Tartar buildup on teeth and raw bones? LOTS of questions!

mikebdub said:
ah ok so you guys are actually giving the bone WITH the meat on it still? Thats why I was a bit confused about where to get the bones! LOL I will definately have to find a spot to keep her while I feed considering there is nowhere in the house except the kitchen that is uncarpeted! So I should be able to go to the grocery store and get a perdue pack of raw chicken legs and feed them to her? I will definately have to do this when my girlfriend is not around as she would freak out if I was feeding my pup raw meat!
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Oh, yes, definitely with meat on it! It's the tearing of the meat that "flosses" their teeth, to a point.

I taught mine to chew their bones ONLY on the ugly orange towels we bought just for that purpose. They're the ONLY orange towels in the house and they know to take their bones there to chew on them and the bones STAY on those towels at all times. It was really easy to do and then there was no worry of any mess. I'd still put it over a hard floor, though, such as ceramic or wood rather than carpet, just in case :smile2:
 
Yup, my guys eat their bones on a towel as well. It doesn't take long for them to figure it out. Just the first couple of times, be sure to supervise closely and if they ever take the meat off of the towel or mat, take it away and place it back on the mat. Repeat repeat repeat until they are keeping the meat on the mat by themselves.

Alternatives would be to get those large plastic table cloths to use as an "eating place", stick them in the bathtub, or in their crate. All pretty easy to clean up.
 
What I usually do is take the padded bed out of Calibers crate so that there is nothing but the plastic tray, and have him eat it there. After he is done I just take a Lysol/Clorox wipe, wipe it down and put his bed back in. Works like a charm!
 
TaraLynn said:
What I usually do is take the padded bed out of Calibers crate so that there is nothing but the plastic tray, and have him eat it there. After he is done I just take a Lysol/Clorox wipe, wipe it down and put his bed back in. Works like a charm!
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That is probably what I will do also. She really does not get treats in her crate, but she eats every meal in there already so as soon as I pull her bowl from the cabinet and pour the kibble she runs to her crate and sits until I return from the kitchen. Its the cutest thing to see her trying to sit as calm as possible but her tail is going a mile a minute :) My gf is already throwing a fit about feeding her raw bones but she is just going to have to deal with it.

On a kibble diet, how much or how often should I be giving this? I mean should I cut the kibble by a bit on the day I plan to give her a bone or do I just use it as a treat? She is a very healthy weight and has pretty much stayed there for the past few months with little to no fluctuation so I don't want to fatten her up or anything! Also do you only purchase enough for 1 treat or do you get a few pieces and freeze/thaw them when you plan to feed? I am still a bit confused on exactly how to feed these raw bones but I have been looking for a good healthy alternative for treats and just to give a bit of variety for the time being until we move.

Also someone stated earlier about giving stuff bigger then the dogs head for pups that like to inhale there food. That seems like it would be a huge meal though! I am going to be heading to the grocery store tomorrow after I return from work so I want to try and get as many questions as possible before I head out so we can have our new experience of "bones" when I get home :)

Cali is a HUGE chewer and absolutely shreds all of her toys when playing so I will have to go back up in the list and find the appropriate bone to last her more then 30 seconds lol! Not a day goes by that I come home from work and don't find white fuzz from the inside of a toy on the floor around her or in her crate! She always thinks she has done something wrong when I start picking it up and runs to her crate and waits for me to tell her "its ok! its your toy you can do what you want with it!" lol.. The things we go through for our pups!

Sorry for the long post and thanks for all the information! Anybody have any links to the do's and dont's of this topic? Thanks!!!
 
btw the greenies are gone! I really was not aware of what had happened in the past with them. Thanks a ton for the kick in the butt in the right direction!

I really am starting to think that I am taking better care of my pup then myself! LOL
 
You can freeze all raw things and actually if you feed them frozen, they last longer! I feed my dogs their bones frozen and they still get through them quite quickly. It does make it less messy and smelly to feed them frozen.

If you're going to feed her RMBs with meat on the bone, just lower her kibble a bit that day and watch her weight until you find what works. RMBs ARE food so you'll have to adjust accordingly.

Have fun!
 
Here is a brief RMB tutorial I made up a while back. It basically covers what was already discussed here. (With pictures! haha)

http://sheltie-hair.blogspot.com/2008/09/pork-hock-specialty-intro-to-rmbs.html

The thing with feeding larger than the dog's head, remember that you can take the piece away when you think they have eaten enough. So if you give your dog a whole fryer chicken, take it away when they have eaten about a meal's worth, stick it back in the fridge and offer it again next meal. Or, if you don't want to give it again right away, wrap it and stick it in the freezer to save for another day. The whole idea about freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw that we follow with people (ie. don't do it), doesn't hold true for dogs. Thawing and freezing can cause freezer burn, but it does not alter the nutritional benefits of raw, and I have yet to see my guys turn their noses up at freezer burned meat. It's all the same to them.

As for how much to feed, you may decide to switch out one meal of kibble for the raw RMB. Might just be easier. To calculate how much raw to feed, it is generally 2-3% of the IDEAL ADULT body weight for that dog. So if your dog is at their ideal weight right now, take about 2.5% of that and that is how much they should be eating of raw PER DAY. If you are going to feed one meal of raw and one meal of kibble in a day, then take half of that amount to equal the raw portion.
 
Thanks a TON GeeRome! Unfortunately I ended up working way late tonight so I was not able to make it to the store without stopping home first and reading up on your posts. I will go first thing in the morning and Cali will get her first RMB for dinner tomorrow evening. The pics of Romeo wrapped up in the t-shirt is the cutest thing I have ever seen lol! After watching how Cali gets into her Kong toys going for peanut butter and coming out with her chest coated brown I think I will have to try the same thing!

I hightly doubt it, but there are no risks to cats if my boy was to sneak a lick at it while Cali is eating right? I think I have heard of cats being fed raw as well.. I mean hell he used to bring me mice all the time from the basement in our old house so I guess raw cant be any worse huh?!

Also now that I think of it, I guess I should start with chicken or turkey just to make sure her belly is going to agree with it. I have never had a problem with her and other foods other then the fact that she is extremely picky but this would be the time she would get explosive poopies.

Thanks again GeeRome for all your help!
 
haha Always a good idea to start out safe. Avoid the splarts of at all possible. Something easy like chicken or turkey is the way to go if you are at all nervous about it.

As for the cats, the only worry would be the cat trying to steal the meat from the dog! haha Since cats are obligate carnivores, a raw diet makes even more sense for them. Dogs can tolerate certain levels of vegetable matter and grains, cats don't have much tolerance for it at all. While meat is ideal for dogs, it is necessary for cats. If you are curious, pick up a couple of chicken wings for the cat and let her have a try at an RMB herself :D Yum yum!!
 
GeeRome said:
If you are curious, pick up a couple of chicken wings for the cat and let her have a try at an RMB herself :D Yum yum!!
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I think I will look for some turkey legs for the pup and some wings for the kitty.. It seems as of late he has picked up on "treat" time for Cali. I keep Cali's treats in a jar in the kitchen and Baxter's treats are on my desk in the other room. Every day when I go "Are you ready for a treat?!" Cali runs one way and Baxter disappears.. After the pup grabs hers and runs to her crate I walk into the other room and Baxter is sitting at the base of my chair staring up at the blue container. As soon as I grab it he lets out a few LOUD meows and then I give a few and he takes them to his hideout box to keep them from the dog. I guess I really can't do anything special for Cali without doing the same for Bax! I will have to do some research on raw for cats. I have finally found a food for him that has pretty much cut back on hairballs (he is a obsessive grooming maine coon / ragamuffin mix so I'm sure you can imagine the amount of hair he lets loose!) so I am happy but I will definately try to give a chicken wing or two instead of a meal sometimes! Thanks again!
 
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