Simple Meals



There's nothing easier!

There's nothing easier than feeding turkey necks, unless you count opening a bag of kibble and pouring it in a bowl, then adding water (remember, with Dalmatians we ALWAYS add water to kibble).  Take the bag of necks out of the freezer and leave it in the sink to thaw for 8 hours and you're good to go.  You can rinse them off if you wish, or run them under warm water to warm them up, which makes them a bit more palatable to some dogs, but basically you just put them in the bowl and feed the dog(s). Because turkey necks take real chewing, they are great toothbrushes.  If feeding multiple dogs these should probably be fed in a crate as some dogs eat them much faster than others, and may try to "help" their room mates finish their necks.

The prep work is easy with turkey necks too as they rarely come with anything that needs to be removed.  We order ours in 20# boxes, thaw them slightly for rebagging in freezer bags.  They stack and store nicely too, and thaw quickly because the bag is flat.

Turkey necks vary a lot in size as do all RMBs - remember raw meaty bones, the edible kind.  They can be purchased at some meat counters, especially near Thanksgiving, but it's generally more economical to purchase them in bulk and refreeze.  The Tom Turkey necks are sometimes HUGE.  At one time that's all we could find, and before I fed them to the dogs I would chop them in several pieces.  I've still got notches on my deck rail where I missed the cutting board and took a chunk out of the rail.  About the only thing that works to cut them up is a heavy meat cleaver or an axe.  Some people feed those necks whole, but a large turkey neck can be challenging for a small dog.    One morning I chopped up necks before going to work and forgot to check the mirror before I left.  Was horrified to find that I had bits of turkey flesh and bone adhering to my forehead and cheeks - good that I stopped in the washroom before going to my desk.  I wonder what the people riding up in the elevator with me thought???

We are usually able to purchase hen necks, as seen above.  One or two of them make a nice meal for all but growing adolescents who might need a 3rd neck.  Because turkey necks are rather low in fat (and remember that dogs use fat rather than carbs for energy) we don't feed them every day.  RMBs make up about 60% of our dogs' diet, and that is primarily chicken backs, chicken necks and turkey necks (more on that later).  Poultry parts are generally easy to find, affordable, and palatable. 

Dogs should always be supervised when they are eating turkey necks, just in case someone decides to swallow one whole. Remember that dogs are able to regurgitate at will, and if a dog swallows something large without sufficient chewing, they will bring it back up and rechew it. Experienced raw eaters rarely do this, but it is not uncommon in new dogs.  Just let the dog re-eat the RMB and try not to get too grossed out! Dogs who are not used to eating turkey necks will sometimes bring up a few undigested turkey vertebrae the necks morning.  Just a nice neat pile of small bony (not sharp) pieces with a little foam.