# Vets and grinding bones?



## mtagntz (May 4, 2012)

I have talked to my vet a bit about switching to raw. He is skeptical about the chicken backs and what not. He if fine with Thor having beef and pork RMBs but he told me to buy a meat grinder to grind up the chicken backs. 

I understand the advantage of feeding whole bones but will the ground up bones be just as nutritionally valuable? I would feed the patties to him frozen so he would still have to knaw on them.

Thanks!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Gnawing on patties is not the same as gnawing on real bones. The huge benefit to feeding a prey model diet is the dental benefit, which you don't get it you eat ground meat. In addition, the simple act of chewing bones gives a mental and physical workout to a dog that they don't get any other way.

My dog with four teeth eats bones - mostly chicken necks and chicken heads, but every now and then I give her a chicken back. 

You might be interested in this page. It explains in detail the problems with feeding ground meat, and why whole bones are important.
Myths About Raw: Are ground raw diets an acceptable alternative to RMBs?

Here is a little bit of that page:


> Because of the growing 'fad' of feeding pre-made, ground raw diets, this is one myth that must be addressed. There are a good number of BARF feeders and raw feeders who feed their dogs ground meat and bone or pre-made, commercial raw diets. While this will always be better than commercial kibbled foods, there are still several good reasons why ground and pre-made raw should be avoided if you and your pets are able to do so (remember, even dogs with only a few teeth are still able to dispose of raw meaty bones!).


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

No, don't grind them at all. Like Xellil said, you don't get the dental benefits which is a huge part of them eating the bone.

Vets generally are skeptical of raw because they don't know enough about it or nutrition in general. So, food is one area I don't listen to my vet about.


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

Your dog can easily handle chicken bones. When raw they shouldn't splinter and the stomach acid will dissolve them so they pass through with no problems. Take a deep breath and just plunge in!


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

mtagntz said:


> I have talked to my vet a bit about switching to raw. He is skeptical about the chicken backs and what not. He if fine with Thor having beef and pork RMBs but he told me to buy a meat grinder to grind up the chicken backs.
> 
> I understand the advantage of feeding whole bones but will the ground up bones be just as nutritionally valuable? I would feed the patties to him frozen so he would still have to knaw on them.
> 
> Thanks!


So...what's the vet scared of when it comes to chicken backs? Everything that xellil has mentioned are the important reasons why you do not want to grind.

The only thing that "scares" me would be turkey wings, as they can tend to break into shards.

For the life of me, I cannot think of a reason to be wary of a chicken back. 

-- Tara


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## Georgeyporge (Dec 30, 2011)

The very first time I gave chicken it was wings and I bashed them with a mallet first, I found out very quickly though that they crunch them nicely and I happily give mine chicken backs without worrying at all. The only thing I do do, as we're newbies, is trim the skin, I didn't realise that I should have been and it caused a fare bit of gagging and regurgitating before it went down. Tho I'm not sure when I can stop trimming the skin off?


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

I'll be damned if I am going to grind my dogs meat bones lol


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

mtagntz said:


> I understand the advantage of feeding whole bones but will the ground up bones be just as nutritionally valuable? I would feed the patties to him frozen so he would still have to knaw on them.
> 
> Thanks!


As far as the original question as to nutrition....... the dog will get the same 'nutrition' out of the chicken if you grind it, as if he just eats it whole, *excluding* any dental benefits. After all, the same chicken ends up in his stomach as long as you give him the entire thing. I fed my little girl dog entirely ground meats because she had a severe jaw defect and couldn't chew bones. And my boys just kept eating the ground until about a week ago because I still own the massive grinder and just kept using it after we lost Chelsy. They get all their meat whole now though, and are really preferring it that way. 

I still may grind their turkey legs if I decide the bones are too hard for them to chew. Some here have said the drums are too hard, and others have dogs that chew them up no problem. I'll give them one and see what happens. If they can't chew the bone, I will grind it rather then waste it.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Yes, nutritionally it is the same but there will be no dental or mental benefits as the others have said.

You need to take everything your vet says with a grain of salt and it isn't just exclusive to nutrition. Vaccination and neutering are two things I don't listen to my vet about and my dogs are healthier for it but that is a discussion for another thread. 

Basically, I view my vet as someone to help me gauge the general health of my dog and the person I go to make sure there isn't anything going wrong with my dog in addition to fixing any injuries they might have. All other things I take with a grain of salt.


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## mtagntz (May 4, 2012)

Ok. It sounds like I need to take a deep breath and let him handle it :smile:


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Deep breathing, meditation, or the local favorite is a stiff drink . Your dog will be fine - my 6 week old sheltie puppies can plow through pretty much any part of a chicken. My big collies chomp a back 3 or 4 times and swallow. Remember dogs do NOT chew like we do. they chomp on something only enough to get it the right size to swallow so count yourself blessed to get a few chomps before it goes down. He will be fine and so will you. You will soon enjoy watching your carnivore eat like he was meant to. 

Vets have very little nutritional training. the last thing I would ever go to my vet for is nutritional information.  Enjoy the change.


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## VizslaMama (Feb 15, 2012)

Copper gets his chicken back/carcasses, turkey necks straight from the freezer. His teeth are wonderfully white and has never had a problem. 

I forgot to thaw out his morning bnls meal of beef heart the other day. He has already had a lot of bone in meals so he had to have it. So I just grabbed a bag of the stuff, one solid chunk and tossed it outside. Took him a while, but he loved every minute of it!!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Whose your vet?


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## mtagntz (May 4, 2012)

Kulshan Vet. Do you know of any hollistic vets in the Bellingham area?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I think the ones in Fairhaven are suppose to be pretty good, I use Maplewood, Dr Rabkin, we just don't discuss nutrition and my dogs diet anymore. Although, once you feed raw for awhile you won't find a lot of use for a vet, just the 3yr rabies shot anyway.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

I do not grind for my dogs. They get chicken backs just fine.


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## BeagleCountry (Jan 20, 2012)

xellil said:


> My dog with four teeth eats bones - mostly chicken necks and chicken heads, but every now and then I give her a chicken back.


If you don't mind me asking which 4 teeth does Snorkels still have?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

BeagleCountry said:


> If you don't mind me asking which 4 teeth does Snorkels still have?


Luckily, they are her four canines. I'm not sure she could eat bones if it wasn't those teeth. Most especially not if they didn't oppose each other.


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