can't imagine having to clip a disembodied rabbit's foot. Too funny! :biggrin:
 
#28 ·
when i make chicken soup, i don't care about the nails...but i've never fed them to a dog....so, don't know if the nails are part of the bargain...

that's funny about rabbits' feet....do you sell pinkies, too? blech....but i will bet the dogs love 'em....

ok. i'll go and take my ADD pills and stop veering off topic LOL
 
#36 ·
They appear to be similarly tough. But if you think about it, antlers are not built to hold up a 1000+ pounds. Their outer casing of the soft, spongy inside is only about 1/4 of an inch or less. On a marrow bone and knuckle bone this strong outer layer is much thicker and more dense. This is what makes the biggest difference between the two. The fact that the whole antler is edible (our dogs actually consume them, although very slowly) tells me that they are softer and therefore more safe on teeth.
 
#37 · (Edited)
danemama is right! Elk and Whitetail deer antlers are bones that grow really fast. But they are not as dense as regular bone - to be able to scrimshaw on antlers you must cover the bone with a thick layer of wax so that the ink doesn't spread into the antler like a sponge (even after polishing!) Since they are less dense, animals love to eat them which is why it's very rare to find one in the woods!

Dogs love to chew on them as well as squirrels, opossum, raccoon, etc. The earlier in the season you get the antlers, the softer they will be. When they still have some velvet, they are very soft.

I wouldn't throw away the elk antlers - your dog should do fine with them!
 
#40 ·
I'll join the club of owners with dogs who broke their teeth thanks to gnawing on marrow bones. I will never take that risk again. My dog has broken two teeth thanks to those bones. He has not had to extract any teeth yet, but he will need regular vet visits to make sure they aren't giving him any trouble. If they ever do he will probably need to have some teeth extracted. He has quite a bit of tartar build up on the broken teeth.

Don't give your dogs marrow bones, it is certainly not worth the risk. There are way better alternatives out there, as some already mentioned.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top