feeding raw bones?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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so i plucked up the courage... decided that im happier feeding the big recreational bones than smaller things like chicken wings as Im too scared of choking/perforation. Ive got a big box of 'large' recreational bones today from Berriwood. I presume you can feed them straight from the freezer and how long would you leave a dog with one of these? Given my lot are outside in kennels I cant stand and supervise forever! Thanks!
 
I wouldnt really give weight bearing bones- much more likely to break teeth/ splinter if your dogs have a decent set of jaws......... He does have them but only supervised probs not what you wanted to hear!!
 
meeeh no not really:o its taken me months to be brave enough and I had decided big stonking bones from somewhere like berriewood would be best, over relying on butcher to give me the right ones.
 
Yes, you can feed bones frozen.

Re chicken wings, I always hold one end of the wing when introducing for the first time.....stops dog gulping whole and therefore unlikely to choke. Also, assuming you are talking about an adult dog as opposed to young 8 week old pup, then the bones in a wing are soft enough not to cause perforation....only one step up from a carcass which is pure cartilage.

Mine all get weight bearing bones....shock horror! They have bones from 9 weeks of age and are introduced slowly so that they understand that they are to be chewed. Cooked bones are likely to splinter but the condyles of a raw humerus won't.
 
Personally, I would not recommend bones. Brochan had one earlier in the year and it gave him an upset stomach. That and one of the vets I have spoken to said he would never recommend them either. He has had to repair all the damage they have done. Yes, a lot of dogs never have a problem, but it's a risk I'm not going to take with Brochan again. There are plenty of other healthy, tooth friendly treats out there. If you had a child, would you give them something to eat that could cause serious damage inside?
 
gunnergundog said:
Yes, you can feed bones frozen.

Re chicken wings, I always hold one end of the wing when introducing for the first time.....stops dog gulping whole and therefore unlikely to choke. Also, assuming you are talking about an adult dog as opposed to young 8 week old pup, then the bones in a wing are soft enough not to cause perforation....only one step up from a carcass which is pure cartilage.

Mine all get weight bearing bones....shock horror! They have bones from 9 weeks of age and are introduced slowly so that they understand that they are to be chewed. Cooked bones are likely to splinter but the condyles of a raw humerus won't.
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i should have said, ive have given my lot chicken wings before and tried holding the end etc but i just feel them get chomped too quickly. (adult BC's) is there definately no perforation risk with them then?

Also, about the carcasses.. is there no bone in them at all? So they last longer and give more of a 'chew'? I see NI & Berriwood sell boxes of them so I had considered them... cheers:)
 
EITHER smash the chicken wing up with a hammer, so that the bone is so small it will pass through the gastro intestinal tract into the VERY strong stomach acid where it will be dissolved; OR teach your dog to chew!! :D Hold the chicken wing enveloped in your hand so that only a max of half an inch is exposed at a time!

Chicken carcasses are 100% cartilage; this is SOFTER than bone, so it means that if you have an avid gulper as opposed to chewer, there is no chance at all of any damage occuring anywhere. It also does not damage the teeth.

The only downside of regularly feeding weight bearing bones (IMO) to an avid chewer is that by the time they reach 10 or 11 their canines are beginning to show some signs of wear.
 
thanks ggdog, ive tried the holding method but not convinced....

im still confused about the carcasses. -dont they have ribs and spine in them? thanks for the info :)
 
Yes, the carcasses comprise a sternum, ribs, spine etc ......however the composition of those elements (especially the sternum) is primarily cartilaginous.

Get a carcass and feel the pliability of the ribs compared to that of the bones in a wing or drumstick! They are a lot softer.
 
I feed weightbearing bones with no issues, we always have done, although they are bigger dogs with strong bites. They only get taken away when they look as if they are developing sharp edges or when bits break off.

Love My Lurcher, I personally think dry food is far, far more damaging to dogs than bones but there you go. Take a look at your dog's teeth and tell me, in all honesty, if they should be eating wheaty biscuits as the main part of their diet. This is a horse forum, yes, some horses get ill when they eat lush grass, but is anyone going to say that because of laminitis, no horses should eat grass?!

You say:

There are plenty of other healthy, tooth friendly treats out there.
(Yes, fake, synthetic ones, mostly)

If you had a child, would you give them something to eat that could cause serious damage inside?
(A lot of people do!!! Too much salt, sugar, fat, the list is endless...)

It's terrifying how (some) vets and feed companies have set the dog feeding agenda for the general public in just a few short decades :(
 
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love my lurcher; were the bones raw or the roasted ones that you can buy- knuckle joints etc?

i only ask, as Betty spews her ringer if given the roasted knuckles (so she does not get them EVER!) but loves raw bones, and they have never caused her any problems.
 
My three are probably the same sort of size as your BCs, N. They have chicken wings all the time. Never had an issue. They have chicken carcasses, whole rabbits etc, no problems. They've had huge recreational bones, but I do worry about breaking teeth. Honestly, try chicken wings!
IMAG0264.jpg


Good compromise, pig trotter, big enough not to inhale, small enough to get through in half an hour:
IMAG0524.jpg
 
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I feed my collie bones, it depends where I get them from as to what sort, she absolutely loves the bones from morrisons which I think are sheep backbones she eats the whole of them, then I get the bigger bones from the local (ish) butcher as and when I can, these are bigger and beefier and get chewed on then hidden and never eatten wholly, if I cannot source either of them then I get chicken wings, these are gone in minutes and the only downside I get to them is that its the only thing she ever resource guards,

I feel happier feeding bones than some of the treats that you can buy that you have absolutely no idea whats in them
 
Please take a look at the following links. The latter one being compiled by a vet with decades of experience. Who has also had to try and save the lives of countless dogs who have been the victims of being fed bones. We often get complimented about Brochan’s teeth. He gets Wainwrights wet and dry food. His usual treats are Wainwrights and Harrington’s (the one with calcium, mint, and parsley), and dog milk. We always pay close attention to what is in the treats, and have done a lot of research regarding ingredients, so we know what goes in them. He also gets his teeth brushed several times a week. They are pearly white and I really don’t understand why people must give bones in order to clean their dogs teeth. It just isn’t worth the risk when good quality food/treats and regular tooth brushing will keep their teeth clean and healthy.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm

http://www.theanswervet.com/feedingbones.html

whisp&willow: I cannot remember exactly what kind of bone it was. There’s a good chance it was shaped like a knuckle bone. I would need to ask my Mum’s partner as it was he who got it for Brochan.
 
If I read and listened and responded to every link that was posted on here, then I'd wrap my dog in bubble wrap and never leave the house :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Feed my 3 bones, no problems and white teeth, nice poo and no smelly breath.
I wouldn't believe anything written by a vet about raw meat and bones diets!
All the vets I have ever discussed this type of diet with disagree with feeding bones, meat etc but always try to steer me in the direction of the crap they sell, funny that isn't it.
 
:LML- I dont feed raw just because it cleans his teeth (nice side effect) I feed meat and bones because that is what dogs are designed to eat- they are not designed to eat biscuits, drink milk or have their teeth brushed :rolleyes: (although do not get me wrong- decent dry food is fine).

MY vet actually approves of a raw diet- and has never in his career encountered a dog that has had a problem with being fed raw....... if the bone you gave was a roasted knuckle then we are talking about 2 completely different kinds of bone!!
 
NeverSeenSanta said:
thanks ggdog, ive tried the holding method but not convinced....

im still confused about the carcasses. -dont they have ribs and spine in them? thanks for the info :)
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Carcasses are just that - bones- think of what is left after you have finished a roast chicken- all the bones- thats what will be supplied..... they are just bigger and they HAVE to chomp chew in order to get them in their mouths!
 
cinnamontoast said:
Good compromise, pig trotter, big enough not to inhale, small enough to get through in half an hour:
IMAG0524.jpg
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check him out with that there trotter :D

now I may look into them!! Ive done wings hun - just still not convinced about them being soft enough to not cause perforation, and Ive tried the holding them game too.
 
Mine have always had alsorts of bones with no issues - obviously never cooked ones - but they have anything from trotters, spines, ribs, leg bones which they don't really chew just suck the marrow out of, whole chickens feathers and all if I have too many cockrels, they had the wings, heads, necks and feet of my christmas turkeys which my little terrier pup who's teething went nuts for, they also get road kill rabbits/hares/deer which the only thing they don't eat on a deer are the teeth although one of mine proudly presented the postwoman with a deer head one day that he didn't want - she would be a veggie too!!, but they usually eat anything given to them!!!:p
I have seen 1 or 2 dogs with bone splinters in their mouth/stomach/gut when I worked at a vets but it's always been from cooked ones usually chicken, the majority of ops to remove foreign objects from dogs are usually things like toys, golf balls, pine cones, knickers, socks, rocks, dummys etc so would not put me off feeding dogs raw bones at all as that is what they are designed to eat and mine have never had an upset stomach from them even though their usual diet is dry food.
 
JeanetteMerryXmas said:
If I read and listened and responded to every link that was posted on here, then I'd wrap my dog in bubble wrap and never leave the house :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
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Quite :rolleyes: And since when do vets know anything about nutrition? One day of training for all species (so says my mate who qualified two years ago).

NeverSeenSanta said:
check him out with that there trotter :D

now I may look into them!! Ive done wings hun - just still not convinced about them being soft enough to not cause perforation, and Ive tried the holding them game too.
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My lot eat wings daily. I've never had an issue. I used to panic about them sticking through if I picked them up as babies, so I supervised really closely. Now, Zak (in the pic) will take his food outside and I just glance outside occasionally. Never had one problem.
 
none of this matters anyways, were all going to die tomorrow .. its true .. I can provide links, the worlds going to end ... were all going to die ... arrrgh panic!

*heads off for one last wet muddy walk and plans to buy a nice big juicy bone later*
 
Love My Lurcher, I know I am not Methuselah or anything, but do you mind me asking what age you are - IE were you born before or after dry foods became popular?
And how many dogs have you owned?

Seeing as you only ever reply according to *your own* personal experience with one dog, I will reply with my own personal experience.

My mother and I have owned multiple dogs. They have all been fed large, weightbearing bones, regularly. They have all have had splendid teeth. They have never received, or had to receive, any dental treatment. One bitch did break a tooth on a wooden dumbbell.
The same bitch nearly died after swallowing two pairs of tights. But she lived, we still both wear tights and my dogs still retrieve wooden dumbbells.
None of our dogs have never had their teeth brushed, nor have they had to.

Can you look at your dog's teeth and truthfully say, those canines, which are designed to strike and grab hold of prey, and those back teeth, which are designed to crush that prey to extinguish breath and chew that prey in order for it to be swallowed, are best suited to sucking on wheaty biscuits.

Can you also please consider why there are so many allergies and gastric problems in dogs nowadays, and maybe if there is a correlation with the rise in popularity of foods that contain more grain than meat, which is what dogs are designed to eat.
 
I was just as worried as you when I first switched to raw. The first meal I gave my dogs was a bowl of pork ribs and I was a nervous wreck! The lab wolfed the first down without chewing and I was so stressed I rang a BARF friend for reassurance.

Both dogs now know how to chew and munch down pork ribs, chicken wings, turkey necks etc. They love it and I love feeding it! I actually really enjoy watching them chomp their way through their dinner, they have to work so much harder and use those teeth properly. Happy digs!
 
Mine have carcasses daily and bones once ofr twice a week, with other stuff (muscle meat, eggs, live yoghurt etc) thrown in.

I don't feed the large weight bearing bones as people with more experience than me have warned me off them, and it does make sense, to me anyway.

However, each to their own :D
 
vieshot said:
I was just as worried as you when I first switched to raw. The first meal I gave my dogs was a bowl of pork ribs and I was a nervous wreck! The lab wolfed the first down without chewing and I was so stressed I rang a BARF friend for reassurance.

Both dogs now know how to chew and munch down pork ribs, chicken wings, turkey necks etc. They love it and I love feeding it! I actually really enjoy watching them chomp their way through their dinner, they have to work so much harder and use those teeth properly. Happy digs!
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it is very rewarding isnt it? Ive been feeding the natural instinct tubs for about 4 months I think and Im definitely converted to raw feeding. Im about to start making up my own though , mainly due to cost but also I now feel brave enough and knowledgeable enough. Ive got some of the Berriwood minces in to work with. My husband fed BARF about 6 years ago to one of his dogs - i didnt pay that much attention but hubby really stuck religiously to the process and it put me off having a go as I remember him faffing about with blenders and eggs, yoghurt, offal etc etc. There are so many other models and ideas now and more info on the internet than there was then.

We're on our 8th dog (we have 6 just now) and my pup who is 6 months old is the only one we have fed raw from the onset.. she is the healthiest pup we have ever raised; she actually gleams :D
 
CaveCanem said:
Love My Lurcher, I know I am not Methuselah or anything, but do you mind me asking what age you are - IE were you born before or after dry foods became popular?
And how many dogs have you owned?

Seeing as you only ever reply according to *your own* personal experience with one dog, I will reply with my own personal experience.

My mother and I have owned multiple dogs. They have all been fed large, weightbearing bones, regularly. They have all have had splendid teeth. They have never received, or had to receive, any dental treatment. One bitch did break a tooth on a wooden dumbbell.
The same bitch nearly died after swallowing two pairs of tights. But she lived, we still both wear tights and my dogs still retrieve wooden dumbbells.
None of our dogs have never had their teeth brushed, nor have they had to.

Can you look at your dog's teeth and truthfully say, those canines, which are designed to strike and grab hold of prey, and those back teeth, which are designed to crush that prey to extinguish breath and chew that prey in order for it to be swallowed, are best suited to sucking on wheaty biscuits.

Can you also please consider why there are so many allergies and gastric problems in dogs nowadays, and maybe if there is a correlation with the rise in popularity of foods that contain more grain than meat, which is what dogs are designed to eat.
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I am 31, but I don't think my age should be relevant here. What should be is the fact that bones can and have been highly dangerous for dogs. Yes, that is what they eat in the wild, but our dogs aren't in the wild, are they? I also wonder how many wild dogs live to ripe old ages. To answer your other question. Brochan is my first dog. My Mum had one when she was younger, but she only had him for about a year before he was killed on the road. My Mum's partner also had a dog up until a few years ago. I tend to talk more about what experiences I have had with Brochan because those have been first hand.

I would also like to say that the vet I chatted with did NOT try to push ANY product! Do you really think that is the ONLY motivation for vets who recommend against bones? That maybe, just maybe they are only thinking about the welfare of dogs? To those of you who are berating vets for not knowing anything about nutrition. Has it ever crossed your minds that they might do their own research? That they might have taken extra courses in nutrition? Do you really think you know better than veterinary professionals? Please call Pets at Home in Livingston and ask to speak to the vet I spoke to. His name is Liam Cunningham. I am sure he would be more than happy to tell you about all the emergency surgeries he has had to perform to remove bone obstructions, to sew up the insides of dogs because they have been ripped open by bones. Then, you tell him that you think it's perfectly alright to feed bones regularly to your dogs. He might just tell you that your dogs might be on the table next needing life saving surgery.

Okay, so dogs do eat other things like rubber bands, cutlery, clothing, etc, but things like that shouldn't be left where a dog can get at them (put them away in drawers, wardrobes, and cupboards). Mind you, Brochan has NEVER attempted to eat anything that isn't proper food. :) I was quite frankly horrified by some of the posts on the naughtiest things your dog has ever done thread. Especially the one when somebody actually admitted to leaving RAZORS lying around where a dog (known to EAT them) could easily reach them. However, by feeding bones, you are knowingly giving them something that could harm them. On this subject, I am going to listen to the vets who have had many a dog on their tables due to bones, and not people who say that feeding them is fine just because nothing has happened (yet).

Sorry, but my dog’s welfare comes first.
 
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