[GoldenGirl]

I've read that some people trim the skin and fat off the chicken backs before feeding. Is this really necessary? Is there a guideline? Do chicken quarters need trimming too?

Thanks,
Jean

 

[DaneMama]

People trim the fat and skin off of chicken parts to decrease the amount of fat because increased amounts of fat can cause diarrhea for some dogs. I would say that it wouldn't hurt to trim the skin and fat off of chicken that you plan to feed for the first week or so into raw feeding. Then slowly cut less and less off as time progresses. Your dog should handle the normal amount of fat and skin on these chicken parts once he gets used to eating raw.

 

[xxshaelxx]

I never trimmed the fat or skin off of my dogs' chicken backs/quarters, and they all three did wonderfully. I didn't have a SINGLE loose stool. I mean, I moved Amaya and Ryou to quarters from backs after about two days of feeding them the backs because I wanted them to get more of the meat and fat. Siberian Huskies are also infamous for their horrible digestive tracts and are known for getting diarrhea practically out of nowhere. I mean, I had so many cases when they were younger. Even Amaya had a case recently (after a few weeks of feeding raw, and even treating them small pieces of stuff we were cutting up, like pork, tripe, etc.), and then I went right back to the backs, and she got all better. I figure that now it'll be a good idea to keep backs on hand in case of these kinds of things. XP Anyways, my point is, unless your dog has a really sensitive stomach, then you probably won't need to.

 

[magicre]

we had a heck of a time first time around with these guys......

talk about diarrhea...they were poster children for liquid stools.....blech

we waited almost a month...never did put them back on kibble, but we cooked their food and gave them the occasional piece of raw meat or fowl.

then i wrote to RFD and he gave me a wonderful set of instructions.....we trim the backs and the drumsticks and the drummettes....of fat, any organs, and skin..

we have been on raw now for one week..

malia's stools are perfect...

bubba not so much yesterday and today.....but i ground up some egg shell and fed him that yesterday and he is doing better today.

most likely, they will stay on this diet for more than the allotted two weeks simply because they reacted so poorly the last time...and there were a whole bunch of reasons for it to fail, user error included....

it should be fine now, but if you have a stress dog or anxious dog...it's certainly not a bad idea to trim the backs....and take off the skin for at least the first week...

 

[harrkim120]

Every dog is different, and that would determine whether or not you would have to trim the backs. When I put my Boston on raw he had no issues what-so-ever with skin, organs, or fat (surprisingly), yet now I'm putting my 5 month old German Shepard on raw and she's having a heck of a time. Dark, runny poos a plenty.

 

[magicre]

Every dog is different, and that would determine whether or not you would have to trim the backs. When I put my Boston on raw he had no issues what-so-ever with skin, organs, or fat (surprisingly), yet now I'm putting my 5 month old German Shepard on raw and she's having a heck of a time. Dark, runny poos a plenty.

the first time we did this, it was awful for both dogs....actually, second time around, i'm surprised that my older dog, malia is doing better than the three year old bubba....he's now having a heck of a time....

the one thing i hear very often is fasting...bubba will be fasting today, as he got the honey up last night and has the squirts...not the honey....but bubba does...so he'll be fasted this morning...

because he only weighs 18 lbs..i will feed him later today...just not his usual brekkie..and he will only get chicken backs as they are more boney....or is that bony....

i'm just now getting the hang of it....but eventually they will transition, i'm sure of it...some dogs just take a bit of finesse....i was lucky enough to have two who needed a very carefully planned transition....and every day is a brand new day of observation and adjustment to help them along.

my guys had too many rounds of antibiotics, so i also use a combination of digestive enzymes which also have probiotics....once they've made the switch successfully...i will most likely take them off the supplement. this is just to help them put back some of the good bacteria....and help with their digestive tracts....as they both have stress induced irritable bowel symptoms...

i do believe this stuff is miracle and has helped a lot...