Truly and Walker don't chew their kibble. They swallow most of it whole. They get no chewing exercise at meal time. Little lady-like Maggie chews her food. They all get bully sticks - but I don't think it's enough to keep their teeth and gums in top condition.
Brushing teeth: I brush Truly and Maggie's teeth after they eat their dinner. I'd like to say I do it every day, but I don't. It's usually other day. Walker is too fearful to let me brush his teeth yet.
Raw: The experts support a raw/partially raw diet. Turkey necks were mentioned. I've always been scared to give the dogs raw meat - especially raw poultry. But when people who've had greyhounds for years endorse a practice - who am I to question? The bacteria issue doesn't seem to be a problem for dogs because of their relatively short digestive tracts. The bones in turkey necks seem to be too small and crunchy to cause a choking hazard.
I've been grocery shopping for years and years and never once have I ever seen turkey necks in a supermarket. The reason I have never seen turkey necks in a supermarket is because I have never looked for turkey necks. Tim and I went to a Walmart Superstore and guess what we found?
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| These two necks = 16 ozs. |
Each dog got the same number of ounces of turkey necks they usually get in kibble - 16 ozs. for Truly and Walker and 12 ozs. for Maggie. I gave the necks to them on the back porch on towels. Truly stayed on the porch to eat his. Maggie and Walker took theirs to the yard - which means they got extra seasonings - dirt and straw - with their meals.
Now I'm wondering if they're going to want to eat kibble tomorrow. Probably not. They're going to have to wait until next Saturday for more turkey necks. :)
I was going to ask if the necks had bone in, but then saw you mentioning the crunching....gross.
ReplyDeleteI give Polly rawhide chews and also most of her food and treats are biscuit based, so she has to crunch them.
Certainly looks like you will be buying more turkey necks:)
When I asked if I could buy turkey necks in bulk, the butcher looked at me as if he thought I was crazy. He told me I could get much better cuts of meat. He thought I was eating them!
DeleteCrunching = teeth cleaning. Definitely on my next shopping list.
ReplyDeleteOur dogs LOVE turkey necks! I can't stand to watch them eat them, but they attack it with gusto. I was nervous about trying it at first, too, but I am glad I let them try it.
ReplyDeleteMe, too! That why I love the greyhound community. Always new ideas -
DeleteWe don't see them here, sadly. However, though Sid would undoubtedly love them, Jeffie has too few teeth, poor soul. I do give Sid lamb ribs when I can get them in the spring when they're young and bendy - he LOVES those!
ReplyDeleteLamb ribs - haven't seen those, but then again, I haven't looked. More grocery shopping opportunities!
DeleteI haven't tried it. It scares me. LOL Is it messy? It is not something we would want to give in the RV, I am guessing. I have been somewhat tempted to try chicken feet. They have them at the Fiesta grocery store here. The toe nails bother me though.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you. When I was a child, my poor puppy scrounged fish bones from the garbage can and began to choke. I stood there absolutely frozen with fear. Thankfully my Grandfather grabbed the dog and pulled the bone out of his throat. Since then I have always avoided giving any dog anything with a bone in it.
DeleteBut I swallowed hard and gave the turkey necks to the hounds - standing by prepared to stick my fingers down a throat if necessary. It seems that most people who feed raw do so in the hound's crate to contain the mess. My dogs don't do crates so I fed them outside so I could wash down the deck.