# Bought my first turkey neck but nervous to give it to my dog...



## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

So after Stella doing very well on pre made raw, I want to add in some other stuff. I bought a turkey neck a few days ago but am terrified to give it to her to eat. I keep worrying about obstructions or pieces of bone getting stuck in her throat. 

I was also wondering....I have some old meat in my freezer. I am not going to use it for human consumption at this point, but was wondering if Stella could eat it?


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I feed raw treats. My dogs love turkey necks, especially frozen! your dog should be fine. as for the meat in your freezer, I don't really see why you couldn't give it to her.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

all the meat I accidentally leave in the fridge for too long or gets too freezer burned goes to the dog  never had a problem (or a complaint from her lol)

meat digests really well. Wouldn't worry about an obstruction. I like to thaw mine out just in case she tries to gulp it, its easier to chew and pull chunks off that way


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

Don't worry about the turkey neck.

The first time Harry had a chicken wing, he was only a puppy, he swallowed it whole!!!

All was ok, the digestive juices must of worked overtime though.

He has since learned the joys of the chewing, pulling, ripping and gnawing on meaty bones.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Any bones are safe for your dog as long as they are raw and are not weight bearing bones from large animals like any part of a cows leg. Those are hard enough to crack a dogs teeth.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I've seen dogs take part of a chicken quarter or meaty bone and stash it for later enjoyment....I'm sure a bit of freezer burn will not lessen your dog's enjoyment of food in the slightest.

I appreciate your concern regarding Stella actually crunching a bony piece of meat and swallowing it without any problems......I'm guessing she will do fine but if for your own peace of mind...read up on what to do if a dog should ever have an obstruction in their mouth or throat.....it could happen many ways other than simply feeding. Determine if your dog is a chewer or a gulper or a happy combination of both and proceed accordingly....I am amazed at how quickly my bottomless pit can devour a chicken quarter...a turkey neck would be an appetizer.

Even though I am much more at ease feeding my dog raw bony items...I still monitor....

SuperG


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

I feed my dog turkey necks on a regular basis, both frozen and thawed with no issues. He has been eating these since he was 8 weeks old.

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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I think tomorrow I will give it to her. I will be home all day and can make myself feel better by watching her.

I just fed her some canned sardines for the first time. She LOVED them. I bought the ones in water, product of Canada. How many can she eat? How often?

I noticed too, some gizzards and hearts in the meat part of the store. Are those ok to feed? Is supermarket meat ok for her to eat raw? 

She had her first raw egg yesterday....very amusing.

At the moment I am using pre made raw but I am trying to bring down the cost by using other forms of meat.....


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Look at her teeth. 
Give her that turkey neck.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

katdog5911 said:


> I noticed too, some gizzards and hearts in the meat part of the store. Are those ok to feed? Is supermarket meat ok for her to eat raw?
> 
> .


Gizzards and hearts are fine as well.. For such a small organ, a chicken gizzard is high in protein and contains iron, minerals, and vitamins C, E and B. They contain glucosamine, which can help with cartilage and arthritis problems. Limit chicken gizzards to no more than 20 percent of your dog’s diet, because they are also high in cholesterol.



Ummmm...supermarket meat is probably better than the meat that's in the pre-made raw you are feeding her now.

Let us know how much your pooch enjoyed those turkey necks after she crunches them down.

SuperG


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

IF you are worried about her trying to swallow the neck whole than you can hold onto one end so she has to chew it a bit. I remember the first time a friend fed my dogs for me. I told him to just give Alexis her turkey neck and walk away so she didn't cause him panic. She used to go crunch, crunch, swallow. Now she does chew them more.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

STill no turkey neck for Stella...lol Tomorrow for sure. 

What would some good non beef bones be for her to chew on? She has had knuckle bones and marrow bones. She may be sensitive to beef so I want to try something else....


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

katdog5911 said:


> What would some *good non beef bones be for her to chew o*n? She has had knuckle bones and marrow bones. She may be sensitive to beef so I want to try something else....


Well...turkey neck. :wild:


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Sunflowers said:


> Well...turkey neck. :wild:


LOL. I was told they don't last very long.... I was looking for something to keep her busy for a while.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Feed it frozen, then.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Ok...frozen turkey neck for Stella tomorrow.....


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

katdog5911 said:


> STill no turkey neck for Stella...lol Tomorrow for sure.
> 
> What would some good non beef bones be for her to chew on? She has had knuckle bones and marrow bones. She may be sensitive to beef so I want to try something else....



Lamb shank bones

Super G


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

:wild::wild::wild: Just gave Stella the frozen turkey neck....

She is in her crate munching away and I am laying on the floor next to her having a heart attack.....


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

LOL. Don't worry. Kibble is not what dogs were designed to eat


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I should send pictures of my dogs eating whole goat heads !!!
$2.00 a piece from the butcher , eyes , and tongue and brain .

Sometimes all that is left is a bit of the heavier back, lower jaw bone and the grinding molars . Everything else disappeared.

Might find some teeth in the poops the next day .


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

katdog5911 said:


> :wild::wild::wild: Just gave Stella the frozen turkey neck....
> 
> She is in her crate munching away and I am laying on the floor next to her having a heart attack.....


Relax...put some vintage Allman Bros on the stereo and relax........

SuperG


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks for the pep talks! Stella survived the turkey neck....AND SO DID I..lol

Being the worry wart that I am, I had to sit practically in her crate, observing her eat. And when it got smaller, I had to hold it and control her biting it. And when there was a piece that I thought looked too big....I had her drop it...well..she didn't really drop it, she just let me take it out of her mouth.

And to top off my craziness, when there was a really little piece left, but still too big in my mind, I took a mallet and flattened it.

Yes, I am nuts. But I think we will do this again...

I guess it is very obvious that Stella does not resource guard her food with me!


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

katdog5911 said:


> Thanks for the pep talks! Stella survived the turkey neck....AND SO DID I..lol
> 
> Being the worry wart that I am, I had to sit practically in her crate, observing her eat. And when it got smaller, I had to hold it and control her biting it. And when there was a piece that I thought looked too big....I had her drop it...well..she didn't really drop it, she just let me take it out of her mouth.
> 
> ...




Hey from one paranoid "nuts" raw feeder to another....glad it worked out so well.

As usual...I always have to add something of a negative nature....but what the heck....that's me. I will preface my critique with the notion that I may be thinking too much like human versus a dog in my observation of your experience....it focuses on this part of your "experience"..." * And when there was a piece that I thought looked too big....I had her drop it...well..she didn't really drop it, she just let me take it out of her mouth*."...I did the same thing at first, especially with the end of the chicken leg on a chicken quarter which is mostly bone. It would be the last portion she would eat and I would look at that bony piece and say to myself " Oh, for certain she's gonna choke on that" so I would reach in and take it from her...my gal also has no problems allowing me to take food out of her mouth. However, I gave it some thought and wondered if I started taking away some of her wonderful treats that I may promote the dog to wolf her food down even more than she already was and actually create the problem I was scared of....don't know if this makes any sense??? So, the next time I took the bony chicken leg end from her, I gave her a nice chunk of beef from her stash as a trade off of sorts...I figured that way, she wouldn't feel the need to bolt down her food in anticipation of me taking it from her. Anyway, that lasted all of about two more chicken quarters and I said to heck with it and just let her enjoy the entire chicken quarter treat.

Watching a dog, especially a larger breed, devour a raw chicken quarter in 2-3 minutes or less made me so nervous at first but I had the benefit of my brother in law ( who has fed raw for years ) keeping me calm and laughing at my paranoia....I have to admit, he was right and I was wrong....my dreads and concerns have yet to come to fruition.

So, I'm so glad Stella didn't let you down and you took the leap....I can't blame an individual for being concerned because we are talking about something so near and dear to us.

Oh, I'm guessing, over time....you will look back on all of this and have a good chuckle at your very cautious approach.

Good work !

SuperG


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I am sure I will settle down. I haven't been feeding raw very long and I am doing the premade. I have already toned down the disinfection process a bit. I don't think my hands and counters were ever as clean as when I started the raw diet for Stella! So perhaps things will get easier with the bones too.

I didn't take away the bone for good...I just held onto it and let her gnaw on it that way. I was a bit concerned about my finger bones but she avoided them! And the last piece I took I gave back after I smashed it with a mallet. 
I would agree that just taking it and not giving something back might lead to problems. Fortunately I always have been able to take food from my dogs. I may mess up a lot of training stuff, but that is one area I have never had an issue!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

katdog5911 said:


> Thanks for the pep talks! Stella survived the turkey neck....AND SO DID I..lol


Welcome to the dark side. Mwuahahahaha!!!! :happyboogie:


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## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

That is awesome. Now just wait til you give her pork necks...


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Now ya gotta get a goat head, Kathy :crazy:


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

I taught Leyna and Levi how to eat/chew raw bones by holding chicken quarters for a bit. Paisley was weaned to raw so I didn't bother with her.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

GOATHEAD!!! EWWWWWWWW. I am so not a "meat" person. But just a few months ago who would have thought I would be holding a turkey neck....ugh.... in my bare hands? Or handling raw meat stuff? I barely could prepare chicken for dinner without getting nauseous! But I may have to draw the line at watching Stella eat something that is looking at me....:crazy:


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I guess my next move will be to empty out some of the older meat in the freezer. Although I am quite certain there are no goatheads floating around in there....
Ewwwwwww...goat heads. lol But I got used to the notion of what a bully stick is....


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

STella got turkey neck number two....we both survived....lol


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I fed turkey necks this morning too.


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## sembry (Feb 20, 2014)

Lol I've just recently started feeding duck heads this week. Trying to add new things and a variety at that. Worked out well she loves them!! Stella will love the bones I kniw Kira does and I've noticed how kuch cleaner her teeth are I mean she had minimal tarter the vet even commented on what clean pretty teeth Kira has but now she has almost no tater at all with the crunching and chewing of the bones!

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## sembry (Feb 20, 2014)

And I waz told if they swallow a piece too big to digest she will throw it up. I was concerned when I fed pork neck and she swallowed a piece I thought might be too big but no problems she's done great with that and everything else I've fed and that includes lots of bones. 

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