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Mmmmm....chicken!

1K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  coccomummy 
#1 ·
My dogs ate raw for the first time!

Figuring it out.



Tango wanted to stay on the move with his, while Jazz didn't budge.




At one point, Tango moved to the bed Jazz was in even though I'd tried to keep them separated. It was funny to see them eating together. As though it was choreographed, they'd chew on one side then at some unseen signal change to the other side in unison :D




And Tango's on the move yet again.


Yummy!

 
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#2 ·
Oh, how cute.. Tango is so funny carrying his piece around like he is afraid someone is gonna try to take it away..lol
 
#4 ·
Hey Tracy? Question. I got worried at one point, because after they crunched and chewed through the bone, it wasn't anywhere near as soft as I'd expected it to be....and in fact the one that Jazz was eating had a jagged edge that really made me nervous. I was watching her like a hawk while she chewed on hers because of it. Is that really OK?

I kept having visions of them swallowing the last pieces whole, jagged edge and all. It honestly made me anxious enough that I took away the last little bit from each of them, wuss that I am. :(
 
#5 ·
Ronni, I did the exact same thing the first time I gave a wing to Brody. He was crunching away happily and got down to the last mouthful and I saw the bone poking out of the meat and just freaked out. Held him down and pulled it out of his mouth and threw it away vowing to never feed raw again! ;)

Over time, my comfort level increased, especially after viewing videos and talking to experienced raw feeders whose dogs gave a chicken quarter a couple of crunches and then swallowed, seemingly whole. NO problems. Their GI tract took care of it just as they said it would.

Some people like to hold the chicken part and let the dogs gnaw on it on their lap, but that looks like it would be going backwards in your case as yours took to it so well and so instinctively. I'd keep on doing what you are doing. As your comfort level and confidence increase, you will find yourself interfering less and less. It's a learning process for all of you. :)
 
#8 ·
I was actually surprised at how easily they slipped into the raw meat behavior. I mean, they've only ever had kibble their whole lives, so to plonk down this hunk of raw, virtually odorless, slimy.....stuff......and expect them to know what to do with it, was a bit of a stretch for me, so it was particularly surprising that they went after the chicken with such gusto. It took a bit longer with Tango, but I expected that really....Jazz is the chewer, Tango doesn't care much for any of the chewies, bully sticks etc. that I've provided them both with.

Jazz started in on his with such enthusiasm that I figured it'd be gone in three bites! What did take me aback a bit was the NOISE! :( I should have expected it I guess, but I cringed the first few times I heard bone crunching, and had to restrain myself from checking things out and making sure that was chicken bone I was hearing cracking, and not their teeth!

And this morning, I was pleasantly surprised again. I'd expected some change in their poop....more smell and softer. Couldn't tell the difference! Which was good, because if I'm going to do this as a regular thing, I was concerned what schedule to feed them on so I could be around to deal with the runs after, make sure they didn't have access to the couch, carpet etc. With it not seeming to affect their digestion, it makes things easier.
 
#9 ·
Awesome!! If you start to gradually increase the raw meals, you'll see the poop decrease in size and odor and consistency. You'll be surprised at the decrease in poop as their body uses ALL of the chicken. Even the best kibble in the world has to have a filler (carb) to hold it together. Whether it's potatos or peas or whatever.

Brody had a milk bone dog biscuit the other day. (Long story I won't go into) He hasn't had anything like that for over a year. He took a long time to eat it. ;) Anyway.... he had LARGE stools for 2 times after eating that. It didn't cause diarrhea, etc. but the difference in his stool was very apparent.

I'm thrilled with how well your kids have done!! Yay!
 
#13 ·
Oh, and the other thing? I'm kinda anal/ocd in general, and so I guess it's no surprise that I got pretty weirded out at the idea of chicken juice....ugh.....all over everything. I tried to prepare by confining them to just the hallway where it's easiest to clean up, then covering the two beds with easy to wash blankets, and letting them go to town. They were less messy than I expected, but even so, I was flinching at the concept of all that germiness floating around the hallway. I couldn't even walk on the floor barefoot till I'd mopped the whole floor, and as soon as they were done I whisked away the blankets and ran them through the wash. Oh, and wiped their paws with disinfecting wipes because....well, because their paws are all over me and the couch and my face and my lap.....and it just made me shudder to think of all those germs spreading.

Even though I'm not a germophobe, this is going to take some getting used to. :(
 
#14 ·
Designate an eating spot and put a beach towel there and train them to eat on that. Or feed in the crate. If you do the towel and they move off it, put them back on. They quickly learn that is where they eat. Then just throw it in the wash.

Remember that dogs are pretty germy in general.... they don't wear shoes and walk around all over outside stepping in who knows what, they lick themselves, etc. ;)
 
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