I have heard much on this subject and many people recommending we feed our dog raw chicken wings. I am hesitant as have been 'scare mongered' to death about disease, choking and splintering problems.Our Wolfhound has tried the commercially available cooked 'Postman's legs' or ham bones or knuckle bones and enjoys them but splinters them so we have stopped giving them to him and need a substitute. Unfortunately (or fortunately in our case!) we encourage our Wolfhound to do the job he was bred for and take him rabbiting and squirreling everyday. As a result he often catches his own food and scoffs it down with relish (he is a dirty, nasty smelly feral thing we are convinced but we adore him and live for him!)
Now as he loves the taste of anything dead and raw and revolting can we feed him raw wings?????
Thanks in advance.

It is supposed to be cooked chicken bones that cause problems - cooking makes them brittle and liable to split and possibly penetrate the intestine.
Raw meaty chicken bones should be safe, but only as a small proportion of the diet. Meat and bone alone is not an adequate diet.
W

Thanks Walter....I know that we must include other food and he is at present on Bakers complete plus tinned dog food....He was on Eukanuba giant breed but hated the stuff. He occasionally has fish (oily fish) but any suggestions on feed are greatly appreciated. He is not a good doer and unless it's warm and wriggling shows little interest in food....Or unless it's bad for him like cake or biscuits!!!!!!(which we don't feed as a rule!!!)
We seem to have tried everything and he is maintaining weight (just about ) but can get alittle lean at times!!!!
He has no interest in carbohydrate foods like pasta or potato but enjoys rice only when mixed with all the meat lovingly peeled off a large roast chicken (he only gets this post operatively!)
Oh and it has to be Basmati!

What a lucky dog to have such indulgent owners!
When you are feeding a balanced diet - as the appropriate manufactured diets are - you must remember that anything that you add may be uosetting the 'balance' and should be corrected by adding an equivalent quantity od the missing ingredient, for example, if you add atine of meat to a bowl of a 'balanced diet' you run the reisk of feeding excessive protein, and some form of carbohydrate shoukld be added to bring the overall diet back into balance.
Wolfhounds are notoriously delicate creatures, and very picky feeders. If he really does like raw chicken wings, be very careful that he does not end up on a 100% diet of raw chicken wings!!
W

Thanks Walter!!!!! His constitution is rock solid but we do flap about every detail...I expect your Deerhound is the same???? or I reckon it's just a case of us being manipulated by our dog!!!! Fools that we are!

Just so!!

Just heard Tom Lonsdale on Radio 4 talking about the pet food industry. How good raw meaty bones are for dogs and cats, how if animals where fed a more 'natural diet' visits to the vets would be cut down. What a great idea. see www.ukrmb.co.uk. Lets hope this sensible man gets elected onto the RCVS council. Pre processed pet foods what did make an adaquate diet for carniveruos animals? .

Nonsense. Raw meaty bones cannot possibly provide complete nourishment for a dog.
Carnivores feeding naturally consume, as well as flesh and bone, the intestines and other viscera, often in preference to eating muscle tissue. The contents of the viscera provide essential nutrients from the vegetable material in the process of being digested. 'Raw meaty bones' contain none of these essential nutrients - B group vitamins, essential amino acids etc.
Commecial pet food manufacturers - and I do not have nor ever have had, any relationship with any such company - carry out a great deal of research into proper nutrition of dogs and cats. Trust them.
W

There is a misconception that those of us who find a raw meaty bone diet keeps our dogs healthier feed nothing but raw meaty bones. Of course dogs need a variety of foods - wild dogs eat the intestines of their prey, and as scavengers eat ripe fruit, eggs, animal dung, all sorts of things - but not tins or bags of processed muck. So a variety of food apart from raw meaty bones - but best avoid processed food wherever possible. Would you eat canned or dried food every day for the rest of your life? Then why should your dog!

Richard Allport BVetMed, VetMFHom, MRCVS

Thanks for that Richard... Well taking everything on board I think that it's going to be a question of us buckling down and using our heads. I completely agree that if we add tinned dog food to a complete food it will mess up the balance of nutrients. We have actually worked out to the best of our ability what proportion of dry we can add to tinned to balance the equation according to type and exercise. Our Wolfhound actually limits his own food intake as thankfully is not greedy and is in very hard condition. Of course he also goes down the natural route himself by throwing all our best laid plans out of the window by catching a rabbit and scoffing the lot!!!! So how do we then go and calculate the 7 nutrient groups percentage in an average rabbit!!!!!! The raw chicken wings were only meant as a treat and not to be his only dietry intake. It is very interesting all this natural verus commercial and ideally I think we would feed straights (horses seem to be easier than dogs in my opinion) but since the commercial foodstuff people (and we have so much reading material that we asked the commercial manufacturers to send to us after our dog was diagnosed with O.C.D that we study day and night) have studied this subject ad nauseum ..They probably know their stuff. Maybe our dog just has the best of both worlds...He has never been diseased or 'ill' per se and our astronomically high Vet's bills have all been down to keeping the national Rimadyl suppliers in business through such an active lifestyle!!!! Any homeopathic advice on knocks and bruises apart from arnica and cold hosing much much appreciated!
Thanks for all advice...It is taken on board and excuse the pun...thoroughly digested!

An entire rabbit is probably a completely balanced meal!
Walter

That's reasuring! Thanks Walter ! Now if only he could catch at least one or two everyday!!!!!

I used to be told put salt on their tails to catch them!

???????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But don't you have to catch them first?????

You've got it!

Teeeeeeeee Heeeeeeeeeeeee!Have been puzzling about that!!!
And as I write the score is ...Another rabbit! yes only he only crunched it a bit and left it!



Post Edited (03-26-05 14:06)