I have a 6 mo old GSD who has been on a 100% raw diet for about a week now. We switched 'cold turkey' from Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul kibble. I should also mention that I supplemented it with eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese, just to get him to want it! I had him fast for one day, then started with chicken thighs only, over the first 2 days because I couldn't find necks/backs. All stools were nice and solid. Each day thereafter, I introduced something new, after seeing normal stools. He has had chicken leg quarters and gizzards/liver, hamburger, canned salmon, pork neckbones and eggs. He weighs 70 lbs, but I have kept his daily diet at about 2 to 2.5 lbs per day. His stools have looked normal and he loves to eat now, however... yesterday afternoon and last night he started to have a stool and then yelped very loud and quit. Do you think there could be any sharp, undigested bones in the way? I've watched him eat and he eats slowly. He is acting normal and there's no bloating, vomitting or diarrhea. How serious is this? I was planning on adding in the vitamin E and salmon oil supplements after another week or so, perhaps this will help move stools along??

 Quote: Tracy Lacy

I have a 6 mo old GSD who has been on a 100% raw diet for about a week now. We switched 'cold turkey' from Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul kibble. I should also mention that I supplemented it with eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese, just to get him to want it! I had him fast for one day, then started with chicken thighs only, over the first 2 days because I couldn't find necks/backs. All stools were nice and solid. Each day thereafter, I introduced something new, after seeing normal stools. He has had chicken leg quarters and gizzards/liver, hamburger, canned salmon, pork neckbones and eggs. He weighs 70 lbs, but I have kept his daily diet at about 2 to 2.5 lbs per day. His stools have looked normal and he loves to eat now, however... yesterday afternoon and last night he started to have a stool and then yelped very loud and quit. Do you think there could be any sharp, undigested bones in the way? I've watched him eat and he eats slowly. He is acting normal and there's no bloating, vomitting or diarrhea. How serious is this? I was planning on adding in the vitamin E and salmon oil supplements after another week or so, perhaps this will help move stools along??

Here's a recent thread about the same thing:
http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=144599&Searchpage=1&Main=15332&Words=+Connie+Sutherland&topic=0&Search=true#Post144599

It addresses exactly what you are asking.... even including the recent addition of pork bones.

Welcome to the forum!

I'd back off the pork neck bones. I've fed them to my dog in the past but I didn't like the looks of them, they seemed to be quite sharp because they were sawed by the butcher. They're not soft like chicken backs or turkey necks. I decided against them.

I've also heard that ribs are soft bones, I don't find that to be so. My dog would eat the meat around the bones, but when I heard a crack once, I took the bone away and saw that he had swallowed a quarter sized shard, sharp one. I don't feed those anymore either. In other words, I don't feed any bones that my dog can't crush easily.

Connie and I were posting at the same time. Connie, I looked at the thread you linked to but didn't see anything regarding pork bones. Did I miss it?

I don't like them for the reason I posted above. What's the consensus?

Sandy, I don't feed pork neck bones anymore either because all I can get now are what are sawed in parts by the butcher, and I agree that they are too sharp. However, I do feed pork riblets. They are long strips of meat with mostly a gristle-type bone running through. My dogs love them, and sometimes I use them for both their rmbs and muscle meat.

They are also quite cheap and plentiful here because I live near an Italian borough and it seems that all the ladies cook the neck bones and riblets in their spaghetti sauce.

The trick is getting to the store before they do!

 Quote:

I don't like them for the reason I posted above. What's the consensus?

To start I have a 43lbs retreiver, not a GSD.
I do not feed beef and large pork ribs, to dense and splintery for my dog, he does not just strip the meat but is a bone cruncher.

I DO however feed pork riblets (smaller thiner pork ribs) and also have no problem at all with venison ribs, and lamb ribs. Well digested even by my not so careful chewer!

Necks- I do feed venison neck and spine I get form hunt season (as well as meat). Very occationally he will barf a peice of bone back up within 24 hrs that can't be digested, I don't worry about it. Everything out the "back end" comes out well digested.

I don't feed beef necks anymore, not digestable enough for my dog. I don't do pork necks because the ones I can get in the store have no meat on them anyways and are cut into small peices that do not encourage my gulper to chew. If I could get big meatier necks form the butcher (especially from young pigs) I would feed them occasionally I think. Mostly for teeth cleaning, not so much as a meal.

Just my comfort zone...


Getting away from OP now but I would like to know if anyone has tried pork hocks with their dog?

 Quote: Jennifer Coulter

... I would like to know if anyone has tried pork hocks with their dog?

Would love to try them, but all I can get are smoked, and I definitely don't want those. However, I'm sure they can be ordered on-line somewhere, but I'm one who would rather run to the store than pour through a catalog (for food, that is).

Jan we must have been typing at the same time!

Pork riblets are great and cheap too!

The ones I get don't have too much meat on them. If I feed pork riblets at one meal, I usually try to feed an all meat (or meatier) meal the next. I like a bigger meat to bone ratio than some do I think. Just what works for us

Ciao!

 Quote: Sandy Moore

Connie and I were posting at the same time. Connie, I looked at the thread you linked to but didn't see anything regarding pork bones. Did I miss it?

No, you didn't.... I am just brain-dead.

I thought that was the recent thread where someone had added pork, but now I can't find that one.

Welcome Tracy!

I'm with Sandy - I've already crossed lamb bones (never fed pork bones, but they're similar) and all turkey bones besides the neck (although that spooks me too) off of my feeding list, and I'm hesitant to try any sort of ribs for the reasons Sandy noted - and my experience with the lamb... My dog would realiably throw these up undigested in large sharp chunks, or I would find 3" shards coming out the other end - which I can't imagine feels very good!!

I think some of this is just trial and error with each individual dog - I know some who deal with turkey leg bones just fine, but mine doesn't, so we stick with chicken for most rmbs. I do use muscle meat from lamb, ground beef or bork, but not those large sturdy bones because my dog will swallow most with minimal chewing, leading to the above mentioned problems.

I'm sure you're pup is just fine - since you've been watching his behavior and activity, doesn't sound like he has so much as a tummy ache! Just stick with what you know he does well with and introduce any future NEW items slowly and with a close eye on the effects.

~Natalya