Chicken Feet For A 6 1/2 Mos Puppy?

[Guest Roadtripper]

Hi, a new Hispanic market opened up in my neighborhood that I think I'll go check out. Due to the chicken feet thread, I think I'll try to pick some up for my dogs to see if they like them. I have an older grey/shep mix, Boojum, who has enjoyed the odd chicken leg quarter or Thanksgiving turkey neck I've given him. And I have a 6 1/2 mos old grey puppy, Cairo, who has never had anything "raw", to my knowledge. But she readily eats EVERYTHING, so I think she'd enjoy it.

 

Just want to make sure chicken feet are okay for a puppy (supervised, of course)?

 

Also, I've toyed with the idea of trying Boojum on a raw diet for quite sometime, but now I have Cairo to think about too. How old does a dog need to be before trying them on a raw diet? Any special considerations?

 

Not sure I'll switch over yet--I'll be boarding them in September while I'm on a road trip across the US, and I'm pretty sure the kennel staff will think it's a pain (I work there, and none of them are familiar with raw diets) There's also only a tiny fridge, so I'd have to have a family member drop off meals every day or two. And I worry that the stress of being away from home might cause them not to want to eat at first (that happened with Boojum last fall when I boarded him for 3 weeks), and dealing with a raw diet on top of that may just be too much. But I'd hate to lose out on months of seeing how the raw diet works for them just for this trip. Any thoughts? Have any of you raw-feeders boarded your dogs?

 

Also, I read about the 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ ratio--does this need to be different for a puppy? And both dogs really enjoy treats like greek yogurt, coooked yam, eggs, etc. Cairo even ate a couple frozen blueberries I dropped on the floor this morning. I know many of you raw-feeders don't bother with veggies and stuff, but are these additional foods still okay on a raw diet?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

Amy, Boojum, & Cairo

[Guest greybookends]

I got Ginny when she was 7 weeks old. Other then the time before I got her she has been on a raw diet her entire diet.

 

You're pup is still growing so she will eat more than a grown dog her size and amounts will change rapidly as she grows. When Ginny was still growing she was eating the same amount as my adult 70 pound male. Today she gets less. Chicken feet are fine. Ginny loved them and still does.

[a_daerr]

My 8-month-old eats anything and everything in sight. One day, he stole a carton of strawberries from the kitchen counter and ate the entire thing. I don't feed raw, but I supplement a lot of their food with raw ingredients. They get cut-up hot dogs, cheese, yogurt, rice. I think your little one would be fine on raw, if that's what you choose to do. Puppies don't have digestive intolerances like dogs just off the track. I primarily feed my dogs a high quality kibble (just because it's a personal choice and it's easy). The only real difference in puppy kibble is that it usually has higher amounts of calcium and nutrients for bone development. If you do decide to feed raw, I wouldn't stress too much about the meat-bone-organ ratio. Just make sure she's eating enough!

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

Puppies do great on raw diets, on greyhound farms they are fed raw once they are fully weaned from mom. Make sure you are getting enough meat/organs/fat when it comes to extra nutrients i would suggest adding sea kelp to help add more vitamins and minerals along with great source of calcium.

We feed our puppies raw we try to feed about 2-3 pounds of raw along with soaked kibble ( we prefer kirkland) we do about 2/3 raw to 1/3 kibble we mix it all up and let it soak together and then feed. if they are still hungry i add in boiled sweet potato or pasta.

 

Also like you mentioned adding things like yogurt,blueberries, peaches, and random veggies is a great little mix in to keep dinner interesting my guys really like blueberry yogurt and peanut butter added on occasion.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Lovey_Hounds