# small chicken backs ok as main RMB?



## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

I wanted to start a new thread for a question that I had yesterday in a different post.

I picked up a 50 lb frozen case of chicken backs yesterday & separated them into smaller bags. For the people here that feed chicken backs - what is the normal size? The ones I have are tiny - only about 3 oz each, and some are even smaller. If I feed 8 oz of chicken backs this size & 8 oz of MM for one meal would that be too much bone in one meal? 

I did download the excel spreadsheet that tells you how much to feed but the part that I need help with is deciding which meat to use. For example, if I need 8 oz of a RMB I could use 5 small chicken backs or 1 big chicken quarter. I'm assuming the chicken quarter would be best way to go but now i have 50 lbs of small chicken backs & I was hoping to use them as the main RMB. 

I appreciate any help!!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

It really is more of a.... feeling it out... type deal. So you can start with 8oz of chicken backs and then 8 oz MM, but then you have to look at the poops down the line. Are they too soft and runny? Are the hard and crumbly? once you know you can adjust the amounts. You can also use quarters if you want but they have a lot more meat so a 50/50 type ratio might be too low. You have to see what your dog can handle and what amounts work best for it. I use mostly turkey necks for an RMB, but many people feeding raw do use backs as a staple RMB.


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## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

Thanks for the advice Kira!

Well, Rex had his first full raw meal last night & it was a big success! He loved the chicken backs & sheep heart/tongue. Although he's had OM before I didn't add any to his meal last night - I wanted to see how he would handle the sheep MM because that was his first time.
Are you supposed to trim the fat on heart? I trimmed most of it off. What about chicken backs - there was quite a bit of fat on them as well. I left the fat on those. Rex did have diarhhea but it was his first meal so I'm assuming that's normal in the beginning.

A question about poop - when you feed raw how soon after do your dogs go poop??


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

I don't trim the fat but that depends on the dog. Some get horrible runs from the fat. Some have pancreatitis, so no fat for them. I guess since Rex has had runny poop after his first meal, I would go easy on the fat at least in the beginning. You could also add some canned unsweetened pumpkin to help settle the stomach. Was it a cold turkey switch? That could be another reason for the runs -- some dogs can handle the switch better than others.


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## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

Rex had a couple of chicken quarters before this and he's had chicken gizzards/heart/liver before but only in small amounts. Yesterday I replaced one kibble meal for a raw meal and I plan to go 100% raw starting today. 

I thought pumpkin was for constipation??

When you switch cold turkey how long does it usually take for a dog's digestive system to adjust?
(Rex is 14 wks old BTW)


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

Interestingly, pumpkin helps with the runs too -- apparently, it balances the digestive system.

I can't answer your question regarding the adjustment with the cold turkey switch. I did the kibble-raw combo for a few months and then switched Wolfie over to full raw, which worked out fine. 

I wouldn't mess around with runny poop in pups for very long as they can get dehydrated pretty quick. Maybe you can introduce the raw food more slowly??


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## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

UConnGSD said:


> Interestingly, pumpkin helps with the runs too -- apparently, it balances the digestive system.
> 
> I can't answer your question regarding the adjustment with the cold turkey switch. I did the kibble-raw combo for a few months and then switched Wolfie over to full raw, which worked out fine.
> 
> I wouldn't mess around with runny poop in pups for very long as they can get dehydrated pretty quick. Maybe you can introduce the raw food more slowly??


 
How did you do the kibble-raw combo? Did you mix raw food with kibble or do you give just kibble for one meal & just raw for another?

Since I have a LOT of kibble left maybe I should do it more gradually. I don't think Rex is going to be too impressed when I give him a bowl of kibble after having REAL food!


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

I would do one meal only kibble and one meal only raw. There are some concerns about mixing the two as they digest at different rates. So you have the raw sitting in the stomach longer than it otherwise would, which many fear can lead to bacterial infections. Again, different dogs handle these things differently. Some have a cast iron stomach whereas others wilt under the slightest changes.

What kibble are you feeding right now? I was doing Nature's Variety Instinct which has freeze-dried raw coating on the kibble but since Rex is 14 weeks, that may not be appropriate for him.


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## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

UConnGSD said:


> I would do one meal only kibble and one meal only raw. There are some concerns about mixing the two as they digest at different rates. So you have the raw sitting in the stomach longer than it otherwise would, which many fear can lead to bacterial infections. Again, different dogs handle these things differently. Some have a cast iron stomach whereas others wilt under the slightest changes.
> 
> What kibble are you feeding right now? I was doing Nature's Variety Instinct which has freeze-dried raw coating on the kibble but since Rex is 14 weeks, that may not be appropriate for him.


He's on purina puppy chow  only because that's what the breeder was feeding. I didn't want to change kibble because I knew I wanted to start him on a raw diet. 
My intention was to start him as early as possible but it's taking me longer than I expected. Grocery store prices here are insane so I was getting a little discouraged at first. I've been trying to find local farmers that would sell me some stuff but it seems like none of them slaughter their own animals. They take it to a local facility to be butchered so I called them & they do sell the "dog food mix". She said it's a mixture of beef parts but I'm not sure of the ratio in the mix so I don't want to risk feeding that. I finally got a hold of a lamb/sheep farmer but that meat isn't going to be enough. 
I still have a few farmers I have to get in touch with so hopefully somebody will have something for sale, otherwise I may have to give up on this idea of a raw diet.


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

Aww, don't feel discouraged! Was Rex enthusiastic about the kibble before you gave the raw? If he wasn't, then you might need to entice him a bit with some goodies mixed with the kibble before you can do the full switchover to raw. When I was in a similar boat before I found Instinct (Wolfie was turning his nose up at all kibble basically -- he likes Instinct tho), I used the little Wellness cans to doctor up the kibble. At least it's healthy canned food!

Regarding sourcing the raw food, some of us here use Oma's Pride. If you check out their website, there might be a retailer near you. It's a bit hard to do this without a freezer though, as you get the best savings when you buy in bulk. Also, you might be able to hook up with other raw feeders in your area on Yahoo. Some raw groups are more active than others, depends on how many feeders there are in any given area. These groups get together to place large orders periodically from meat processing places.


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## Isabella (Apr 27, 2010)

UConnGSD said:


> Aww, don't feel discouraged! Was Rex enthusiastic about the kibble before you gave the raw? If he wasn't, then you might need to entice him a bit with some goodies mixed with the kibble before you can do the full switchover to raw. When I was in a similar boat before I found Instinct (Wolfie was turning his nose up at all kibble basically -- he likes Instinct tho), I used the little Wellness cans to doctor up the kibble. At least it's healthy canned food!
> 
> Regarding sourcing the raw food, some of us here use Oma's Pride. If you check out their website, there might be a retailer near you. It's a bit hard to do this without a freezer though, as you get the best savings when you buy in bulk. Also, you might be able to hook up with other raw feeders in your area on Yahoo. Some raw groups are more active than others, depends on how many feeders there are in any given area. These groups get together to place large orders periodically from meat processing places.


Rex was always enthusiastic about kibble but now that he's had a full bowl of just raw meat I think he may have second thoughts.

I live in Ontario Canada & I didn't find any raw groups my area. It's funny how I was just complaining about prices in a previous post because I just got back from the grocery store & I actually came across a good deal! They had pork breast bones on clearance (one day past due date) for .63/lb. I bought all 4 packages they had left.
So, my next question - what do you think about pork breast bones? Are these bones soft enough compared to chicken? They look VERY meaty to me so since they are a few oz short of a meal, could I add a small chicken back to it & make it a meal?


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