Raw feeding help please

[Patp]

I never give weight bearing bones (I class thighs as weight bearing) however if the chickens are not free roaming, then I suppose they would not build us as much.

[elaine.e]

My two, ages 12 and 7, have been raw fed for many years. I've found that feeding around 2.2% of their bodyweight suits them both and enables me to have some leeway for treats and snacks, such as a tripe stick or a raw chicken foot after their morning walk and a bedtime biscuit. They're both active on their walks but William is a couch potato at home, especially now he's deaf. Louis is livelier and plays more and was fed a little bit more until recently when he started to lose his waist a bit!

I don't feed Nutriment but have fed it occasionally in the past. It's a balanced food that contains bone and offal as well as muscle meat and should meet all nutritional needs. So I'd be cautious about feeding extra bone, although I can understand why you want to try and give Bobby some more interesting and longer lasting food than mince.

My older one has always been less tolerant of bone than the younger and becomes constipated if he has too much. that's not necessarily age related because he's always been like that. I'd suggest trying chicken wings or duck necks, duck wings, chicken carcasses or lamb ribs and when you feed a boney meal like that make the next meal bone free, something like tripe mince or lamb heart for instance.

[Becikwood]

Hi, just give him more food - meat. Raw feed dogs are usually liner anyway, more muscular as good protein intake. I would stay away from bulking him with vegetables. Carbohydrates = sugar and will go through quicker and make them hungry. No nutritional value. Anyway cockers are greedy rascals and known food beggars. There is a raw feeding page on Facebook (if you on it)-with lots of good advice and support.

[Becikwood]

Ha,ha and be a vigilant 'poops watcher'. Too hard less bone, more liver. Too lose more bone- chicken wing, carcass or pig ribs should do the trick and they love it.🐾🐾😆

[panda66]

My 18 month old has 4 x  weight and is still too thin, other has 2 and half and Lilah 2 x . They are all different  and also depends on exercise they are getting .  Seem more hungry in the winter .

[Jan D]

I really do appreciate all of the comments and advice.

Bobby has had a 'recreational' beef rib which he managed to devour in two sittings - my OH just left him with it the second time! He's now been 'educated' in the need to remove the bone from him after 10 mins or so! Anyway, it didn't really constipate him much, just made him poop more. It's really hard because I am gaining all the knowledge here and then I go to work on a morning and hope that OH is putting it into practice and clearly this backfires occasionally. Bobby has been having some veg with his meals just to bulk them out a bit really. As Elaine said, the mince alone is a bit boring for him.

We have now switched Roxy (6) to raw too. She is less keen on it and takes a little longer to eat her meals. We will see how it goes with her but she needs to lose probably about a kilo and a half as, although she's a but bigger than Bobby, she is 16.4 kg and her ribs are harder to find. She is much less active than Bobby too.

We will get some chicken wings for Bobby, not sure Roxy will be interested as she wasn't really interested in the beef rib, and we will only give them twice a week as suggested. Where do you get the chicken feet from please Elaine?

We are learning but it seems to be going ok so far judging by output and energy levels

[Patp]

If you have a Chinese supermarket close to you, you will usually find chicken feet in the freezers