Okay, it's been pointed out (nicely) that perhaps it's a bit strong to say that dogs absolutely don't digest veggies, so I'll go ahead and amend my statment to--as dogs are scavengers, and some unfortunate souls are able to survive on vegetarian diets, there are *some* nutrients being extracted from vegetables and fruits. This does not mean that dogs are designed to digest them properly (according to L. David Mech, author of Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation).

Cheers y'all.

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At 65 (give or take) pounds, necks and wings are *way* too small for him--he runs the risk of gulping them down and choking on them. Minimum I'd give to dog his size is a leg quarter.

there is nothing wrong with feeding necks and wings to a giant breed. i do it every day. even when they are gulped, everything comes out just fine! people worry too much about this. chicken legs are actually more dangerous because they are weight-bearing bones and if the chicken is over 6 weeks old these bones are hard and can splinter and cause problems. i'd be much more cautious about feeding legs than necks, wings, and/or backs.

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And if your dog doesn't like chicken, try beef or pork ribs, brisket, pork shoulder/picnics/butts--dogs are more designed to eat red meat than poultry, so there are dogs out there that don't like it.

chicken is about as close to a complete food as you will find for a dog.

the dog needs a mix of foods. no one food does it all. just pork, or just fish, or just chicken will, over time, equal an unbalanced diet. feed a variety of foods, including poultry.

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and I don't feed veggies--dogs don't digest them. FWIW

you have to grind the veggies up in a blender to break down the cell walls. dogs need roughage to regulate their colon. if you just feed RMBs and don't feed veggies, you can find yourself at the emergency room with a dog with an impacted colon. once or twice a week for veggies, and once a week for organ meats will keep things moving.

OH WOW!! I just got off the phone w/ my BF who made the mistake of telling a veterinarian friend we are feeding new puppy raw food diet. Now my BF is telling I should cook the food. Obviously I won't. What can I tell him to ease his mind re: bacteria, etc???

Tell him he doesn't have to eat it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

You might also ask him to ask his vet how much time they spent in vet school on nutrition. I guarantee it was minimal at best, and probably sponsored by Hill's or Purina what they did have.

Thanks for the advise. The vet has told my BF that he is seeing more & more dogs die/sickly on raw diet. He says the issue is bacteria like salmonella caused by food sitting out too long. I told him the dog needs to eat dinner in 20 min., not play with it.

In all seriousness, the salmonella is ALL OVER! Our floors, etc. Being careful is the best way to avoid it. I feed my dogs outside so they don't drag things all over my house. Is there a chance of salmonella? Sure, but it's most likely going to make US sick-not our dogs. I have a hard time believing this vet has really had much hands-on experience with dogs who've died from salmonella from this diet. More likely, he was taught by the good folks at Iams (who sponsor the nutrition portion of vet school-no joke)that this can and has happened. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I don't tell anyone what I feed my dogs until they start raving about how gorgeous they are and asking how I can afford vet bills for 6 animals. I get a real confused look on my face and ask what they mean-a yearly check-up isn't that much. Then they interject and ask "No, I mean, what about when they're sick? My dog's at the vet every ___weeks sometimes!" I just keep looking confused and say how lucky I must be to have a 6 yr old dog who's never been to a vet because he was sick; wait, actually, NONE of mine have ever been to a vet because they were sick.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />Hmmm.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Jenni is right - We will get sick before our animals will. According to "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy R. Schultze (an excellent book that Leerburg sells), the enzymes in our animals' systems can counter-attack the salmonella bacteria and, essentially, neutralize it. As in every case, there are exceptions to the rule, but in my own mind, I feel this is one area which does not have to concern me. As far as raw food contaminating us, Chlorox wipes come in very handy in disinfecting countertops, crates, feeding areas, etc. Again, my opinion, but I think some serious reading will allay many fears.

I have had GSDs all my life, and I don't think we have ever had to take a dog to the vet because it was sick. Only for annual checkups and shots. I think a lot of people feed their pets to much junk food, and not enough of what dogs are designed to eat. What do they think animals eat in the wild? Do they start a camp fire and cook that rabbit? And also they don't get the dogs out for excercise. Just like people, if they eat to much junk and don't get enough excercise they will be unhealthy and have to visit the doctor more often.

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But I don't want to have to do stuff like that every day to get him to eat his food, I'll go buy ground beef later, he totally ignores the lamb ribs and any other non-ground/on the bone type meats so I'm sure the chicken necks are gonna be a waste of money too. If my dutch shepherd pup is gonna be as picky as he is, she's gonna drive me insane! Now I know what I put my parents through when I was a kid. Yeesh.

I gave my dog his first turkey neck the other night. He sniffed and licked it at first. I had to pull a little meat off and feed it to him and then light bulb went on. It took him a bit to learn the right techniques, but it was fun to watch.