I think my chickens killed my dog.

[purr]

yeah and now dear dog knows chicks taste good!

 

[ksacres]

It's perfectly natural to have some chick/juvenile mortality, it's not an indicator of sickness to lose one occasionally.

I also feed my dogs "dud" eggs from my incubator. I also feed them any other free and NATURAL protein sources that my animals provide that I would not eat myself, such as my doe that aborted a fetus last year-the fetus, not the doe. And now, before you start saying how unhealthy my goats must be for one to abort- I usually have around 15 does kidding every year. To have one abort occasionally is normal. I have had a total of 3 does abort in the 15 years I've been raising goats. Not bad considering goats are the livestock most prone to aborting because of their size and social habits (like butting). So, they've eaten raw goat before too, and that doesn't mean they are out there right now, clawing their way into my goat pen.

Feeding raw does not make dogs into ravenous salivating killers. I don't know where people get this stuff. ALL dogs have an inborn prey drive. It's MY responsibility to see that they don't get to use it. I made the mistake of letting them out unsupervised with a batch of juvenile chickens two years ago. That's my fault, not theirs. They have not touched a live chicken since.

We don't feed our dogs exclusively raw because we don't have that much waste protein, but I would certainly feed them raw if we could afford it or had more of our own protein available.

If we ever start butchering chickens, I completely plan on feeding the waste parts to the dogs. Seems like a much better idea than sending somewhere to rot-somewhere it actually CAN harbor nasty bacteria while decomposing in a landfill...

It's a shame that more people don't understand how the food chain works, or maybe they do understand, but have a hard time accepting it.

 

[Msbear]

I am so sorry for your loss and I know how hard it is to lose a pet. I don't understand why you didn't take him to the vet if you knew in your heart he was dying and saw the weight dropping off to leave an obvious pot belly. That's a sign of an intestinal issue or stomach problem that a doc might have been able to help.

I don't mean to be rude. It just bothers me when people say how much they love their animals but don't have enough love for proper treatment.

I think it's great you fed natural meat. It was healthy for your dog, but he could've eaten anything else on top of that which caused his problems; sticks, trash, anything..

 

[Sylvie]

The weight loss over the weeks sounds like diabetes to me. Mine went just like that. It is not caused by diet but more of a sudden autoimmune thing with dogs. Insulin injections were fruitless and the liver gives out first. There was probably nothing that you could have done. We spent a fortune at the vet in vain. I am saddened for you.

 

[iajewel]

Dogs can digest bone, and meat, they can't digest feathers.. they bulk up in the digestive system and don't pass.. So ya.. the chickens pry did kill the dog.

 

[pips&peeps]

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[Bisqit&Gravy]

Just a thought about the weight loss and pot belly. Could have been a splenic or liver tumor. We have removed 20 pound splenic tumors before. Or cushing disease or heartworms???

 

[Renegade]

Bisqit&Gravy :

Or cushing disease or heartworms???

My first thought was heartworms. Was the dog on any heartworm prevention?​

 

[freemotion]

The dog was 11. This is not the time to be snippy, people are in mourning.

I feed raw, whole chicken wings to my poodle and he is just fine. No signs of bone in his poop, and he, like most dogs, does not chew his food thoroughly!

If you feed raw to dogs, the ribs minus breast meat and the wings are the best. Thighs and legs are too rich for a steady diet. Feet would be good, too. And occasional organ meats, although the richness gives gas. That's why we don't call them chicken hearts, we call them chicken __arts!

I am so sorry for your loss. How sweet that he waited for your DH to say goodbye. That is precious and to be treasured.

 

[Tangle]

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