I started Hurley on raw about 5 weeks ago. I was apprehensive about the bones, so I've been feeding bone-in chicken breast that I grind up in an electric meat grinder. This past Sunday while prepping/trimming some pork spareribs that I was going to BBQ I had some left over scraps, so I decided to give Hurley a rib bone that had a little meat on it. I thought he would just eat the meat and maybe gnaw on the bone a little, but nope ... he crushed that thing up like it was nothing and devoured the whole thing! It was a real eye opener to see just how strong their jaws are and it was also reassuring to see that they can break up raw bones into little pieces that seem harmless. He didn't gag, throw up, struggle or anything.

Since, along with his ground chicken breast I've fed him a chicken neck and another pork rib bone. The only bummer is that I took this as my queue to begin adding another protein source to his diet (pork) and I must have given him too much the first time around. After I gave him some pork meat along with his ground chicken breast for dinner on Monday night, he woke me up at 5am to be let out (which he never does) and had diarrhea. He also threw up some bile later that morning. Today is more of the same. These are the same reactions he had when I started him on raw, so I guess I need to go much slower with the new protein source.

Thanks again for sharing!

I do canned sardines in SPRING WATER only...be careful not to buy the kind in soya oil etc. Yes it's easy when I'm feeling lazy:) Apple cidar vinegar 1 teasp. health benefits, molassas for taste (same amount). I buy bags of small smelts or sardines frozen 6-8" and she eats them semi frozen in the summer like popcicles! Don't panic if your dogs strains a bit to go to the bathroom eventually, the stool becomes quite firm from the bones and this helps express the anal glands...another benefit from raw feeding. If they strain too much you can feed some canned pumpkin. I've hear that pumpkin also helps to firm the stool...go figure. I also feed Teela plain yougurt and pumpkin frozen like ice cream at times for a treat.

Tammy

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for all the info. A few questions ... is the apple cider vinegar and molasses just for taste, or is there a health benefit? How much do you serve? Also, do you serve canned sardines verses raw fish for convenience, or is there some other benefit?

I'm getting more confident in feeding Hurley bones and I have to admit, I'm getting a real kick out of it. It's pretty amazing to see what he can chew up and he absolutely loves it. Thanks again for all the info.

Brandon

Regarding what to feed; I'm not as scientific as some people, I don't worry about portion size etc. I just feed Teela 3 x's per day and give her a variety and it's worked for us. The only thing that seemed to upset Teela's tummy is when I gave her too much liver. I haven't had any issues with pork, fish, chicken, turkey etc. so perhaps someone else can speak to that? Here is what I have fed Teela and also what a typical day might include for her;
Things I've fed: Liver, beef (including cow tounge, liver, scraps, ribs, tripe etc.), turkey (everyhting), chicken (everything) mostly backs that I buy from our butcher (20lb case costs me $10 so I seperate and freeze), salmon heads, trout, halibut, shrimp, sardines, pork necks, ribs etc. Bison, Deer.....I think that's it

Typical day

Breakfast - can of sardines in spring water mixed with two raw eggs (shell and all) omega 3 capsule, apple cidar vinegar & molasses to taste....ohhh I'm hungry (not)
Lunch - Chicken back whole, small portion of cut up liver
Dinner - (whatever I have) could be chicken again, or perhaps a salmon head, some beef ribs or discounted stewing beef etc.

Yes, Teela has always had a fantastic coat; she sometimes is thinner than I would like for shows and I may feed her additional tripe etc. to "fatten her up" before shows. Her teeth are amazing, white....our vet said she is the best looking bulldog health wise she has ever seen.

Hope that helps.

Tammy

Yes, I do weigh out the meat with bone for portions. I've been trying to figure out how much bone is in each type of chicken piece, but I've seen conflicting numbers. For example, for bone-in chicken breast I've seen numbers that range from 10-20% bone. I think I'm going to stop worrying about this and just look at the dogs stool. Hurley's stool as been on the loose side, so I think I'm just going to gradually increase the bone until it's not loose any more.

Do you weigh the meat with the bone for the portions?

I'm also curious, how slow/quick should the transition be to a new meat. As I mentioned, introducing pork to Hurley gave him diarrhea, so now I'm hesitant to give him more. Thanks.

I just started feeding my girl raw chicken thighs and she loves them. It has been 3 weeks now and am wondering what to feed now. I read and read and am still worried I may not get it right. Was that chicken backs? Could you give me a sample of what your dog eats so I feel more confident on continuing? Thanks and her coat looks awesome shiny.
Roanne

when I gave my Lola kibble that had a different protein source and was integrating it to be her new kibble she would vomit bile almost everyday. I though he palate was the issue since she does have to have that done, but I switched her food and she has now stopped vomiting.

thanks for posting the video.

Cathy
when she first came home

trying to get the weights and percentages just right. I think it's a great idea to just watch his stools! And since now you know how much he loved his rib bone, gve him more of those to keep his stools healthy. And don't forget, it may be from too much food overall instead of an imbalance.
I have found that my dogs do much better on LESS food and always err on the lighter side when measuring out their food.

Cathy
when she first came home

2 meals a day. I have two, 13 year old lab mixes and one 16 month old bulldog. We have been raw feeding the bulldog for 4 months now, and the other two for about a month.
2 can't handle the bones whole, so we just chop it for all 3 to make it simpler.
We buy meat on sale and use it all without mixing it with other meat. No one in my house can stand the smell of meat that's been in the fridge for longer than 4 days or so, so it's been the easiest way to just buy it, cut it, and feed it til it's gone.
They get their bone-in chicken once a week, meaning we buy it in big packs, chop it and use it til it's gone. Might be 2 or 3 days in a row. Might be stretched to 4.
Next couple of days it will be boneless meat. The grocery store has had pork packs in 20 pound bundles, it has butt roasts, ribs, and flank steaks. We feed that til it's gone, and that all depends on how many meals we eat from it as well as the dogs.
We cut the bones out of the ribs and flank steaks and freeze them. My 2 lab mixes can eat them, even the one that can't do it for every meal, so they get them as a treat. Audrey just can't handle them well, although now that I know it's her teeth, I'll probably take her outside and let her try one. I might chicken out though.
I don't, or haven't yet, feed chicken backs. There's hardley any meat on them and since I have been giving them just one thing at a time, I'd have to add it to something with meat so I don't bother. I'm not saying I never will feed them, just I haven't yet.
They have also gotten beef stew meat, and some beef that looked like uncooked salisbury steak. (I am NOT the cook, I have NO IDEA what meat is what, I just eat what's cooked for me) It was on sale and cost a quarter a meal! YAY!
2 of the dogs LOVE eggs, so they get those a few times a week in the bowl with breakfast. Audrey loves the shell and gets her whole egg, but the other dog hates it. I have one that won't even look at her bowl if there's an egg in it.
We get a container of chicken livers and they get one in their bowl with breakfast until they're gone, maybe once a month. We will start adding more now that they've had a month to adjust to raw.
I just had a full blood panel done on Audrey, and she is in perfect health! Kidney's, thyroid, liver, no diabetes, urine is fine, she is thriving on raw.

Cathy
when she first came home

I notice a difference if I don't. The stuff I have has enzymes and probiotics in it, and it really works!
I took Audrey to the vet and had him look at her teeth good, and she is missing 8 of them, so it's no big wonder why she struggles with whole bones! I bet Hurley will be fine with them.
You may have to introduce new protein just a tiny bit at a time. From all the stuff that I'veread, loose stools/diarrhea seems to be frequently caused by too much food at once, so maybe cut back when introducing new things. My dogs LOVE pork, and since that's what we've found lately cheap, that's what they've been getting.
For my old girls, I started them with much much less food than the 2% of their bodyweight. They should have gotten 11 oz a meal, and I started them with 6-7, then gradually increased it over a period of about a month. They have only had a few episodes of diarrhea, and both times have been when they were given chicken quarters with too much skin and fat left on it. A double does of digestive enzymes next meal cleared it up.

Cathy
when she first came home

https://shop.k9power.com/wholistic-digest-all-plus-4oz.html

It really helps my old girls. Audrey doesn't seem to have many issues as long as her food is raw, but I still give them to her anyways.

Sounds like you've figured put that increasing bone helps, so maybe you can give him more of the ribs and that will solve your problem!

Judging correct weight for a bulldog is still a challenge for me, but my old girls lost a bit at first but quickly gained it back again. They look great!

Cathy
when she first came home

Yes, I still give probiotics. To be honest, I can't tell if they've helped or not, but I'll continue to give them. What brand do you buy? NatureVet Enzymes and Probiotics is the only brand my pet store carries.

So far increasing bone has been the only tweak that's firmed up his stool. I tried reducing his meal size and that didn't help. He's lost a little weight since being on raw, so I've been concerned about keeping the portion size too small. My latest plan is to keep the bone content high until his stool is consistently firm. That's when I'll start adding pork again, but I'm only going to add like 1 oz. per meal at first and increase gradually. Doubling up the probiotic dose is something I didn't think of. I may have to try that as well.

It sure helps to have someone else with idea's.
Roanne

I don't feed anything with whole bone....the first time I did raw, I did feed Twister partially frozen chicken wings (cut apart - tip & wing), but it always stressed me out. This time around I decided I was going to make this "work" no matter what - so I'm more focused on what works for me, what I can live with and have fun with because believe me the dogs could care less as long as they are fed each day

I feed ground chicken neck .49 lb (that I grind), ground turkey heart because I was given a 40 lb case free, chubs of ground meat with organ & bone I get from a company called BlueRidge Beef, Nature Variety patties, dehydrated SOJO's veggie & complete (with dehydrated chicken), canned holisitc (evenagers, blue, nature's variety, wellness core), steamed veggies, saw dust (I get free from a couple local butcher shops - which consists of chicken, beef, pork, with bone, basically anything they are cutting that day), ground pork/beef mixture a local market sales for $1.29 lb), chicken gizzards .69 lb, canned salmon, canned sardines (in olive oil), raw eggs or hard boiled if we are on the road, etc..

web site for Blueridge Beef
http://www.blueridgebeef.com/welcome.html

web site for SOJO's
http://www.sojos.com/food.html

I also use Honest Kitchen products off and on for variety - here is there site:
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/

hope this helps - I'll post pics of the saw dust later - it's fabulous and free - I will add that to my SOJO's and make my own frozen patties or bake the dogs meatballs for treats