Bones in raw feeding

Hi All,

I am intrigued by the idea of feeding raw but one thing that concerns me is bones. Max is a big strong dog and I worry that he would not crunch them up properly and swallow large pieces and perforate his gut. I know that a lot of other big dog owners feed bones with no problems but I am a worrier I have heard people suggest to hold the end of them at first so the dog has to crunch them but I still worry even though I know raw bones don't splinter like cooked bones do.

Why do people feed bones? Is it because of the nutritional content - in which case could I just mash the bones up with a sledge hammer (out of sight of the neighbours obviously) or is it to give them something hard to keep their teeth in good nick?

Size is not an issue with bones, puppies younger than 7 weeks can cope with chicken wings. Small breeds cope with these types of bones too.

We feed them as dogs need calcium.

A side effect is good teeth.

Yes you can smash bones or buy food that has minced bone in it.

I like the exercise it gives my dogs jaws too.

Try smaller bones such as pork ribs.
Bones to avoid are weight-bearing bones such as lamb & pork legs (chicken legs are ok) as they are tougher and more likely to splinter.

I am a worrier too but, having tried all the usual preparations to try and keep my dogs' teeth clean, I decided a few months ago to give them chicken wings. To start with, only my elderly girlie knew what to do with them, the two younger ones just sniffed them and wandered off! They are now all happily crunching them although I do still hold the ends until I am sure they are well broken up (or until my fingers are in danger of being mistaken for chicken!).

I am now progressing onto pork ribs so it will be interesting to see how they cope with those. They only have bones once a week as a treat.

Same here

I too have been too worried to give bones regularly. However, I've now ordered some beef bones for Dexter which should hopefully arrive with our next raw meat delivery.

I know there are horror stories about bones but then again, there are horror stories about most things to do with dogs, including kibble and allowing a dog off leash even in your local park

I feed pig trotters without any issues...although I'd probably avoid the larger weight bearing leg bones. I got lamb bones from Morrisons once and the splintered a bit and Cain threw up bit so I won't feed them any more

Cain is a good chewer and can handle even small bones. He eats
Chicken wings
Chicken necks
Chicken carcasses
Chicken quarters
Pig trotters
Lamb ribs
Pork shoulder
Venison spines
Turkey drumsticks
Whole rabbit

Never had problems with any if them. Obviously not all dogs chew that well at first so avoid really small things like chicken necks until you know he won't swallow them whole.

Aside from the nutritional need, it fulfils their need to chew, keeps them quiet and cleans their teeth. I was nervous at first too bit you'll soon get used to it

Dogs do not actually chew, their jaws do not move side to side, nor do they have flat molars..................

they crunch, gnaw, rip, tear, slice and swallow (not necessarily in that order!)

Thanks very much for the input everyone , it's interesting to hear your views. It's not something that I have decided for certain either way, whether to feed raw or not, it's just something that I am considering for now.

I see that I am not alone in my worries when some of you started with raw and I accept that dogs could easily choke on kibble too.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

I have fed for 10 years, but I clearly remember the day I gave my first chicken wing, it was very stressful!

I'll be avoiding those for sure. Not long after we got Max we started giving him pigs ears as treats, loved them - no problems with them. I saw some trotters and thought how much he'd like them. Gave him one - he loved it. Pity about the explosive squits it gave him. I have a fairly strong stomach but that tested me to the limits. Even more embarassing - he did it right in front of one of my neighbours as she was getting ready leave for work!