Your Dog Will be Thrilled “to the Bone” with this Diet Tip!

By Celeste Crimi

Have fun once or twice a week, watching your dog enjoy a healthy, easy, and economical treat.

It's perfectly acceptable to feed whole, raw, meaty poultry backs/necks up to twice a week, instead of any other food (withhold other food that day). Eating in this way can increase dental health (freshening the breath) and provide your canine pal with the essential fats that are often cooked out of commercially prepared food. These fats maintain the brain and neurological system, keep the coat shiny and mat-free, and pad the joints. Backs and necks are also terrific for joint health; after a few months on this routine, you may even be able to decrease or discontinue joint supplements.
Even free-range, hormone-free, or organic backs and necks usually sell for less than one dollar per pound.

Turkey and chicken backs and necks are actually cartilage-based, rather than bone-based. This means that instead of splintering, they crumble, negating worries over punctured digestive tracts.

How do you know how much to feed? Just like us, every dog has a unique metabolism and activity level. A general guideline is to feed the same amount of backs/necks as is recommended for canned food diets. In other words, if canned food manufacturers recommend a certain weight of dog eat one 16oz can of food daily, then feed 16oz of backs/necks that day, instead. You can divide the day into two smaller feedings, or give all the food in one go, depending on your preference.

Celeste Crimi, Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic, www.hawthornevet.com.