So I started my 3.5 GSD puppy on a raw diet this Saturday. I fasted her for a meal (so no breakfast) and she got raw chicken for dinner. I decided on a cold turkey approach. I haven't been able to find any chicken backs or necks at any stores nearby, but my grocery store had leg quarters on sale so I grabbed a couple packages of those.

Her first two meal was the thigh part of the leg quarter, plus two spoonfuls of cottage cheese and yogurt. We've been giving her cottage cheese and yogurt pretty regularly since we got her.

Her second meal was two chicken legs. When I watched her eating the legs, she chewed the legs for about a minute or two, but then swallowed the leg bone whole without breaking it up. Is this okay for her? Will she be able to digest the whole leg bone as it is? It freaked me out pretty good seeing her just up and swallow the entire leg.

 Quote: Sharon Eliot

So I started my 3.5 GSD puppy on a raw diet this Saturday. I fasted her for a meal (so no breakfast) and she got raw chicken for dinner. I decided on a cold turkey approach. I haven't been able to find any chicken backs or necks at any stores nearby, but my grocery store had leg quarters on sale so I grabbed a couple packages of those.

Her first two meal was the thigh part of the leg quarter, plus two spoonfuls of cottage cheese and yogurt. We've been giving her cottage cheese and yogurt pretty regularly since we got her.

Her second meal was two chicken legs. When I watched her eating the legs, she chewed the legs for about a minute or two, but then swallowed the leg bone whole without breaking it up. Is this okay for her? Will she be able to digest the whole leg bone as it is? It freaked me out pretty good seeing her just up and swallow the entire leg.

No distress or anything? Just the scary observation? I am sure all is well.

You may see soft (mushy) bone come out, since you started with weight-bearing bones (the hardest on the bird), but then you will see how the enzymes and acids had softened it.

BTW, I'd lose the cottage cheese. Loaded with salt, not cultured (so no probiotic benefit) ..... pretty much straight salted cow's milk.

Don't forget the fish oil and E, and of course you'll gradually add organ meat, variety in protein, a little produce, etc.

Congrats on the good thing you are doing for your dog!

A little scary huh? Wait until it is a whole half chicken!

She should be just fine, but for your sanity levels, if you can find some bone in breasts on sale, those bones are a little easier to digest for a newbie to digestive enzymes doing real work.

Isn't it neat watching them do what they were born to do!?!?

 Quote: JessicaKromer

A little scary huh? Wait until it is a whole half chicken!

She should be just fine, but for your sanity levels, if you can find some bone in breasts on sale, those bones are a little easier to digest for a newbie to digestive enzymes doing real work. ...

If you find bone-in breasts, and if you use them for any length of time (during the one-protein intro to raw), I'd probably slice off a chunk of the meat for people, because of the big meat-to-bone ratio.

I don't like just the drumstick part of leg quarters for dogs any larger than our Corgi. It's not that they can't digest the thing if they swallow it whole, I worry about a choking hazard.

they are the perfect size and shape for a bigger dog to wedge in the throat/airway.

I'd either give your pup the whole quarter so he's forced to chew or switch to the bone in breast like Jessica recommends. I wouldn't worry about the extra meat, especially for a growing puppy. My feeding regime continues to change and evolve as I learn more and find what works and doesn't work for my own dogs.

for my dogs I've gone to a basic prey model guideline.
In the average prey animal, the ratio of these parts is approximately:

5-10% organs (1/2 of this amount is liver)

10-15% edible bones

80-85% muscle meat (and the rest of the critter)

I don't have access to a lot of whole animals to feed, so I do what may be called "Franken-prey" lol

I make up a prey animal out of different parts. I might feed beef muscle meat, pork liver and chicken RMBs for one meal. Whatever I have thawed and whatever is on sale goes in my dogs' dinner. I do feed bigger pieces to my gulpers, so they don't choke. Raine and Morgi the Corgi will swallow just about anything whole, Rush and Bravo are more dainty and they chew everything up, no matter how small it is (go figure)

 Quote: JessicaKromer

A little scary huh? Wait until it is a whole half chicken!

A whole half chicken...


HUH?

 Quote: cindy easton rhodes

I don't have access to a lot of whole animals to feed, so I do what may be called "Franken-prey" lol ... I make up a prey animal out of different parts. I might feed beef muscle meat, pork liver and chicken RMBs for one meal.

Yes. Franken-prey is a big item here too.

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

 Quote: JessicaKromer

A little scary huh? Wait until it is a whole half chicken!

A whole half chicken...


HUH?

Hehehe!!! You know what I mean!!!

The first time I gave one to Quinn, there were two chomps and he sucked it down like an oyster. Scared the crap out of me!!

Half chickens are big around here for BBQs and are almost always on sale and available in bulk. You havn't had BBQ until you have 'Santa Maria Style BBQ' either. I can send you some Suzie-Q to get it started...

 Quote: JessicaKromer

..... there were two chomps and he sucked it down like an oyster. ...

AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!