# Introducing Pork



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

More questions :biggrin:

Next week I will introduce pork as turkey has been smooth sailing.

What cuts of pork are appropriate for 50-60 pound poodles?

Also,

Turkey drummies are okay, right? That bone seems huge...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i'd start with pork ribs.....not the baby back or the country ribs...but a rack of ribs...

for your size dog....maybe five or six, not cut.....

i have smaller dogs, so someone with a larger dog could tell you how many ribs....but don't give them individually.....give them still connected....


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Yes, I would also start with a rack of pork ribs. They are one of my dogs favorite meals. Depending on the size of the rib and what part of the slab your cutting from will depend on how many ribs you'll want to feed. On average my 47 pound Pointer would eat about 2 ribs attached for a meal while my 75 pound BRT pup would eat about 3-4 ribs attached for a meal. I would just eyeball the amount....

Also, my Pointer could not get through a turkey drumstick. My BRT could, but it took him a while and several times he just didn't finish all the bone. My guys seem to like turkey necks and wings much better. You could give a drumstick a try and see how your dogs do, keep in mind that turkey bones are much denser than chicken bones so a bit harder to chew up. :smile:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Remember to keep the rib bones as a slab when feeding, you don't want to cut them up individually. 

Also, turkey drummies in my opinion would classify more of a rec bone than edible bone for most dogs. This is because most dogs don't eat the full bone but rather just crunch it up. You'll probably see bone fragments that will make you feel uncomfortable feeding them but I can say that they are perfectly edible. I don't worry about it and never have had a problem. Just pick up the loose pieces.


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

I'd also vote for pork ribs. 

My crew each eats about 2 ribs and they're set. 

I have fed Turkey Drumsticks to Nallah & Morgan and they are able to go through the bone.........they're pretty big bones but they did fine. I was a little nervous about feeding them so they won't be on our menu often.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Ribs are amazing and really soft too.

About turkey drums, if my tiny dogs can crunch through em, I'm sure Millie and Henry won't have a problem ;P.

P.S: They don't actually eat them whole, but they manage to break them well enough.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

*Ribs!?*

Who knew ribs could be so confusing? I stopped at the grocery today and they only had baby back ribs and spare ribs  Which ones are considered just "a rack of pork ribs"??? 

Perhaps I will try a different grocery store tomorrow and/or maybe Walmart? Has anyone found decent pork at Walmart that is not enhanced?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Either one will do just fine, the only real difference is price and quality of the cut. Baby backs are more desired by people so they tend to cost more. Either would be fine for your dogs.


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## jjcj (Nov 26, 2010)

Dont buy a whole lot of pork as it makes Casey really smelly. I just through away a bunch of pork heart and some tails. Tonnes of pork can be found around her they even had the jowels at one store but unfortunatly it doesn`t go well here.

Since space is such an issue here i will buy a small amount of new protiens more often till i see how they react to the new food


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I saw tons of unenhanced pork at Wal Mart last night. Granted we have a huve ethnic population, so that could explain why there were all kinds of "odds and ends".

I felt weird having split pork feet in my cart until I noticed the lady in front of me had packages of pork necks... and I was like hey where'd you find those! lol


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

I scored boneless pork ribs from our co-op that are really good.
We even slap them on the grill with BBQ for our selves. Our co-op supplier distributes to a lot of restaurants in the area. 

I haven't fed bone in pork yet, but I have so many other bone in options I am happy to have the pork ribs to add more pure meat to the mix.

We have also been doing pork kidney...Flip will only eat them frozen, but Jack likes them any which way. I suggest wearing gloves when handling them if you get some...they are stinky and sometimes the smell sticks to your hands.


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## SuriLove (Mar 28, 2010)

Mine love pork ribs! This was the third protein I introduced and its been a hit every since. Mine do well, no gas thankfully!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> Who knew ribs could be so confusing? I stopped at the grocery today and they only had baby back ribs and spare ribs  Which ones are considered just "a rack of pork ribs"???
> 
> Perhaps I will try a different grocery store tomorrow and/or maybe Walmart? Has anyone found decent pork at Walmart that is not enhanced?


baby backs are fine, albeit more expensive...but you've got a standard poodle and baby backs were too small a chew for even my lightweight babies...save the baby backs for you...

spare ribs are what you want....they are a harder bone than chicken and might give your dog more of a work out now than in six months when your dog's jaw and teeth and neck are much stronger....


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

SuriLove said:


> Mine love pork ribs! This was the third protein I introduced and its been a hit every since. Mine do well, no gas thankfully!


me too.....and i found that when i intro'd it, they had a little trouble eating the bone..and now they both plow right through them.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

*Pork Problems?*

Yesterday I added a slight bit (1-2 ounces) of boneless pork to Henry & Millie's chicken quarter breakfasts. They tolerated this well and both had nice, firm stools today. So, I gave them pork spare ribs for breakfast today. 

Henry seems to not be tolerating the pork ribs as well as Millie is. He has been like hacking/gagging intermittently all day but nothing comes up. He still eats treats, drinks water and has energy. It is making me a little nervous though! He has a tacked stomach - I am not sure if this matters??? 

I personally am hoping its just that he is older than Millie (he's almost 3 years) and is just having a more difficult time digesting the harder pork bones. He has only had poultry bones until now. He also had a much harder time than Millie crunching up the bone. It took him a good 15 minutes. This is quite interesting because he has much bigger teeth than her! 

Anyway, do you think this coughing/gagging is likely due to the harder bones? 

I hope that he feels better once the bones continue to digest.

Thanks!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

without seeing or hearing him....it almost sounds as if during his gnawing and crunching as a first timer...maybe he scratched his throat...have you ever done that? I have...especially with popcorn...and it makes me cough because it feels like there is something there when there isn't.....it's just a little bit irritated....

see how he is doing tomorrow.....and remember to breathe ....

because they are new and so far have only been eating bones from chicken which are softer...as you get into the pork ribs...you'll find in a few months...henry will plow through a rib in nothing flat, because his gums are nice, his teeth are stronger, his jaw is stronger and his neck muscles are stronger and healthier.....and the 15 minutes will be 5....

my pug, who took almost a half hour to eat a baby back rib now plows through a standard spare rib in a few minutes.....

pork ribs are harder than chicken, yes, but they aren't that hard.....eminently edible....and your babies are still adapting.....


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Ick! Henry threw up bones all over my bed this morning :frown: I think it was just a combination of the hunger pukes and a tummy full of undigested bones. It is crazy how much easier Millie is adapting to raw than Henry. She can handle anything. Actually, Henry is doing quite well but he seems to have trouble digesting larger amounts of bone at once. Perhaps the ribs were just too much bone in one sitting for him. Although, Millie is a smaller girl and she had just as much  

The last time Henry did that gagging/coughing and then bone vomiting was after the first time I gave him a chicken back on our first day of raw.

Anyway, thanks for the support!:biggrin:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yeah it might be that he doesnt handle high bone content meals, which is perfectly fine! Every dog is a little different in what they can handle. Millie is what I'd consider a system of steel, but Henry is a lot more sensitive. 

Is Henry older than Millie? That might have something to do with his sensitivity.....


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Yep - Henry is almost 3. Millie is almost 11 months.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

You could always feed boneless pork (I use pork shoulder roasts) with a chicken back, or something. That way, he gets the new protein, but keeps the bone content low. Or just feed the ribs with boneless chicken.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

That's what I was thinking - boneless pork with chicken quarters or backs. I actually did that the day before I introduced the ribs and everything was great aside from a teensy bit of gas :wink:

ETA: Millie is pretty darn excited that she gets the rest of the pork ribs!!


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