# Did any of your GSDs do this?



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Just gave Titan his first ever raw Turkey neck. He didn't eat it. He wanted to. Licked it, nibbled a little, picked it up and moved it, licked some more.. but in the end huffed and laid down next to it.. Just curious if anyone else's dogs did that when switching to raw.. he LOVES the Ground Turkey I gave him.. but so far not much luck with anything else. Anyone care to share experiences?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

turkey necks are my dogs favorite thing to eat...maybe chunk it up so it isn't so big(especially if its a tom neck)
What else does he eat? Chicken leg/thighs?


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

Kaos does not eat raw....however every time we've had a turkey we have tried to give him the neck and giblet. He refuses to eat them every year. He also will smell, lick and then take them out of his bowl and drop them on the ground. Our Sherm had his first ones this year.....he couldn't eat them fast enough. I have just assumed he didn't like turkey?


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

Stryder is raw fed and LOVES turkey necks....however he HATES squirrel...


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

My Luka does the same thing with chickens I've butchered here at home... refuses to eat them. She eats store-bought chicken just fine, and I even tried mixing the home-butchered in with the store-bought chicken, but she picks around and only eats the store-bought. Weird.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

The first time I feed my first dog raw, he licked it a little and looked at me like he wasn't sure what to do.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Titan hasn't started eating bones yet. Since I just started him I started with just ground Turkey.. tried liver and heart and so far ground turkey wins. There was turkey necks on sale today so I just thought he might like to try them.. gobbled up his dinner.. and then didn't know what to do with the raw bone.. lol


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If you aren't feeding bones, you aren't feeding a balanced diet. Ground turkey or any ground meat without bone or organ is not good especially for growing puppies. Chicken necks would be easy and have bone, I'd throw a few in with the ground mix along with a liver so at least you are feeding proportions that are more balanced. Fresh(frozen) green tripe is something I would invest in as well. 

Just out of curiosity what was the 'sale' price on the necks? They are going for a $1 a pound right now here(in 30# bulk). And this is the time of year they are cheapest.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> If you aren't feeding bones, you aren't feeding a balanced diet. Ground turkey or any ground meat without bone or organ is not good especially for growing puppies. Chicken necks would be easy and have bone, I'd throw a few in with the ground mix along with a liver so at least you are feeding proportions that are more balanced. Fresh(frozen) green tripe is something I would invest in as well.
> 
> Just out of curiosity what was the 'sale' price on the necks? They are going for a $1 a pound right now here(in 30# bulk). And this is the time of year they are cheapest.


Yeah I haven't completely switch him yet.. he still get half kibble because switching cold turkey doesn't work for him.. he's far too picky and I'm not kidding, he will starve himself for a week if I let him just to prove principle.. and I figure I'll finish the bag of expensive food he likes at the moment and introduce it to him slowly. A friend of mine feeds raw as well and gave me the idea to start with ground meats while finishing the kibble and as I get to the end of the bag introduce new things to him. As for liver.. won't even touch it. sniffs, huffs at it.. then lays down.

The Necks were $1.25/lb in various sizes.. I got the one with 2 necks just to see if he'd like it. I'm gonna try it in his breakfast again tomorrow.. maybe in smaller pieces.. 

If I'm doing this all wrong PLEASE feel free to correct me. I'm very new to this and need all the help I can get.. but constructively please


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax did that with her first turkey neck. I don't think she believed she should really have it. LOL It took some coaxing to convince her it was ok to eat.


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

I get chicken necks here for $0.59/lb at the local butcher. I also get chicken livers for $1.49/lb and chicken legs/thighs for $1.29/lb for him. I got turkey necks this year for free from my parents.....they have a turkey roast every year and my dad gives me the necks and giblets....he deep fries about 8-10 turkeys a year....so Stryder is on the receiving end of the "leftover turkey parts".....


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

My dogs were hesitant at first. Try holding the neck while he gets going on it. I know it is kind of gross but it can help. Either that or chop it down to more doable pieces for now. You should only have to do either a time or two. Wish I could still feed them to my two. One seems to have poultry allergies though.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

StryderPup said:


> I get chicken necks here for $0.59/lb at the local butcher. I also get chicken livers for $1.49/lb and chicken legs/thighs for $1.29/lb for him. I got turkey necks this year for free from my parents.....they have a turkey roast every year and my dad gives me the necks and giblets....he deep fries about 8-10 turkeys a year....so Stryder is on the receiving end of the "leftover turkey parts".....


That's pretty awesome.. to be honest I think once I get the hang of all this.. what he likes, dislikes, what is a balanced diet, where all the deals are, it will be cheaper than his premium kibble.. also when i get my new puppy i won't be AS much an amateur, haha.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

StryderPup said:


> Stryder is raw fed and LOVES turkey necks....however he HATES squirrel...


My dogs hate rabbit, they don't tell me how good the squirrel is, they seldom can catch them, TG!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Zisso said:


> My dogs were hesitant at first. Try holding the neck while he gets going on it. I know it is kind of gross but it can help. Either that or chop it down to more doable pieces for now. You should only have to do either a time or two. Wish I could still feed them to my two. One seems to have poultry allergies though.


Yeah he will take it out of my hand or lick it while I hold it. I think he just doesn't realize he is allowed to eat it.. kind of like I'm tricking him, haha.

and Sad about the allergies.. I am hoping he doesn't have anything like that.. but goodness with him, it wouldn't surprise me... Do you just feed lots of beef a lamb then?


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

wyoung2153 said:


> That's pretty awesome.. to be honest I think once I get the hang of all this.. what he likes, dislikes, what is a balanced diet, where all the deals are, it will be cheaper than his premium kibble.. also when i get my new puppy i won't be AS much an amateur, haha.


 I agree that it will be less expensive than premium kibble...what made the decision for me was Stryder developed allergies to ingredients in kibble...and I thought "well I am going to give raw a try, what is the worst that can happen?"...as opposed to a $250.00 monthly vet bill plus the cost of the kibble. Stryder loves chicken and turkey, followed by pork..but not really a fan of beef...I am of the thinking that they are somewhat like us with taste/texture, etc. It will take some trial and error but you will learn what they like. Good Luck!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

StryderPup said:


> I agree that it will be less expensive than premium kibble...what made the decision for me was Stryder developed allergies to ingredients in kibble...and I thought "well I am going to give raw a try, what is the worst that can happen?"...as opposed to a $250.00 monthly vet bill plus the cost of the kibble. Stryder loves chicken and turkey, followed by pork..but not really a fan of beef...I am of the thinking that they are somewhat like us with taste/texture, etc. It will take some trial and error but you will learn what they like. Good Luck!


Thanks.. to be honest this forum has helped a lot.. with all the knowledge and experiences people share.. I am still super nervous about messing it up for him, like I'm going to deprive him of some essential nutrient, but I think as long as I take it slow and ask questions when I'm not sure, I'll get the hang of it. Titan is an EXTREMELY picky eater and only 85% of the time eats what I put down.. so I figure this could help along with his energy level and allergies. It just seems like a better diet. My new pup is already going to be on a raw diet when I get her so having Titan switched would make it easier as well.


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