Barf Vs Super Premium Commercial Foods

[Sheridan]

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

I gave Mini a chicken neck and she pretty much swallowed it whole and then threw it up a few minutes later. Never again.

[minimax]

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

I gave Mini a chicken neck and she pretty much swallowed it whole and then threw it up a few minutes later. Never again.

Mine do that, then they eat it again. Sometimes they'll go for a second regurg if they aren't yet satisfied. Nomnom

[jr_inoz]

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

I gave Mini a chicken neck and she pretty much swallowed it whole and then threw it up a few minutes later. Never again.

Mine do that, then they eat it again. Sometimes they'll go for a second regurg if they aren't yet satisfied. Nomnom

minimax - that is how a breeder I know lost one of his dogs. I also know of another breeder who lost a dog in my breed from not chewing a chicken wing properly. Perforated intestine which is apparently a horrible way to go.

Chicken frames seem even worse with the ribs being able to be chewed to really sharp pieces.

Mine take two bites and then swallow - scares me to death! Enough stories in my breed for me to never risk it again.

I've been feeding lamb necks too on occasion. I made the mistake of getting them cut across once - one of my girls got the middle section stuck on a tooth. I reckon I was lucky she didn't break the tooth. I reckon I might stick with lamb necks.

[SupaDupa Mini Cooper]

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

I did try chicken necks first but I would hold one end (which is slippery and hard to grip) because the first time he had one he got 2/3 down his neck whole before I grabbed it and had to pull it back out! I found the shape of the neck is too easy to swallow whole. Somewhere in my reading I found that it is very rare that a dog of Cooper's size would be able to swallow a wing whole so to me that would not be a worry. He chomps and chews on the wing for a good 5 mins or so, so I know that it gets pretty broken down, even if the skin holds it all together still. Wings are my preference as opposed to necks simply because it takes him longer to eat and he gets more chewing action, but I know even if the neck is swallowed whole, the neck bones are pretty tiny and will pass through ok.

Amongst my reading I read that when a dog is regularly fed raw meat their stomachs are able to dissolve the bone, so I wasn't too worried about him swallowing pieces because it will be dissolved before it enters the bowel. That said, I would never feed cooked bones - only raw (as in, I would not give him a cooked chicken wing) because they cannot dissolve cooked bones and I'm not willing to risk it. I also read that any non-weight bearing bone dissolves more easily in their stomach - so giving big bones are not that great (thighs, legs, etc), but necks, wings, lamb flaps, etc seems fine.

There is a risk to feeding raw bones - a lot less than feeding cooked bones, and a debatable less risk than feeding a cooked diet of processed foods (more in health and longevity).

At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable with the choice you make - if raw bones are too concerning then don't give them. The same goes for vaccinations, collars, housing conditions, etc.