it really is worth it! SO GLAD TO HEAR YOU GUYS MADE THE LEAP!!!! LOL! actually doing it for the first time is the tuff part! after you see the difference, you will not look back! as far as the "bone shards" go, at first it does seem scary. afterall we all have been programmed to think that bones are bad for dogs! think of it this way, how many times has your dog inhaled his kibble only to choke on a few peices and "hoik" (cough) it back out. feeding raw, hugo has never gotten strangled on the bones.
mandy you mentioned something about the leg quarters looking too large to digest? the raw meat, no matter how big is way more digestable than the tiniest of kibble pieces. while it looks large, it will be fine. and yes they do eventually slow down when eating. try feeding him more often thruout the day. maybe he gets too hungry and that added to the excitement of getting to eat chicken may make him swallow whole. you can always hold the leg and teach him to eat it "easy". this would be a good way to train him to take things form your hands and fingers in a gentle manner and not take the hide off of YOUR bones!
Timmie, you are right about dogs getting a waistline! seems like the raw diet trims them up to the proper size. i think kibble bloats the dogs and makes them gain "fat weight". the raw diet puts on muscle instead of fat.