# What bone is this?



## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

I bought a package of turkey wings, but when I stripped the meat off the one, well... I don't think this is a wing bone! Pictured here next to an actual wing bone. Am I looking at a turkey thigh, and, more importantly, is it safe to feed to my tiny monsters?


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Any of the bones from poultry are safe to feed  My question is why do you remove the meat?? Thats how they work their neck and jaw muscles and clean their teeth.


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

I don't really have a choice.. Corona can only have 0.7oz per meal, and George no more than 2oz per meal. Even a turkey wing bone is over 2oz, and George doesn't tear at those, just gives 'em a couple of crunches and down the hatch.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

this is why G'd created mallets and cleavers.


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> I bought a package of turkey wings, but when I stripped the meat off the one, well... I don't think this is a wing bone! Pictured here next to an actual wing bone. Am I looking at a turkey thigh, and, more importantly, is it safe to feed to my tiny monsters?
> 
> View attachment 6362


That looks like a turkey thigh to me. Of course boneless turkey is fine to feed, however, you are getting ripped off by purchasing bone in turkey when you are not feeding the bone. You may consider purchasing boneless turkey or turkey necks. I did the same as you and bought both wings and thighs, however, the thigh bone was more bone than I wanted to feed, and I ended up wasting alot of it.


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

Oh I've been feeding the bone! I can't afford to waste it.


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> Oh I've been feeding the bone! I can't afford to waste it.


Then I am confused. Are you feeding the bone stripped of meat and skin? I would never do that with turkey, or anything else for that matter. Turkey wings tend to splinter, so be aware that you may find some sharp shards. I am not a turkey wing fan, however, my Doxie sets the shards to the side and won't eat them. I choose not to feed turkey wings, but your dogs may do just fine with them.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I would just buy some sharp shears to cut the wings into meaty chunks that still contain some bone.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> this is why G'd created mallets and cleavers.





twoisplenty said:


> I would just buy some sharp shears to cut the wings into meaty chunks that still contain some bone.


I agree with both Re and Kaco's(twoisplenty just makes me laugh!LOL)

Either shears or a good mallet and cleaver are a MUST for the kitchen ESPECIALLY when you have small dogs!!!:wink:


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

If I cut them into chunks, George won't chew, or tear.. he'll just swallow, like he does with chicken wings.. one or two chomps and gone.

Can't believe I've been doing this wrong all along.. :frown:


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

CoverTune said:


> If I cut them into chunks, George won't chew, or tear.. he'll just swallow, like he does with chicken wings.. one or two chomps and gone.
> 
> *Use the cleaver on it a couple times and WHACK...its shattered! :wink:*
> 
> Can't believe I've been doing this wrong all along.. :frown:


Well I dont think you are doing it "all wrong" but...me personally if I had your little dogs I wouldnt be trying to use turkey bones unless I could smash the 'ell out of them!!:wink:


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

But how does that help with the chewing they're supposed to do? Then they'll just swallow shattered pieces of bone..

I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk about this, I'm just confused.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> But how does that help with the chewing they're supposed to do? Then they'll just swallow shattered pieces of bone..
> 
> I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk about this, I'm just confused.


No worries, I buy turkey legs and strip the meat off. At 3-4 oz a meal, the leg can give me enough boneless meats for quite a few meals. I leave some meat on the bone, and give that as a separate meal. Louis will crack it open and eat most of the marrow. He will also eat the ends, but the middle part of the leg bone is usually too hard for him so what he does is just clean it out and then walks away from it. I could buy boneless turkey sure, but I prefer it this way (even if stripping turkey legs is a giant pain) because it's one more RMB or rec bone for him to happily gnaw through. 

Things are a little different for us little dog owners :smile: I've ever tried turkey thigh though, but I'd imagine my little 13 pounder would crack it open and eat what he can!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

you want to get them a good teeth workout - I do that with rib bones (little dogs and alot of bigger dogs can't crack the bone). That's really good for their teeth. And you can cut the meat off enough so they are getting just a few oz.

BIG things like turkey necks for little dogs also give a great tooth cleaning. Now, you can't cut them down to the proper amount. I feed them to Snorkels frozen so it takes her awhile and makes her work for it, and take it away when I've estimated she's gotten 2-3 oz of meat off of it. She can eventually eat the bone but I really would rather she not because of the resulting constipation. 

I also give her chicken necks - frozen, she gets some chewing. And they are pretty close to eating size. I will also give her the 1/2 of a chicken back that comes with a leg quarter. She gets a workout on that one, also.

She also loves chicken and rabbit heads. Lots of good stuff in there and work for them. Chicken heads are just a few oz. 

She can't do chicken feet very well but your dog probably could. you could cut off a couple of toes to make it smaller.

What I would try to avoid is stripping meat off and leaving a bone they can eat by itself.


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

I try to leave a bit of meat on the bones I give them, more like the smaller wing bone in the picture.. that thigh is definitely the most "naked" bone I've had, and that's just how the meat came off.

George will likely be another couple of months before he can have a rib, but Corona is happily gnawing away at one right now.

I'm also really wary of giving George anything frozen anymore.. I tried that with a chicken wing, hoping he would get a little more of a chewing workout, and he tried to swallow it whole and was truly choking on it for a minute.

Chicken necks are a good meal size, but they don't get any more chewing than the wings do. I should see if I can get more backs though, I think those took him a few seconds longer.. and I haven't been able to find turkey necks yet, but have a place in mind to check.

My boy is such a problem child  lol


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Definitely, the bigger the better. I have found with Snorkels that giving her size-appropriate meat like a chicken neck doesn't give her teeth that much of a workout. She will swallow a chicken neck whole if it's not frozen.

But if i give her a bone that's ten times too large for her it's great.

I'm trying the same thing with Rebel - he won't use his front teeth so turkey necks, chicken quarters etc. are never touched by his front teeth. I got a hogshead and a lambshead and he's forced to work it more with his teeth. 

Even multiple attached ribs wont work with him - if he can grab a corner, he will gnaw on the back.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> If I cut them into chunks, George won't chew, or tear.. he'll just swallow, like he does with chicken wings.. one or two chomps and gone.
> 
> Can't believe I've been doing this wrong all along.. :frown:


don't feel badly. what you can do is give the entire wing...time the eating and trade up for something else and take it away when he's had enough. 

a whole wing or thigh is fine.....as long as you leave a little meat on it....

when i fed turkey necks, i let them have the whole thing..and then i'd trade them for a juicy morsel of something and take it back until next time.

for complicated eating, i give them beef ribs, which is always too much...for you you can get baby back pork ribs..the bone is harder....than the pork ribs we get for edible bone. my pug couldn't eat the bone....although maybe he could now.

with george, the bigger the bone, the better for you....he can't swallow a beef rib. 

sounds like problem child is related to bubba who swallowed an entire drumstick....and then horked it up multiple times.

i'd give him really big bones....and in time he'll learn not to swallow. he'll start gnawing.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

magicre said:


> when i fed turkey necks, i let them have the whole thing..and then i'd trade them for a juicy morsel of something and take it back until next time.


So simple, and yet I never thought of it. When i take a bone away from Snorkels, she totally freaks. She'll run from me if she sees me coming and when I touch her bone we get into a huge tug of war for it. Never thought of a trade out.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

xellil said:


> So simple, and yet I never thought of it. When i take a bone away from Snorkels, she totally freaks. She'll run from me if she sees me coming and when I touch her bone we get into a huge tug of war for it. Never thought of a trade out.


bubba would have a psychotic melt down if ever i tried to just take something away. so would i, for that matter, with my own food.

i hate waiters who come and take my plate when i'm resting. i think i stabbed one in the hand for doing that...

but, trading up?

what i did was kneel a bit of a distance away and just held up the morsel.....once it got their attention, i gave it to them..

each few times, i'd get closer and closer....i don't like to stress my dogs...but if i need to take something, i need to take something.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Rebel is easy - I just say "leave it" and he gets up and walks off. He's such a good dog.

But psychotic meltdown is a good term for what Snorkels does. And since I am giving her alot of bones now that she can't finish off, she gets nervous when I am withing 20 feet of her. 

i will definitely try your method, thank you.


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

magicre said:


> sounds like problem child is related to bubba who swallowed an entire drumstick....and then horked it up multiple times.


I'm not sure if that's better or worse than Miss Lila. She once got a drumstick added to her meal (needed more weight for that meal, but another quarter was too much). She must have swallowed it whole, cause it sure as hell came out the other end in one piece!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

With the Old Man, I started out holding his meat and telling him to slow, chew so that he wouldn't swallow his meal whole. After a short time, I could let go and just remind him to chew. Maybe this could work for you.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Yea, I always trade with something yummy...at first I would just tell him to drop it and take it away, but that quickly led to growling, which is a big no no!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

BoxerParty said:


> I'm not sure if that's better or worse than Miss Lila. She once got a drumstick added to her meal (needed more weight for that meal, but another quarter was too much). She must have swallowed it whole, cause it sure as hell came out the other end in one piece!


Yikes. Snorkels swallowed a chicken neck whole, but it didn't come out looking anything like it went in. That had to hurt!


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

xellil said:


> Yikes. Snorkels swallowed a chicken neck whole, but it didn't come out looking anything like it went in. That had to hurt!


Didn't seem to bother her much, actually....


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

BoxerParty said:


> Didn't seem to bother her much, actually....


Dogs are so tough. If I pooped or threw up and it had bone shards in it, I'd be in the ER. Dogs just seem to take it in stride.


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