Anything that has edible bone could be considered an RMB.

Leg bones of large animals generally are not edible. Not RMB's.

Any part of a chicken, turkey, rabbit, or pig that contains edible bones is an RMB. Pig leg bones are on the fence for me. Depends on the size of the pig and the dog eating them. My little dog does enjoy a pig foot, though.

I'll also feed any part of a deer, too. Head, neck, ribs, shoulders. I do not feed the leg bones of deer.

A lot of people feed only chicken RMB's, but rotate different types of meat for variety which is similar to what you are doing and is a more than adequate diet.

I don't know if there is any nutritional difference from a chicken neck to any other part of a chicken. I do know that if there is, that problem can be avoided by feeding a variety of RMB's. Even if it is only rotating different types of RMB's from a chicken.

http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm#RMB

i think i have 2 more questions and i'll get off this subject. Do you fast your dog at all? Some suggest its a way to clean out the dogs system. The probiotics as I understand is stuff to clean out bacteria in the digestive trac. Is this correct and what are some probiotics. I know Ed said he uses them from time to time but didnt get into what he uses. p.s that picture of your child is adorable. not sure if their a boy or girl but its a sweet picture.

Debbie, I fast my dogs. I used to fast just once a week but have since moved to a more "random" schedule. I also vary how much I'm feeding from day to day; my raw fed dog needs about 3/4 lb of food per day. Some days I feed her about 1/2 lb, others I feed her about 1 lb. I don't weigh much anymore these days. If I've fed 1 lb for a few days in a row, then I'll go ahead and fast her a day. Sometimes I fast for just one meal. I found an old thread on fasting a while ago and Jenni's post stuck with me: http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/164562/page/0#Post164562

As far as probiotics, I use plain, unsweetened, probiotic yogurt for my pup. I get it at the grocery store, and try to buy the brand that has the greatest variety of strains of bacteria (they're usually listed on the side of the container). I have also used probiotic tabs which you can get in a bottle at your local pet supply store but normally I just use plain, unsweetened (and usually nonfat) probiotic yogurt.

I don't usually fast my dogs, but have nothing against it.

I just want to note (for other readers who may have various big and small breeds at their houses) that tiny dogs are a different matter, both for skipping meals and for fasting.

I'm sure anyone with very small dogs already knows this, but just in case ....

I think fasting might be good for them, but I have a hard time doing it to them. Come 5 0 clock they start wondering where dinner is. One thing i noticed is the amounts some of you feed is so much less than what I do. Even Ed's example menu for a 90 male is almost less then what I feed my 60 pound female. She isnt overweight by no means. My 90 pound male is eating 2-1/2 and could eat 3 with no problem. All I can figure like humans depends on metabolisem and how active they are??????

Good articles.

If a dog has an allergy to chicken...what is a good replacement? Do you think turkey would react the same as chicken?

Any problems we should look for buying rabbit? Chances are we may only be able to find it from the Amish in our area. Or very expensive in a grocery store and still not know much where it came from.

 Quote: patricia freese

... If a dog has an allergy to chicken...what is a good replacement?

If you have not yet done this, I would do a strict true-elimination diet first to make sure of the allergy. This is the only way to reliably ID a food allergen. Also, many derm vets prefer to rule out atopy, flea hypersensitivity, and other similarly-presenting problems first.

I wouldn't give rabbit or other available protein sources without doing this elimination diet. An elimination diet is limited ingredients of food the dog has never tasted in his life, and every time we give a new protein source to the dog who may have an allergy, we are wiping out a possibility for the elimination diet.

The elimination diet and then the subsequent challenging ("provocative testing") will tell you whether it's just chicken or turkey (or other foods) too.

If you have done the testing and you know that it's chicken, then you have a challenge with a raw diet, but it's certainly doable.

You are very fortunate to have access to rabbit locally. If you decide to use rabbit for RMBs, and you can get the nutritional info (especially fat), you can compare it to that of poultry and adjust the rest of the protein sources accordingly. (That is, does the rabbit available to you have much less fat that most poultry?)

I've read that rabbit can be as low as 8% fat, so I'd be sure to combine it with plenty of variety, using more fatty meats to balance out the rabbit RMBs.

JMO, though. And variety is important for all of us, whether we feed poultry or rabbit RMBs.

 Quote: Debbie Dibble

I think fasting might be good for them, but I have a hard time doing it to them. Come 5 0 clock they start wondering where dinner is. One thing i noticed is the amounts some of you feed is so much less than what I do. Even Ed's example menu for a 90 male is almost less then what I feed my 60 pound female. She isnt overweight by no means. My 90 pound male is eating 2-1/2 and could eat 3 with no problem. All I can figure like humans depends on metabolisem and how active they are??????

I have an 82lb male golden. When I started feeding raw 2 yrs ago, I started with 2lbs a day, split into 2 meals a day. He started gaining weight soon after that, and within a year he had gotten up to 87 lbs and his 'waistline' was disappearing. So I cut back to 1 1/2 lb a day (3/4 lb 2x) and he went back down to 80 or so which is where he should be. I go more by 'can I feel ribs' and can I see a waistline if I'm looking down on his back while he's standing. I don't know how long you have been feeding raw, but I kind of suspect that if your dog isn't really active everyday, feeding him 3lbs a day will put weight on him over time. There is a percentage of their body weight formula to go by in feeding raw (not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline), but I can't remember what it is! I'm pretty sure the Leerburg rawfeeding article has that number in it.

 Quote: Lori Hall

... There is a percentage of their body weight formula to go by in feeding raw (not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline), but I can't remember what it is! I'm pretty sure the Leerburg rawfeeding article has that number in it.

2 to 3% for adults and 5 to 10% for puppies


Yes, metabolism is a major factor. Size (weight), exercise/work, and metabolism all affect the amount needed.