Pigs trotters and pigs ears- Raw! Anyone fed these or had problems with feeding them?

I spoke to my butcher last week about pigs trotters and he is going to save some for me to collect today (hopefully!). He also offered to save the ears and I agreed even though the thought of them gives me the willies if the dogs will eat them they can have them, after all I managed to give them raw fish.............:smt078 The question I have is, has anyone on here fed their dogs raw pigs ears and are they worth giving to them? I know there won't be much meat on them but I have read that some chondroitin is obtained from bovine sources and ears are one place they get it from so would this mean that they are at least good for that? So far they have not had pork raw so trotters and ears will be their first taste of it, has anyone had any problems with pork or pork bones?

Pork is a very rich meat. Some dogs cannot stomach it. Mine have cooked pork occasionally (my boy was weaned on the meat from well cooked trotters) but raw, especially the fat, doesn't agree with them. If your dog can tolerate the meat then raw trotters are fine No idea about ears. I'm sure they would be ok, my only worry would be them trying to swallow the ears without tearing them to bits first

I had heard that and they have had cooked pork fat before without any problems and also pieces of cooked belly pork so I am hoping that they will be ok. They have been on raw for almost 2 months (I think ) and so far the only thing I have had trouble with is raw mackerel, I expected liver to cause a few problems but it didn't so I think perhaps their stomachs are tougher than they were.

That does worry me, two of them don't chew chicken wings which is the reason they don't get them. I have had problems with cooked ears in the past but these days they seem to chew everything properly which is a novelty. My youngster can get a bit silly as he seems to think he is going to lose it although the others wouldn't dare try when I am around so I feed him in another room so that he eats properly. Once he can't see the two older dogs he relaxes and chews everything, unfortunately this didn't work with chicken wings..........

If you want to feed chicken wings or necks and your dogs just gulp them down, try holding on to one end of them so that they learn to chew them. Many dogs, especially if they think that there is competition for food shovel it down as fast as possible and don't think/learn to chew properly - even adult dogs

Failing that use a cleaver and chop the wings/necks into safer portions.

Hi, yep I give my lot raw pork, meat & trotters few times a week & they`ve never had a problem
I used to give them pigs ears, they contain a lot of something I can never remember the name of (don`t think its chondroitin, maybe collegen??) but its good for aiding bone probs. I was told this by my h/pathic vet. I no longer give them because I have to buy in bulk & with my dogs they are gone in a few mins & as I used them as a treat its not worth it for me. Also my dog who they were really for died a couple of yrs ago now.

I do give them trotters a couple times a wk for treats & they can last them half an hour maybe & pork meat as a meal a couple times a wk, its a very good meat to feed them

ps the ears are pretty big, remember I got a shock when I first saw them, much bigger than I expected

I've tried that and it just didn't work, they have carcases now instead and they chew those properly and a lot of them have part of the neck still attached and loads of meat. They get a good variety of meat and pork was just another that I wanted to try to give them something different. I caught the butcher on the hop this morning and he has only managed to get me 2 trotters and one ear so kelly will have the ear (he has a bad hip) and the other two can have the trotters, is they are ok then I will give him a ring and he is going to get hold of some more for me.

I was also told that lamb breast can make them squitty but mine have no trouble with that at all. I have just collected some minced meats from a place that is fairly local to me, I forgot they were there and didn't realise they did raw stuff I have bought some of THE smelliest green tripe home:smt078 It really is foul so the stuff they were getting obviously wasn't the real deal............

I have also managed to get some tongues, I only bought a couple of lb bags as they have never had them and I don't know how they will be, anyone ever had any for their dogs?

Thanks Christine, I knew they were good but not sure why and as one of mine has mild displasia, and all the signs are that arthritis is setting in (he goes for x-rays in 2 weeks time ) I want to do everything possible to help him without resorting to drugs as he is only 5

I have thought about giving them pigs trotters (lol@trotters) but have not because of it being a weight bearing bone so maybe not so good = possible very hard?

Ears = haven't seen a place i can get them as yet or I would have no problem letting them have those.

Hi Colliemad, i see you are in Worcestershire. I'm not sure if it is any good to you but there is a place in Redditch that does everything raw, green tripe etc. It is called TPMS. If it is not who you are already using let me know and i will post their contact details for you....Cheers...Ian..

Hi Ian

I forgot that TPMS were there and I also didn't realise they did raw stuff............ LOL I have collected loads of minced meat from them this morning and also some tongue which I have just given mine a taste of. They seemed to enjoy it so I now have to wait and see if their stomachs cope with it. They are only about 20 minutes drive from me so very handy. I get my chicken carcases from my butcher along with lamb breast and liver (mine will only eat lambs) and he saves me the lamb bones every week. I don't think TPMS do trotters, never thought to ask if they could get them either DOH! Previously I bought tripe from my local pet store and the stuff I got this morning smells a LOT stronger. I used to find it funny that people complained about the smell but now I know why

Hi Colliemad, you are right about the tripe smelling but it is great stuff and very nutrious as it is unwashed/bleached. They are very reliable aswell as i drive up from the Isle of Wight to collect my supplies off them plus they are a nice bunch of people to go with it. I will be up there again in a few weeks to collect another van full.I had a feeling it was them you had used when you mentioned the tongue.I find the chicken and tripe mix really good as it is minced carcass and green tripe, but saying that everything i have had off them is good.....Cheers..Ian..