I recently came across a great source for deer scraps via a deer processer. I can get boxes and boxes of free left-overs, which include pelt, heads, legs, rib cages, necks, pelvis and meat scraps.

Question - what of this (if anything) can my 4.5 month old Dutch Shepherd eat for RMBs? Currently she can tackle a chicken frame w/ attached neck, but it takes her a while. Her current diet is modeled after the Leerburg raw food puppy diet. My large adult dogs can eat the ribs of the deer, but I don't give them any of the other bones (aside from the head/skull). I planned to give the pup the leg bones to chew on as recreational bones, but she obviously can't get enough calcium from just that.

Thoughts?

Here is my experience with deer and my 15 lb. jack russell terrier.

Ribs, easy.

Head, easy, but takes him a looonnnngggg time. None of the skull, minus the bottom jaw and teeth, gives him much trouble. He can crunch it all pretty easily.

Necks provide lots of hard to work for meat. He'll easily eat all the spinous processes off the vertebra, but usually doesn't get a good dent in the very center of the vertebra. Not necessarily because he can't, but because all the meat is gone and I take it away. I do think the center is harder, though.

I'll also give him the shoulder blade if it is still covered in meat. He can eat most of the blade, except for the raised portion running down the middle of the blade and the socket portion. Those are pretty hard for him.

Thats all I give my little guy as far as RMB's. The parts that I said I take away are probably edible for bigger dogs, but just too much for little jaws. I would let a gnawer keep those parts, but mine would try to crack the hard parts. Thats why I take them away after he goes through the softer parts of the bones.

Same with legs. Maybe for a gnawer, but not for an aggressive chewer. You know which you've got.

Even with those RMB's from deer, I'd still have something easily digestible in the rotation just to be on the safe side. Chicken or rabbit. Only for the reason you said, calcium. I wouldn't worry as much for an adult, but you already know that plenty of digestible calcium is very important for your growing puppy. I don't have anything to base this off, I'm sure tons of puppies were raised on deer. Just a safe guard, I guess.

Pelts sound like fun for a mouthy puppy, too.:smile:

one question...
will they ship???

Thanks, Michael! Very good info. I figured the pup could still do the frames, and then I'd use the deer meat to make up the meaty portion of her diet. I can't imagine her tackling the ribs, but I'm sure she'll grow into that soon! Maybe I'll try her on some for a snack and see what she does. My little dog - a min pin - is a skull-crusher too!

Cameron - No, I don't think he ships , but ask the hunters in your area who they bring their large game to for processing. Perhaps you can score the same deal!

I'd bet she could handle a young deer's ribs. They're real thin and flexible.

deer meat is a major food source for my dogs. we take the cuts we want for our table and process the rest for dogs. we invested in a prof. grade grinder and package the burger into 1lb. rolls. the bones do scare me 'though-they are extremely sharp and they stay that way for a long time. i don't use them but this is my first year. i've never fed the heads but might try this season. the pelt is a huge stinky smelly mess and make the dogs think they are lions on the serengetti.
its always nice to leave something for the coyotes

Last year we recieved 3 deer carcasses(all with ample meat left on the ribs and neck). One from my dad and two from my hubby's co-worker(we didn't get our deer last year). It was great! Cut the ribs off with a saw, cut a lot of meat off and stuck in bags to freeze. Unfortunately I couldn't break up the spine good enough on 2 of them, so, out of frustration, I threw both spines out into the yard for the dog to drag around in the snow and chew on. lol. When spring came I thought I'd find at least one of the spines(bones at least to one) but only found 5-8 bones total, from the 2 spines.... my little wolfies! 8D

Edited by Keleah Stull (10/27/2009 01:42 PM)
Edit reason: Lily was only about 5mo when we got the deer and she was able to chew the bones pretty well.