hi everyone!could anyone who feeds raw foods advise me,please?the last couple of weeks ive been buying chicken wings for my two girls.i just give themone each aday,mainly to keep their teeth clean.i love the idea of raw food but am a big coward as regards bones.the wings are in addition to their usual diet of arden grange.can anyone foresee any problems with this,or is it ok?thanks.

Wings are quite high in bone - if you were feeding 100% raw I'd recommend balancing them out with more meat.  That said, they are probably OK when fed alongside a complete.  Keep an eye open for any signs of constipation or straining and, if needs be, feed wings every other day instead. 

If your girls can manage wings, they'd probably enjoy other chicken portions too.  Swap one of your complete meals for a raw one now and again and don't forget you can buy pet mince with bone included.  :)

Are your dogs very small? Only mine finish chicken wings in about 5 seconds so it won't help their teeth :) I get meaty bones from the butchers for that as they spend hours on them. :)

I'm with Marianne on this one. Unless your dogs are tiny or "delicate" eaters, I found with mine that I need to feed more substantial bones to get any cleaning benefits. Hamish in particular, just swallows wings whole! Lamb ribs/breast of lamb work well and at 10+ his teeth are sparkly clean. They get their bones 3-4 times a week.

As you aren't feeding raw, I would reduce the amount of complete fed on "bone days" and maybe add some tripe to balance out the bone:meat ratio. Keep an eye on the poo to see if you are feeding too much bone.

thankyou everyone!they are collies and must admit,a wing doesnt last long!bigger bones called for,and i will also look out for the mince with bone in.i love this site!you are all so generous with your help!lovely people!much appreciated.Thanks again!

hi marrianneB!ive just ordered some pork ribs from asda,where I get my chicken wings from.do you think these would be ok for my dogs?(collies)they didnt seem to have lamb ribs.i could always cancel them!I wish id got a nice friendly butcher,but being veggie,never go near one!So asdas my best bet!

sainsburys basics chicken quaters are good and cheap 1.40kg i think at least thats cheap for what i can get. Asda probably do similar and the quarters are bigger my gsd is happy with them

oh,right,il have a look,thanks!

My Dobermann has pork ribs for dinner now and again. He loves them but they don't last more than a minute with him! The bones seem very soft (though will probably give a smaller dog a bit more of a work out). Lamb ribs take him quite a bit longer.

thanks for that,Ive cancelledthem as a friend says she never gives pork,but if your dogs ok on them,il re order with my next shop.must look out for a butcher.Theres a local one that sells fruit n veg,cakes n pies etc,cud always buy veg then ask about bones etc!thanks again!  
Does anyone know of a firm that delivers frozen pet mince in the nottingham area,please?

Hi there, there are a few companies around, but not sure which one is best for your area, you could try Landywoods I have ordered from these alot in the past and never had a problem. Also TPMS I have ordered from these too, all good aswell. If these aren't anygood then let me know and I will post more... :-)

AMP or Anglian meat do, i'm sure?

thankyou,will have a look!

DAF-Durham Animal Feeds probably do? They also do big bags of bones which you can order at the same time as the tripe for a couple of pounds.

thanks!im currently waiting for an email from landywoods,whose prices and range seem excellent,but will check out these other sites too.Thankyou!

I have a yorkie x chihuahua a shitzu X yorkie and three alaskan malamutes all who eat a 100% raw diet. That includes chicken wings/necks/pigs tails and carcasses along with meaty bones and various minced meats. Even the small dogs have the same as the large. I am a def pro Barfer and mine have no commercial food. If you want to use kibble and also some raw that's fine but you shouldn't mix them at the same meal, raw should always be fed seperate to processed food as it's better for the digestion.
I know what you mean about being a coward with bones and dogs shouldn't gulp them down, if they gulp down chicken wings they need something larger like turkey wings or necks.Of course a bone could get stuck (rare) but at least it can be removed, however you can't see the damage commercial food can do to a dog long term and that's usually irriparable as by the time you do see it the damage has most likely been done.
I get my food from The Dogfood Company and highly recommend it!

http://www.thedogfoodcompany.co.uk/

thankyou,will have a look at the site.Ive always prefered a natural diet for my animals,but have ended up using kibble,for price and convenience,but thanks to everybody on here ive begun to realise it neednt be that difficult or expensive,so thankyou.What started me off wanting to feed natural,years ago,when i was a kid(well.18!)with my first dog,i read a book by juliette de bairacly levy,anyone else remember it?Inspiring,i thought!

I raw feed and have done with my two since pups, and also a couple of oldies I rescued along the way that are no longer with me.  Chicken wings are the ideal ratio of meat to bone, and chicken is nutritionally one of the best raw meats to feed, it forms the basis of the diet for my two along with green tripe.  I get stripped carcasses from a local supplier, who would have to pay to have them disposed of, so sells them cheap.  I also get free lamb bones from the local butcher, again, they would have to pay to dispose of them, so I just donate into their charity box and get a tray per week which I share with a friend.  I also give mine blended vegetables, as there are a lot of nutrients and vitamins in them, and I do give mine nuts, mine have always been absolutely fine with them, although I am aware that some dogs can suffer an allergic reaction similar to humans.  I don't give mine pork or beef, simply because I don't need to, and unless you know that the beef bones are from a younger animal, they can be very hard and wearing to their teeth.  Mine also get raw beast heart, lambs heart, lamb kidneys, and lites (when I can get them).  The only thing I don't give raw is liver, which I've found can make them loose, so I cook it in goats milk (it's also quite high in vit A so I only feed it once a week); I also don't give raw fish as mine tended to bring that back up and eat it again, and it stinks, so they get a tin or two of sardines a week instead.  They get any left overs as well, not that there are usually many, but things like egg shells, the odd slice of bread that's gone hard, cooked veggies etc.  I worked out recently for someone what it costs to feed mine, and it's approx 50p per day per dog, so it is worth asking around to find local suppliers rather than order from national companies.  Also, bear in mind if you buy the minced version with bone in, it won't have the cleaning effect that crunching up the bones themselves have.  I've not had a problem with chicken bones keeping teeth clean, it seems to work well with my two, but they definitely chew their bones, they don't just swallow them whole. 

Totally agree with SL above. Mine have sardines & pilchards (in tom sauce is their fave) a couple of times a week. I also put salmon oil (http://www.fish4dogs.com/) in their food a couple of times a week for good skin and coat, one green lipped mussel tab and one Seven Seas (glucosamine/chondroitin Cap) once daily for strong joints. I mostly steer clear of beef products as it contains a protien which is hard for dogs to digest.
If you buy a good amount of veg and put in the food processor, you can freeze in small amounts and use when required - I do this once every six weeks or so. It's so easy to just take out what you need the night before and so rewarding hearing the dogs crunch their meals.
The link I put up earlier is wonderful and he even supplies whole rabbits and will try to get other meats, such as venison, if you enquire in advance of an order.
Good luck am sure you will have very happy, healthy doggies with wonderful "pearly whites"!

Other good things to put in the veggies if you do it yourself, are turmeric (good for promoting healthy joints and loads of other stuff), apple cider vinegar (again, good for joints and all sorts), garlic, mint and fenugreek.  I don't bother with any tablets except a glucosamine/chondroitin for Indie, who has mild arthritis in her knee following a cruciate rupture.  I do have a barf diet sheet I use from pups to adult, which I email out to anyone wanting info, just pm me. 
There are lots of horror stories and vets are particularly good at frightening people about raw feeding, there are cases of dogs choking on complete food just as there are raw, and there are lots of things that carry harmful bacteria, everyone asks me about salmonella which has been found on many commercially prepared foods and treats, it isn't just found on raw chicken and in eggs. 
One thing I did forget to put is I always advise people try chicken as a first meaty bone, it's easy for them to digest, as well as being one of the best raw meats to feed them.  The bones are nice and easy for them to deal with, and if you think they may struggle a bit, just bash it up with a rolling pin first so they can't swallow large bits, but are still encouraged to chew because it's one large piece rather than minced up.

Since joining this forum I have been following the threads on raw feeding with great interest as it is something I have been wanting to try for years and to be honest the main reason I haven't is fear, I'm a coward. Stupid I know. Can I ask do keep your dogs apart when feeding. Our two get different amounts and the younger will always move in on the others bowl if I'm not there. How long do yours take to eat. Do any of you have problems with them guarding their bones/meal, have no problem should I want to remove their food at present (perhaps shows how dull it is) but if they have the rare treat such as a chew I would get rumbles if I attempted to take it back - perhaps I shouldn't admit that. Also since they dive on their food as if they haven't been fed for days I'm not sure what size to give them. Chicken wings would be swallowed whole. Feed twice a day.

I always feed mine seperately simply because they enjoy their food and I like them to eat at their liesure and not rush - also don't want them rushing due to bloat, as they are Malamutes and can be prone to it.
As for taking food away, I have taught them to "drop" then "leave" with other things like toys, so as if they get anything I don't want them to have I can use the same commands and then take away what they have, including their food and dinner. Chicken wings should be chewed and not swallowed whole. Try turkey wings instead or turkey necks - they'd have to chew them as they are pretty big.
Another note never give onions (toxic) as can be garlic if you give too much.

>Can I ask do keep your dogs apart when feeding

Food gets eaten pretty quickly in this house, so I don't need to stay long, but I think it good practise to hang around til they've finished.  They sometimes sneak a peek in each others bowls but only when both have finished.  They have good food manners generally

If it's the sort of food that may take a bit longer, like bones or big chewy chunks of meat my youngest tows them into his bed and the other one heads outside.

Don't give food that you need to take back - there shouldn't be any reason to.  As for size go big to start with and see what happens.  I only gave wings when I was sure mine were confident chewers :)

You can also hold the wings with a pair of pliers until you are sure the dog won't gulp them

Just got back from the butchers trip, very apt!  I feed my two together, but they aren't allowed to start eating until I tell them they can, either by name, or both at once.  So if needs be, I can remove food and put it down again, for example if I've forgotten to put Indie's glucosamine tablet in there.  When I used to feed marrow bones occasionally, they'd get them for half an hour and them give them back to go in the freezer without any problem.  I can also sit a tray of lamb ribs in the car with them, tell them to leave, and they won't touch them. 

I always say to try chicken wings first because the bones are easy for a dog to learn to chew, give them something harder and they may be tempted to swallow larger chunks.  Hold on to the wing tip, or bash the bones up with a rolling pin so they can't swallow large chunks of bone, but still have to chew through the skin, sinews etc, and will learn to chew the bones like that.  The two oldies I rescued were weaned first onto chicken wings, and then carcasses, it did wonders for their teeth and breath! 

> I always say to try chicken wings first because the bones are easy for a dog to learn to chew

I prefer lamb ribs. As puppies they get the end of the ribs that are really more cartilage than bone, gradually working up to the more boney part. 

The only thing with lamb is it doesn't contain omega 3, different levels of nutrients in than chicken, which is why I always recommend that as a good starter.  I do feed lamb bones, probably about once or twice a week on average throughout the year, in fact I've got a huge tray of rib cages to sort out, I keep a bit for my two, and share the rest with a friend who has quite a few dogs.  They love Saturdays!!

> I can also sit a tray of lamb ribs in the car with them, tell them to leave, and they won't touch them. 
>

I'm impressed. I can put their food down, and if I say leave they will until I give the say. BUT a tray of lamb ribs in the back of the car with them, No way would they resist, once I turned my back.

A lot of very interesting stuff here,I can feel myself getting braver!Just have to psyche myself up to beard a butcher in his den now!Watch me pick a grumpy one and get put off for life!With the veggies,would you cook them first,before freezing?thanks everyone!

No need to cook, just process them into a mush and then divide into portions before freezing. Have fun!

Not all raw feeders regularly feed vegetables though - I used to when first started raw feeding but haven't done so now for 3 years apart from the rare occasion when there are some left over vegetables that haven't been used up elsewhere.