I am keeping one of my own litter of westie pups - she is 7 weeks old.   I have read with interest the information on the boards about feeding raw food...so once and for all..can I give my tiny westie puppy a raw chicken leg, skin bones and all???
I have given her one just now, which she has started chewing with gusto - her mother, however will not show any interest but is obviously distressed at the pup eating it.  She snaps at her when there is any food around, be it the pup's or hers. I'm feeding them in a different pllace in different bowls - is this normal?

>so once and for all..can I give my tiny westie puppy a raw chicken leg, skin bones and all???

Yes you can,bones, skin and all.Be sure and keep a close eye on her,some dogs are born gulpers.Chicken necks and wings/or wing tips are a good idea also,and your pup may have a better chance at consuming the lot,as I'm not too sure if she would be able to devour a whole leg at her age/size??

Are you planning on switching over to 100% raw or just supplement their usual diet?

I would have thought that a Chicken leg bone would be too hard for a seven week old small breed pup. If they cant make enough of an impression on the bone you probably wont get the correct phosphorus/calcium (meat to bone) ratio. One off wont do any harm but you are probably better off with wings and other non weight bearing bones as they are softer.

thanks...i am planning probabaly only to supplememt, and a leg was all I had - I was quite fascinated to see if she would like it and eat it, which she is still doing! (it's been in and out of the fridge)  I will get some wings and perhaps I can interest mum in some also.

which she is still doing! (it's been in and out of the fridge)

Please be very careful with that. Especially with such a young pup. If she doesnt get through it in one sitting, throw it away and start with a fresh one. As im sure you know, chicken and salmonella tend to go hand in hand, not only are you risking it with the pup but also yourself. I keep the wings and meat in the freezer, (split into meal size portions) and defrost them in the fridge when required. They are fed straight from there. Any leftovers usually go straight into another dog or the bin.

well now that would have been my first thought but having read on here that 'dogs eat allsorts' etc i thought salmonella was not a risk to them - or is it just because of her young age?
Referring to the reply about hiding, Mum has just taken the leg and buried it in the garden!
Should I retrieve this do you think and discard rather than let either of them dig it up at a later date?

It can affect dogs with any type of food, although it is a very small risk. Dogs can and do eat most things but that doesnt necessarily mean its good for them. I personally would worry about bad tums with such a young pup that isnt used to raw feeding yet. Nobobdy wants a poorly puppy. If it was a 'pet shop' bone burried in the garden I would leave it, apparently they taste far better covered in mank! But I personally would discard a fresh chicken bone with meat on it because it can also be a food poisoning risk for you! You will probably find that the chicken wings/wing tips dont last as long so you wont have that problem.