# I Kind Of Screwed Up



## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

I think this goes in this part of the forum but if not, mods, please place it where it's supposed to go.

Grab a cup of coffee, kids, this one is a bit long.

So, raw feeding. Everything was going well. The hoodlums worshiped me, the cats adored me, I've been living off of Cup O Noodles and cereal because I always forget to buy meat for myself...but whatevs, man! We were having a ball!

Until.........

Well, first let me state that I have got it down to a science now. It doesn't have to be this difficult or time consuming but after my mishap, I decided to do the math and the calculations and do the containers and weigh and divide and all that stuff not only for the zoo but for my own peace of mind. (Plus, it makes life easier when I come home. I have a months supply of food for everyone, in containers, a menu up on my fridge, to ensure that everyone gets the amount of stuff they're supposed to get and I do not screw this up again.)

So, I have been buying a lot of pork shoulder roast thingie that has a bone in it. It's a ball joint bone and after much cutting, pulling, tearing, swearing, crying and teeth gnashing, I am able to pull the thing apart. 

In the beginning, I was able to give this to the hoodlums to chomp upon and it would last them for quite awhile. It was something to keep their mouths busy...busy on the bone, not so busy on my comforter, couch, pillows, side of bed, etc.

I had only done it once before, in the beginning as I said, because, truly, it is a PAIN to get that thing apart and is far too much for one dog alone. 

Anyway, I go to the store one day, to stock up on supplies, get two of those pork roast shoulder picnic thingies with the ball joint bone contraption nestled inside, (very securely), and when I got home, I put one in the freezer, (because, seriously? I can only do one at a time before I start thinking of kibble again...it's a lot of work!), and start cutting up the other one to divide in to meals for cats and hoodlums, alike.

There is skin on this thing too which is what makes it a real pain in the hind quarters to get through...but I persevere...for the hoodlums. And cats.

I get through it all, I weigh, divide and conquer and am now looking at a pile of skin, (garbage...it's too much skin), and my nemesis, the ball joint bone.

But I, foolishly, declared that, "Today, the hoodlums shall enjoy this bone because they have been listening! And been obedient! And have peed and pooed when asked and have not done so when not asked! And have barked at anyone passing by to warn them that 'thou shalt not trespass' and all other sorts of good doggie sundries! Hoodlums! Come get what you deserve, you adorable little mutts!"

I fought the good fight, got the joint bone ball nightmare apart and gave each dog a section. 

They were delighted. I was delighted. The cats were jealous. 

I figured that would keep them busy and quiet all night long and got to doin' what I needed to be doin', on the internets, to continue towards my financial freedom.

After some time, I decided it was time to haul myself to bed. I went to each hoodlum, one at a time and noticed..."Wassat?! Where's the...what? How is that possible?" I looked and searched, got down on my hands and kneecaps and crawled and lifted and moved...but could not find any remnants of the bone from either dog.

HOLY cow! They both ate the entire thing! Wow. Raw feeding has really done something to these two.

But I, foolishly, did not realize I had erred.

Until........

The next day.

I got home from work, I took each hoodlum out. Boy hoodlum did his business, both parts, and we went happily along, strolling down the street.

Now, allow me to digress for just one moment. I kid you not, the very day before, some neighbors actually started commenting, complimenting my hoodlum dogs on how beautiful and shiny they were. They couldn't get over it. 

I merely mentioned it was because of the raw feeding. One neighbor said, "I guess I just had to see it to believe it."

Huzzah! YES! We are getting somewhere....soon, everyone will know the benefits! I am doing my part for the greater good of the animal kingdom, namely, the housepet department.

And I strutted myself and my hoodlums up and down the street for a long period of time just in case anyone may have missed just how beautiful and shiny they are.

But, the very next day, post ball joint shoulder bone nightmare, things were to change.

I, still full of myself, and gloating, strutted, once again, boy hoodlum up and down the street, letting him get out, get exercised, sniff around, enjoy. He had already done his business so I felt confident that I was going to show even more neighbors just how great raw feeding can be.

We had approached another group of neighbors who were hanging out together, in their yard, after a hard day of work, having an adult beverage when, of course, boy hoodlum had to go again. Well, not completely normal but also not completely abnormal. 

I hauled him over to a grassy area and he began to leave a deposit when the screaming started.

WTH?

Naturally, my neighbors wanted to know what was going on, was he alright, what was happening?

I informed them he was having a bit of a painful poo...and at the same time I was telling them this, I realized why and what I had done and how stupid could I possibly be?! GAH! Of course I shouldn't have given them that blasted ball joint shoulder nightmare the night before. Idiot!!!!!! 

And of course, since I have neighbors who are convinced I'm going to "kill" my dogs with raw feeding, someone had to say something.

He was driving by, in his truck, saw and heard what was going on and yelled out of his window, loud enough for all to hear, "Stop feeding your dogs chicken bones!!!"

He was going to visit this group, got out of his truck and said it again, LOUDLY.

On the one hand, he was right..it WAS because of bone but he was WRONG because it wasn't the *&[email protected]!!! chicken bone! Everyone wants to resort to chicken bone as the evil of feeding raw. If something goes wrong, it's because of CHICKEN BONE!

I told him, "I don't tell you what to feed your dog, don't tell me what to feed mine." 

He repeated himself AGAIN, in front of everyone and he's the type that it's pointless to even try to converse with because those types never let you finish a sentence, EVER. They are right, you are wrong and they don't shut their yaps long enough to hear another point of view or version of the story.

So I merely stated, 'Ok, whatever. Yah, whatever, you have no idea what you're talking about...moving ON.'

Now, the neighbor who had, just the day before, said that she just needed to see it, happened to be there when this all went down. I went up to her later and explained what had happened.

It wasn't fricken chicken bone! GAR! It was because I gave them too much bone, WAY too much bone, thinking they would gnaw on it for a couple of days. That clearly I was a novice at raw feeding, learning as I go and I will make mistakes along the way. I told her they've been raw fed for several months and what took them forever to get through before can now be annihilated in seconds because their jaws, teeth and all that are so much stronger now.

I FORGOT THAT PART!

Plus, we had moved on from the bone in meals all the time during transition so they didn't need much bone like they did before.

I FORGOT THAT PART, TEMPORARILY!

Thankfully she understood and was still leaning towards pro raw now that she sees the results and I'm willing to admit when I screw up.

And I did screw up. I wasn't thinking clearly when I gave them this stupid, insipid bone.

So now I have to start all over again, meaning, proving to the neighbors that raw is not going to kill my dogs, feeding them raw chicken bones is not going to kill them, they aren't going to choke to death, they are not going to get diseases and worms and die...they will continue to improve as long as I don't get stupid again and give them that much bone to "gnaw" on because they no longer "gnaw" on bones. They eat them.

Who cares what the neighbors think? I only care to shut them up. I do not talk about raw feeding unless asked or someone comments on how great the dogs look. I will then only state, "It's because I feed them raw." If they want to know or ask more, fine, we will discuss but I don't talk about it because I want the proof to be in the dogs' appearance. Then, and only then, will those who claim I'm going to kill them, start to realize that no, I'm not, they are doing well, they look better than yours, they are healthier than yours, they are better behaved than yours....etc.

So, I screwed up and put raw feeding back in peoples' minds but eventually, I will make up for it when they continue to thrive, in the future. hwell:


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

Eh, you live and you learn. Right? I mean, how disastrous was it REALLY? Shasta had one hard little poo. That's not too big a deal! What about when you give your dog the wrong kibble and they break out in a full body rash that takes WEEKS to heal? I think THAT'S way worse. I guess my point is, when raw goes bad you usually end up with some sort of poo issue. When kibble goes bad, you need medication. I pick poo.

I've gotten the same pork think you fed. It SUUUUCCCKKKKKEEEDDD cutting it up. Mine actually had 2 joints to break apart, but only one of them was a ball & socket thingy. I only bought them once. But I did the same thing you did; I gave it to Ania and walked away. I really didn't think she'd be able to get through the bone. If I thought she might, I would have kept a better eye on her and taken it away at some point because it was way too much for one meal.

But she ate it all. And the next morning, she puked it all. On the carpet. 

I'm glad you've come back!! I missed your funny stories!!! The hoodlums must've grown a lot by now.... You should really post some updated pictures. ;-)


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Ania's Mommy said:


> Eh, you live and you learn. Right? I mean, how disastrous was it REALLY? Shasta had one hard little poo. That's not too big a deal! What about when you give your dog the wrong kibble and they break out in a full body rash that takes WEEKS to heal? I think THAT'S way worse. I guess my point is, when raw goes bad you usually end up with some sort of poo issue. When kibble goes bad, you need medication. I pick poo.
> 
> I've gotten the same pork think you fed. It SUUUUCCCKKKKKEEEDDD cutting it up. Mine actually had 2 joints to break apart, but only one of them was a ball & socket thingy. I only bought them once. But I did the same thing you did; I gave it to Ania and walked away. I really didn't think she'd be able to get through the bone. If I thought she might, I would have kept a better eye on her and taken it away at some point because it was way too much for one meal.
> 
> ...


^What she said! (All of it!)

Welcome back! Now let's see some pics!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Despite the incident of your story...very entertaining indeed! 

Next time, try just feeding the bone attached to a LOT of meat to counteract that....

OR give raw beef ribs for raw chew bones for the hoodlums :wink:


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Oh my! What a story! I don't mean to laugh...(but I am)....Your story telling is awesome! :laugh:

I am happy to hear that it was nothing worse...and that the silly hoodlum is okay. Glad to see you back! :thumb:


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I love how you write, your stories are so entertaining, welcome back! :smile:

It definitely sucks this happened to Shasta, especially in front of your neighbors! If it's any consolation, I was a lazy moron once and fed Peyton an entire turkey breast bone because I was having a really hard time hacking my way through it (those things are HUGE for those who don't know) with a good bit of the meat removed. Oddly enough, rather than making her constipated, the extra huge meal actually gave her horrendous diarrhea that took forever to cure afterwards (we are back to normal now, thank goodness!). Still, lesson learned! 

I have heard that you can request that the butcher at the store chops the pork shoulder roast into as many pieces as you would like with their magical bone saw in the back room. Perhaps y'all could try that next time you buy pork shoulder roast thingie to avoid the eternal struggle between man and bone.


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## isabellak (Oct 26, 2010)

Very funny story! I bought a shoulder roast for Lily. When I got it home and saw what I would need to do to prepare it for her, I pulled out my slow cooker and made pulled pork instead - for us 2-legged folks, of course.


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## Jackielyn (May 27, 2009)

Poor pooch! We need to start a thread "How to tell when your dog has had too much bone!"

-They start screaming during a bowel movement.

-Their poop turns to dust before it hits the ground (that is my too much bone story)

Any others?

We live and learn!


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## candiceb (Jan 22, 2010)

I actually just did the same thing two days ago. Got that stupid pork shoulder because it was cheap, got tired of cutting on the whole thing, and gave the very meaty bone to my Brittany. Well, he sure snarfed that thing down faster than I thought! But...we haven't had any digestive upset yet...:shocked:


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Hee hee, I bought one of those picnic roasts on the weekend as well. I've only got one dog, so I was just hacking off chunks each night and giving them to her. Tuesday night was the last piece, the one with meat and those bones. And, she ate almost the whole bone as well. And, yesterday she too yelped when she pooped out a big chunk of bone. I guess I would have screamed too if it happened to me. No big deal though, she got over it in a couple of seconds. 
She'll be right mate, no worries. Screw what other people think, life is too short for that....


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Man, I buy picnic roasts all the time. I just slice the meat off and throw away the bone!


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Ughh, why do people in Miami have to be so "chusma", getting up in everyone's business?

At least the neighbor understands, the only thing that really matters is that you know it works.

Speaking of which, I'll be buying pork roasts this week xD, oh gawd, now you've scared me.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

3Musketeers said:


> Ughh, why do people in Miami have to be so "chusma", getting up in everyone's business?


I know! Right? 



> At least the neighbor understands, the only thing that really matters is that you know it works.


Yah, she knows how some of "them" can be. By the way, just this morning I was speaking to another neighbor of mine who has two Boston Terriers and SHE brought up that she was getting interested in raw feeding. (Yay!) I told her that we should sit down at some point and go over everything, the pros, what's really in commercial pet food, what people will say, what you can prove with facts, how well they will do, what to feed, etc.

She doesn't have great internet connection right now because, she said, "Everytime my husband gets on the computer, he breaks it." But, there may be another convert yet! 



> Speaking of which, I'll be buying pork roasts this week xD, oh gawd, now you've scared me.


Don't be scared. Get a sharp knife, set aside some time and toss the bone. The reason it takes me so long to get through is because I also feed my cats raw and I do still cut up in to smaller pieces so it takes longer. I have to deal with enough gang wars when I break out the catnip, I can't handle more drive bys with food.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Before I begin, I would like you all to know how pleased I am with myself that I have finally learned how to do multiple quotes. 



Ania's Mommy said:


> Eh, you live and you learn. Right? I mean, how disastrous was it REALLY? Shasta had one hard little poo. That's not too big a deal! What about when you give your dog the wrong kibble and they break out in a full body rash that takes WEEKS to heal? I think THAT'S way worse. I guess my point is, when raw goes bad you usually end up with some sort of poo issue. When kibble goes bad, you need medication. I pick poo.


Agreed. I knew it wasn't that big of a deal...course, wasn't my hiney it was coming out of but still, it was just one little hard poo but "the others" made it out to be a galactic error. (And btw, sorry, one day, I will learn how to spell your name. I will. If it's the last thing I do, I will spell that name correctly! i,i,i,i,i,i not a!)




danemama08 said:


> Despite the incident of your story...very entertaining indeed!
> 
> Next time, try just feeding the bone attached to a LOT of meat to counteract that....
> 
> OR give raw beef ribs for raw chew bones for the hoodlums :wink:


Natalie: Those ribs are about the only thing I have not seem them devour so I'll stick to that. As for the joint ball bone horror, there won't be a next time...it's way too much bone. Besides, this turned out in my favor after all. Once I sat down and did all the calculations and measuring, I've chopped off another good chunk of change I don't actually have to be spending on meat. I was still feeding a bit much and not getting enough organ in there. Now it's all done right and only one day out of the month does it suck to be me but the other days, I just pull out the doggie and kitteh t.v. dinners. It's pretty nifty.



saraj2878 said:


> Oh my! What a story! I don't mean to laugh...(but I am)....Your story telling is awesome! :laugh:
> 
> I am happy to hear that it was nothing worse...and that the silly hoodlum is okay. Glad to see you back! :thumb:


Thank you! (And you called it, he's definitely a silly hoodlum.)



rannmiller said:


> I love how you write, your stories are so entertaining, welcome back! :smile:
> 
> It definitely sucks this happened to Shasta, especially in front of your neighbors! If it's any consolation, I was a lazy moron once and fed Peyton an entire turkey breast bone because I was having a really hard time hacking my way through it (those things are HUGE for those who don't know) with a good bit of the meat removed. Oddly enough, rather than making her constipated, the extra huge meal actually gave her horrendous diarrhea that took forever to cure afterwards (we are back to normal now, thank goodness!). Still, lesson learned!
> 
> I have heard that you can request that the butcher at the store chops the pork shoulder roast into as many pieces as you would like with their magical bone saw in the back room. Perhaps y'all could try that next time you buy pork shoulder roast thingie to avoid the eternal struggle between man and bone.


If any of my butchers spoke any English, I would do that. You should see me just trying to get a beef heart request. It consists of a lot of signing towards my heart, making gestures of "love" and mooing like a cow. Some day I'll remember how to say it in Spanish.

And yes, lesson learned, for sure, with the bone.



isabellak said:


> Very funny story! I bought a shoulder roast for Lily. When I got it home and saw what I would need to do to prepare it for her, I pulled out my slow cooker and made pulled pork instead - for us 2-legged folks, of course.


I should have done that.



Jackielyn said:


> Poor pooch! We need to start a thread "How to tell when your dog has had too much bone!"
> 
> -They start screaming during a bowel movement.
> 
> ...


I simply must hear the "poop turning to dust before it hits the ground" story. I know it's not right but that sounds awesome! "Hey, look what my dog can do!" That is a lot of bone!!



candiceb said:


> I actually just did the same thing two days ago. Got that stupid pork shoulder because it was cheap, got tired of cutting on the whole thing, and gave the very meaty bone to my Brittany. Well, he sure snarfed that thing down faster than I thought! But...we haven't had any digestive upset yet...:shocked:


It didn't affect my girl hoodlum at all and she's way smaller than the boy. Strange.



MollyWoppy said:


> Hee hee, I bought one of those picnic roasts on the weekend as well. I've only got one dog, so I was just hacking off chunks each night and giving them to her. Tuesday night was the last piece, the one with meat and those bones. And, she ate almost the whole bone as well. And, yesterday she too yelped when she pooped out a big chunk of bone. I guess I would have screamed too if it happened to me. No big deal though, she got over it in a couple of seconds.
> She'll be right mate, no worries. Screw what other people think, life is too short for that....


Oh he was fine 20 seconds after it was all over, bounding around like nothing happened. Me? I took longer. Mostly because I was annoyed at certain busy bodies. I don't normally give two rats patookis' what other people think, people like that, but I also have this raging streak of pride that just wants them to see how so sorely, very, ignorantly WRONG they are, telling me I'm going to kill my dogs. Success is the best revenge, so to speak.

And for the compliments about the writing...thanks, all. I appreciate it. I didn't think it was going to be entertaining but I'm glad I was able to do that. It's one of my favorite things to do--entertain and teach through writing. (The "teach" part comes from the, "don't do what I just did" writing.)


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

SerenityFL said:


> If any of my butchers spoke any English, I would do that. You should see me just trying to get a beef heart request. It consists of a lot of signing towards my heart, making gestures of "love" and mooing like a cow. Some day I'll remember how to say it in Spanish.


Corazon de Res

Res = beef
Corazon = heart

Not nice getting "I don espeekee inglee""


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i just knew this story was going to be a good one....thanks for the laugh...more importantly....this goes into the column of 'know thy dog'...and you score a point for now knowing what not to do.

once i got the feeding down, i became prideful. i was the raw diva. i tell everyone.

and yesterday, i took my dogs, both of them to the vet, because their hair is falling out...and didn't my vet make jokes about 'gee, must be the raw? '....he's lucky i know him well....and that he was being tongue in cheek...

i now can't tell anyone that i feed raw until we figure out why their hair is falling out....LOL

but your story....that's a keeper for that book you're going to write!!

welcome back!


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

*POrk*

I buy those when cheap, chop off a bunch of meat and then crockpot for pulled pork. Works out for all of us.


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