GUIDELINES AND GOLDEN RULES FOR THE SAFE FEEDING OF RAW BONES TO DOGS
In all my years as a vet by far the healthiest mouths I have seen are dogs fed raw bones and cats that hunt. The amount of dental disease seen in general practice is just appalling. Not a day goes by when I don’t see a dog or cat who needs treatment or advice regarding their dental disease. We do dental procedures every single week day & are booked up at least 2-3 weeks ahead for them. I can honestly say that the vast majority of them are due to an inappropriate diet. A tiny minority would be due to traumatic injury from sticks, stones, or a poor bone choice. The impact of these pets having to fight infection from affected teeth every moment of every day results in a failure to thrive & greatly increases the risk of chronic disease. A healthy mouth matters!
So here are some guidelines to get you started.
- Always raw, never cooked
- Bones act as nature’s toothbrush but only if gnawed for 10 minutes or more per session.
- How often do they need to eat gnawing bones? Two to three times a week should be enough. Feeding bones everyday or too much bone per session can lead to constipation.
- Don’t feed bones when your dog is very hungry. They may not chew adequately and end up inhaling large chunks that are difficult to digest and risk obstruction. I tend to feed my dogs their bones 10 minutes after they have eaten a somewhat reduced main meal (I don’t want them gaining weight).
WHICH BONE?
- Size matters – leg bones of heavy animals eg beef or pork are very firm and can crack the teeth of inexperienced bone chewers, or if they have very powerful jaws (such as the bull terrier breeds) large pieces can be cracked off & swallowed potentially causing an obstruction. Lamb & venison leg bones are usually ok. I feed my cocker spaniels beef rib bones which they cannot splinter & cannot swallow whole & which they gnaw on for a good 15 minutes. They also get given lamb rib flaps containing 2 ribs. They are experienced raw bone eaters.
- Know your dog. A short faced breed such as a pug, or a miniature breed such as a chihuahua do not have the teeth or throat to cope with firm bones and are better off with even softer bones such as sections of chicken wings, chicken necks, duck necks and the like. Labradors often eat very fast, so they must have a bone that they cannot swallow whole.
FEEDING PROTOCOL
- Raw bones are a highly prized resource. In a pack even the lowest in the pack order will protect its food from the other members of the pack. This is completely normal. I recommend feeding bones outside or in an area where they will be undisturbed. Have the dogs separated from each other and from young children. Do not interrupt or challenge them during this time. Once your dog has walked away from any left over bone just quietly remove it.
- Is your dog new to eating raw bones? Supervise them. You will soon find out what is safest and suits them best. They will also become more ‘experienced’ and manage larger bones safely in time.
HYGIENE
- As with all raw meat products, wash your hands & any contaminated surfaces immediately afterwards.
- Store any raw meat product separately from other fridge products in a sealed container.
- I pour boiling water over raw bones & let them sit in it for a couple of minutes before serving.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FEEDING RAW BONES
- Vastly improved oral health, stronger head and neck muscles, a happier mental disposition, enhanced general health through an optimal oral microbiome.
RAW BONE SUPPLIERS
13) Many raw food suppliers, both in shops and on-line, and of course your local butcher and farm shop.
BEWARE THE ‘NATURAL’ TREATS
14) ‘Natural’ treats such as rawhide, pigs ears, rabbits ears etc. are very often from overseas and highly processed with additives and chemicals that may harm the gut. (And of course ‘natural’ does not necessarily mean safe. After all, arsenic is ‘natural’!). Safer options are UK produced single protein/ingredient air-dried chews.
I truly hope that this set of guidelines will give you the confidence to start your pet on raw bones. Please contact me if you need any help. Your pet will thank you!