# RMB question



## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Im feeding my pug a home cooked diet consisting of boiled turkey, baked salmon, some pork, and I did try some beef to see if she would do good on red meat that wasnt in kibble form. So far all a success. However, her teeth are not benefiting from this type of diet because she isnt really chewing, she just swallows her food. I have to cut it up small or else she throws up cause she eats so fast, in the beginning I did try chunks of meat and she would still inhale it and an hour or so later would throw it up. The supplement I am giving her with her home cooked diet is BioVITES from biologicvet BioVITES Dog Vitamins | BiologicVET Dog Supplements, along with SISU salmon oil and Organika cranberry supplement for urinary tract health (shes very wrinkly and has gotten a few yeast infections in the past). With the biovites, she is only getting between 35-55mg of calcium a day, which I dont think is enough. I have read that a dog her size should be getting 100mg of calcium daily (she weighs 17.5lbs). So once a week I am giving her a double dose of the vitamins to balance everything out at the end of the week. But I was wondering about RMB's, I could never do a full raw diet (Iv heard too many scary stories about raw, up to a week ago I wasnt even comfortable with raw bones, but now I think it is the closest I can get myself to go raw), so I would appreciate if people didnt try to talk me into it, but I am looking into giving her a RMB once or twice a week to make sure she is getting enough calcium and to help with her teeth. I do brush her teeth everyday after she eats, but I would prefer if she could also do something herself. This post is dragging on more than I wanted it to, so bottom line: Is it ok to give a dog who is eating home cooked food a raw meaty bone once or twice a week to help with calcium intake and oral health? And if so, for a pug, what type of bone would be best, anything but chicken, she has a chicken intolerance.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i also have a pug....they are treasures aren't they..

i used to feed my pug a home cooked diet....he still had yeasty ears and his teeth were starting to show signs of tartar, mainly because he too inhales...

they are so food oriented, aren't they?

i think he's a big reason we finally went to a raw diet..

now, if you're not ready yet, you can go and buy barbecue beef ribs and strip most of the meat and fat off of it and allow him to gnaw on that...it's a real workout and will help clean his teeth.

i hesitate suggesting chicken wings because as you say your dog is an inhaler as my pug is too...

but beef ribs will allow your dog to gnaw and get a good front teeth workout and side teeth.....without allowing swallowing of the bone..

perhaps one day you'll consider going raw fully, since my pug has had not more yeast infections or ear problems or fold problems...and needs no more supplementation.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I second the beef rib recommendation. Pork ribs are great, too. 
For a dog that size, they will be non-edible, too big to even THINK about swallowing, and give great dental benefits.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lins, i think i didn't suggest pork ribs because it's an edible bone and this dog is home cooked...

in my own head, i think i need clarification......if a dog is not on raw, would a pork rib with all the meat and fat and edible bone be okay?


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Magicre, yes they really are special dogs lol  My whole family thinks Im crazy with the whole cooking for her, and brushing her teeth and face cleaning. But, of course its worth it. I dont even like cooking for myself, but when I know I need to cook another batch for my dog, its no problem haha. With raw, its not that Im against it, but Iv just heard too many scary stories. If I ever find a farmer around my area with freshly killed turkeys, then I would totally go raw, but I cant feed raw when its been prepackaged by a meat supplier. I know the benefits of freshly killed raw, my family back home in Europe lived on a farm with rabbits, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, cows, etc, and they had an outdoor guard dog border collie who ate freshly killed raw and lived to be 22 years old.

With the beef rib, if its non edible, then she wouldnt be getting any extra calcium from it, or would she be able to gnaw the marrow out of it... I dunno, stupid question lol


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Pugs must be some kind of eating machines! My Boxer has a really REALLY tough time with pork ribs!!! 

Okay, so maybe pork ribs ARE edible for pugs. Crazy little buggars. Even so, they shouldn't sauce any issues, but avoid them if you're not comfortable with the whole edible bone aspect.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Well I do give my pug medium sized deer antlers which she can gnaw down in about 3 weeks to swallowing size so I just go out and buy her another one. I never knew a pug could chew so much until I got one. I used to do the nylabones, but she would destroy them so quickly and she almost choked on a piece of plastic before so she only gets deer antlers now.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

PuppyPaws said:


> Pugs must be some kind of eating machines! My Boxer has a really REALLY tough time with pork ribs!!!
> 
> Okay, so maybe pork ribs ARE edible for pugs. Crazy little buggars. Even so, they shouldn't sauce any issues, but avoid them if you're not comfortable with the whole edible bone aspect.


we must be talking about different kinds of pork ribs, because my corgi mix eats what we get too.....


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

magicre said:


> we must be talking about different kinds of pork ribs, because my corgi mix eats what we get too.....


a few things. 

1. we're talking about entirely different pork ribs, somehow.
2. Your have little dogs with super jaws. 
3. Annie rides the short bus. 


I'm betting on 1 or 3.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Kat said:


> Magicre, yes they really are special dogs lol  My whole family thinks Im crazy with the whole cooking for her, and brushing her teeth and face cleaning. But, of course its worth it. I dont even like cooking for myself, but when I know I need to cook another batch for my dog, its no problem haha. With raw, its not that Im against it, but Iv just heard too many scary stories. If I ever find a farmer around my area with freshly killed turkeys, then I would totally go raw, but I cant feed raw when its been prepackaged by a meat supplier. I know the benefits of freshly killed raw, my family back home in Europe lived on a farm with rabbits, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, cows, etc, and they had an outdoor guard dog border collie who ate freshly killed raw and lived to be 22 years old.
> 
> With the beef rib, if its non edible, then she wouldnt be getting any extra calcium from it, or would she be able to gnaw the marrow out of it... I dunno, stupid question lol


well, i understand that you have your beliefs, although perhaps you may want to study american raw fed dogs...they also live to be quite old....barring disease and accident.

you're right. the beef rib is non edible...so a pork rib would also be a good idea....that is edible and would give your dog extra calcium

raw chicken wings or drumsticks are different than kibble or cooked.....my dogs do fine on chicken. they did not do well on kibble chicken or when i home cooked chicken.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Hmm, I guess I could try raw chicken bones, it could make a difference. With chicken kibble she would get a fairly strong allergic reaction, hives, really red ears, red itchy paws, itchy skin. With cooked chicken its slightly red ears and itchy skin. So maybe with the raw chicken bones it wont be anything. Could I even try a bone from a turkey thigh or drumstick? They look like a pretty good size to chew. I would only be letting her chew while im supervising her aswell.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Kat said:


> Hmm, I guess I could try raw chicken bones, it could make a difference. With chicken kibble she would get a fairly strong allergic reaction, hives, really red ears, red itchy paws, itchy skin. With cooked chicken its slightly red ears and itchy skin. So maybe with the raw chicken bones it wont be anything. Could I even try a bone from a turkey thigh or drumstick? They look like a pretty good size to chew. I would only be letting her chew while im supervising her aswell.


i'd start with a drumstick with the skin and some of the meat removed.....see what happens...

or you could get some chicken backs and remove the excess fat and skin...since you're only feeding it for the bone and the teeth cleaning and calcium..plus chicken is a soft bone.....even though it goes fast, the teeth work is there....

i found my pug was better with drumsticks than wings....we don't do wings here...he thinks his trachea is as wide as his mouth. he is sadly mistaken.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Ya'll are SOO right...all of our Puggies are SOO special!LOL

And yes I also suggest baby back ribs(the long boned ones!:smile



Kat said:


> Hmm, I guess I could try raw chicken bones, it could make a difference. *With chicken kibble she would get a fairly strong allergic reaction, hives, really red ears, red itchy paws, itchy skin. With cooked chicken its slightly red ears and itchy skin.* So maybe with the raw chicken bones it wont be anything. Could I even try a bone from a turkey thigh or drumstick? They look like a pretty good size to chew. I would only be letting her chew while im supervising her aswell.


So did my Puggie....he couldnt have ANY cooked chicken AT ALL!! However he does AMAZINGLY on raw chicken...NO bad reactions at all!:biggrin:


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Awesome thank you all so much! Im gunna go to the store after work tomorrow and pick up a package of turkey and chicken drumsticks.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Ya'll are SOO right...all of our Puggies are SOO special!LOL
> 
> And yes I also suggest baby back ribs(the long boned ones!:smile
> 
> ...


abi, are you drinking again....LOL...baby backs are iddy biddy ribs....the long ones are the BBQ ribs....that's what kat wants....LOL



Kat said:


> Awesome thank you all so much! Im gunna go to the store after work tomorrow and pick up a package of turkey and chicken drumsticks.


just remember you don't want to overfeed.....newly raw fed dogs can get the runs if you feed them too much.

since your dog weighs about 17 lbs...one meal is only going to be a little under 3 oz.....


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> abi, are you drinking again....LOL...baby backs are iddy biddy ribs....the long ones are the BBQ ribs....that's what kat wants....LOL


AH...see I always thought that they where the baby backs.....hmmmm...

(But no sadly...no booze for me tonight!LOL:lol


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

now i'm confused....this is what my dogs get....tho' not the whole rack.....

View attachment 3702


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

PuppyPaws said:


> a few things.
> 
> 1. we're talking about entirely different pork ribs, somehow.
> 2. Your have little dogs with super jaws.
> ...


i think we're talking about different ribs. i posted a pic of a cooked rack of bbq pork ribs....they are bigger than baby backs....

first braxton. now annie. i'm gonna have to buy a house to accomodate both dogs....now.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Kat said:


> Awesome thank you all so much! Im gunna go to the store after work tomorrow and pick up a package of turkey and chicken drumsticks.


kat, are you planning on stripping all the meat off of a turkey drumstick or chicken drumstick? and giving the dog a bare bone?


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

Kat said:


> Hmm, I guess I could try raw chicken bones, it could make a difference. With chicken kibble she would get a fairly strong allergic reaction, hives, really red ears, red itchy paws, itchy skin. With cooked chicken its slightly red ears and itchy skin. So maybe with the raw chicken bones it wont be anything. Could I even try a bone from a turkey thigh or drumstick? They look like a pretty good size to chew. I would only be letting her chew while im supervising her aswell.


Make sure the meaty bones you pick up aren't enhanced! I know you don't plan on feeding her the raw meat (you're going to pull it off and cook it, right? or leave it on and see if she doesn't react to it raw? that'd be a good idea), but a lot of grocery store meats are enhanced with sodium additives or injections that keep the meat moister when cooked for people. Dogs don't generally do well with these. 

I'd recommend seeing how you feel giving your dog a raw chicken drum or chicken back (the drum's got a lot more meat than the back does, so if you really just want the calcium and dental benefits, go with the back). She may benefit even more if you leave the meatiness on; US-sourced and packaged meats really are safe for our pets to consume raw. For wings, yes, keep to turkey.

My 16-week Boxer (who can't weight more than 20 lb right now, and was only around 12 or so lb when started on raw) has no problem crunching her way through chicken backs, thighs, and drums; turkey wings give her more of a workout/take her longer, but she's totally capable of crunching them down, too.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Yes, I would be stripping most of the meat off of the bone and cooking it for her dinner and giving her the bone with a bit of meat on it just for the calcium and dental benefit. For turkey I usually buy the presidents choice air chilled turkey, or if my mom goes to the grocery store for me she picks up the prime maple leaf turkey. For pork and beef I havent found any name brand ones, its just what the grocery store packages themselves, which for me I shop at fortinos. Since I am going to try chicken bones raw, I would be going with the more expensive presidents choice chicken which is antibiotic and hormone free, and Im pretty sure they dont plump up their meat with salt additives. To be honest, I dont know what companies do sodium injections, but I do stay away from the cheap poultry that is no name, that grocery stores sell in packs of 10, because I dont even want to eat those.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> To be honest, I dont know what companies do sodium injections, but I do stay away from the cheap poultry that is no name, that grocery stores sell in packs of 10, because I dont even want to eat those.


That is exactly what I do. I never buy the no names. Can't trust 'em. The only brand I buy from the grocery store is foster farms. No salt, no hormones, no additives...100% fresh


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

when it comes to chicken, i make sure they have a nutrition label so i can see for myself the minimally processed and the sodium level which has to be lower than 85 mg per 4 ounces.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Foster Farms? Is that an american brand because Iv never heard of it. I live in Ontario, Canada and the only brands Iv come across are presidents choice, maple leaf... and I cant think of any others right now.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> now i'm confused....this is what my dogs get....tho' not the whole rack.....
> 
> View attachment 3702


This is where I got my names from:










Although mine normally look like this: (Just not seasoned and cooked!LOL but they have bones sticking out!:smile











EDIT to add....I have a rack of them....they are beef...and they are "Beef Back Ribs"....but they have "nobs" of the bones sticking out!LOL (They are what my dad ALWAYS cooks!:wink


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> Foster Farms? Is that an american brand because Iv never heard of it. I live in Ontario, Canada and the only brands Iv come across are presidents choice, maple leaf... and I cant think of any others right now.


Yes, it is an american brand. I thought they would have it in Canada.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

the pork spare ribs, abi and linsey, are what i'm talking about....see, the baby backs are smaller and the bone is harder..

and yes, foster farms, is american.


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