# Eating raw way too fast



## ines_qa (Apr 16, 2016)

Hello there  
I've been introducing some raw food to my 8 month old puppy this past week to see how she does with it in order to make a complete transition in the future. 
The first time she had a chicken leg raw bone with meat she loved it and she took about 10/15 minutes to eat all of it. 
I gave her the same kind of Raw meat bones two more times and her speed is increasing like crazy. She eats it now in a minute or so. I'm afraid it will come right out if she keeps eating the bones like this. 
Could I do something like cutting them in smaller pieces or is this dangerous? Is there anything I could do to make her eat the raw meat bones slower?
Thank you so much.


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

Some dogs just eat fast, especially raw. I've seen one of my dogs eat a chicken leg quarter in basically one gulp, just giving a couple of bites to crunch the bone a bit. It stayed down. 

Giving a piece of meat with a bone too large to be swallowed in one go is an option. I also know of some people that will use a pair of locking pliers to hold onto one end of a bone to ensure that it doesn't go down in one piece, and to encourage the dog to actually chew. 

I also know a couple of people who grind their dogs raw food (bones and all) with a commercial grade grinder. They say that it's worth it, because their dogs get the benefit of eating raw bones without the worry of the dog swallowing large pieces.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

I'd recommend against cutting them into smaller bits unless you're actually grinding - it's a lot easier for a dog to choke on small chunks they think they can swallow whole than larger pieces they have to work at.

Is she still crunching at the bone some, or is she trying to choke down the whole drumstick without any chewing at all? How big is she? My poodle (~19lbs) gets a chicken wing or club most mornings, and if it's thawed, he gets it down really quickly, but he does still chomp at it so he can swallow it easily (we usually freeze them to give him a little more of a workout, but that doesn't agree with all dogs). Remember dog teeth aren't for biting off small bits and then grinding them into a mush, it's very natural for them to only chew enough to get the piece down their throat. 

Basically, if she's chomping at it and breaking up the bone, I wouldn't worry. If she's trying to inhale it, definitely go for something bigger that she HAS to chew, hold it in some way so she has to chew, or use a grind so there's less chance of choking.


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## ines_qa (Apr 16, 2016)

She did a bit of both, she crunched maybe once or twice to make it easier but she was definitely trying to choke down more than she could cause I saw her trying to get it out of her mouth. She's 15 Kg, about 30 pounds or a bit more, I think... maybe she needs something bigger than those drumsticks she's having now?
I may watch her once more or so to make sure it's all safe but if I still feel uncomfortable I might just get her something bigger.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

Yes, I'd be concerned as well from the sound of it. Honestly drumsticks are too small for a lot of dogs - my boy just happens to both be little and a good chewer. Something like thigh or chicken quarters might work better for her.


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## ines_qa (Apr 16, 2016)

Yes, I'll be looking into that soon because I just don't want to risk anything happening. Thank you!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I found that forcing the knob on the chicken bone into a kong kept Max from stomping twice and swallowing. Was about to try the locking pliers idea too.

Dogs do learn to slow down. Max had to regurgitate a chicken wing that wouldn't go down properly and from then on he gave them plenty of chomps before swallowing. He was about 8 years old at the time though. 

If you are feeding once a day and can alternate meaty and bony days that's a huge help. Max needed daily bone for about a year, little Ginger went to bone every other day as soon as she was on a complete raw diet. A chicken foot is poky and was exactly the amount of bone Max needed daily, he was about 35 pounds. Never did he try to gulp one down. The littles were started on raw chicken ribs, the flat wide bone was impossible to chomp twice and swallow, could try that with some meat left on - they got the rest of their meat cooked and fed throughout the day as treats.

It's hard at first, this stuff is so valuable and dogs are programmed to eat as fast as possible so it cannot be taken away.


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## BarkAtTheMoon (Feb 21, 2017)

Be careful with raw, especially when you have a gulper. I've had a stomach obstruction, three instances where gulpers slurped down a meal and choked (as in, emergency assistance was required to physically dislodge a piece of bone from their trachea), teeth that got dirtier on raw (not joking), and more fractured molars than you can shake a stick at, and my personal favorite, the gift that keeps on giving - ulcerative colitis. 

Of course, I had about a dozen dogs on the diet over the years, so I think Murphy's Law applies, but I saw much more than that, and 99% of it vanished with diet change. Considering that after 34 years of owning innumerable dogs (at least 30 adults, not counting litters), the only time I've ever had a dog genuinely choking - meaning airway was completely obstructed by a bone - was on the raw diet, I'd say there is a genuine hazard that needs to be taken into account. Just my 2 cents, because I know negatives of raw diets are rarely openly spoken about


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