Hi everyone,
I'd like to start feeding Theo some rmb but I'd like to see pictures so I know what sizes to look for. It would help me feel more confident. Of course I don't mean chicken, I'm talking about the beef and lamb etc...
Thanks
Raw beef ribs, came in a full rack that I cut into individual ribs myself. Found them on sale for $1.68 a lb, fed the smallest (about 5in) to the largest in the pack (about 9in)
:lol: I just LOOOVE Vegas' RMB dining attire! :lol: When I get the tube socks out Lucy knows something good is comin' and doesn't mind wearing them. The Gourmet Doggie Diner here sells buffalo bones - the dogs love them (but I don't have a picture..) Sorry...
I love the shot of Vegas in his "sweats"..........BTW, Sunny LOVES the rib bones, too. When he gets one, even tho I take most of the fat/meat off, there is plenty left; should that suffice for an evening meal?
SInce I didn't feed Jake the RMB's, never knew what a mess. And, Sunny cream color, ends up with red all over his front legs/paws. I probably need to do something similar over his legs.
so why the dinner wear? Does it help keep samonella or bacteria getting on the dog/ hair? Do you clean their mouths/ feet after a meal and if so with what? I have fed some necks on occasion for their teeth, but I do worry about bacteria and stuff sometimes..
Thanks!
Excellent thread for raw meat bones information and the pictures of them are terrific for comparison, not to mention the barbaque and spaghetti outfits!
Careful cutting ribs into individual ribs for a dog vegas's size! In the raw feeding world, this is generally taught to be avoided as it poses a choking hazard. I typically cut slabs no smaller than 3-4 ribs wide.
I recently got some lamb ribs delivered, expecting the tiny ones I get from the supermarket ... I swear they were bigger than the beef ribs in the photo. None of my knives could do much with them, and when I tried giving big chunks to the dogs the bones were not so much "as big as their heads" as bigger than the dog! Poppy bravely attempted to chew one, but Sophy just sat and stared at hers. I threw them away after a day or two. Another lesson learned ...
I feed my standards big raw meaty bones & have found some of the best to be neck vertebrae from cows. I feed everything except weight bearing bones like shanks although I have fed lamb shanks in the past. All bones must have a decent covering of meat for me to feed them to my three. My youngsters (now nearly 2yo & just turned 1yo have been having bones since they were very very young pups & have no problem dealing with them. If there is bone left at the end of the meat stripping stage &they have finished chewing what they can I throw the remaining bone bits out.
I like to give Cal raw beef rib every once in a while. I buy a whole rack, and I cut them into single ribs. Although I do peek every now and then (I like to see him enjoying his treat ), he seems to handle it careful enough, so I don't think I have to worry about him choking on it. He chews the ribs squeaky clean, and then he likes to chew on the bone for a while. I think he likes the dark inside (marrow?). After a while he loses interest, and I'll throw the bone away. I also give him raw chicken wing and chicken leg/thigh as a treat every now and then, but they don't last a long time and just go down bone and all.
Is it really worth the risk, though? Why not just give a bigger slab? Nobody has a problem until they do. I have heard of more than one person who have lost a dog from choking on a single beef rib.
Just my opinion, of course. Everyone does what they feel comfortable with. Personally, my level of comfort does not go far enough to feed items that I know are riskier than others.
For the OP, here is a list of edible bone items that I feed. Hope this helps! These are bone-in meals, not recreational bones. I honestly don't feed recreational bones. Also, sorry, I don't have photos. But you can do a quick Google search of any of these items.
Chicken Quarters
-broken into leg and thigh for Millie - leg one meal and thigh another meal. Whole quarter at once for Tiger and Henry.
Chicken Backs
Lamb ribs (slab of no less than 3 ribs)
Pork ribs (ditto)
Venison ribs (ditto)
Turkey neck
Whole rabbit
Whole quail
Whole fish (whitefish)
Chicken feet
Items I choose NOT to feed because I feel they pose too much risk for my own discretion:
Turkey legs (a bit hard bone - breaks off into hard, sharp shards)
Marrow bones
Soup bones
Femurs
(the above break teeth)
chicken wings
chicken necks
(too small for a standard poodle. choking hazard)
any bone that is NOT covered in meat
(what's the point?)
In my oppinion (not based on any scientific research), the chances of a dog choking on a bone is as big a risk as a human choking on a piece of food. Since most humans tend to eat in groups, there's a high probability that someone in that group knows how to do a Heimlich. Or at least someone who has read about it. If my dog would happen to show any signs of choking, I would not hesitate to try all that is necessary to make sure he stays alive. Even a Heimlich. That said, I admit that you'd also have to feel comfortable about the idea of doing a Heimlich on a or your dog in case of an emergency. Cal chews a beef rib the way I think poses the least risk; with his back teeth, keeping the other end between his paws. I choose not to worry too much about it. I just make sure he's not too exited when I give him an RMB, because I think exitement might make them eat/chew faster, which might increase the risk of choking (also not based on any scientific research). Everybody should do what makes them feel comfortable though. After all, we too are conditioned creatures.
YT: Dog safety tip: choking
In my oppinion (not based on any scientific research), the chances of a dog choking on a bone is as big a risk as a human choking on a piece of food...I just make sure he's not too exited when I give him an RMB, because I think exitement might make them eat/chew faster, which might increase the risk of choking (also not based on any scientific research). Everybody should do what makes them feel comfortable though. After all, we too are conditioned creatures.
YT: Dog safety tip: choking
When I give Bonnie raw bones her front legs always end up a total mess. The first time she chewed a huge chunk of her hair off on one leg. I didn't realize I hadn't washed it well enough. Obviously, leggings are a must for eating them. Or, be prepared to do a good leg washing afterwards.
I only feed bone which will be eaten except for the one instance of ostrich neck which is way to big for a toy (what was I thinking). I see the value in eating all different kinds of meat but is there any benefit to eating a variety of bones? I think the eating sweatsuit is adorable. Swizzle is a very tidy eater. He never gets a speck on him. He hold the bone with his paws and takes care of cleaning them himself after his meal. I think most people would be surprised that raw is really not very messy. He eats on a towel which I just throw in the wash.
IMO, no. Bone is bone (when it comes to balancing the diet.)
Now, I personally believe that harder, yet edible bone (ribs and turkey necks) is important to feed for additional teeth cleaning, over chicken bones (soft).
Not a photo of eating raw bones but this is what my guys wear when eating anything yucky (here they are chewing bully sticks) ! On their feet are cut socks and on their necks, home made snoods (made out of womens swimsuit material)
Aren't those well-chewed bones next to the dogs? Beef? Or lamb? :act-up:
I love the socks and snoods. (somehow they remind me of my Russian grandmother,lol, wearing a babooshka.)
lol I know, my husband says they look like "bag ladies" He also says that the poodles are smarter than anyone knows and that they are planning to take over the world....with the tools they are making from bones..lolol
Yes, those are old beef ribs. I do feed raw, but I feed natural variety frozen pre-made raw daily. I also feed some good quality kibble mixed in as I dont want to think about the balance too much. I also give them beef ribs once or twice a week. Its a luxury around here..lol as they cost about $5.00 a piece! But they are very long and covered with tons of meat. I give them on Friday evenings because Friday night is bath night for Stella and Saturday monring for player
I dont like the mess of raw bones on a regular basis. We do alot of therapy work and my personal feeling is that its best to not feed messy bones on before those visits...we have discussed that here before and it got sort of ugly...I wont try to defend my feelings on that again..lol and I appreciate/ respect what ever you all want to do..this is my choice.
So the beef bones keep their teeth really good. I slacked off and Stella's got some tartar in about 3 months. She had a dental and I dont want her to have another one! She did fine but I dont like the idea of anethesia in a 9+ year old dog do I will make sure she gets a rec bone once a week..Player had terrible looking teeth when he came just lver a month ago...he ate only kibble. He LOVES the rib bones and takes the meat off then grinds the bone down..his teeth have no dark stuff on them anymore. They are not pearly white...(must be all the coffee and red wine!)
I also just bought a sonicare toothbrush for the dogs yesterday. I plan on starting that daily today I have also wondered about getting a meat grinder or finding a butcher to grind up whole chickens for us...the dogs food costs as much as ours!! I could do it cheaper, but Im lazy.
Player and Stella are the most fashionable dogs while eating bones! They do look like bag ladies... just don't throw an oversized coat on them lol. I feed Nature's Variety patties too, and give raw meaty bones every now and then. I agree it can get expensive, I'm thinking about going prey model, hoping that is cheaper. I was also buying RMB's from a local pet store, I just bought some rib bones and turkey necks from the grocery store. I think that was cheaper. What's funny is that Leroy used to like carrots and pear skins, but he doesn't like veggies/fruits as much now that he is raw fed. I gave him a little piece of cooked egg - he did not like the egg white, but ate the yolk. I also gave him a small piece of turkey bacon, which he ate quickly. Guess his tastes are more refined towards meat now. I posted a pic of a beef trachea I have yet to give to Leroy in a another thread: http://www.poodleforum.com/32-poodle-food/16259-perils-raw-food-2.html
Tokipoke, don't buy RMBs at the pet store! WAY overpriced and MASSIVE waste of money! :scared: I made that mistake a couple of times...It's all the same. One time the lady at the boutique tried to tell me that everything at the grocery store is injected with saline and this would kill my dog. Nope, not quite. They are required to say if they are enhanced!
Go to the grocery store, a co-op, an ethnic market, etc. I buy in bulk from the grocery store and from My Pet Carnivore. MUCH cheaper.
Yes, your boutique sounds very much like the boutique near me that sells RMBs. But still, I cannot get myself to pay more than $1.20/lb for an RMB. Even that is VERY expensive. At these boutique pet stores, though I love to support independent stores that sell holistic products, they generally sell RMBs for several dollars/lb. That is outrageous! As is the price to pay Nature's Variety patties. I did it for a while, but I literally cannot do it because of the price. I actually can afford to do it, but something about paying $900/month to feed 3 dogs just doesn't seem right! You will find PMR to be much more reasonable! Actually, I even occasionally feed some meat/bone/organ ground up mixes from My Pet Carnivore and still stay within my budget. If you decide to stay in the pre-made route, I suggest asking your local dog boutique if they can order Vital Essentials pre-made for you (if they don't already carry it). It is prey model based and much more reasonable in price. (Approx. 3 -3.50/lb if I remember correctly. Still expensive, but much cheaper than other brands and without all of the added crap!)
I have gone through phases of feeding Vital Essentials or the MPC ground mixes, but always I am sure to still feed some RMBs and 1-2 meals a week of beef heart (for taurine).
Not sure if this is the right palce to ask this question - but I need to put weight on my Std and when my Dane needed weight, I made Satin Balls - a recipe given to me that uses raw hamburger, wheat germ, eggs, creamed cheese and other things. Once I started using them, the Dane didn't weant her dry food again. You can imagine the amount of balls it took to feed a Dane LOL! She is now back to her regular food.
I guess my concern is if I feed the balls, are they nutritionally enough for a growing 7 month old? I am not quite ready to go raw yet...but am starting to lean that way.
I'm hooked on my local boutique, but just to get me started. They have an awesome selection of raw foods and natural dried treats that our dogs love. I gave them elk ribs today...they loved them!
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