So Norbert, our Rhodesian Ridgeback is working on his first raw meal. He is so funny to watch. He is licking it and then whining and then looking at me like this is all a mistake. He is such a dork.

The other dogs are very interested in sharing. They are still on kibble and ate in a typical nanosecond. But I can only deal with so much change at a time....time, concentration and money wise.

Now I need to score some necks for the cats and little dogs.
I hate that the buffalo wing industry has made wings so pricey!

 Quote: sonya gilmore

So Norbert, our Rhodesian Ridgeback is working on his first raw meal. He is so funny to watch. He is licking it and then whining and then looking at me like this is all a mistake. He is such a dork.

Oscar sends a little RR encouragement - he promises it won't take long before Norbert is hoovering up his raw meals without the least bit of hesitation or confusion. And "Norbert", what an excellent name for an RR... "dork" might be seem like an insult to most, but I know precisely how fitting that description is for this breed, they really are clowns half the time.

Any pics of him, Sonya?

~Natalya

Not the most flattering pict.
He is named after a dragon in Harry Potter....the dragon was a Norwegian Ridgeback so my DH thought it would be funny to name the RR the same....

He's gorgeous.

Marcia, you are kind. He is a dork. Though he is a dear and wise dork. He is one of those dogs with wonderful judgement, a gentleman, tolerant of the little dogs that adore him and jump on him to lick his face. He never starts a fight...but has been known to finish one, usually by flattening the offender to the ground with a body block. Never have seen him use his teeth.

Natalya's Oscar at least looks regal!

What is he eatin'?

I bet the little dogs and maybe the cats could handle it, too.

Congrats on switching. I think if I had multiple dogs that I was switching I would do it one at a time, too. I'm simple that way.:smile:

 Quote: Sonya Gilmore

He is a dork. Though he is a dear and wise dork.

He never starts a fight...but has been known to finish one,

Aw, he sounds wonderful - and handsome too!! (wish I could say Oscar's never started any fights :eek. RRs are indeed unusually good at looking pensive and wise, I think it's the forehead wrinkles...

~Natalya

I am a big fan of Ridgebacks. Brilliant name, Sonya. I suspect that the name of the dragon species in HP came from the dog breed.

Michael- he is eating chicken, leg quarters. So to get edible bones I guess I could do some chopping or I need to find necks or something similar for the littler dogs. By little I mean 18 to 4 pounds. Hard to find a edible bone for a short faced 12# dog or a four pound poodle.
I was even thinking mice and rats as one of the books said. I raise them as feeders for my reptiles as it is but something makes me worry about parasites. Not really a worry cross to herps. I am gonna ask my vet regarding parasites and freezing though.
That and last time a mouse got brought in by the cats we found it sleeping with the little dogs who were protecting it from the cat and treating it like a pet.
Guess it would be a novel protein though.

Natalya- I have to say Norbert is a very mellow Rhodie. He has enough prey drive to catch anything we ask him to but enough self control to wait for that permission. He is very dominant and confident and like my Bullmastiff can be called out of a fight. Just a great dog. I have heard a lot of folks have RR with a lot of drive to work against. Norbert has always been very biddable but with the quirky disobedience that makes you laugh.....like jumping into the car via the open window (like he fits in a Mazda Protege anyway!) OR throwing a crazy fit spinning on our king sized bed and moving it around the room. And just to remind us that he is a wild man he will hunt down a rat in the back brushpile and look all confused as to how it got all wet and rumbled in the middle of the livingroom floor.....It is definitely the wrinkled forehead.

12 lbs. and up can handle darn near anything a big dog can. Chicken 1/4er's would be a great RMB for that size. Any part of a chicken is fine for the 12 lb.+ group.

The 4 lb. dog will probably surprise you, too.

Not sure how often she checks in, but PM Nora Ferrell. She feeds a tee niny dog raw. I know she uses game hens a lot.

I like your rodent idea, too. Small, whole prey would help out a lot as far as balancing meals for tiny dogs.