 Barked: Thu Oct 8, '09 5:35am PST |
 | |  | | Hi all.
I have a 12 week old boxer pup named Riley. In the last week, I've started him on a raw diet. This is not my first experience of raw feeding as I used to have a german shepherd who I also fed raw from about the same age.
My problem is, while feeding Riley chicken wings, he tends to eat them whole. During his first few chicken wings, he would chew them up but he had trouble getting through the skin, so the bones would be mashed but it would still be a whole chicken wing he would swallow. He would then promptly vomit this back up and have another go at it.
Two nights ago, he had a wing but came in from outside whining and keeping his body close to the floor - needless to say this panicked the Mrs to the point of tears. After a minute or so he threw it back up and tried to eat it again (he would have but the Mrs took it away from him).
Since that time we have tried a few things. We have cut the wings up into four pieces (he just swallows them whole and they don't touch the sides); we've cut the wings into halves (again just swallows them whole) and lastly, I hold one end of the wing, he chews through the other, but obviously I can't hold the second end without losing my fingers, so this part he swallows whole.
I don't remember my german shepherd doing this when he was a pup. I'm sure he used to chew through the whole wing. When he was fully grown he would just swallow them whole but as a pup...no.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this normal? And safe for that matter?
He's had no problems in the pooping area. Can a pup that age digest a two-inch chicken bone?
I would just mash the chicken wing up, but doesn't that defeat the benefits of bone eating - exercising his jaws and cleaning his teeth?
I went on a bit there. Sorry. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks |  |  | |  |
|
| my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
6
