# Bought my first back ribs



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

I bought my first package of bone-in beef back ribs. I need to reread the link that Natalie sent earlier talking about these. Hopefully I bought the right thing. I think I will save them for this weekend when I will be home all day. If I remember correctly I keep at least 2 of them together when offering them so they aren't a choking hazard. 

I wonder if Jody will tear the meat off first or just chomp through the bone right away? Also, there is a layer of fat on them but I don't take the fat off
of her meat any more so I think she should be fine. 

I did see pork ribs there. Any benefit of those over beef? They were a little
cheaper but since I am thinking of them as a "rec" bone I could justify the $2 a lb. price. That didn't seem too bad.

When I feed them, how do I count their weight in Jody's daily allottment since they are mostly bone? Since I am still new I am not comfortable eye balling it yet but I also don't weigh every single thing I feed her. 

Any one remember their first experience offering these. BTW Jody is a 72 lb. German Shepherd.


----------



## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

My medium sized dogs take the meat off then chew on the spine end of the bone. I have weighed the things and they are just about half bone, half meat/fat/tough stuff. One rib might weigh about 8-12 ounces and the bone alone is about 4 ounces. Remember there is a cut off round bone at the spine end, take it off before offering this up, can be very difficult to see them. My dogs could tolerate one rib as a treat. Now pork ribs tend to be chomped through like a tough pizza but beef ribs are respected. I do count the meat as part of the day's meal but one rib is 1/2 the meal for my dog. 

*I* would leave several ribs stuck together, cut off the little bones that might cause trouble and be ready with a trade because you just never know. It would be a huge amount of bone if he chomped it right down! And I would count half of it as part of the day's food. I have to, every ounce counts when the day's ration is only 10 ounces.

I remember. I had gotten brave enough to give whole cooked BBQ ribs to the dogs and thought raw would be more meat, cheaper and safer. The meat was much tougher to chew off and they would work on them for half an hour. This was back before I started feeding them fresh food at all.


----------



## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

YAY!!

I'd give her 2 at a time just to be safe. That's typically what we'll do at the minimum.

You shouldn't need to trim them. Just cut 2 off 2 in 1 piece and hand 'em over.

She might not know how to deal with them at first. It's fun to watch them figure out how to clean the bones :biggrin:

Pork ribs are also great because the bone is easier for them to chew through. We feed pork ribs as a meal compared to beef ribs as a RMB

How often are you planning on giving them? The bone may last up to a week or more after it's been cleaned of the meat...


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It's very rare for a dog, even a big dog to actually consume the bone in beef ribs. None of our dogs do. She will most likely strip them of all the meat and then start gnawing at the bone. 

I wouldn't trim the fat off either, but I would keep at least two connected together and also have that be the only thing she eats the day you give them. It will be a lighter meal but just make up for it the following day...

Let me know how it goes! And dogs chewing on beef ribs is a good photo opportunity!!!!


----------



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

Oh man your posts got me really excited about this now! I haven't thought ahead to how often I want to feed them. Any opinions? I am going to separate them into pairs and bag them. I will offer a pair this weekend so my whole family can be home and watch her enjoying them. See raw feeding does save money. Seriously...what better entertainment is out there?

All of your posts are very helpful.
Tami


----------



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

I just separated and bagged them and it was very easy. I was expecting a struggle. I just took my regular scissors and cut them apart.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We give them to our dogs maybe every ten days to two weeks. We let the old bones sit around until we get a new rack out to feed. Basically just cycling bones out...


----------



## Bessie7o7 (Jan 1, 2010)

I wouldn't expect that she will be able to eat the bone. I have a 65 lb German Shepherd and she goes to town on beef ribs and she is able to do some damage to them bit not much. I don't feed raw but I do give my pups beef ribs and some other RMB for recreational use and for their teeth. They absolutely love them.


----------



## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Just keep an eye on the dog. Not raw and not a whole bone but Sassy, in her prime, ate half a cooked rib steak bone with the greatest of ease before we could get it away from her. My brother didn't believe a dog could eat it. A dog could. Not even a big dog.


----------



## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

Cooked bones are actually much easier for dogs to crunch through. Cooking denatures the protein in the bone making it very brittle which can cause splintering, etc. This is why we should never feed cooked bones to our dogs.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

since my dogs are smaller, we do take some of the fat off the beef rib...neither one can eat the bone...

we weigh what we give them, and then weigh what's left...it's a boneless meal for them but they gnaw on them for a week...by week's end, they've both chewed the caps off....

pork ribs, on the other hand, are a meal....and heavier than either should get....when we feed pork ribs, they get a lighter breakfast or dinner....


----------



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

Re,

Didn't your furkids have some kind of bad experience with a pork or beef rib one time?


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

in looking back, it's funny now...but then, poor malia and bubba.

we had decided to see if they could eat the rib of a beef rib....so we gave each them a whole one...they'd only been on raw for a little bit and oh what an oops that one was.

now, they're fine with them and had we intro'd them as a meal, rather than on top of two meals....they would have been fine.

see....bubba gets 3-3.5 oz of protein or protein/bone per meal.

the beef rib weighed at least 8 and 1/2 oz. and they'd had breakfast and dinner that day.

we weigh them now and then after they are done to make sure they've gotten enough meat because malia gets more than bubba...so we make sure she's had enough...and usually she has...since she can gnaw the end caps off...

we don't use them as rec bones....these are meals for our guys...but our guys weigh 18 lbs and 36 lbs respectively.


----------



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

magicre said:


> in looking back, it's funny now...but then, poor malia and bubba.
> 
> we had decided to see if they could eat the rib of a beef rib....so we gave each them a whole one...they'd only been on raw for a little bit and oh what an oops that one was.
> 
> ...


I do remember that happening. I like Natalie's idea of giving 2 of them instead of her meals for the day.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Jodysmom said:


> I do remember that happening. I like Natalie's idea of giving 2 of them instead of her meals for the day.


i think natalie has the right idea....

on the second round, we stripped off the meat and fat and just gave them the bones, thinking it would be a 'rec' bone....and then i weighed the meat and the fat...said the hell with that...and gave them whole bones...

and just fed less the next day.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Hey! I kinda like knowing that I have the right idea....from time to time LOL :wink:


----------



## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

danemama08 said:


> Hey! I kinda like knowing that I have the right idea....from time to time LOL :wink:


Not sure where you're getting that idea though... 




:tongue: :tongue:


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

you both do well...look at all the converts lately....thanks to you two and RFD and everyone on this forum.


----------



## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

magicre said:


> you both do well...look at all the converts lately....thanks to you two and RFD and everyone on this forum.


I'm going to have to "ditto" that. The support here is awesome. :biggrin:


----------

