To keep the peace at home I'm asking this. I got some chicken on the bone at the store this weekend to give to the pups. My stepdad keeps questioning me and asking if it is really safe. He says that he has alway heard that chicken bones can splinter and cause choking. I know he is just looking out for the dogs but he's a worry wart.

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Jen~mama to my chihauhau/dachshund mix babies Quinn, Leah and Claude and my chihuahua princess Eva

He is correct IF the bones are cooked. The bones are completely safe if raw no worries--just don't give cooked bones ever.....let the pups enjoy!

Thanks for that bit of info. I tried looking on the net and all I got was don't give them bones. I don't plan on cooking it so looks like they will be getting a Superbowl Sunday treat like the rest of us.

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Jen~mama to my chihauhau/dachshund mix babies Quinn, Leah and Claude and my chihuahua princess Eva

Great! Just a note...for our little ones make sure the bones are an appropriate size...chicken wing tips are great as are the chicken necks. A chicken drumstick will be too big to eat, but they can gnaw on it a bit. Cornish hens are a wonderful option as they are smaller birds, they can consume it all and you can cut it up into 8 servings!
You can use the search tab here and look up bones---you will find great raw feeding info and all types of bones we Chi owners prefer!!

Mel is 100% correct.

My favorite example is from Tracy (brodysmom). She takes a hammer to a Cornish game hen, gives it a few whacks and cuts it up in (I think) 8 pieces. Each piece then becomes a one ounce serving.

I have not tried this myself but is makes good sense nutritionally, economically and who doesn't want to whack something with a hammer occasionally?? haha!

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photos-Jennifer Hague, fixyourimages.com

I don't expect them to eat the bones because they are thigh bones but I didn't want to run the risk of something happening if they shouldn't have the bones. They are all chewers so they might enjoy gnawing. I was looking at cornish hens last night at the store, I might have to look into it more.

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Jen~mama to my chihauhau/dachshund mix babies Quinn, Leah and Claude and my chihuahua princess Eva

I do cornish hens ( as recommended by Tracy/Brodysmom ),
I cut them into smaller pieces and Mimi crunches right through
their little bones. And she wasn't much of a chewer until
she started eating bone in meat.

I also get beef short ribs for her. My butcher has these cuts
that are kind of like long string pieces of meat with three or
four small short rib bones staggered through the piece. I cut
them up into little servings and Mimi LOVES those and will clean
the entire little rib and chew on it for awhile, even cracking it
open and getting the marrow all off of it.

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Life is but a dream...



"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

At first I primarily gave my two chicken wing sections but just recently I have been giving them turkey necks. Turkey necks are extra work though because first I have to cut the neck in several pieces because they can be really long and thick and then I cut each section length wise into two pieces. And to do all of this I have to use a knife and a hammer! I also found a couple of days ago at the Farmer's Market lamb shoulder cut into long, thin pieces with small portions of bone through out. I have also been eyeing the duck necks at HareToday because duck necks seem to be a little bit bigger than chicken necks (which I am scared to feed because Pee Wee scarfs them down) but smaller than turkey necks. Now that I am out of premade (Stella and Chewy's) and don't plan on buying anymore, I am trying to give my two more of a variety of rmb's. And fortunately, they have never had any choking issues with rmb's (raw meaty bones)

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Pee Wee