Meat and Bones

[TxDog]

Do you feed your dog any type of meat on a bone?

[SmoothCollieluver]

No. Even though i have considered the BARF diet. I can't do it so I don't give mine anything other then dog food.

[dogsouth]

I am presently feeding raw. It's very easy.

[TxDog]

What type of meat dogsouth?

[dogsouth]

Turkey, chicken, beef, pork. As long as there's meat covering the bone I will feed it.

Turkey leg, gizzards, and a chicken foot:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/MyJalbum/Jed/turkeygizzardfootmeal.jpg

[dogsouth]

Sorry about the size. I tried resizing that pic at least 3 times.

[TxDog]

Do you feed your dog parts of the chicken with tiny/thin bones or just large bones like legs?

[DoggyMom]

I give my dog chicken, turkey and sometimes hotdogs, but only if they are fully cooked. She gets bones from our butcher, the "ham" bones and the knuckle bones. The only raw meat she gets is whatever may be left on the bones.

[poketmouse]

I feed Geiger a raw diet, we started when he was 11 weeks old. When he gets chicken, he gets all of it, as long as I'm the one cutting it up. With big dogs you have to be careful with the wings, drumsticks, and necks. These are easy for a large dog to swallow whole by themselves. I leave the wing attached to the breast and the leg attached to the thigh. Necks generally come detached already, so I save them for making gravy.
Geiger also eats pork shoulder, ribs, beef roasts, eggs, fish of all kinds, rabbitt, lamb, etc. Most of the organs he eats come from cows and pigs. The only thing I've found so far that he refuses to eat is pig's feet.

[SmoothCollieluver]

For those of you that feed raw. Do you worry about bacteria?

[poketmouse]

For me or the dogs? Dogs have enzymes in their saliva that kill lots of harmful bacteria, so I don't worry about Geiger kissing me after he eats. The digestive tract of a dog is relatively short (compared to ours) and raw food travels through it much more quickly than kibble does since it is easier for the dog to digest. With the fast trip through the gut, there is very little time for any remaining bacteria to set up shop and make the dog sick. I've been handling meat much more often than I used to, but as long as I use safe food practices and don't cross contaminate with my own food, I'm fine. I also make sure he keeps his food on his "placemat" (an old towel) while he eats in his kennel. After mealtime, I store the towel in the freezer, and wash it every time it gets gunky.

[SmoothCollieluver]

Interesting. I would love to do the raw but I just don't think i have time. I have 2 kids and i'm a full time student. My family is lucky if i make them dinner lol. Let alone the dog.

[poketmouse]

It really only takes time when you start. Once you and the dog get the hang of it, it really can be easier than feeding kibble. There are several different schools of thought on how to feed a raw diet, some of them take a lot of time and energy to prepare the food and add in supplements. I use a prey model feeding style where I ultimately try to mimic a whole prey animal over time for Geiger. That means he may get a pork shoulder one day, ribs the next, meaty neckbones, oxtail, etc with organs mixed in here and there. Besides shopping for his food (which I love to do), I don't spend much time on preparation. I might cut a chicken in half, or portion out organs before freezing, but mostly I go into the freezer/fridge, pull out a hunk of food, and give it to him. It's far easier than cooking for myself, which I still haven't gotten the hang of :)
If you want to learn more about the what and how, you can join the yahoo group I belong to. There are over 6,000 members now, so there's tons of info and support for beginners! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

[ClarkFarm]

I will give a ham bone to the dogs with some meat on it as a treat.

I remember growing up, my mother's mixed breed dog had gotten a hold of an entire chicken leg and ended up in surgery for a blockage. I have not ever given them chicken bones because of that memory.

[dogsouth]

Big things like breasts, legs, and meaty ribs. Turkey necks are good but not chicken necks. Wings and backs are too bony IMO. Somedays half a chicken. A whole one is too much for my dog.