my newfie girl has a severe chicken intolerance, so the main ingredient of the chicken carcass and wings is out for her, what other  bones are suitable? my local butcher sells odd bags of bones I dont have a clue what they are, some look so large even at her size she would have trouble picking them up, I am sure If i knew exactly what to ask for he would keep me some.
My dad asked his butcher for lamb bones I am sure the barf book said lamb bones but he wouldnt sell him any because he said they are guaranteed to cause trouble, any suggestions as to which bones I need?
I have totally given up on the dog food nothing seems to suit her and I am so fed up with the hidden ingredients that they dont have to list....especially when its normally chicken! shes fine on human food as long as there is no sign of any chicken or egg

My Beardies get lamb bones, pork ribs, oxtail when I can get it. Is she OK with turkey if so you could feed turkey drumsticks wings and necks
HTH

>because he said they are guaranteed to cause trouble, <

I've been feeding bones for years,and i have also done alot of reading... This is the first time i have heard Lamb bones 'causing trouble'. I think they are one of the best bones to feed,especially ribs as they are soft enough for my little dogs to crunch up and they love them!

I must admit i do feed mostly chicken bones,i so feel for you Ellies mum as EVERYTHING has chicken in it,and chicken bones are the cheapest and easiest to source :(

I'm not sure if youre looking for rmb's or recreational bones,so i'll list everything that i give.Besides Lamb ribs,i also give

ox tails(totally edible)
brisket bones(beef)
beef ribs
pork ribs
marrow bones
Lamb shanks

I'm know there's more that i cant think of right now :p And to be honest there's not really any bones that dogs cant have. However personally i dont feed turkey bones,especially necks,as they are practically all bone,and tend to be too hard, and splintery and wings arent much better.A friend of mine stopped feeding turkey bones because after each feeding her dog would be all lethargic and just sleep,she thought it had something to do with it's high levels of tryptopan(sp) ??

>some look so large even at her size she would have trouble picking them up,<

I get my butcher to saw the big bones down to small dog size

I buy breast of lamb with the bones in and our GR eats them easily and really enjoys them.

>i so feel for you Ellies mum as EVERYTHING has chicken in it,and chicken bones are the cheapest and easiest to source>

this is my problem with the dog food there is virtually nothing for her that is dog treats, and biscuits as well! I am feeding her human food and shes fine BUT I feel i need to get a "balanced diet"
I need the RMB i actually know which ones are the recreational bones and shes not interested in them, not even the marrow in the middle!
the butcher just dumps the bones into a small bag and he wont chop anything up, my dads butcher would BUT i really need to know exactly what to ask for, the bones I have managed to get her I have to admit I really dont have a clue what they were or even what animal they were I do find a particular type she eats the lot, others she just takes round everywhere with her and doesnt even attempt to eat them
how do people feed rabbit, do they have all of the animal ( thats if I can bring myself to actually deal with something dead with fur on it lol)
I am reluctant to even try the turkey, as she had a reaction to a duck based kibble BUT its possibly another food thats been basted in chicken fat again rather than the actual duck causing the problems, I so wish the food mfrs we obliged to list every ingredient!

I feed all bones, venison, pork, lamb, beef, turkey, duck etc etc etc.

If you can get whole rabbits then the lot would be the best balance, but keep on top of worming, especially tape worm in the Summer.

I've never given my dogs bones and would really consider giving her bones just for a change or as a special treat.  Are all these bones uncooked?
thanks for your help

Yes, always uncooked. Cooked bones are potentially dangerous.

well i've heard from some people that dogs eating turkey is as much a nono as dogs eating chocolate... keep in mind some dogs can eat  a pound of chocolate and be totally fine (I've witnessed my friends maniacal dog get into it and be fine) and others die from it.  So same thing with turkey,, a chemical--and i don't think it is tryptophan there is something else in the turkey too, that can "poison" a dog.. But that could be if there is an excessive amount of it eaten.. At thanksgiving my dog gets a load of turkey and is fine.. though the ham bone she also gets gives her serious smelly gas..

Onerissa I expect you will "hear" a lot of things, not all necessarily facts.

Dogs, like people, have some foods that do not agree with them individually, does not make them "dangerous, toxic or poisonous" just not suitable for them.

There is no chemical found solely in turkey that is not found in any other meat, and certainly not one that would "poison"  a dog unless of course that dog had a severe allergy to the protein and went into anaphylactic shock.

Ham bones are obviously cooked and so unsuitable........

Hi Ellie's mum,

"My dad asked his butcher for lamb bones I am sure the barf book said lamb bones but he wouldnt sell him any because he said they are guaranteed to cause trouble, any suggestions as to which bones I need?"

The trouble may be that lamb bones can be very fatty.  If you look at lamb breast in the supermarket there's generally a lot of fat and a lot more of it hidden under the membranes of the meat.  Too much fat, from any animal, can cause digestive problems and in some cases pancreas problems.  

Stacey

Well your butcher is wrong ;)  Lamb bones are not Guaranteed to cause trouble at all.  Try lamb ribs or breast?  As someone has already mention I find whole rabbits a very useful meal as they contain muscle:bone in the correct ratio as well as offal.  You could also try ox tail?
Shame about the chicken though :(  I also feed whole fish including trout or whatever is in the reduced section at Tesco (not to mention the odd tinned variety)  Even without chicken you could still feed your dog a good raw diet including RMB's - so good luck.
Sarah
PS fat isn't necessarily a bad thing - well as long as you dont heat it in a pan and cook everyones dinner in it :D :D

Rozzer,

Too much fat tends to give dogs runny poo.

"Too much fat, from any animal, can cause digestive problems and in some cases pancreas problems"
Thats a very sweeping statement Cairnmania ;)
Bearing in mind I have not disputed what you are saying although too much of anything in the wrong context could be bad for you - but to a mis-informed person that could cause uneccessary worry dont you think.
Fats are a very important food group as I'm sure you know.  Many people feed their dogs fat (including myself) in MANY forms that are not reserved to lamb products!
As I said - Fat is not necessarily a bad thing - Fact.

Totally agree with Rozzer. Dogs have a high need for 'high' quality fat,and a lack of can cause all sorts of problems,most noticeably skin and coat problems. My dogs are both on high fat and protein diets and are thriving.

>Too much fat tends to give dogs runny poo.<

Too  much of any food will cause this ;)