small breeds + RAW questions.
- Thread starter pup-man
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Our pug is raw fed. He's not quite a small breed but with his short face we had to make some adjustments for him. He's also a gulper and he has a wide throat, which is also a concern- I've seen him take a bone, get it turned longwise, and swallow it (with no ill effects at all, but its scary). For him, we pretty much limit his raw meaty bones to chicken drumsticks or thighs, pork ribs, and beef short ribs. The ribs and thighs are good because he has to work at them longer. When he gets a drumstick, I take all the meat off the bone so he doesn't try and bolt the whole thing. He has a problem with skin since it's rubbery so I remove that and chop it into smaller pieces and give it to him in the bowl. He'll crunch up the bone pretty good and doesn't try and bolt it down when the meat is off. The muscle meat and organs he gets the same as the 2 bigger dogs, just in proportion for his size.
For little guys, stick with smaller boney food- chicken wings and necks are good as a foundation along with smaller ribs or neck bones, then supplement the muscle meat part with lots of variety- beef, pork, turkey, fish, heart, tripe, etc.
Variety over time is the key. They don't have to have everything every day or even every week, but as long as you get them a wide range of foods over the course of a month they will thrive. We have 3 dogs on raw. A typical week might be chicken leg quarters, boneless pork, and liver. The next week might be pork ribs, boneless beef, and kidney. The next week might be beef neck bones, split chicken breast with the bones in, and tripe. I try and give them fish at least once a week, but 2 of our dogs don't eat fish so we supplement them with fish oil capsules and vitamin E on a daily basis. Canned mackerel is good, and I was able to get ours to eat that by mixing it in with their muscle meat.
Don't let your dogs size sway you from trying out a raw diet, they can do well too. Do some googling on it and educate yourself. There are some yahoo groups that are very informative about feeding raw as well.
For little guys, stick with smaller boney food- chicken wings and necks are good as a foundation along with smaller ribs or neck bones, then supplement the muscle meat part with lots of variety- beef, pork, turkey, fish, heart, tripe, etc.
Variety over time is the key. They don't have to have everything every day or even every week, but as long as you get them a wide range of foods over the course of a month they will thrive. We have 3 dogs on raw. A typical week might be chicken leg quarters, boneless pork, and liver. The next week might be pork ribs, boneless beef, and kidney. The next week might be beef neck bones, split chicken breast with the bones in, and tripe. I try and give them fish at least once a week, but 2 of our dogs don't eat fish so we supplement them with fish oil capsules and vitamin E on a daily basis. Canned mackerel is good, and I was able to get ours to eat that by mixing it in with their muscle meat.
Don't let your dogs size sway you from trying out a raw diet, they can do well too. Do some googling on it and educate yourself. There are some yahoo groups that are very informative about feeding raw as well.
I think I'll start with chicken wings for both. Do I just give them the whole piece at first or should I remove the skin? meat? etc?
They are really slow eaters so I'm not too worried about them devouring the entire thing at once. How much of the bone should I allow them to eat?
Is there anything I should look out for afterwards? Any reactions, signs of illness, etc?
Thanks again!
They are really slow eaters so I'm not too worried about them devouring the entire thing at once. How much of the bone should I allow them to eat?
Is there anything I should look out for afterwards? Any reactions, signs of illness, etc?
Thanks again!
I second DanL's post. Good stuff 
Personally, I would not give a dog chicken wings that are not attached to the bird. They're far too easy to swollow, unless your dog is super tiny. Also, wings are very bony and I don't feed 'em unless I have a meaty meat meal that will follow. You shouldn't have to remove the skin. They can eat all the bones, just supervise them while they eat. If you feel they're going to try to gulp the food, feed bigger pieces and freeze them.
Getting Started (RawMyths)
Personally, I would not give a dog chicken wings that are not attached to the bird. They're far too easy to swollow, unless your dog is super tiny. Also, wings are very bony and I don't feed 'em unless I have a meaty meat meal that will follow. You shouldn't have to remove the skin. They can eat all the bones, just supervise them while they eat. If you feel they're going to try to gulp the food, feed bigger pieces and freeze them.
Getting Started (RawMyths)
For small dogs, chicken/duck necks and chicken wings do work out well. While you can feed whole wings later without problem, I would start out with skinless items, since the high fat content of the skin often contributes to diarrhea. Lamb ribs are nice and soft and a good item for young/small dogs too.
Not all dogs show much of a reaction when being switched to raw, but it would be a good idea to keep a can of pumkin (plain, not the spiced pie filling mix) on hand. It helps firm up loose stool and also works "the other way", giving relief from constipation.
Start with one type of meat and stick to it for a while, don't introduce a whole lot of variety right in the beginning.
I'd also suggest reading a couple good books on raw feeding, such as for example "Work Wonders" by Dr. Tom Lonsdale andN"atural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy Schultze.
Not all dogs show much of a reaction when being switched to raw, but it would be a good idea to keep a can of pumkin (plain, not the spiced pie filling mix) on hand. It helps firm up loose stool and also works "the other way", giving relief from constipation.
Start with one type of meat and stick to it for a while, don't introduce a whole lot of variety right in the beginning.
I'd also suggest reading a couple good books on raw feeding, such as for example "Work Wonders" by Dr. Tom Lonsdale andN"atural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy Schultze.