My Kids Love Dem Beef Ribs, BUT

[magicre]

it's calories, right?

this poor pug and even malia don't get much in the way of real food....

so giving them a beef rib...they can't eat the bone, just gnaw on the ends...gives them great pleasure and it gives their teeth a work out...

but bubba only gets 6 oz of food a day to keep him at 18 lbs...

and malia only gets 10-12 oz of food a day to keep her at 36 lbs...

beef ribs stripped down? what's the fun in that? :(

[ubershann]

I think it's still good for them to chew, and probably still has some flavor too. I give Tiki beef ribs for lunch sometimes (usually on work days because they're easy to transport) and she'll keep gnawing the bone long after the meat is gone. The little one will usually pick it up and chew on it (all 3 pounds of her) once Tiki has left it, and there's no meat on it at that point.

I don't think they'd be getting any calories from chewing on the bone, but they'll probably get flavor, so it would be a nice tasty treat for them, plus good exercise for their jaw, and a nice cleaning on their teeth. Win, win, win

[chowder]

I'm glad you mentioned them because I was going to ask another newbie question about the beef ribs. I know they are suppose to be rec bones but Rocky actually EATs his beef rib, bone and all. The last one he just kept at it for an hour until it was over half gone before he gave up. It's only the second time he's had them so maybe it's the novelty of them. Does that count as a meal now? He didn't have any diarhhea or anything. The amount left was about the size and width of one of my fingers and kind of sharp at the end so when he left it I threw it away. I didn't want him or Chelsy swallowing it whole.

If I leave them in two or three's next time will they stay connected while he chews on them and last him longer? And then does it still count as his meal?

[DaneMama]

We count beef ribs as a snack for our dogs. They usually supplement what we give that day because ours don't eat the bone and there's not much meat on them. Leaving them in twos or threes would definitely slow him down and if he eats the bone I would count it as a meal.

Re- is there a way for you to strip the meat off and weigh it? It may equal a meals worth...if not just give them another protein to supplement like we do.

[ubershann]

The ones I give Tiki are very meat heavy. So it counts as her lunch plus gives her some fun chewing. She doesn't eat the bone though, just chews on it

[magicre]

natalie...i don't think i have enough room for snack foods.....

yes, i could strip off the meat and weigh it and give it separately....

ideally, i'd want to keep the meat on it, although the ones we get are mostly fat.....

what i could do is just not worry about it...give them a rib in the morning for breakfast and see how nuts they are by dinner....malia could easily get two to bubba's one...

and, if i only do it occasionally, the extra calories shouldn't matter.....what's one more walk? :)

they nibble on them even now.....but they don't get much of the bone off....just then ends....even still, i like them gnawing on a rib bone...gives them a workout.

thanks.

[DaneMama]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you feed beef ribs one day, which is a lean meal...just feed a bit more the next day. We don't ever measure things out. We just feed based on body condition.

[magicre]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you feed beef ribs one day, which is a lean meal...just feed a bit more the next day. We don't ever measure things out. We just feed based on body condition.

you're not anal retentive like i am.....well, other than your freezer LOL

the ribs we have here are pretty fatty.....not much on the bone, but fatty...

yes, i still weigh.....my eye...not so good...i don't have ounces to spare...

your dane could eat bubba as an appetiser LOL

[DaneMama]

This is true...its much easier to feed larger dogs raw than it is smaller dogs. We fostered two mini dachschunds who were raw fed and it was a pain. I have great respect for small breed owners who feed raw...lots of work!

I just throw a hunk of meat outside for the girls. If they start to look fat, they get smaller hunks and vice versa LOL

[magicre]

sometimes it's easier...we don't have to force feed little tiny pieces of liver....we can give it on a daily basis, a little bit frozen....and it's small enough of a piece..less than 1/2 an ounce...so it's kind of treat like.

but even pork ribs are a pain....some of them weigh more than an entire day's eating for bubba...and he gains weight very quickly.....and pugs can't afford to gain weight because of the brachycephalic thing...plus, malia has that long corgi back and she can't afford to gain weight...

so, i don't eyeball....it takes two seconds longer to just weigh it out....

now that bubba doesn't try to gulp bone anymore...it has become easier....he used to swallow wings whole....or tried to.