Feeding whole chicken too early for 8 week old puppies?

[Schlawiner]

Hello to everybody!

About 5 weeks ago friends and me found 5 puppies (according to the vet a medium sized mixed-breed) that had been set out on the side of a road. We have been taking care of them, since bringing them to a shelter here in Romania is no option. But we can't keep them, since we are students and just don't have the time and the space to keep them and responsibly care for them. So we will bring them to my parents-in-law to Poland once our exams are over. Until them we try to give them all the love and best of care we can.

That is why I started them on raw ground pork + raw egg about a week ago at 7 weeks of age and they seem to be doing quite well. Their stool went from loose stool to a moderately firm one. Past saturday we bought a whole chicken and I first fed them the back and after that went well I fed them the wings in the following meals. After that went well they got the rest of the chicken and raw chicken from there on.


Now my question: Can I go on like that feeding them whole chicken or should I stick to ground meat since they are still so small? Even if they are the most easy to digest, feeding them only chicken backs is no option, since we just don't have the money to buy whole chickens and only use part of it. And they are not available separately.


I just want the best for them, so please tell me if I am making mistakes!


Thank you very much!!!

[bernadettelevis]

First of all, thanks for saving them! That's so great of you!!

And i would say if they manage to crunch through the bones, i don't see a problem giving them the whole chicken ;)

[Schlawiner]

Thanks for you answer! They have been doing a great job crunching the bones and as far as I can tell they are not big gulpers.

My wife just found chicken backs at a small butcher store, so I guess we will be able to feed them mainly the backs for a couple of weeks.


I think anybody would have saved them! They were lying there in the ditch. Don't know how long they had been there. They looked like they were starving. Shivering uncontrollably. It was raininig and cold. Anybody would have taken them.

[Pimzilla]

I think you would be surprised at how many people wouldn't "see" them, probably a few before you found them. I think it's a wonderful thing what you have done

Good luck with the feeding, sounds like you got it under control now. You will be surprised at how strong those little jaws are already

[Mollygirl]

You would be surprised about how many people would look the other way and pretend not to see or hear them. What you did was wonderful and to keep them and taking such good care of them. Someone didn't care because someone threw those poor puppies in the ditch.

[DaneMama]

If they had no issue with the chicken parts from before I would to ahead and feed the rest of the chicken to them. They sure are lucky puppies to have been saved by you! Post up some pictures of them!!!

[Dude and Bucks Mamma]

My 8 week old coonhounds first meal was a chicken quarter at 8 weeks and 1 day old. I brought him home from the airport, gave him a couple hours to look around and get settled, then fed him (his flight lasted all day so the fasting part was over). He went straight from kibble to chicken quarters at 8 weeks with no problems.

[Schlawiner]

Thank you all so much for the reassurance!

That's the boys: Nachwuchs | Facebook

[Schlawiner]

Thanks a lot to all for the reassurance. Judging by how the boys developed so far I kinda had the feeling that they are doing great on the raw chicken, but I just wanted to make sure that I aint harming them.

Thanks

BTW, thats them

DSC00833.jpg!

[Liz]

That is so wonderful. I am glad the little ones are doing well. My pups also like cornish game hens. Turkey neck and all turkey parts especially hearts were well loved.