# Stupid question!



## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

I have a GSD with a sensitive stomach (shocking, I know ). I've tried every kibble under the sun and he either hates it, it causes gas, or causes bad poos.
I've just switched him to Orijen and if this doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do.
My husband is totally freaked out by the idea of raw. It's not the raw meat that bothers him, it's the bones.
So here's my stupid questions. 
1. Is there a raw diet that excludes bones? 
2. Can I de-bone the meat and not feed the bones? 
3. Is there some nutritious value to the bones?
4. If I just do the meat, is there something I can substitute for the bones (if the answer to 3 is yes).



Thanks for any insight.


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## CLARKE-DUNCAN (Apr 8, 2011)

Your butcher can de-bone meat for you. Marrowbone is really nutritious for dogs. and you could boil up the bones with some veg to make a tasty stock to put over Gunner's kibble.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

What is it about bone the husband has a problem with? If you buy the pre-made raw, it is in there but not whole.

Oma's Pride Home


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

dawnandjr said:


> What is it about bone the husband has a problem with? If you buy the pre-made raw, it is in there but not whole.
> 
> Oma's Pride Home


It's the fact that they ingest the bone. He's so afraid something is going to happen if he doesn't crunch the bone enough. Like perforate his intestines or something.
Seriously, I know my husband and he's not going to listen no matter how many people say it's ok.
So trying to convince him is a moot point. 

What do you mean "it is in there but not whole"?


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Oooh, that link it very interesting. The bone is mashed into the food?


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Bones have calcium and phosphorus. If you don't want to feed whole bones, I would grind your own or buy premade (which is really expensive). Otherwise, I would probably try homecooked. You might be able to find out how to work in either bonemeal or eggshells as a substitute.


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

Have you tried dehydrated raw? Some brands are Honest Kitchen and Addiction, but there are others. You add warm water, mix, wait 10-15 minutes, it looks like mush, but my dogs seem to really like it. They never had digestive issues with it and I think those brands are labeled as good for sensitive dogs. 

The premade raw mixes usually have ground up bone in it. I did feed raw for a while, but I guess I got tired of it and tried the dehydrated stuff for travel, and they liked it.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Instead of editing...I'll add (after reading your last comment) that there are things you can do to ensure that your dog learns to chew the food. You can feed in partially frozen and (what we did) hold the food (like a chicken quarter) and "force" your dog to chew it in smaller parts.

pre made raw has ground bone, but again, much more expensive.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

It's not the bone itself that he doesn't like, it's the sharpness of it that worries him. If Gunner doesn't chew it enough etc....
If it were ground up, that's not a problem. I just showed him the link that was provided and he liked that idea.

Is it that much more expensive than feeding a good quality kibble like Orijen?

I kinda like the idea of pre-packaged. I don't have to worry about how much of this and how much of that. I assume it's already portioned correctly.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

mspiker03 said:


> Bones have calcium and phosphorus. If you don't want to feed whole bones, I would grind your own or buy premade (which is really expensive). Otherwise, I would probably try homecooked. You might be able to find out how to work in either bonemeal or eggshells as a substitute.


Home cooked is another idea I tossed around. What exactly does that entail. Any websites I could visit to get an idea?


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Trying to get an idea of cost.

On the Oma's Pride site, the chicken veggie mix:
10 lb. Box of 4-6oz. Patties $38.87

How long does this feed? Any idea?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

The OP talked about going to Orijen. My dog couldn't handle it. It resulted in soft and very smelly 'output'. I had switched her over to it very gradually(about a month) and kept her on it for a couple bags, hoping she would adapt. She didn't. So I switched to TOTW and she is now fine. No more farting, no more smelly ....... well, you know what I mean.
All dogs are different. Good luck finding what suits your dog.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

I've tried just about every high quality kibble there is. I mean, seriously! TOTW, I don't even want to talk about that disaster. 
Orijen is the last shot. I swear, he just doesn't like kibble. I know what works for one doesn't work for another. You want to know what food he did good on? Eukanuba.  But again, he didn't like it and only ate enough to survive. 

I think the pre-packaged raw might be a good solution. Or home cooked. I feel like all I'm doing is batting my head against a wall regarding kibble.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Here is a link to a calculator Bravo! - Feeding Claculator you can pluck in your numbers and it will tell you how much you should feed. Feeding the frozen raw is more expensive than dry or doing the raw yourself. You could do what I did and start with the frozen for 1 meal a day to get him used to it. Also check with your pet store and ask if they would give you a bulk discount, mine does.

I have now switched to feeding raw for one meal and a dehydrated for the other sometimes adding extra meat. Both my dogs are doing great!

I buy this product and add ground chuck Better in the Raw with Liver - Raw Dog Food | Know Better Pet Food when you figure it out it is much cheaper. It also has the calcium in it so you do not want to use a frozen meat that has bone in it. Then to give them variety thethe other meal is Grandma Lucy's chicken and I sometimes add some ground turkey. All of these companies sell samples so you can see how your dog likes it.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Ok, scratch the Oma's. I calculated on their site and 10lbs would last me 4 days! 
That's way too much money.

If I bought a meat grinder, would I be able to grind the bone as well?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Raw bones are not sharp. I feed poultry necks and chicken backs. These bones are soft and easily digestable.

*Cooked *bones ARE sharp! These should never be fed.

You can buy a grinder and grind poultry necks and chicken backs. I have a Tasin grinder and it works just fine to grind the bones for our old girl. 
Tasin TS-108 Electric Meat Grinder:eer::Venison::Home Use::RAW:et Food Makin

You must have the bone for the calcium. The meat has plenty of phosphorus in it. Bone and blood have calcium.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Raw bones are perfectly fine and MUST be in the diet; no exceptions. If you want to save the most money then tell him to get over it, lol.  On a serious note, you can grind bones, but most grinders can only handle chicken and some turkey bones. Honestly, I don't see the point in investing in a grinder when it's perfectly safe whole unless your dog has a health/dental issue or too old to chew much. Pre-made, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, costs two arms and two legs.  You will also lose the teeth cleaning benefit of raw if you choose to go with a grinder or pre-made.

Home cooking is too complicated/time consuming for me. You need to have so and so balanced and have all these extra things whereas raw you just pick a MM, RMB, and OM for the day and you're done. Not my cup of tea.


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