Low Weight and Raw Chicken Diet

[Linda Oz]

I'm new here and so happy to find this forum!

I have been Dogless for almost a year and think I found my next Dobe last night. He is perfect in every way but is thin. He is being fed mainly raw chicken with a little bit of kibble (not sure which one). He has been taken to the vet and wormed, but did not put on weight. Other Dobes he lives with are not thin. He otherwise seems in perfect health with good endurance, no known diarrhea or other symptoms. He is an un-neutered 3 1/2 year old previously used as a stud. I don't know if he just needs a higher volume of food, supplements, or lab testing.

I'm trying to learn about raw food diets. My last Dobe was 10 years ago and at that time we were warned to never feed chicken meat due to the bones. Is it ok when raw? Any concerns for salmonella or another bacteria from the chicken?

I'd welcome any ideas on conditions that might cause low weight. He isn't emaciated but ribs can be seen. He has a lot of muscle (Altobello Dobe) and I wonder if he burns food faster due to his muscular build? Attached is a photo of his abdomen which I edited so you could see the ribs. It only shows the 3 largest ribs showing but when I saw him he had a few more showing.

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Ravenbird]

Raw chicken & raw bones are fine, no cooked bones ever. It could just be he's expending more energy than intake of calories. Once you get him home and he settles into a new routine you can evaluate his energy level. After vet clearance I adhere to "If he's too thin feed him more and if he's too fat feed him less". Many hard working dogs look thin (and are thin) but are solid muscle.

 

[Antman408]

I recommend buying a meal plan here if you’re going to feed a raw diet and you’re not familiar with it. You will put your dogs info in and Kelsey will make a meal plan catered to your dog.

https://www.karmavorenutrition.com/

 

[Kaiser2016]

The best way to evaluate a Doberman being over/under weight is to view them from above because they often look fine from all other angles, so it can be hard to tell. Most of us favor seeing the outline of the last few ribs because light weight is easier on their joints.

Re chicken, you will want to rotate proteins as different meats have different nutrient profiles. Starting with a premade raw food is great for beginners because they are properly balanced so you don't have to worry too much beyond having a freezer for your dog.

Also, maybe him being a stud has to do with him being so lean. I've heard that intact males can become so fixated on females in heat that they even go off their food. My male is intact but isn't a stud nor is he around females too often, so he never goes off his food, but he does stay lean looking.

 

[LifeofRubie]

Raw bones can absolutely still cause perforated intestines if not chewed properly when your dog is eating. My last Dobe had a 4" raw chicken bone make it to his small intestines where it promptly made Swiss cheese of them. He survived surgery but it was $2000 and if I had not been there when he showed signs of distress, he probably would not have made.

I feel I always need to share this cautionary tale when someone is considering raw because 99.9% of the time, they have no issues. I bought a meat grinder after that so he only got ground chicken and rabbit bones.

Doing raw correctly can be very overwhelming but the results are real!

 

[Ravenbird]

My last Dobe had a 4" raw chicken bone make it to his small intestines where it promptly made Swiss cheese of them.

Ouch!!! I still won't give Asha drumsticks/thighs with bones because she wants to eat so fast, I'm afraid she would do exactly this. I've taken them out to an outdoor chopping block and smashed them with a hammer (meat & bone together) so I know they have been broken up. Thanks for the reminder, it's especially good for newbies to raw feeding.

 

[Antman408]

Raw bones can absolutely still cause perforated intestines if not chewed properly when your dog is eating. My last Dobe had a 4" raw chicken bone make it to his small intestines where it promptly made Swiss cheese of them. He survived surgery but it was $2000 and if I had not been there when he showed signs of distress, he probably would not have made.

I feel I always need to share this cautionary tale when someone is considering raw because 99.9% of the time, they have no issues. I bought a meat grinder after that so he only got ground chicken and rabbit bones.

Doing raw correctly can be very overwhelming but the results are real!

Because of this I’ve made it a pint to only feed Wings, neck and feet. They have to be chewed to swallow and their easily digested. Rex pooped out a 3” piece of drumstick once and it scared me so I swapped bones. Also for the first week or two of feeding id hold the wing or beck and make sure he chewed it before swallowing. After that I have had no problems.

I tried mixing in pork Riblets into his meals and for some reason he has a hard time breaking them down. Before switching to raw did you notice any particular bone that they had issue with digesting?