# Golden Retriever not chewing thoroughly



## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

this recently became a problem - no idea why - didn't happen for first 2.5 years:

whether raw turkey necks or chicken quarters, Tovah eats too fast - chews until she can "inhale" the remainder:

twice recently, she has vomited chunks of bones the next morning. I'm afraid of intestinal blockage - she seems to be constipated - I think she went 2 or 3 days without bowel movement the last time. She runs through the woods with her brother for hours, etc. (Her brother, 4 months younger, chews all his food that has bones very thoroughly), and doesn't seem bothered by it, but I don't know what to do - they've been on raw their entire lives, mostly chicken.

thanks for advice


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Feed them frozen. You can also feed whole, frozen Cornish hens, or even go with a whole chicken, not just the quarters. But feeding frozen will help slow eating.


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## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

*thanks*

good idea! Reminds me of our interior Alaskan life from decades ago- in winter, mushers throwing out frozen whole salmon, or whatever, to their dogs. 



naturalfeddogs said:


> Feed them frozen. You can also feed whole, frozen Cornish hens, or even go with a whole chicken, not just the quarters. But feeding frozen will help slow eating.


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## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

would like to get whole Cornish game hens - but too expensive - right now I get 40 lb chicken quarters or necks for 69¢/lb


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Is the puppy finishing before she is? I had a dog who would try to finish eating before the others. She wasn’t rushing to “scavage”. She just wanted to be first. She did slow down when we made all of them lay down after eating instead of running around. My SO figured she didn’t want to miss out on any “playtime”.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Is the puppy finishing before she is? I had a dog who would try to finish eating before the others. She wasn’t rushing to “scavage”. She just wanted to be first. She did slow down when we made all of them lay down after eating instead of running around. My SO figured she didn’t want to miss out on any “playtime”.


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## 2reddogs (Jan 5, 2019)

Hi Robert,

It's a good thing that she vomited it out. Sometimes it's not about the food, maybe there's something wrong in her gut. It's best to call a vet to be sure, just piece of advice

Regards.


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## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

I feed one outside and one in so they don't feel like they have to rush to finish - it's just the way the female is.


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## OtherGuy (Nov 30, 2016)

Hey Robert,

I'm with Jenny on promoting better chewing by serving frozen pieces; however, I'm concerned by the fact that you say you are feeding mainly chicken given the signs you are pointing out.

Bone-in chicken pieces like quarters have about 2.5 times the amount of bone a dog should be getting per meal. Adding necks only adds to the bone-heavy imbalance.

The symptoms you describe are classic responses to too much bone in the diet. Chewing better isn't a fix to the potentially serious nutritional problems that can result from feeding too much bone.

Bone should only comprise 10% of the diet. Vomiting and constipation are caused by too much bone. And too much calcium in the diet (as a result of too much bone) is dangerous to canine health. Take the warning signs seriously.


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## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

thank you. what are your resources for saying "Bone-in chicken pieces like quarters have about 2.5 times the amount of bone a dog should be getting per meal." ?


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## robert.shalit (Jan 1, 2019)

also, how does one determine what percentage of a piece of chicken or other animal is bone, and if you say "2.5%x...." how is this derived? thank you


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## OtherGuy (Nov 30, 2016)

Hi Robert,

Leg quarters have about 27% bone. The target bone percentage to keep the critical calcium to phosphorus ratios at 1.2:1 is feeding 10% bone. That puts quarters (alone) at about 2.5 times more bone than optimal. Adding very boney necks would only worsten the situation.

Over time feeding this much bone will cause a nutritional imbalance. Too much calcium relative to phosphorus is dangerous to dog's health. I'm very pro raw feeding, but this is the hard truth.

Many websites aimed at raw feeders have aggregated the bone percentages of common cuts. Sometimes they vary slightly. Once can also use the USDA Food Composition Database.

Here are a few pages I found in a quick Google search:

https://therawfeedingcommunity.com/.../bone-fat-content-percentages-in-raw-meaty-b...

https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-fe...-bone-guide/bone-percentages-in-cuts-of-meat/

https://therawfedk9.com/bone-%-in-cuts-of-meat

Common Cuts: A Guide To Raw Meaty Bones - Raw Chat - PMR Articles - articles - Prey Model Raw


Best,

Bill


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