[OzChi]

Hi Guys,

I have put the raw transition on hold for Axle as we have been traveling plus the new puppy will need to be on the food from the breeder and i'm probably not going to be able to stop Axle eating her food. I'm still giving him a chicken wing per week in the mean time, he takes about 3 sessions to get through one.

I want to start transitioning them both in a few weeks and am calculating out the weights per food type but i'm confused about calculating the weight of the bone in meals. Do i have to work out the meat to bone ratio of the bone in piece (for instance how much of a chicken wing is bone and how much is meat) or do i just make the bone in pices 10% of their total food allowance and not worry about the fact that their is some meat on the bone?

 

[20887]

You can do the bone in pieces as 10% of their diet. Most people balance it over a week. You don't have to worry about the fact that there is meat on the bone.

 

[Smith]

You don't need to know exact ratios of bone-in pieces, but it's good to keep in mind roughly how much bone-to-meat there is when you're feeding. For example, a chicken neck or wing has a lot of bone in relation to the amount of meat on it, clearly quite a bit higher than 10%, so if you're feeding a chicken neck as a meal, or part of it, you probably want to add some additional meat to balance the ratio out a little. Or, alternately, you could feed a chicken neck or wing at one meal and then have the next meal bone-free. Things like chicken drumsticks, thighs and bone-in breast have more meat to bone, so are already fairly well-balanced on their own.

In general, just look at the cut you're serving. If you're thinking 'this seems like a lot of bone', add a bit more meat. If you're thinking 'this seems like more meat than bone', leave the proportions as-is.

Also remember that the 10% amount is a good start point, but not a hard and fast rule. Some dogs do better with a bit more bone in their meals, some dogs need a bit less. Watch the poo, it will tell you where your dog lies in that spectrum.

 

[RUTHIE]

i don't know if my old chi could chew the bones she has very few teeth left