Raw bones for a 15lb dog/pre-made raw

[Jacksons Mom]

Hello! I have a question, as I'm fairly clueless when it comes to raw feeding.

I would like to start giving Jackson some raw bones to chew on, for his teeth sake, and just chewing and jaw working, etc. He currently just gets bully sticks and himaylan chews. I really don't want to go full raw, I'm a college student living at home, don't have the freezer space, money, or time.

He eats Acana kibble. Now, where can I find/buy these raw bones? And what kind do I specifically look for/ask for? Will it mess him up, or make him get an upset stomach, or unbalance his meals? I'm just so new to the whole thing, sorry if I sound like such a noob. And when I get a raw bone, is it just like a bone, or is there a bunch of meat on it?

Another question-my local pet store sells the pre-made raw from Nature's Variety and they also sell Stella & Chewy's. I know they are basically like little hamburgers, correct? Or patties. Is it possible to purchase a bag of NV raw, for example, and give it to him in replacement of a meal maybe once a week? Or are you just not supposed to do that?

[luvMyBRT]

As far as raw bones for recreational chewing I would recommend raw beef ribs. You will probably purchase them in a rack (like 6 bones). I would purchase them, take them home and cut them apart. I would then trim a lot of the meat and fat off so they wouldn't cause any digestive upset. My dogs loved them! And, now that we are feeding totally raw, I am going to begin trimming them less and less.

As far as the pre made raw-I don't know anything about that. I'll let someone else answer....

[MollyWoppy]

My friend has a 12yo pug that gets a raw beef rib or pork rib every couple of days. She only started doing this a couple of months ago, and was quite nervous at first so she held it for him whilst he chewed away. Now he's a trooper.
She also thought you had to buy special bones from the pet shop and was quite surprised to find that I just go to the supermarket.

[eternalstudent]

I have found that most butchers will simply give you the beef bones for nothing. Sirloin steak is taken of one side of the rib and brisket is the other. once this is done they simply through the bones away!! score for us.
I can tell a busy day at the butchers by the amount of meat left on the ribs I ask for :-)
to the point where I have to ask the question on who gets the bone me for beef stew or becka as a nice treat.

[chowder]

Chelsy is a 13 year old Lhasa Apso so she is a little dog like yours. A couple of weeks ago I started her on some of the pre-made raw Primal chunks. She was suppose to go one day Primal, one day kibble but once she had the Primal she just ignored her kibble from then on. So we just mixed the Primal with her canned food and she did just fine this way and never had any digestive issues. Since she is little, the bag of Primal lasted a very long time (I still have it). She only gets about 4 cubes a day. Now she is starting on raw chicken but still gets the Primal some days because we still have the bag.

Rocky had the Bravo samples while he was still eating kibble and didn't have any digestive problems. He didn't get that much of it because he is a big dog, plus it has vegies in it so it more closely resembles kibble then pure raw meat does.

I think it depends on your dog. I would try a little bit at first and see how he does. I don't think the premade raw would cause a big problem with kibble , especially if it were a meal substitute and you did them a day apart. They just might not want to go back to the kibble again. Mine both preferred the taste of the Bravo Balance over the Primal just for a reference point. We never tried the NV or the Stella's.

[DaneMama]

Don't buy the pre made raw patties. They are expensive!!! For the price of buying that stuff you could get a package of chicken wings and drummies at your grocery store and feed your little guy for a week.

If you are only going to supplement his kibble once a week or so, I suggest NOT feeding him kibble the day that you give him his RMB (which is a RAW bone surrounded by RAW meat, like a chicken drumstick). I don't think raw beef ribs would be the best for him since he's a little guy and may have a harder time with those. Since you want him to scrape tartar off, you want him to actively chew with all of his teeth. You may see some digestive upset (vomiting and diarrhea), which is normal for any change to a dog's diet. Just make sure that he stays hydrated. If you do notice this, hold him off all food for 12-24 hours to clear his system and then slowly add just a small portion back in. It may be that you can't supplement him with raw, it just depends on how he handles it. Some dogs handle it better than others.

Good luck and keep us posted. Don't hesitate to ask all questions...that is how you become experienced and not a noob

[ubershann]

Until I switched Tiki to full raw I would give her a little with her breakfast and dinner on top of her kibble. She loved it! It was premade raw (different brand, but same idea) and it gave me a way to add some raw without a lot of hassle.

Rather than giving her a patty one day a week what about adding a little to one of her meals each day? Maybe with breakfast or dinner? That way it won't take much time and you won't risk shocking her system once a week. Or you could just replace one meal a day with the raw, and keep the other meal kibble.

I've used Stella and Chewy's dehydrated raw for treats before, and Tiki loved it. I've never fed Nature's Variety but we sell a lot of it in the store and the dogs that eat it are doing great, from what my customers tell me. So I'd say they're both good quality premade raw.

As far as bones, my big girl has had several types, but my little one gets lamb marrow bones. I get them from the store I work in, but I've bought bones from several places. Grocery stores often have them, butchers, and the people who sell meats at farmer's markets often have them for great prices. You can also ask the store that sells premade raw if they have bones. Many raw brands also sell bones

[Jacksons Mom]

Thanks SOOO much for all the GREAT tips and advice. You all have helped me out a ton. I will let you know what I decide to do. :) I'm gonna go 'shopping' around....

[Jacksons Mom]

I broke down and bought a little bag of the Stella & Chewy's 'raw' patties. I got the frozen ones, not the freeze dried ones.

I want to just put them into his diet every once in a while. I know most people don't do this, but I wanted to do it as a once or twice a week 'treat' in replacement of his kibble/wet dinner.

I gave him one patty just to start, since he's never had any type of raw before. He should be eating 5 patties per day for his weight. So I wanted to just give him one for breakfast... I have never seen him wolf down something so fast in his life, LOL. He loved it. I suppose we'll see how his stomach does soon.