Safe age for bones?

[Rich.h 4]

Quick question here, I have an 8 week lakeland/russel cross bitch and also a bucket load of turkey feet (swiped them last xmas when I slaughtered a friends turkeys for them). I've had these in the freezer now and again throwing one for the ferrets so they didn't get bored of dried food. Now I have the pup I was thinking it's an easy source of bones for her to chew on for her teeth.

 

However when I got her first injection done I asked the vet about this and she seems to think it's a terrible idea that will lead to small shards and surgery etc etc etc. Granted she also looked like I had just run over her mother when I mentioned foxes & rabbits, so I'm not sure if she was just being fluffy about the bones or if there is a real risk.

 

So will there be any danger letting this pup have a foot now and again for something to chew on? When I did the original slaughtering I simply broke the feet at the knee and cut them off with a knife so there are no spliners at that end, I just give thema quick scrub for the ferrets and they seem to do fine with them.

[skycat 6,174]

I wouldn't feed turkey feet : they are very tough for a pup. Get some chicken wings and try the pup on them instead. A lot of vets freak out when you mention bones, but the sensible thing to do is only give bones which are soft: domestic chickens are killed at around 6 weeks, which means the bones are still very soft, and if fed raw there is no danger of the bones splintering. My dogs are all fed on chicken carcases, wings etc, (amongst other things). I wouldn't give tough large animal leg bones to dogs, but for a little pup, a lamb leg bone will provide hours of fun and chewing practice. Don't listen to the vets: most of them have seen dogs with problems after the owners have fed them cooked bones, which do splinter: only feed raw.

[bunnys 1,228]

I wouldn't feed turkey feet : they are very tough for a pup. Get some chicken wings and try the pup on them instead. A lot of vets freak out when you mention bones, but the sensible thing to do is only give bones which are soft: domestic chickens are killed at around 6 weeks, which means the bones are still very soft, and if fed raw there is no danger of the bones splintering. My dogs are all fed on chicken carcases, wings etc, (amongst other things). I wouldn't give tough large animal leg bones to dogs, but for a little pup, a lamb leg bone will provide hours of fun and chewing practice. Don't listen to the vets: most of them have seen dogs with problems after the owners have fed them cooked bones, which do splinter: only feed raw.

very good advice penny . atb bunnys.

[Rich.h 4]

Cheers for the help, sadly chickens is one thing I have trouble getting hold of unless I were to buy them from a butchers. When you say the turkey feet are tough on a pup do you mean the bone is hard on the teeth? risk of breaking?

[Hickory 54]

What do you think fox kits do when they get the opportunity to chew on a bone?

[leegreen 2,222]

I don' t have any trouble with turkey feet, it's the shin/leg bones that are a problem. If you removed them at the knee I wouldn't think there would be a problem, as I don't think an eight week old pup would get into them.

Personally I would feed them. I think your pup will eat the toes/feet and won't be able to eat the leg/shin until it's a bit older. What ever way you do it always keep a eye on them when feeding.

[martin 332]

Get him some Lamb bones off the butcher bud,much better for him and plenty of jaw exercise too....

 

 

Or Rabbit heads......

 

[swanseajack 228]

 

 

whole carcass, 4 weeks old!

[long dogs 580]

nice healthy looking pups bud fat as butter

[wilbur foxhound 480]

wont there be a chance of ammonia in the feet of poultry,i wouldnt feed them to a pup

[skycat 6,174]

To be honest, I'm not keen on feeding raw turkey at all: my dogs don't seem to like it and the ones that do eat anything seem to vomit it back up again. Turkey skin is supposed to be bad for dogs: not sure quite why: possibly just really indigestible. Ditto raw pork skin: very tough to digest. I've only a few dogs that can cope with chicken feet: very hard skin and not much else: maybe OK for a treat to chew on, but I'd sooner use wings and carcases. Do feed the knuckles off the end of the legs: I call them 'chicken nuggets for dogs', but they would only get a few as part of a more balanced meal.

[bigredhelmet 17]

_{I never found pups to have a problem with whole carcasses, they cant choke on a bone if they cant bite it off and swallow it. What I mean is they chew off mouthfuls and swallow. I tie the carcass of whatever it happens to be onto the mesh so its just off ground, you end up with a cleanly stripped skeleton albeit a bit chewed. Big strong healthy pups every time. Or am I still living in the f*****g stone age}

[swanseajack 228]

_{I never found pups to have a problem with whole carcasses, they cant choke on a bone if they cant bite it off and swallow it. What I mean is they chew off mouthfuls and swallow. I tie the carcass of whatever it happens to be onto the mesh so its just off ground, you end up with a cleanly stripped skeleton albeit a bit chewed. Big strong healthy pups every time. Or am I still living in the f*****g stone age}

All my dogs get butcher's waste, as it comes, lamb, pork, beef, chicken, ox livers, tails, pigs heads, carcasses n bones, rabbit heads n skins, anything, the whole shooting match.. I feed them like hounds, tip up the bag let them eat.... no measuring, nothing scientific, just let them get on with it !

[bunnys 1,228]

_{I never found pups to have a problem with whole carcasses, they cant choke on a bone if they cant bite it off and swallow it. What I mean is they chew off mouthfuls and swallow. I tie the carcass of whatever it happens to be onto the mesh so its just off ground, you end up with a cleanly stripped skeleton albeit a bit chewed. Big strong healthy pups every time. Or am I still living in the f*****g stone age}

no ya not chicken feather the lot are hard to beat just some s folkn are more civilised.poor dears ha ha , atb bunnys.