Quick help with raw feeding my St.B

[newcastlemama]

I am trying to feed my Saint raw (the prey/RMB) because he has skin problems/allergies (I think) and the poor dog won't stop biting himself.

He will take chunks of meat from me (raw ground deer, sardines, bites of raw chicken) I cannot get him to bite into a chicken leg quater. Should I just give him the thigh or leg since it is smaller. I am concerned with choking mainly. He is about 150 pounds and has a tendency to gulp He did steal an entire cooked chicken from me when he was a puppy so I am not sure why he won't bite in. (I even put the sardine juice on the chicken and he just licked it off)

Thanks, Jen

[greenmagick]

It can take awhile for some dogs do dig into the bigger pieces. My dane is horrible about this, but is getting better. What I found really helped is to hold it for her and kind of tug and tear at it with her (gross I know) or to take a knife and kind of chop into it a bit to make it easier for her to start eating it. She is doing much better since I started the above things

[Ola_]

I agree to hold it if that helps get him started. Another trick is to take the chicken quarter and sear the meaty/skin side in a hot pan for just a few seconds (don't try this on pieces where the bone is close to the surface). Then let it cool and see if that helps. We had to try this trick to get our dogs to eat liver, it was only needed the first couple of times.

Also, try offering it frozen or partly frozen perhaps? And the idea to make cuts into the meat so there's a place to grab it is a good one. Normally you'd use that trick for cats and tiny dogs but whatever works.

[newcastlemama]

Okay I tried cutting, searing, handing it to him and so far no go. I am not sure what to do next. I think if he still does not want to eat tonight I may try a high quality grain free dog food and go fom there.

Thanks for your help!
Jen

[meowmix]

I feed my newfie chicken backs. He really does have to chew to get anything off but they aren't as hard to chew as leg bones. Maybe that would help you? My dog is also allergic to grain but even grain free food caused him allergies (I found that my dog just can't tolerate lots of carbs- even sweet potatoes, oats, etc cause him to get itchy and gassy). Maybe you could give him short ribs? He'd learn to slow down to get the meat off the bone and would learn to gnaw on the bone. Then move to chicken? I never had the problem with Rez, he's been eating raw since he was about 6 months old but I did start with chicken necks and backs before moving onto to more heavily boned pieces of meat.