Chicken and lamb alternatives?

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Chicken and lamb alternatives?

Posted : 5/14/2008 5:58:56 AM

Penny is giving my grief over her diet at the moment.

As predicted, the moment she moved out of the company of the other two dogs, her interest in food really dissolved. Not completey, but she has once again made it known that she is not fond of chicken wings. So, I went and got her some lamb offcuts, not realising that lamb offcuts was what caused her last bowel blockage that cost quite a bit in vet bills. I discovered this important fact after the lamb offcuts once again cause her painful constipation. So. Lamb bones are out. Chicken wings are viewed with luke warm interest at best and I just know she's warming up to refusing to eat them (which will all change next week when puppy comes home). I'd get some beef bones, but they're hard to come by because everyone pounces on the butcher for them. I would get pork, but apparently the local shopping centres and butchers don't have the pork hocks and trotters Penny loves. Argh! Silly dog.

I found some kangaroo shanks at the pet store on the weekend. They're nice and cheap and meaty and about the same size as a chicken wing, but I'm yet to see how Penny's insides cope with them. She had a couple 24 hours ago and still seems good, so hopefully we're onto something. In the meantime, any other ideas? Incidentally, Penny loved the roo shanks. I'm a bit worried about how they break, though. Small shards.

brookcove

Posted : 5/14/2008 7:12:57 AM

Kangaroo reminds me of turkey, big giant turkey. So I'd definitely watch the bones. Can you get ribs or neckbones instead of the weight-bearing bones?

Some things to look for:

Goat
Turkey (speaking of turkey)
Duck
Goose
Eel?
What's that possumlike thing you've got there?
And I hate to mention it, but rabbit is pretty much ideal food for dogs. I just had to put that out there. Mostly for others having a similar issue

Have you seen this web site? I often use it myself as a reference for other things (it's not so helpful for North American pet feeding information).

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/diet5.htm

This page seems to think highly of roo.

There's also the option of simply feeding mince (ground) of a meat that's readily available, and then adding a calcium source. Because raw meaty bones aren't easily available to Ben with the right bone to meat proportion, mostly what I do is use bony parts and then supplement with beef heart, which I can get easily and cheaply in bulk. And as a senior citizen, he benefits from some of the higher levels of nutrients like taurine, in the heart. If I were even more limited as to the bony cuts, I'd use the heart alone with a Ca supplement.

Anyway, then you have the option of using roo meat even if you nix the bones. And, is it lamb/mutton bones you had a problem with? You might consider the same option with lamb if that is the case. Then offer recreational bones for cleaning and the other benefits of bone.

corvus

Posted : 5/14/2008 7:55:33 AM

It was the bones that caused trouble. I suspect the bone to meat ratio of the lamb offcuts was too high. She gets chicken mince with vegies as the basis of her diet and bones every few days as a supplement. As long as I'm feeding her chicken mince, I'd rather be feeding her something other than chicken wings anyway.

I like the roo from the standpoint that it's natural, cheap, and good for the environment. I eat roo as well, because it's a really healthy meat with almost no fat. People have a lot to say about the way they die, but I figure it's better than the lives chickens and pigs have. As bones go, though, I'd only seen tails for sale until the shanks I saw on the weekend. Tails have nasty sharp bones and not much meat. The shanks are way better than that at least.

I honestly would be okay feeding rabbit, but it's a game meat around here, so it's really expensive.

Thanks for the link, though. That gives me something to think about.