Milk Bone Nuggets

[ajcstr]

Is there a similar healthy product out there? Crunchy but with a "marrow-like" center? The dog just loves these things but they are crap.

[bdb5853]

Sure, how about a raw chicken drumstick or thigh? Crunchy with a nutritious marrow center and absolutely a PERFECT species appropriate food. ;)

[ajcstr]

Sure, how about a raw chicken drumstick or thigh? Crunchy with a nutritious marrow center and absolutely a PERFECT species appropriate food. ;)

LOL should have seen that coming !

[Jacksons Mom]

Not gonna lie -- Jackson gets these sometimes. He never likes ANYthing like this and when my stepmom gave Jackson one of these Milkbone Nuggets, I was totally surprised at how much he enjoys the treat. So he gets one every other night or so when coming inside from potty for the last time. I know they're not good, but *every* thing else he eats IS. So I figure it's just a nice treat for him. They're about 10 calories a piece.

[ghostrunner]

Sure, how about a raw chicken drumstick or thigh? Crunchy with a nutritious marrow center and absolutely a PERFECT species appropriate food. ;)

Could I ask you a question about how to do this? I'd like to start incorporating raw into my dog's diet, and snacks seem like a great starting point. So, as a snack, I can just give my dog a small drumstick or wing? Do I need to wash it? Trim the fat? Hit it with a hammer (as I've read in other raw posts). Can it be frozen?? What would be the right size to give him (he's a 60lb retriever) for a snack??

I guess I'm just not sure exactly what to do so that the dog doesn't choke or get sick. Maybe this is better discussed in the raw forum, but I thought I'd ask here.

Thanks!

[bdb5853]

Could I ask you a question about how to do this? I'd like to start incorporating raw into my dog's diet, and snacks seem like a great starting point. So, as a snack, I can just give my dog a small drumstick or wing? Do I need to wash it? Trim the fat? Hit it with a hammer (as I've read in other raw posts). Can it be frozen?? What would be the right size to give him (he's a 60lb retriever) for a snack??

I guess I'm just not sure exactly what to do so that the dog doesn't choke or get sick. Maybe this is better discussed in the raw forum, but I thought I'd ask here.

Thanks!

I wouldn't advise giving a 60 pound dog a drumstick or wing. They are too small and could be a choking hazard for a greedy gus type of dog that gulps their food. I'd go with a chicken quarter. Feed in place of a kibble meal.

You don't need to wash it. I'd probably suggest taking the skin off the first few times you feed and then gradually start leaving it on, a small bit at first progressing until you are feeding it like it comes with the skin attached.

I don't think you need to hammer it unless your dog just has no idea what to do. Most of them catch on real quick.

Sure, you can feed it frozen. Especially if he likes to inhale his food. That will slow him down some.

Supervise, but don't intervene. You might watch some dogs on youtube eating raw in order to familiarize yourself with normal eating. Some dogs are careful chewers and some not so much.

I think that once you see how much your dog enjoys raw foods, you may branch out into feeding it more often. And yes, we will help you.

Here's a few sites for learning more ....

This one is a great place to start and you can spend a lot of time going through the many pages here. The "myths of raw feeding" pages are invaluable and answers most, if not all, the questions a newbie to raw will have. Invaluable site!

Practical Answers to Practical Questions About Raw

THE MANY MYTHS ABOUT RAW FEEDING

Raw Feeding FAQ

The raw feeders yahoo group is a great place to learn also. There are over 16,000 raw feeders on the list from all over the world.

rawfeeding : Raw Feeding for dogs and cats!

Another site I like that has a lot of good history, anatomy of the dog and why it's made to eat raw, and lots of good links on the link page ....

Raw Fed Dogs

A raw feeders blog with lots of interesting info …

Krisannrio's Raw feeding site - Home

More info and lots of links!

My Pet Carnivore - Rawfeeding Basics

[ghostrunner]

Thank you so much for that very helpful starting post. I have several other questions on feeding raw, and I've been reading through the back posts in the raw section. But I might do as you suggest and start with a chicken quarter at first. Is a chicken quarter the same as a chicken thigh? (silly question, I know :) )

[Ania's Mommy]

Is a chicken quarter the same as a chicken thigh? (silly question, I know :) )

Not a silly question in the least. I didn't know what a chicken leg quarter (CLQ) was before starting raw either. Now, I'm almost an anatomy pro. LOL!

A chicken quarter is the drumstick and thigh portion. Seperately, a thigh and drumstick are too small for medium/large dogs to eat safely without attempting to swallow whole. But when they are still intact, it forces the dog to gnaw on it a bit.

One of the benefits of feeding raw is the natural teeth cleaning, which you would not get if food was swallowed whole. Also, thighs and drumsticks are big enough that if swallowed whole, could pose a choking hazard.

It's best for medium-large dogs to be fed the CLQ.