Quote: Michael_Wise

You will not regret doing a little research before you start feeding raw. Get some books and search this site and you will have a very good grasp of what to do.:smile:

Wait and see what the dog CAN eat before you decide what it can't. Then do what you have to do to accomodate any physical challenges that RMB's might present.

I'd bet that even a small dog with an underbite can handle most, if not all, chicken and rabbit bones.:wink:

Ditto! There are people here with 10-pound (and smaller) dogs who are feeding both regular chicken backs as well as game hens.

I happen to include a couple of flat-face dogs with stupid teeth in my own household (rescued Pugs, one with several teeth missing), and have to make very few adjustments to accommodate these now-healthy, shiny-tooth, shiny-fur, stink-free mutts!

Ditto, ditto, Connie, Michael and the others.

No advice, I just wanted to give you my two cents since I, also, have a small dog. Ten pounds.

Cornish hens are a large part of her diet. There is absolutely no problem with the bones. I don't feed regular chicken wings for the aforementioned reasons (too fatty, not enough meat) but I do give her regular chicken backs and necks and they work well. I also give her pork necks bones and just about anything I can find. If the bone is too large for her, I consider it a recreational bone and let her chew for a while and then take it away before it has time to dry out and splinter.

When you get your dog off grain heavy products, you will no doubt find that he/she doesn't have near as much stomach problems.

Dogs are not designed to metabolize grains. We have been taught that for years, but it isn't true. The two major food competitors in this nation needed a way to 'profitably' dispose of foods that are no fit for human consumption and those that there is an over supply. Great marketing when they came up with dog food.

Of course, that is my political statement. But be very careful what you believe.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

Ditto, ditto, Connie, Michael and the others.

No advice, I just wanted to give you my two cents since I, also, have a small dog. Ten pounds.
I also give her pork necks bones and just about anything I can find. If the bone is too large for her, I consider it a recreational bone and let her chew for a while and then take it away before it has time to dry out and splinter.

Somehow, all this time, I never thought of pork neck bones. The ones I see are sawn in two or split I guess. What do you use?

 Quote: Jo Harker

Somehow, all this time, I never thought of pork neck bones. The ones I see are sawn in two or split I guess. What do you use?

Depending on the size of the dog and its eating habits you can use the small cut up pieces that are out in the meat case, or ask the butcher for one that hasn't been cut up yet.

It is still sawn down the middle, but is a much bigger piece.

They are all pretty boney, so meat needs to be added.

Keep quantities of pork bones small. They can be constipating to most dogs if given too many or too often.

 Quote: Anne Jones

Keep quantities of pork bones small. They can be constipating to most dogs if given too many or too often.

Or void of much meat, like pork neck bones and pork ribs are.:wink:

This is true with any RMB.

Otherwise, pork bones are as good as any other edible bone. Just make sure there is some meat to go with it.

I usually give extra meat or eggs with the pork neck bones.

They are cheap and she likes them.

After you get practiced on the raw, you can tell by the poop if you are giving too much bone or too much meat.

I wasn't suggesting that the pork necks be given without muscle meat. Only that they tend to be more binding then most other bones given in similar quantities. My dogs get muscle meats & bone at every meal(in addition to numerous other things)

Oh, my dog finds a pig ear treat a high value treat. I was just thinking, what if Quincey will find the Raw food a high value food and then growl if I were to get too close to the dish. Now he does not growl when I give him dry kibble or walk close to him while eating. Hope it wont be a problem.

 Quote: Jennifer Schnegg

Oh, my dog finds a pig ear treat a high value treat. I was just thinking, what if Quincey will find the Raw food a high value food and then growl if I were to get too close to the dish. Now he does not growl when I give him dry kibble or walk close to him while eating. Hope it wont be a problem.

I don't give the smoked pig ears, but about Part 2: Any reason to expect this to become a problem? Any resource-guarding now? Like with the pig ears?