My Yorkie doesn't like bones?!!

[Franceen]

After reading the posts about marrow bones, I tried, in vain, to get some over here from an organic source. Eventually the farm I normally deal with, sent me some lovely Yorkie size bones for Toots with no sharp edges etc. They really went to a lot of trouble for me. Guess what, Tootsy looked at them then rushed to bury them with a blanket as quickly as she could. She won't touch them! She needs them to keep her teeth nice and clean! What a little problem she can be.

Luv
Franceen

[RawfedYorkieLuv]

Hi Franceen,
I would not recommend feeding marrow bones to dogs. They usually come from beef knuckle or femur bones. Large ungulates (like cattle) have very dense bones and many dogs have experienced chipped/broken teeth on them. Ironically, Vets are usually against a raw diet but will tell you that marrow bones are ok to feed, go figure!
I'm a prey model feeder and we refer to those kinds of bones as "wreck bones". A better choice would be to give your dog a raw chicken drumstick. Chicken bones are soft and pliable and have plenty of good marrow inside of them! Raw bone does NOT pose a chocking or impaction hazard like cooked bone does. If you're interested;

The Benefits Of A Prey Model Diet

Nadia

Originally Posted by Franceen

After reading the posts about marrow bones, I tried, in vain, to get some over here from an organic source. Eventually the farm I normally deal with, sent me some lovely Yorkie size bones for Toots with no sharp edges etc. They really went to a lot of trouble for me. Guess what, Tootsy looked at them then rushed to bury them with a blanket as quickly as she could. She won't touch them! She needs them to keep her teeth nice and clean! What a little problem she can be.

Luv
Franceen

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[Franceen]

Thanks for that, Nadia. I have tried chicken bones with her, but she does the same thing. She looks at me as if I am crazy (what do you think I am, mum, a wild animal!) or trying to poison her and then quickly 'buries' it! She fights tooth and nail when I try to brush her teeth with gauze on my finger and tasty toothpaste. It is NOT successful. I will have to take her to the vet and get her teeth cleaned, I think.

Thanks again.

Luv

Franceen xx

[cdawnfine]

Originally Posted by Franceen

Thanks for that, Nadia. I have tried chicken bones with her, but she does the same thing. She looks at me as if I am crazy (what do you think I am, mum, a wild animal!) or trying to poison her and then quickly 'buries' it! She fights tooth and nail when I try to brush her teeth with gauze on my finger and tasty toothpaste. It is NOT successful. I will have to take her to the vet and get her teeth cleaned, I think.

Thanks again.

Luv

Franceen xx

Milo is the same way, I would like to know also he is just not a big chewer. I am thinking of trying the Petzlife. I am at my witts end, he already had his teeth cleaned once and he is only 2 1/2

[RawfedYorkieLuv]

With no offense to anybody but I can understand that a dog who doesn't get raw foods outside of the occasional bone, does not really know or even see the incentive to "work for" his food. If kids eat McDonalds every day, they'd look at you funny, too if you'd present them with a carrot. Newcomers to raw will almost always resist to the change as k*bble is addicting, just like junk food. The dog has to be re-trained. My dogs won't touch kibble now and my oldest has never been a big fan of it in the first place. We went to somebody's house the other day who has a k*bble fed dog and my dogs passed his bowl after sniffing the contents. Even a diet of home cooked food is not the same as RAW or natural for our carnivore dogs for that matter. But we don't need to go into that issue here or now. But what I am saying is that some might have to show their dog how to devour a bone and even go through the hunger strike thing for a day or two before the dog will accept his new food source. But I promise that no dog will starve itself and WILL eventually chew his bones with delight!
My senior dog had teeth so bad that his gum line was openly bleeding daily! I tried petzlife and it just didn't give me the results that I was looking for. I will no longer subject my beloved friend to risky anesthesia induced dental cleanings as we almost lost him to that a couple of years ago. Since we feed prey model; bad breath gone, clean, healthy, pink gum line, white teeth!

Nadia

Originally Posted by cdawnfine

Milo is the same way, I would like to know also he is just not a big chewer. I am thinking of trying the Petzlife. I am at my witts end, he already had his teeth cleaned once and he is only 2 1/2

[Franceen]

I understand what you are saying, Nadia. I gave prey model diet a good try for months but had so many problems that I eventually contacted a holistic pet nutritionist that Wylie's mom, Ann, recommended. She has found that my dog has multiple allergies and needs a special diet to control the allergies. She also believes in a raw diet but wants Toots to have a cooked one at present, Anyway I just don't want to go the prey model again, even though I believe in it. It didn't work for my dog and I got really stressed hanging in there hoping that eventually it would suit her.

I guess you are right about the raw bones, too. They need to get used to it. She will still eat raw if I gave it to her, though.

I have bought Petzlife and have been giving it to her for a few weeks. I haven't noticed much change yet, but I assumed it would take a month or two to see a difference. How long did you try it for? I am so disappointed that you found that it didn't help! I hate the thought of the vet doing her teeth, yet I don't see a way out. Perhaps I should smear her bones with something nice tasting!!

Thanks for your reply - it is great to hear all opinions.

Luv
Franceen

[RawfedYorkieLuv]

I'm so sorry that prey model did not work out for you, not to rebuff your dog's problems but this is truly the first time that I have heard of that....
Be interested to hear what the problems were.
I, too have a dog who has (had) allergies AND chronic systemic yeast infection and when I started to feed raw, he went through horrible detox! Now he's healthier than he's ever been, even when he was young he wasn't in that good of shape! Prey model saved my dog's life as he was in such bad condition that I seriously pondered putting him down as I could no longer watch him be so miserable. He's been my constant companion for 12 years and I knew he deserved better. That's what lead me to do my research in the first place. Ann swears by this nutritionist so I sincerely hope that your dog can be helped as well!

I've used petzlife oral gel and the spray for about a year and while the breath was better it just wasn't a match for the tartar. His gingivitis was pretty severe though so a dog with a lesser degree of damage might benefit more from it, I don't know. But I should add that I've always brushed my dog's teeth through the years with various products and still he had developed bad oral health. He needed teeth cleanings every year and not a month too soon! I just don't have much faith in these types of products anymore and most dogs won't let you spend adequate time on their mouth's cleaning routine to really make a difference long term! Once I started to feed raw meaty bones, I could literally see the tartar coming off in large chunks and within 3 months his mouth looked like a young dog's mouth and the Vet could not believe his age! He's admitted that he's never seen a dog his age with such nice teeth! In my opinion, having tried so many different approaches over the years, the bones is the only thing that works the way it should! Good luck to you and your Toots!

Nadia

Originally Posted by Franceen

I understand what you are saying, Nadia. I gave prey model diet a good try for months but had so many problems that I eventually contacted a holistic pet nutritionist that Wylie's mom, Ann, recommended. She has found that my dog has multiple allergies and needs a special diet to control the allergies. She also believes in a raw diet but wants Toots to have a cooked one at present, Anyway I just don't want to go the prey model again, even though I believe in it. It didn't work for my dog and I got really stressed hanging in there hoping that eventually it would suit her.

I guess you are right about the raw bones, too. They need to get used to it. She will still eat raw if I gave it to her, though.

I have bought Petzlife and have been giving it to her for a few weeks. I haven't noticed much change yet, but I assumed it would take a month or two to see a difference. How long did you try it for? I am so disappointed that you found that it didn't help! I hate the thought of the vet doing her teeth, yet I don't see a way out. Perhaps I should smear her bones with something nice tasting!!

Thanks for your reply - it is great to hear all opinions.

Luv
Franceen

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