how big should bones be your pup swollows?

[driller killer 33]

Hello,

I have a new pup, collie/whippet/grey of about 9/10 wks.

been feeding her meaty bones fish tripe chicken etc for a few days now.

The thing that worries me is when shes had chicken (drumsticks) duck neck she will chew it for ages and when she gets to the last bit, quite a big bit i think she will just swollow it whole, she would have had a good chew but still have quite a chunk of bone there still. she will chew it for ages before this but seems she dont have the power or paitence to finish it off completely.

Is this ok? can they digest chunks of bone? she love it and this is idealy what i would like to feed her but not if its detremental to her health.

Cheers for any advice

Neil

[Rainmaker 7]

Hello,

I have a new pup, collie/whippet/grey of about 9/10 wks.

been feeding her meaty bones fish tripe chicken etc for a few days now.

The thing that worries me is when shes had chicken (drumsticks) duck neck she will chew it for ages and when she gets to the last bit, quite a big bit i think she will just swollow it whole, she would have had a good chew but still have quite a chunk of bone there still. she will chew it for ages before this but seems she dont have the power or paitence to finish it off completely.

Is this ok? can they digest chunks of bone? she love it and this is idealy what i would like to feed her but not if its detremental to her health.

Cheers for any advice

Neil

 

Drumsticks aren't very good bones imho, as they are (1) weight bearing and (2) have a high bone:meat ratio. Being weight bearing isn't critically important for modern chicken, that said, as they're rarely more than a couple of months old at slaughter, so haven't got the dense hard bone old boiler hens have/had. Additionally drummers are rather small for a pup of that breeding. Things like wings, necks and drummers would be OK as a treat for a very small pup (Chihuahua etc) but not a larger working dog. The raw meaty bone should ideally be as big as, or bigger than, the pup's head. This encourages chewing and tearing, which cleans the teeth and massages gums, and prevents bolting and swallowing irregularly sized pieces.

 

I'd be feeding a pup of that age and breeding on food the size of whole chicken frames, or half a chicken, slab of lamb breast and so on. Any not eaten at the first sitting can be removed to a bag in the fridge for the next meal. That way the dog needs to take its time and chew, which will be beneficial for teething too.

[driller killer 33]

Hello,

I have a new pup, collie/whippet/grey of about 9/10 wks.

been feeding her meaty bones fish tripe chicken etc for a few days now.

The thing that worries me is when shes had chicken (drumsticks) duck neck she will chew it for ages and when she gets to the last bit, quite a big bit i think she will just swollow it whole, she would have had a good chew but still have quite a chunk of bone there still. she will chew it for ages before this but seems she dont have the power or paitence to finish it off completely.

Is this ok? can they digest chunks of bone? she love it and this is idealy what i would like to feed her but not if its detremental to her health.

Cheers for any advice

Neil

 

Drumsticks aren't very good bones imho, as they are (1) weight bearing and (2) have a high bone:meat ratio. Being weight bearing isn't critically important for modern chicken, that said, as they're rarely more than a couple of months old at slaughter, so haven't got the dense hard bone old boiler hens have/had. Additionally drummers are rather small for a pup of that breeding. Things like wings, necks and drummers would be OK as a treat for a very small pup (Chihuahua etc) but not a larger working dog. The raw meaty bone should ideally be as big as, or bigger than, the pup's head. This encourages chewing and tearing, which cleans the teeth and massages gums, and prevents bolting and swallowing irregularly sized pieces.

 

I'd be feeding a pup of that age and breeding on food the size of whole chicken frames, or half a chicken, slab of lamb breast and so on. Any not eaten at the first sitting can be removed to a bag in the fridge for the next meal. That way the dog needs to take its time and chew, which will be beneficial for teething too.

Cheers for that rain maker,

She has had a couple of chicken frames, but i thought were a bit too much bone in the bone/meat ratio. I have just bought a bag of chicken portion that worked out good value, this includes different parts, drum thighs etc. She not that big at the moment being only 9wksish old so a lot of the portions a still big to her. Also got fish, tripe, liver bigger bones, although these dont have enough meat on really but she dont have the strength to eat too much of the actual bones at the moment so the actual bone intake will be quite low.

I want the best for my pup but i still need to take cost in to account, i have asked at a few butchers, with varying success, but nothing im especially happy with, would an abbatoir be a good place to ask???

Its just a case of finding a good supply really, What about companys that specialise in supply RMB for dogs? any good? heard bad reports about freshness of some.

Cheers again for your help,

Neil

[Rainmaker 7]

Cheers for that rain maker,

She has had a couple of chicken frames, but i thought were a bit too much bone in the bone/meat ratio. I have just bought a bag of chicken portion that worked out good value, this includes different parts, drum thighs etc. She not that big at the moment being only 9wksish old so a lot of the portions a still big to her. Also got fish, tripe, liver bigger bones, although these dont have enough meat on really but she dont have the strength to eat too much of the actual bones at the moment so the actual bone intake will be quite low.

I want the best for my pup but i still need to take cost in to account, i have asked at a few butchers, with varying success, but nothing im especially happy with, would an abbatoir be a good place to ask???

Its just a case of finding a good supply really, What about companys that specialise in supply RMB for dogs? any good? heard bad reports about freshness of some.

Cheers again for your help,

Neil

 

If the portions include quarters that's not bad, but feeding just wings or drummers and the like is far from ideal. Whole frames are far better, just make sure you "top up" the diet with some other meat to keep the overall balance. For example, a frame and a bit of tripe or beef. I hear what you're saying about cost, but don't worry raw feeding is really very cheap once you shop around so to speak. That said it IS cheaper up north, no getting away from that. Friends on the raw lists didn't even believe how cheaply we get frames and the like, at first. They (down south) are paying literally triple what I am It's all cheaper and healthier than kibble still, so no loss.

 

Abattoirs are great places to ask. Some just process and ship out and won't really have much to offer you. But keep looking. Heads, trotters, tails, frames, necks, rib racks and the like can be had very cheaply indeed. None of them will be a full diet on their own, but combined with whole chicken, frames, the odd whole fish, tripe and suchlike you're laughing and only paying pennies. Look through the yellow pages for your local poultry wholesalers and suchlike. Many will process whole chickens on-site and will have surplus frames they'll be paying to dispose of! I pay one such place £2 per box of whole meaty frames, and there's around 30 frames in each box. Traditional butchers are another good place to go shopping. Generally you'll get on better if you shop for yourself there, and then enquire about the dogs You don't need to spend a fortune but a good butcher are worth their weight anyway, so a bit of bacon and some chops or something for you... and then 'do you have anything for the dogs mate?' (making sure they understand you mean meaty bones not scraps or bare naked weight bearing bones) usually does the trick. Once you're established a good butcher will keep all their goodies back for you ready to collect.