I have fed my dog raw in the past and she loves it.

I now have multiple dogs and cannot afford this now because I could only buy meat at the grocery store. I cannot to save my life find a source of chicken necks/backs. My grocery stores just have the regular chicken quarters, boneless breasts, and wings and gizzards.

There is a guy who sells "raw dog food" that is 33% flank steak, 33% heart and 33% liver/kidney, all from beef. I realize that it is not a complete diet and I'll have to drive over an hour to get it (he doesn't deliver). I would still need a source of bones/calcium.

My question about this is where to you people buy your raw food from? I read on the website where Cindy/Ed get theirs, but I don't have a large kennel to feed, I have 3 adults and 4 pups that are 9 weeks old. Currently everyone eats Innova kibble. I do have a source for recreational bones (beef leg bones) but I have two adults who have actually chewed up/consumed the bones and I'm afraid of broken teeth. I'd feel much better feeding chicken necks.

My second question is that I noticed Ed sells glucosamine supplements that do not contain chondroitin. Is there a specific reason why chondroitin should not be given to dogs in a supplement? I kind of thought glucosamine and chondroitin were supposed to go together.

I too have the problem of finding necks and backs here in hawaii. I have to scrounge to get a months supply...

Angela, if you do a search, there are tons of discussions about finding sources of food.

I order all of my chicken by the case, whole, and I cannot find necks and backs either. I grind and freeze half the case for the gulpers and then cut up and freeze the rest. I use ground turkey (I order by the case) as I do not feed too much of that due to gas.
My beef (I do not feed alo to of beef at all really) comes from the local meat locker and they actually save me cuts that they will not use. They also save me knuckle bones, hip sockets and cut leg bones into the sizes I want.

If you are nervous about broken teeth, try knuckle bones. Also, do not let the dogs have them for a long time. Once you notice they are walking away from it, then it is time to pick it up and chuck it in the trash.

Since it is hunting season, I am also starting to get carcass from hunters and a friend of ours raises Buffalo (brucellosis free) and he brings me the tripe and offal from them when he butchers.


The best advice I can give you is to talk with your butcher, grocery store meat manager and or manager and explain to them what you need. If you know of people that hunt, ask them to save you what they do not use (remember to freeze wild game for at least 10 days before feeding).

Recreational bones are not in the same category as RMBs, which I'm sure you know.

You'll find that many members here do not recommend recreational bones for many dogs..... only for the dog-type who will kind of scrape away at it and not tyry to crack it open. Personally, I don't want to risk even trying enough to find out which category my dogs fall into.

The raw dog food you mention is probably not something I'd go for, one reason being the lack of edible bones.

The RMBs (such as backs, which you mention) are really the basis of the diet. I can't see trying to build a whole diet around boneless muscle meat and organs.

I do indeed buy my ingredients from a regular store, but I have only one big dog, and small dogs are pretty cheap to feed, even the best possible raw diet. I know that several members here buy quarters in bulk from big-box stores. Is that an option for you?

Glucosamine and chondriotin: I too give glucosamine alone. I can tell you that the opinions on whether chondroitin enhances the effects of glucosamine vary widely, and even among very authoritative sources.

I don't think that chondriotin has any bad side effects, though. The reason I buy glucosamine alone is that I have better choice of the form of glucosamine that way, and also I can get capsules that are easy open-and-sprinkle.

Are you looking for OA help for an adult or a senior?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

You'll find that many members here do not recommend recreational bones for many dogs..... only for the dog-type who will kind of scrape away at it and not tyry to crack it open. Personally, I don't want to risk even trying enough to find out which category my dogs fall into.

I guess I shoud say that I give recreational bones to the Bloodhounds and the Lab. Once in a while the Dutch gets one.

These dogs pick daintily at the meat and fat on the bone, lick out any marrow and do not try and crack it open.
The Mal and GSD do not get rec bones, they get bully sticks.

 Quote: Carol Boche

These dogs pick daintily at the meat and fat on the bone, lick out any marrow and do not try and crack it open.
The Mal and GSD do not get rec bones, they get bully sticks.

Yes, that's the type of dog who can have recreational bones and do great. :>

But again to the O.P.: Recreational bones really have nothing to do with the actual raw diet.

I am a dork, I forgot to add that recreational and RMB were totally
different and I spaced it off.....sorry

Hi Connie, I don't understand what you mean by OA help? If you are referring to the glucosamine/chondroitin question, it is because I had an old dog (now passed away) who I used to give LaKota to, but that also only had glucosamine, and I was just wondering about the differences between products that only have glucosamine vs those that also have chondroitin.

I am planning to keep a puppy out of the litter I mentioned above (heh the way it is going I may end up keeping 3) and my plans for the puppy are to compete in agility. I was told that canine athletes shoud have glucosamine and also Ed uses it for his dogs. I also am going to start my 1.5 year old male foster dog in agility. But this will be in the future.

Yes I do not want to give my dogs any more recreational (beef) bones because of fear of broken teeth. I gave it to them in the first place because they are kibble-fed and I did it to help clean their teeth. Now I realize that was a bad idea. My dogs do not walk away from the bone until it is completely gone.

I wanted to feed a diet based on chicken necks and backs along with chicken, beef, and turkey meat and organs and beef tripe and veggie glop (I have a juicer). The problem is I cannot find RMBs or beef tripe.

Cindy mentioned she got some of her food at Wal-Mart but I am not that lucky. I guess I am wondering of a store source or better yet, a mail-order source. Something like Bravo that is already made up. I did find Bravo's website but it is only one page with a picture on it.

I get all my raw meats at a natural food store or a supermarket. That might be a problem with a lot of dogs to feed.

OA is osteoarthritis.

I have seen lots of web sources posted, with rabbit, ostrich, and lots of other meats.

I think that would be great for variety. Not sure how the freight stacks up against local buying.

P.S. Even my vet, when asked whether she recommended glucosamine-chondroitin over just glucosamine, said "I don't know."

I think the jury really is still out on chondroitin for OA. But since it has no bad side effects that I have ever read about, then if you can get the form of glucosamine you want with chondroitin, then why not?