# Raw feeding and indoor cleanliness



## gville_dogmom (Aug 8, 2013)

Hi raw feeders! For those of you who feed your pups raw food indoors, I was just wondering how you keep the area clean. I currently feed minimally processed dehydrated food (the Honest Kitchen's "Preference" which is a pre-mix variety) with raw meat (either ground beef or ground chicken). I do want to start feeding my dog RMBs/recreational bones a few times a week both for his enjoyment and dental health. 

Since I live in an apartment and it is getting cooler, I don't exactly want to stand outside with my dog on a leash for an hour while he slowly enjoys a RMB. If we are outside together, we are exercising together. I was thinking I'd feed him the RMBs inside his crate (without any bedding), but when would I have to wipe down the crate tray every time after he was done? What about his paws which would definitely get raw meat all over them? Do you all wipe down your dogs paws every time after feeding? I've found it relatively easy and clean to feed the premix+ground meat, since my dog eats it right out of the bowl without dropping it or making a mess. I want to go further and improve my pup's diet to include raw bones, but I don't know if I have it in me to clean and disinfect his paws and crate every time I feed in order to not contaminate my carpets

On a somewhat related note, how long does it take your adult GSD to finish eating a chicken neck or back, or turkey neck, bone included? Are there any RMBs which are "better" for dental health specifically? Thanks, friends!


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## gmanshepherd (Nov 22, 2013)

feed him dry food..its cheaper and wont make a mess.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

We have a washable table cloth that is vinyl or something similar. I also feed the puppy in a crate (mostly so I can get stuff done without her "helping"). 


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

My shepherd is fed in her crate. There is no bed in her crate and I just wipe it time to time, sometimes not for weeks. I don't wipe my dog down afterwards. Heck, the dog frolics in the woods with probably other dogs/creatures poop/pee in it and licks cow/deer/coyotes/etc poop when she thinks I'm not watching and then runs inside the house without me ever thought of rubbing her down.


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## gville_dogmom (Aug 8, 2013)

Thanks for the advice! Now I have a new question. So I had no idea a chicken neck could be chewed up and eaten so fast... I see the way my dog holds his chew toy with his paws and chews one end, and I was under the impression a chicken neck would be chewed up in at least 15-20 minutes. However with the chicken neck I just gave him, he was done in 30 seconds! First he chewed and broke it in half (within seconds). He had half the chicken neck in his mouth and was chewing and crunching on it for about 10 seconds (I didn't see how small he crunched the pieces of bone into, but I heard him crunching into it and not swallowing it whole) before swallowing. And then he did the same with the other half. He had no problems swallowing and I'm watching over him like a HAWK to see if there are any changes in behavior or symptoms of discomfort. Is there any chance he didn't crunch the pieces small enough and they'll cause a blockage in his intestines?? Is an adult GSD (on the smaller side, 70 lbs) too big of a dog to safely eat raw chicken necks? I think I read somewhere that even if a dog swallows chicken bones whole they are soft enough to digest and pass, meaning, if the dog swallows then that means it was small enough. Help me!! I hope I am unnecessarily freaking out. If anyone has videos of their dog eating chicken necks that would be helpful too


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## MrsFergione (Jul 7, 2013)

He's fine, there's pretty much zero chance that would ever cause a problem. I've seen dogs swallow those whole without chewing.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I feed outside, as a pup she wrestled with chicken legs a bit, now she mostly chomps them but inside would be nasty. as far as rmb, she eats bone in chicken. Theres not many bones that shes ever eaten that take long, just a few knuckles, ribs and chuck bones- its not a major part of our diet at all.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

gville_dogmom said:


> how long does it take your adult GSD to finish eating a chicken neck or back, or turkey neck, bone included? Are there any RMBs which are "better" for dental health specifically? Thanks, friends!


Yes, I would give the larger bones to him in a crate, easy to clean up and you won't have smelly bone everywhere or worse. Lola and Harry would eat a chicken neck in about 3 chews, chicken feet in about 3 to 4 chews, turkey necks probably about 8 chews. Any of the bigger bones where they have to put the bone in between their paws and knaw on will help with dental hygiene. For larger bones I like roo tails, sheep necks and any large beef bone.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

I feed my dog in her crate and I am well stocked on Lysol wipes!


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## LoriH (Apr 16, 2013)

I feed the chicken necks in his bowl and he we keep old blankets/towels to throw down when he has a turkey neck or large bone. He stays on the blanket no problem.


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

30 seconds is quite long for a chicken neck. My 9 lbs non-GSD can finish faster than that. My GSD can eat the entire raw meal under 30 seconds - that's like a chicken back plus some other various meats with or without bones. 

The grind up meat she just swallows, not even a second. 

Some dogs I've fostered who aren't used to raw meat takes a bit longer at first but they catch on fast and will soon eat them fast like my own dogs.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

In dry weather they eat outside and in wet weather in their crates. I wonder about hygiene too but after they are done I forget about it. It's good that you cannot see bacteria or germs . No one ever got sick as a result of my dogs' diet.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

I feed a premade ground with ground bone mixed in (Blue Ridge Beef). She prefers to eat outside even though its in her bowl. When the weather is bad or I want her to have quiet time in the house I trained her to stay on old bath towels. She can lay on her towels and chew a beef rib with meat for an hour(I've even given her frozen bones). When she's done I can put the remaining bone in a bag in the frig for later or outside and the towels go in the wash. Easy Peasy. For RMB's I use beef ribs and sliced beef neck, or turkey necks. Recreational bones are usually raw beef soup bones.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

I don't do recreational raw bones for that exact reason..the paws and the mess. I have a baby that crawls still . Once my baby is a walker and not putting every blessed thing in his mouth I won't really care . 

For RMB , it is not an issue with chicken wings , necks , backs , drumsticks. I put them in his bowl in the kitchen. He crunches away the same way he would with kibble , no paws involved. The rest of his meal is a ground chubb. I add pumpkin and a small bit of chicken RMB for jaw and teeth exercise. When he is done I pick up the bowl and just do a quick bleach wipe pass if he happened to drop any on the floor. 

For recreational chewing he has those natural ( cooked, white ) beef shin bones. He loves them . I take the faux filling out of them though. It is garbage , processed paste. He does not miss it.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

gmanshepherd said:


> feed him dry food..its cheaper and wont make a mess.


NOT....if you work at finding deals, it is cheaper than a premium Kibble ie. orijen.

The op is feeding the dog the best diet IMO.

I feed Gus his meals in his crate and wash crate weekly. As for bones tgats take longer to chew, I taught him to keep it on a mat I bought just for this purpose. When he is done I roll it up and put away. It was very easy to teach, I can give him his bone anywhere in the house and say "on your mat".

I have never washed or wiped his feet after meals.

Takes Gus very little time to eat a full large chicken carcass....less than 5 minutes for sure.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

I joined a co-op and quite frankly I am only paying MAYBE 20 bucks more per month for RAW..and the benefits after a full 3 months now are VERY visible.

My Mastiff is no longer as oily as a baby harper seal. People use to pet her with like 2 fingers and then go wash their hands. She dropped 10 pounds and at about age 10 is hopping and jumping and playing with the other dogs , before the RAW weight loss and body improvement she was not willing to run and play with the younger dogs. 

There is significantly less hair in my house.

My Boxer mix who I had to practically starve on kibble just so I could see a hint of a waistline on him and to keep him below 95 pounds is now 85 pounds , buff , svelte , and athletic again on 2 pounds per day of raw. And satiated.

My 9 month old GSD has velvet like fur. EVERYBODY comments on it and his super white teeth. His stools are magnificent lol 

My poop scooping in the yard is easily reduced by more than half. 

You can keep the minor discount and convenience for kibble IMO , thanks And this is coming from someone who almost threw in the towel trying to get the hang of raw feeding. Turns out the juice WAS worth the squeeze , glad I stuck it out!


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

gmanshepherd said:


> feed him dry food..its cheaper and wont make a mess.


Except for all the extra shedding and extra poop and extra doggy smell and extra bad dog breath.


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## Ellasmom2004 (Nov 8, 2013)

*Indoor cleanliness*

We went to our local restaurant supply store and bought a few cafeteria trays. Both our 5 yo GSD and 1.5 yo Great Dane both keep their RMBs and ground food on their tray until finished consuming. We keep Lysol wipes and a 10:1 water bleach solution in a spray bottle under the sink. Just to be safe, a quick wipe to the counter and floor first with the Lysol wipe, and then a spray and wipe with the bleach solution, and all concern of contamination is eliminated. We hand wash the trays with natural unscented dish soap, and then spray with the same bleach solution and rinse. Feeding and clean-up take less than 5 minutes total.

Mara


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## gville_dogmom (Aug 8, 2013)

Wow. Thanks everyone for alleviating my concerns!! I've wanted to raw feed for so long but I've never seen dogs eating RMBs in person. It sounds like my boy finishing a chicken neck in half a minute is more than enough chewing! I think in some sick way I wanted to see him savor it and slowly pull the meat off the bone, I guess dogs don't do that haha. I like the lunch tray idea and I'm sure I could train him to stay in one place, especially since he eats these smaller RMBs so fast. I will try that as soon as I shop for some trays!


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

That cafeteria tray idea is great - going to try that!


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