So I've been feeding THK for three or four days after abrupt switch from kibble. I asked my wife to be on the look out for really cheap deals on meaty stuff. Yesterday she came home with a package of chicken legs/drum sticks and today I just gave it to both my dogs for lunch.

So far, both are somewhat confused by it. My puppy is actually vocal about it, "Hey, what's this thing in the middle of my food?" She wants the THK, but that chicken leg is right in her way. At least the older dog is licking on it and may decide to actually eat it. Maybe I should have cut up the chicken leg for the pup?

Anyway, I'm just going to wait it out and see if she eventually eats it.

Try feeding them chicken backs or chicken necks to start. They are easier on their digestive systems as the bones are smaller and easier to deal with for a first time feeder.

Also, the meat to bone ratio is good on these and the legs are a little on the more meaty side of things and you MAY notice some loose stools with too much muscle meat right off the bat.

How old is the pup and what breed? Same for the older dog?

More:

How much reading have you done on a raw food diet? Do you know how much to feed each dog ?

I've read _Raw Food Diet_ and I've read much (if not all) the information on leerburg.com. I've got a nice crunching pair of scissors I used to cut up the leg for the little dog.

My two dogs are:

1. 3 yro Shi Tzu at about 10 pounds
2. 11-12 week Australian Shepherd at about 15 pounds

Based on the dogs at this point I would recommend you try chicken backs with the fat, most of the skin, and organ meat removed.

That's how I started out and it has worked extremely well - thanks to the MANY Uber-Knowledgeable folks on this board.

Based on your reading you know the basics. Meat/bone ratio, difference between weight bearing bones and non-weight bearing bones, how much to feed, and what percentage of organ meats to feed.

If you need, here are some menus.
http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm
http://leerburg.com/diet2.htm

Here is a thread that talks about HOW MUCH raw to feed.
http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/140255/page/0

I'm sure others that have WAAAAY more knowledge than me will chime in shortly.

The "uber knowledgeable" raw feeding folks saw no need to intervene.

I vote for chicken backs as a first RMB too.

As a suggestion for the little dog, I have a 10 pound Schipperke and I often get the little frozen Cornish hens. They are just the right size bone-wise for her. I find the legs and thighs on regular sized chickens to be a bit large but she still eats them.

So the end of the meal was like this:

The 10lb Shi Tzu started eating on her chicken bone pretty much immediately. I had used my mongo scissors to cut the chicken leg in half, so she didn't have the whole thing. She ended up eating some of the meat, most of the skin, and some of the bone that I had given her. In total, maybe 1/4 of a chicken leg. I picked the rest up and put it back in the fridge for later.

My 14lb aussie pup was pretty frustrated by her chicken leg. I gave her the whole thing which was probably too much. She wanted the THK that was in the bowl with the leg and the leg was in the way. She got pretty vocal about it, but eventually ate THK around the leg. She was in her kennel and ended up falling asleep with the leg in there with her. Since I was working at the time I didn't want to wake her and deal with a cranky dog, so I just left it and her. When she woke up, she decided to eat the leg and ended up eating the whole thing. When she was done, I took her out for exercise.

I guess I need to re-read _Raw Food Diet_ and the links above. I probably gave too much food and didn't pay attention to the bone to meat ratio. I think my strategy now is to fall back to just feeding THK and re-read to make sure I'm on track right. Based on the advice above, I'll probably go buy some chicken backs.

Thanks (as always) for the great (as always) advice.

Doug, let me preface again, I'm not expert and only started feeding mine raw about a year ago, so I'm sure these experienced feeders will chime in.

I never used the THK but it is highly recommended. I haven't purchased it due to having only the one dog and she is small and it will take me forever to use it up.

When I started, I started on ground and then added the RMBs. You are probably OK with the RMBs right away if they are taking to it.

The only I could really see, and I think you already see it, is that you may be over feeding. This is where the really experienced feeders come in.

My 10 pounder is fed about 4-5 ounces per day. You don't feed near as much raw and bone as you do kibble and commercial canned.

I split it up into 2 meals per day, which means she is only getting about 2 ounces per meal. Anything more than that she either doesn't eat it or won't eat the next meal. It takes a little while to get it down. I also have to be careful about training treats and incorporate them in to her daily amount (due to her small size).

Also, again, for a 10 pounder, about 1/2 chicken drumstick, or about 1/2 thigh comes out to about 2 ounces.

With the Cornish hens: they are about one pound. So, I cut them down the middle, then cut in half the other way and that is about 4 ounces, so 1/2 of that per serving. Simply, one drumstick of a Cornish hen is about 2 ounces. Perfect for one meal.

Sorry this is so long. I'm from the south and it takes me forever to describe something.

 Quote: Doug Alcorn

I guess I need to re-read _Raw Food Diet_ and the links above. I probably gave too much food and didn't pay attention to the bone to meat ratio. I think my strategy now is to fall back to just feeding THK and re-read to make sure I'm on track right. Based on the advice above, I'll probably go buy some chicken backs.

Good call.:wink:

They'll be able to crunch and crack the backs more easily than the legs. The may have been turned off and confused by the food that they REALLY had to work on for the first time. Something that they will get used to and will not bother them later.

Just to echo Peter, remove all skin, fat, and organs from the backs before feeding. Then gradually add that stuff back in as they show bowel tolerance of the new food.