I would feed the meat all ground and then mixed in with some veggies etc. Not likley he will refuse the meat then. My butcher grinds my chicken necks/backs for me. Once your dog is really used to eating raw, he might start to eat it whole.

Ground is also a good idea for a beginner dog as it gives the body an opportunity to digest the bone without working too hard and needing extra enzynes. (some dogs do fine right away , others need more time for thier body to adjust).

Thanks again for the tips everyone. I'll try to get the meat ground up somehow. I didn't see any chicken necks or backs at my nearest supermarket so I guess I'll have to look elsewhere. So far I've only tried the wings. My dogs teeth are fine. He has no trouble with pigskins and other types of bones from the pet store.

even if you don't see an item at the supermarket, it doesn't mean they can't get it.

make friends with the meat department staff. ask them to look at their list of available cuts. they can probably special order you cases of necks and/or backs, and many other types of meat and cuts, if you wish. and they can also prepare them for you however you specify.

trevor,
Why after 7 years would you want to switch, I think your dog is telling you something. Maybe with your next dog U can go raw but why do this now with this dog.If he looks good his health has been good . I would Leave his diet alone.I like the raw diet so don't think I am against it but when your dog is no accepting the change why bother? It seems stressfull for the both of you!

Angelique, I disagree. Trevor is to be comended for trying to improve his dog's health after 7 years or even 7 months. Of course the dog finds it odd after that long, but it's not raw he's protesting; it's an issue w/large pieces or bones. No reason to drop the idea, IMO.

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trevor,
Why after 7 years would you want to switch, I think your dog is telling you something. Maybe with your next dog U can go raw but why do this now with this dog.If he looks good his health has been good . I would Leave his diet alone.I like the raw diet so don't think I am against it but when your dog is no accepting the change why bother? It seems stressfull for the both of you!

My dog is only 3 years old not 7. I understand what you're saying though and those thoughts have run through my mind but the raw food diet just makes sense to me so I thought I'd try it out. Like I said, he loves Honest Kitchen's dehydrated raw food, it's just the raw chicken wing he doesn't seem to be interested in and so far that's the only raw meaty bone I've tried with him.

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trevor,
Why after 7 years would you want to switch, I think your dog is telling you something. Maybe with your next dog U can go raw but why do this now with this dog.If he looks good his health has been good . I would Leave his diet alone.I like the raw diet so don't think I am against it but when your dog is no accepting the change why bother? It seems stressfull for the both of you!

Angelique, I respectfully disagree. Yes, I guess Trevor's dog is "saying something." Maybe he is saying "Huh? this is strange to me." Or maybe he's saying "I don't like chicken." But I'm sure he's NOT saying "That craptacular product from a bag is better for my health."

It's never too late. I'm sure this is repetitive, mundane, and boring by now, but my elder Beagle regained his health after we started feeding raw last January, and he's roughly 10 years old (best guess - he's a rescue). I believe Dog Chow was killing him. When he REALLY started slowing down, getting fat, and showing signs of "age" (costly into-the-vet issues) the vet recommended Science Diet Lite Senior Formula. While I don’t believe the vet realized he might be giving my dog a death sentence, I do believe this food continued to take away his time on this planet. This dog has gotten YOUNGER since eating raw food. He is as active today as he was when we first adopted him about 5 years ago. Since going raw, his only vet visit has been for annual shots & blood test for pheno levels - he's a seizure dog.

I WISH I had started raw feeding, even at 7 years of age, the dog we lost to cancer at age 10, and the dog we lost to renal kidney failure at age 11. I will never know for sure if diet would have made a difference, but when I fondly remember these wonderful companions with a tear in my eye, I always wonder.

Trevor, I applaud your efforts. I'm sure there is a solution to the RMB issue you are facing, and by talking about it here, we can ALL learn something valuable. Keep up your great work!!

Beth

I'm with you, Beth.

It's far and away the best thing I do for my dogs. It's not something that I wouldn't do because the dog is such-and-such an age, any more than I would tell a senior citizen not to bother improving his diet at his age.

I also don't think doing OK on unsuitable food is the same as thriving on excellent food, and the senior period is when it all catches up.

So...... DITTO. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Trevor,
Sorry I don't know where I got 7. I hear people all the time contamplating about doing Raw or not, then you hear that they went raw but then gave up went back to dry food and so on.All I was saying is that if it was stressfull for you(since you gave up when he wouldn't eat the raw chicken and gave him kibble) maybe things are best unchanged.I feed Raw but not the way most people feed, I use chicken and red meat.In Europe we NEVER gave kibble , I don't even remember ever seen it in the markets. SO I am NOT against any diet changes (using Raw)to better the dog's health, but if you do ,you should go all the way.And that was my point.

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I feed Raw but not the way most people feed, I use chicken and red meat.

That sounds pretty much the same way we feed. I think, perhaps, that all the concentration on just the chicken wings in Trevor's case may have been confusing. There is a lot more involved in raw feeding than just chicken wings, as I am sure you are learning on this forum, but we have mainly been dealing with that problem for him right now. What all comprises your diet? How do you feel your raw feeding is different?