Rather than the size of the cuts of food. Only give several smaller sized meals through the day. Her stomach may adapt to getting less food . It could possibly take the edge of her appetite!!

That is what I did initially but it did not last for long, and she started refusing food until she was hungry. I will try it again now Pereg is/will be mostly on raw.

I know, but I am so frightened of not giving in to her if she starts the pacing, whining, nagging behaviour in the evening, as I am never sure whether it is behavioural or a precursor to a Complex Partial Seizure.

When you said that she cannot hoover a large meat bone, I probably worded things incorrectly, as I cannot get large rmb for her. I meant large chunks of actual meat. The bones, ie chicken/turkey necks/backs/carcasses will be bought for me next time my neighbour goes downtown, and those will be frozen in reasonable meal-size chunks. At the moment the only bones are those in the chicken wings and in the turkey "tails".

I really wish there was something I could do with Pereg in the evenings to take her mind off food, but taking her out on my scooter when it is dark is totally out of the question. Sure the scooter has good lights but there are very few streetlights on the Moshav and of course no lights at all on the fields, so those are far too risky to even attempt.

Apart from anything else, I am usually exhausted come early evening and really that is my "me" time. And I need that time.

I take her out as often and as much as I can during the day, but during the day she just flonks on the floor - either just inside the open door so she can look out if anything/anyone goes past, or - like now - flonked on the concrete patio outside - where she will stay until she realises she is too hot, at which time she will come in.

She sat and watched me yesterday while I sorted out the stuff my neighbour had gotten for me - watched me cut, sort, open freeze and then pack, not asking but just as if she knew it was for her [probably recognised the smell from the chicken wings she had had], and she has done the same this morning. Yesterday evening she asked for more after she had had a big meal so yes, I gave her a fresh unfrozen wing as I was busy. But while watching me yesterday, and again this morning, she has not asked for anything. Just sat and watched me.

Open freezing means that I can then chuck stuff in a carrier bag and take out what I want without having massive frozen chunks, but it also takes time as I only have so much empty space for open freezing, especially as the trays have to be taken out of the freezers half way through, things loosened/turned over, then back in to finish freezing.

And she has been so good. Watched me but not once asked for anything.

I really am trying to do my very best for Pereg - please believe me. Because I love her.

I would give her pieces as large as you can for her to chomp on or she may try to swallow whole pieces that are cut too small especially pieces with bone.If it's a large piece you can always take it off her when you think she has had as much as you want her to have then pop it in the fridge for later. Rather than open freeze or mass freeze in a large amount you could bag individual potions before putting in the freezer it would make it a lot easier to take out what is needed.

Now I do not know what to think. I spoke to my Vet [actually the assistant Vet] about the change in diet - I needed some advice about supplements, and she said they do not agree with any form of BARF or raw feeding, due to experience of dogs having bones stuck in their intestinal tract, and that I should stick to Pereg's regular dry food.

But neither she nor Dr Ram see Pereg and her behaviour during the evenings when Pereg starts demanding, nor do they see her when she really is hungry but just will not touch her dry food any more.

Somehow I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall, trying to keep Pereg happy, but it appears that BARF feeding is not known at all here.

I just cannot carry on feeding Pereg her previous dry food only, as it just was not satisfying her now. I just do not know what to do now.

Most vets in the UK are anti-raw too. It's mainly to do with them being taught to promote commercial foods.

It is rare for bones to get stuck if the dog chews

Dogs can still choke on kibble.

Can dogs cope with swallowing a big piece of meat, not bones? Cookie doesn't chop or anything on the pieces of meat, and I suppose really with the legs he just chops them up a bit but they are all attached to each other via the chicken meat. So I guess he is ok, but is it healthy? And ok?
I think this is part of what the OP was getting at.

I had to speak with my own Vet - the boss at the surgery - yesterday, to order some more Pb for Pereg, and he has said that even if bones are well chewed before being swallowed, they clump and block the dog's intestines, and that no way should I give her any - raw or otherwise. He also said I should check on the internet to see how dangerous raw bones are, but all the information I have gotten so far [especially on Dogsey] is that a BARF or raw feeding diet is good and natural for dogs.

He knows how much I love Pereg and that I would never do anything that I thought could possibly harm her, so why this putting guilt on me for feeding her raw chicken wings?

He is also not too keen on feeding a raw meat diet, and although the surgery does not sell dog food nor do they recommend any, he says I should just change her previous dry food to a low-fat diet one.

It is really confusing me now.

Dogs arn't fussy as to meat size as long as they can eat it. They don't have someone to cut it up in the wild.

Tumbleweed

Malka-- The more information you get from different sources the more confused you are going to get!---If you don't want to feed kibble and your vet is turning you against raw feeding and bones then you could try home cooked food with ground eggshell for calcium instead of bone. Mixing kibble with cooked food works for some. There is always a compromise.

It is not that I do not want to feed kibble, but Pereg was just eating and eating and nagging more and more, hence gaining weight. I tried adding steamed vegetables to try and fill her up, which worked for a short while, but that did not last. So I started reading up on BARF and raw feeding which seemed to make sense, especially when given frozen. And because frozen wings or whatever take her longer to eat, it keeps her occupied for longer therefore stops the non-stop nagging in the evenings.

[She is back to having a main meal when she asks for it, usually early evening, with a wing or two as a late snack.]

Cooking from scratch for her is out of the question - I am not even cooking for myself at the moment but am eating my regular summer food which is salad every day. I just bulk cook meat or fish and freeze in portions, so add either that or pulses as the protein part of my diet.

I just cannot understand why so many people say that raw bones do not cause any problems and yet my Vet is convinced they do. He also reckons that she will not get sufficient vitamins and minerals, also that I will not be able to control her calorie intake, and that dry food is complete with everything. But dry food is not satisfying her any more and she is getting me down at times.

I honestly do not know what to do or even to think any more.