Nutritional Benefits of Raw Meaty Bones
My holistic vet recommended raw meaty bones as a source of calcium and phosphorous for Gusto since he is a growing puppy. I want Gusto to have strong bones for his future fun time in the show and performance rings.
I know the benefits of raw meaty bones but I have also heard the horror stories so I consulted Dr. Google for more information. The FDA recently warned that bone treats for dogs could kill your pet. Out of 90 dogs reporting adverse affects since November 1, 2010, an estimated 15 dogs have died.
Too much raw bone can be as dangerous as too little. I am also concerned about Gusto breaking a tooth while chewing on a raw bone as my earlier American Eskimo did.
According to an article I read on PetMd.com, when you give a dog a raw bone, any nutrition comes from the meat, cartilage, fat and connective tissue, not from the bones themselves.
Dr. Greg Martinez gives his dogs raw, meaty bones and not the baked bones from the pet store because of the hazards that baked bones present.
Dr. Peter Dobias mentioned two reasons for feeding raw bones that you may not see mentioned elsewhere. He feeds raw bones to make the stomach muscles stronger to prevent bloat in dogs. He also feels that feeding raw bones can prevent anal gland problems.
How To Buy and Feed Raw Meaty Bones
I had to go to a long-time butcher in the next town to even find dog bones (both smoked and raw). Other butchers that I contacted did not want to be bothered with making dog bones available for so little money in return.
Gusto loved the smoked bone joint that I gave him…at least until it lost its flavor. I had frozen the femur bone that was raw to keep it fresh until Gusto was ready for it. It proved to be a little too big for Gusto. It is taking him longer to remove the meat and other soft tissue from the bone…mostly, he just wants to hide it for later.
I find that raw bones can really be messy if they contain marrow so I keep the soap and water handy to clean up any spots left on the carpeting. Gusto may get diarrhea if he eats too much of the fatty marrow. Dr. Karen Becker addresses this in her cautionary tips for feeding raw bones.
In order for the raw bones to provide the calcium and phosphorous that the vet wants Gusto to have though, I should be thoroughly grinding these bones and putting them into Gusto’s meals.
Since I am a certified Pet Nutrition Specialist through Dogs Naturally University, I searched their Dogs Naturally Magazine blog for information that I could trust.
The bones that I had purchased for Gusto were recreational bones. These kept Gusto busy for a couple of days. I had to pay about the same amount for them as I would have if I bought the processed bones in the pet store.
Best Type of Raw Meaty Bones
In the future, I will be giving Gusto flat bones which are found in the spinal column, ribs, pelvis and shoulder since they are softer than long bones or the knuckle bones. They also have more convoluted surfaces so Gusto will be less likely to chomp down and break a tooth.
Do you feed raw, meaty bones for recreation or do you grind them for the calcium and phosphorous that they can add to your dog’s diet?
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Amelia
I give him recreational bones to chew on periodically. I don’t give him the ones with a lot of marrow though, they’re too rich.
I think my dogs would enjoy chewing on raw bones, but so far I haven’t found anyone who sells them locally.
Ah, yes, Cookie loves her bones. She gets “entertainment” bones as well as edible ones such as turkey or duck necks.
We don’t have dogs so I can’t really comment but I remember our dogs loved bones when I was at at home!