[jesirose]

Hi everyone, I just started my dog and two cats on raw. So far my
dog has eaten a turkey neck, a few chicken wings, and chicken feet,
and some gizzard. I know I need more meaty stuff but what is good to
get to use with the wings? She is a small dog, 20 lbs, but still a
puppy. She will probably be 25-30 lbs full grown. (American Eskimo Dog)

I got plain chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, today to use with
the cats. They are not interested yet but we're working on it. Should
I give the dog some of those?

What else should I be feeding right now while the dog is
transitioning? Our goal is ultimately prey-model. Would it be too
quick to try to get her on whole prey like rabbits, chicks, etc? If
not, what should I do with them to get her started? I have read you
should just start with chicken so that is what I am doing but I
think she has had not nearly enough meat right now. I am not a fan of
pork for me or my animals but I plan on giving her lamb and beef as
well as the small prey. But if pork is actually good for them I could
try it.

My friend who knows way more about raw than me said the chicken
quarters are too big for her size, but when I give her the wing she
scarfs it down (not too fast of course, I watch carefully to make sure
she is not eating too fast.) but I mean it looks to me like she
could handle something bigger. I thought giving them something too big was better than too small?

Anyone with a similar size dog have advice on what to give her? And
what meaty stuff should I get from the butcher/market?

Thanks everyone!

[Spicy1_VV]

Hope you and your dogs will enjoy it.

Yeah you need more meaty food. Some of that is really boney.

You can give the dog boneless/skinless thighs but you will need bones to go with it. Skin is good for them though too, so you want to feed some food with skin. Chicken skin is also fatty for some of mine they get more skins and others only get a little depending on each dogs needs.

I don't see why it is too quick, but its up to you. Lots of people just do a straight switch, there really isn't a reason I could see why it would be bad.

Yes too big is better then too small as far as choking and digesting, if they just swallow a chicken wing then it can be hard to digest the bone. I'm not really sure why the chicken quarter would be considered too big. Although I don't doubt your friends knowledge. I feed my pup chicken quarter today and she just weighed in today at 24lbs, she's been on prey model her whole life. The CQs are not to big for my female. She will also be about the same size as yours full grown probably 35lbs. This is the same as my other 2 pups, they have now grown 25lbs and 28lbs already but they could eat CQ before. If you need to you can do some cutting, you can cut the chicken quarter into a couple pieces if needed. If that will make it easier for your pup.

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by jesirose

Hi everyone, I just started my dog and two cats on raw. So far my dog has eaten a turkey neck, a few chicken wings, and chicken feet, and some gizzard.

I would be careful with chicken wings. They are probably ok now but when your dog is full grown, they will be too small for her.

I know I need more meaty stuff but what is good to
get to use with the wings?

You could feed drumsticks, backs and quarters. A quarter would be a full day's rations so if you feed twice a day, you need to cut it in half and feed half each meal. Breasts would be great too, both bone-in and boneless.

I got plain chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, today to use with
the cats. They are not interested yet but we're working on it. Should
I give the dog some of those?

Yes, you could give these to the dog also. Put the chicken in the cat's food bowl with about half the amount of normal cat food. In a few days, the cat will be hungry enough to eat some of the chicken. I feed my cats chicken drumsticks and wings.

What else should I be feeding right now while the dog is
transitioning?

I always suggest feeding nothing but chicken for the first 2 weeks. The third week, add turkey and the fourth add pork. Yes pork is a wonderful meat for your dog. It's nutritious, easy to find, and relatively cheap. Don't worry about pork's bad reputation.

Our goal is ultimately prey-model. Would it be too
quick to try to get her on whole prey like rabbits, chicks, etc?

I'm not sure how long you have been feeding but I think it probably is. I would wait until you have been feeding raw for a couple of months before you introduce some of these complex foods.

If not, what should I do with them to get her started?

AFTER you have been raw feeding for a couple of months, just hand it to the dog. You will probably want to cut the rabbit in half or maybe 3rds for a dog your dog's size.

I have read you
should just start with chicken so that is what I am doing but I
think she has had not nearly enough meat right now.

You are doing fine. If she starts looking a little "bony", feed more, otherwise keep going like you are.

I am not a fan of
pork for me or my animals but I plan on giving her lamb and beef as
well as the small prey. But if pork is actually good for them I could
try it.

Try it.

My friend who knows way more about raw than me said the chicken
quarters are too big for her size, but when I give her the wing she
scarfs it down (not too fast of course, I watch carefully to make sure
she is not eating too fast.) but I mean it looks to me like she
could handle something bigger. I thought giving them something too big was better than too small?

It's not too big for her to eat but its a full day's meal. I would wait until she is an adult and on the days you feed quarters, just feed her once that day.

Anyone with a similar size dog have advice on what to give her? And
what meaty stuff should I get from the butcher/market?

Hehe, My dogs are 145lbs each but the principle is the same. For help getting started check http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm

[jesirose]

She doesn't swallow it, she chomps it good, but she eats it fast, and I was worried about not enough meat. I got the boneless skinless thighs because they were available I needed stuff to mix in with food for the cats to work on them.

Thanks for letting me know about your dog, sounds like they're close in size.

ETA: Thanks for the very detailed reply, we posted at the same time

Do I really have to cut it? Could I give it to her then take it away after half is eaten? She lets me take her food freely, she is not aggressive about it. I really really really don't want to cut it or touch it if I have to.

Felix, the tabby/siamese, is actually doing okay on the raw, he has eaten a whole meal of raw but it was the premade stuff, which I ended up throwing out. So I need to get them to both eat the raw chicken plain now. It's frustrating because Sadie loves it and they are like, wtf is going on mom.


We'll stock up on more chicken parts for now, we got a freezer for a good deal on CL.

[briteday]

REad the sticky notes at the top of the food forum for websites to help you with raw feeding. And also check out this recent thrad with another member who just started raw feeding. I think we covered EVERYTHING about raw feeding in that one :-) !!

http://www.dogforums.com/5-dog-food-...onestly-2.html (RAW......honestly)

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by jesirose

Do I really have to cut it? Could I give it to her then take it away after half is eaten? She lets me take her food freely, she is not aggressive about it. I really really really don't want to cut it or touch it if I have to.

I really don't like to get in the habit of taking food away from a dog. She may be ok with it now as she is still a puppy but may start to resent it as she gets older. I just don't like for her to get the idea that when she's eating and you approach, she is going to loose an important resourse (food). It can create aggression over time. I have seen a few aggressive eskimos and they are not easy to live with.

If you don't want to touch the quarters and they are larger than you want to feed, don't feed quarters. They aren't mandatory. Or you could just cut the drumstick off at the joint. Thats an easy cut. You could feed the drum stick one meal and the other part for another meal. Nothing says both meals have to be the exact same size.

[rosemaryninja]

You've gotten some good advice but I just wanted to reemphasise that you should probably be sticking to just chicken right now. A major mistake in raw feeding is giving too much, too fast. Introduce one protein source at a time, very gradually. You can give chicken backs, quarters, drumsticks, breast and thighs. Chicken fillets if you can them are also very good. I would not feed chicken necks or wings, but I am particularly paranoid.

[4dogs3cats]

Originally Posted by briteday

REad the sticky notes at the top of the food forum for websites to help you with raw feeding. And also check out this recent thrad with another member who just started raw feeding. I think we covered EVERYTHING about raw feeding in that one :-) !!

http://www.dogforums.com/5-dog-food-...onestly-2.html (RAW......honestly)

haha and briteday you have no idea how much that thread helped! You guys are my mentors with raw and I already feel like a natural! Thanks again!

[jesirose]

Originally Posted by rosemaryninja

You've gotten some good advice but I just wanted to reemphasise that you should probably be sticking to just chicken right now. A major mistake in raw feeding is giving too much, too fast. Introduce one protein source at a time, very gradually. You can give chicken backs, quarters, drumsticks, breast and thighs. Chicken fillets if you can them are also very good. I would not feed chicken necks or wings, but I am particularly paranoid.

Thanks, I have read that several places now. Chicken it is!

Originally Posted by RawFedDogs

I really don't like to get in the habit of taking food away from a dog. She may be ok with it now as she is still a puppy but may start to resent it as she gets older. I just don't like for her to get the idea that when she's eating and you approach, she is going to loose an important resourse (food). It can create aggression over time. I have seen a few aggressive eskimos and they are not easy to live with.

If you don't want to touch the quarters and they are larger than you want to feed, don't feed quarters. They aren't mandatory. Or you could just cut the drumstick off at the joint. Thats an easy cut. You could feed the drum stick one meal and the other part for another meal. Nothing says both meals have to be the exact same size.

I don't do it often, but I see your point. However I have also read that when you start to feed a puppy you should often go near the food, touch it without taking it, add food, etc, so they don't think it's bad to be near their food. I did that when she was a puppy so if I do go near her food usually it is to pet her or add food, not take it. I assume the few times I take something are outweighed by the positive. Like I said it's been rare I've taken her food.

I will probably just buy them separately. It's been a huge leap for me to handle what I have so far, and I actually touched some of the meat with my bare hand so I'm working on it. I can slice up a chicken breast but it's the more unusual (for me) stuff I need to get used to. I have only ever dealt with ground beef and chicken breast in my life, so this is very new.

[rosemaryninja]

Originally Posted by jesirose

I don't do it often, but I see your point. However I have also read that when you start to feed a puppy you should often go near the food, touch it without taking it, add food, etc, so they don't think it's bad to be near their food. I did that when she was a puppy so if I do go near her food usually it is to pet her or add food, not take it. I assume the few times I take something are outweighed by the positive. Like I said it's been rare I've taken her food.

It's good to do things like stroke her while she's eating, add food, etc so that in a case when you can't avoid taking her food, eg a kid reaches for her bone or she's grabbed a bar of chocolate, she doesn't snap any fingers off. However, I definitely wouldn't make taking her food a regular thing.

[4dogs3cats]

Originally Posted by jesirose

I will probably just buy them separately. It's been a huge leap for me to handle what I have so far, and I actually touched some of the meat with my bare hand so I'm working on it. I can slice up a chicken breast but it's the more unusual (for me) stuff I need to get used to. I have only ever dealt with ground beef and chicken breast in my life, so this is very new.

The chicken quarters are not fun to cut. You first have to twist them to break the drumstick out of the bone.. Not fun.

Why don't you get her a package of chicken drumsticks? I get them for Bailey. Its about 6 dollars for 20 of them, and they weigh 4 ounces each. Probably just the right size for her.

[UrbanBeagles]

Originally Posted by 4dogs3cats

The chicken quarters are not fun to cut. You first have to twist them to break the drumstick out of the bone.. Not fun.

Kitchen shears They'll be your best friend. When I feed raw chicken quarters I use kitchen shears to cut them into three pieces. Cut off the drumstick @ the joint, then I cut the thigh/back into two pieces. Literally takes seconds. A good pair will cut through bone lwith limited elbow grease. I could never feed quarters otherwise ... the pieces would be too big for soem of the tinier Beagles. This way, you can much more easily ration portions. I've also used shears for cutting up lamb ribs, so each dog gets a "slice" or two or three, depending on size.

[4dogs3cats]

Originally Posted by UrbanBeagles

Kitchen shears They'll be your best friend. When I feed raw chicken quarters I use kitchen shears to cut them into three pieces. Cut off the drumstick @ the joint, then I cut the thigh/back into two pieces. Literally takes seconds. A good pair will cut through bone lwith limited elbow grease. I could never feed quarters otherwise ... the pieces would be too big for soem of the tinier Beagles. This way, you can much more easily ration portions. I've also used shears for cutting up lamb ribs, so each dog gets a "slice" or two or three, depending on size.

Ohhhh, that makes sense. I got lucky though I can buy a package of 20 drumsticks for 5 bucks and each drumstick is exactly 4 ounces, perfect for Bailey! But I'll keep that in mind about the sheers for Kody! Thanks!