Changed to Raw :-)

nala2012

Ha i'm glad now i didn't go for the salmon when i was ordering last week.. Hard enough dealing with the tripe i bought ages ago, i only defrosted it when everything else had run out!

tk123

I got the buy one get one free a few months ago for the puppy but thankfully it was half salmon and half chick and beef! I had ones with chunks of fins so assuming it's the waste from when they fillet the fish? I stick to the duck ones now and bulk them out with quinoa or potato. I've been feed Naturediet with duck necks the last few days - she loves it and poos are great but OMG the farts!

Cocolola

I've been going into a few butchers the last couple of days and asking for beef brisket bones (whatever they are!) for a bit of teeth cleaning, and apart from being constantly told I can't feed raw bones to dogs as they'll splinter, none of them had any. I tried again today and all I could get was lamb brisket. He mentioned that these were much more brittle than beef. Could anyone tell me if they would be ok to give to the pooch?

juniord

i feed them all the time no problem , pity you didnt get neck bones lots more meat on them

bluecherry74

I think lamb brisket is the same as what my butcher sells as lap of lamb. I get it occasionally and haven't had any problems. The dogs love it, it's a great workout for their jaws! You could try asking for beef rib bones as well, it's a similar type bone. I sometimes get beef backbone which are big and last for ages. You do need to watch over your dog with these though as they quite soft and it's easy for them to break chunks off.

muddypaws

If its lap of lamb my lot love it as well, is very good apparently for putting weight on dogs.

tk123

bluecherry74 wrote: »

I think lamb brisket is the same as what my butcher sells as lap of lamb. I get it occasionally and haven't had any problems. The dogs love it, it's a great workout for their jaws! You could try asking for beef rib bones as well, it's a similar type bone. I sometimes get beef backbone which are big and last for ages. You do need to watch over your dog with these though as they quite soft and it's easy for them to break chunks off.

+1 also called lamb breast. I've given it before and no problems but it's very fatty.. I trimmed 2 of them removing bones and fat - gave some bones to the dog (froze the rest), then rolled the meat with stuffing, tied and into the oven on a slow roast for a few hours - delish lol . I don't give lamb shanks though - find they splinter a lot but do give lamb shoulder.

Cocolola

Thanks guys, just gave it to him a few minutes ago and he's happily gnawing away on his bed now! Juniord and bluecherry, thanks for the suggestions, I'll ask for those next time. tk, curse you! I'm starving with nothing in the house bar cereal (the freezer and cupboards are better stocked for the dog than ourselves!) and that mouth watering description didn't help :pac:

bluecherry74

Has anyone tried the chicken necks from DF? Thinking of giving them a go for a change and wondering how they compare to the duck necks.

The text also mentioned a free box of duck heads. I blame tk for creating suck a fuss over the one she got.

borderlinemeath

bluecherry74 wrote: »

Has anyone tried the chicken necks from DF? Thinking of giving them a go for a change and wondering how they compare to the duck necks.

The text also mentioned a free box of duck heads. I blame tk for creating suck a fuss over the one she got.

Yep, I feed them all the time. Coco prefers them to the duck necks, when I put a variety in the bowl she eats the chicken necks first every time. They're much smaller than the ducks necks but a bit quicker to defrost. I find a quick way to defrost is to 'flatten' the bag when you divvy them up so yo don't have a big block.

tk123

bluecherry74 wrote: »

The text also mentioned a free box of duck heads. I blame tk for creating suck a fuss over the one she got.

Haha! I handled the situation well 'oh a free wing....wait... It's a head?! Eh...pass me another bag pls'. My mum was a bit freaked out by it though lol! She got my to take it the next day and put it in the compactor at his job so it wouldn't be in the house!

Lemlin

Managed to pick up a chest freezer on Adverts so will be keeping a lot more raw stuff now. Will be keeping this one in my garage specifically for my raw feed.

It's just a pity the Dogsfirst lads don't deliver their wholesale meat to my area.

Was down in Asda on Saturday though and picked up loads of chicken legs and thighs, liver and some mackerel. Between that and what my butcher gives me once or twice a week, it should keep my two going for a while.

The older dog I rehomed is too old now to change off nuts completely but I'm hoping to move my Lab onto 100% raw.

tk123

Has anyone used a dry veg mix where you rehydrate it with water? I usually do my veg up in bulk and think would a dry mix be easier. I'd normally use a bag of frozen and then add more carrots, apples etc... The hydrated mix would work out the same as frozen. I know the dry mix sounds gross but from feeding Robbies for a few months the rehydrated veg looks the same as thawed/cooled frozen.

bluecherry74

The dogs' Christmas present arrived yesterday.



I'm beside myself. Now I'll be able to stock up on human food instead of making do with one tiny compartment. I bought a half price turkey in Tesco yesterday, just 'cos I could.

tk123

Nice! I want a shed so I can have more freezer space lol!

toadfly

Our dog freezer is in the spare bedroom!

SillyMangoX

toadfly wrote: »

Our dog freezer is in the spare bedroom!

I read that as "our dog is in the freezer". I think I need more coffee

Hooked

toadfly wrote: »

Our dog freezer is in the spare bedroom!

As is ours!!! Got a free---zer (see what I did there) from my brother, who was updating all his white goods! Sweet

Lemlin

Anybody ever fed their dog ox's tongue or beef cheek?

I just noticed that my local butcher, who provides me with free bones a couple of times a week, is selling ox's tongue and beef cheek. I asked the girl working there if people bought them for dogs but she said they are bought by customers for themselves.

Nody

Lemlin wrote: »

Anybody ever fed their dog ox's tongue or beef cheek?

I just noticed that my local butcher, who provides me with free bones a couple of times a week, is selling ox's tongue and beef cheek. I asked the girl working there if people bought them for dogs but she said they are bought by customers for themselves.

Those tend to be considered delicacies and very very expensive but beyond that I can't see a problem.

tk123

Nody wrote: »

Those tend to be considered delicacies and very very expensive but beyond that I can't see a problem.

I was just about to comment on the price too! How much are they down your way Lemlin? I saw tongue a few weeks ago and it must have been €6 or €7 euro and was pretty small so didn't get it. They've rabbits in our butchers now but they still have skeleton heads on them which I think would freak me out! :pac:

bluecherry74

tk123 wrote: »

They've rabbits in our butchers now but they still have skeleton heads on them which I think would freak me out! :pac:

You won't want to take a peek inside my freezer at the moment so. It's got a pig's head in there.

tk123

bluecherry74 wrote: »

You won't want to take a peek inside my freezer at the moment so. It's got a pig's head in there.

:eek:

Lemlin

tk123 wrote: »

I was just about to comment on the price too! How much are they down your way Lemlin? I saw tongue a few weeks ago and it must have been €6 or €7 euro and was pretty small so didn't get it. They've rabbits in our butchers now but they still have skeleton heads on them which I think would freak me out! :pac:

The ox's tongue I saw was only something like €2.50 or 1.50. Will check the price later in the week.

They had beef hearts that were massive as well which were €2.50. I think I might buy one of those next week and cut it up small.

The beef cheek looked expensive. It was €1.50 a slice.

Turkey killing season is coming in my area so I'll soon be getting plenty of guts etc. for free. Have the freezer ready to go for it all.

last year my dog even seemed to like the legs and feet. I assume there's nothing wrong with her eating the legs?

juniord

no problem feeding turkey legs , if you are feeding heart only feed half the normal amount as its very rich

borderlinemeath

Turkey leg bones are much harder than chicken, given the extra weight that they bear & turkeys have a much longer lifespan than a chicken so harder again. I'd be wary giving legs tbh.

juniord

i probably should have said i have fed turkey legs with no problems

DBB

juniord wrote: »

i probably should have said i have fed turkey legs with no problems

For the sake of balance, I've fed them too, and I had problems!
My dog, a big, accomplished bone eater, vomited up razor sharp shards of turkey leg bone the day after eating them... Twice.
I won't feed them any more, too paranoid!

tk123

DBB wrote: »

For the sake of balance, I've fed them too, and I had problems!
My dog, a big, accomplished bone eater, vomited up razor sharp shards of turkey leg bone the day after eating them... Twice.
I won't feed them any more, too paranoid!

Yeah I've found them to be a bit like shanks the way they break up so wouldn't chance them either.

Lemlin

Cut up my first beef heart this evening. It cut into three fairly large sections so I have bagged and frozen the other two.

The meat was very rich looking so I gave the dogs a bit less than normal.