Nisha won't eat turkey drumsticks

[katiek0417]

Okay....I understand that many of you will say I spoil my dog...however, let me explain.

Nisha has been on raw for quite some time. She typically gets kibble in the morning, then some form of chicken or turkey at night. The other day I decided to get turkey and chicken drumsticks for the first time (I had been doing thighs from both, necks, gizzards, breast, wings...but never drumsticks). I put one of each drumstick in her bowl, put her bowl in her crate...and waited.

She INHALED the chicken drumstick. Then it came to the turkey...she licked it...looked at me, looked back down at turkey, then took her blanket, covered it up, and pushed it in the corner. I thought maybe she was confused b/c it WAS rather LARGE (and sometimes she doesn't know what to do, and once I've cut the meat off and have hand fed her 1 or 2 meals, she's fine). So, I take it out of her crate, cut the meat off (mostly), and put it back in...she slowly ate the meat, then picked up some meat still on the bone (hence also picking up the bone), dropped it back in her bowl, looked at me, looked at the bone, then covered it with her blanket. I opened her crate door again, and picked up the bone, and tried to hand feed it to her. She didn't want to have anything to do with it. Greg, of course, was telling me not to force her...if she got hungry enough she'd eat. So, Jue got a treat.

Yesterday she didn't eat (training, etc).

I thought she was sufficiently hungry this morning to try again. We went through the same thing....this time I actually chopped off corners of the bone (I thought if she tasted the marrow, she'd want to eat it). Again, she covered it with her blanket and pushed it into the corner. So, I actually took a hammer to it...I crushed it for her....I put it back in her bowl...and SAME THING. COVERED IT, AND PUSHED IT IN THE CORNER.

At that point Jue got another treat. Greg told me she apparently just doesn't like it. She'll eat the meat (albeit slowly), but WILL NOT touch the bone. She'll lick it...then cover it....

I don't understand - she'll eat turkey thighs, necks, and breast...why not drumsticks?

[mnp13]

Ruby wouldn't eat the turkey drumstick the first time I gave her one either. I cut the meat off and gave it to her little by little and she didn't even want to eat that. I figured she didn't like the taste of turkey and didn't pay it any mind... and Riggs was more than happy to finish her dinner for her!

I waited until we had been at camp all weekend - the dogs run until they are ready to fall over, and they usually sleep for two stratight days when they get home. She was beyond ravenous and I gave her a turkey leg... she ate it without hesitation.

She probably just needs to get used to it. The drumsticks I get are almomst two pounds each, so it's basically a double meal for them. Now they go NUTS when they smell turkey because they know that a BIG dinner is on the way!

[katiek0417]

The problem is that Nisha is NEVER really ravenous!!! After working yesterday (tracking in the morning, obedience and protection in the afternoon evening...AND play time with Asja) you would think she'd be really hungry...and she ate the chicken rather quickly....but didn't want the turkey....She has minimal food drive. I always say that she is the dog for whom I could leave food out all the time, and wouldn't eat it all...

[cheekymunkee]

Mine got REALLY tired of turkey drumsticks. They would look at me like "this again?". Mukee would look at it, look at me, look back at it, sigh & start eating.

[katiek0417]

Nisha doesn't seem to get tired of anything....Greg agreed why bother feeding her the turkey when she acts as she does. If she doesn't know HOW to eat a piece of raw, she at least picks it up, drops it, etc...this she just covers with her blanket, moves it to the corner, and lays as far away from it as possible...

[cheekymunkee]

Sounds to me like she is telling you that is the grossest thing you ever put in her bowl!