Raw Pet Food

[Diana]

Raw bones don't really splinter... but a puppy might be so excited to eat this delicious raw food that he doesn't chew it properly. Maybe giving him bigger bones would be better, that way he is forced to chew them up instead of inhaling them.

[Aquattro]

As Diana mentioned, raw bones don't splinter and crack into sharp edges like cooked bones do. You're probably fine with wings, but how big is the dog? My pup is about 25 pounds right now and she's eating necks and backs without problem. My big girl just ate an entire carcass (about 500 gm) in about 20 seconds, pretty sure there wasn't a lot of chewing involved

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

As Diana mentioned, raw bones don't splinter and crack into sharp edges like cooked bones do. You're probably fine with wings, but how big is the dog? My pup is about 25 pounds right now and she's eating necks and backs without problem. My big girl just ate an entire carcass (about 500 gm) in about 20 seconds, pretty sure there wasn't a lot of chewing involved

He is only about 12 lbs. He pretty much inhaled the two wings.

[my2rotties]

I just switched them cold turkey. Believe it or not, they had no issues with it at all. If my dogs get into my client's dog's food, they do get sick though.

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

So I guess the concerns about contamination are not a real concern if you don't have kids?

For those of you who were feeding kibble and then switched to a RAW diet, how did you do so? Slowly or just all at once? My puppy is somewhat allergic to his current food anyways, so I was going to just basically switch over all at once for his morning feeding and keep feeding the kibble at night and then eventually just do one feeding of the RAW a day.

Any other advice? I think we have decided to make our own. Still feel a little nervous about getting it right...I think because all the sites I have read and all the advice here actually make it sound so much simpler than I thought it might be.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

He is only about 12 lbs. He pretty much inhaled the two wings.

I'd maybe try some thighs, they're a little bigger and might force some more chewing. The initial chewing triggers a release of enzymes which asist in digestion. When you first start with the bones, it's not uncommon (IME) to have them vomit up a piece or two until they build up enough digestive juices to really dissolve the bone.