[River Rat]

Lifting quotes from another thread, I wanted to elevate this to a topic of its own because I'm getting confused about bones. To be honest, I had wondered how the raw diets worked and what happens to canids in the wild. I have always been told that rib and chicken bones can be fatal to dogs. Chouette is forever scarfing up tiny bird bodies left courtesy of the cat and it worries me, although I had heard that raw bones were more digestible. And I'd also been told that raw marrow bones were great for dogs.

A warning: animal bones that can splinter, like chicken bones, can be dangerous to your puppy. They can perforate the intestines. Even pork or beef ribs can splinter. I would stick to the large uncooked marrow bones.

WHOA STOP THE MUSIC. YOU ARE GIVING COMPLETELY BACKWARDS INFORMATION HERE.

Please do your research before making blanket statements like this. NEVER give marrow bones if you want your dog to keep it's teeth! More dogs BREAK TEETH on marrow bones than any other cause. Feeding Raw chicken bones is PERFECTLY FINE and RECOMMENDED by all RAW diet proponents. They are the most digestible and are quite soft when RAW. They become brittle after cooking and therein lies the danger. If I were you I'd check out the Yahoo groups Raw Chat and Raw feeding groups to get some accurate non mythological info on Raw diets, especially the Prey Model diets. Which is basically 80% meat 10%Bone 10%organs...mtd/abby/drkatz

Please do your research before making blanket statements like this. NEVER give marrow bones if you want your dog to keep it's teeth! More dogs BREAK TEETH on marrow bones than any other cause.

Oops! Sounds like you broke your own rule about blanket statements! - and as for chicken bones, raw or otherwise, I have to agree with Leslie - the risk just isn't worth it, and there are plenty of alternatives to chicken bones. My boyfriend's mixed breed dog just died with a preforated intestine caused by one of those "safe" raw chicken bones. While they may be digested before they can do any damage MOST of the time, it didn't happen THAT time, and Jim lost a good dog because of it.

So what's the opinion of the forum on this subject? What do you all do regarding bones?

Leslie

 

[MaxandMe]

1. Raw bones do not splinter as easily as cooked
and for raw diets usually bones are grinded up

2. canids in wild their digestive system is able to process RAW diets easily as that is what they're accustomed to from day 1.

Just Like sled Dogs...they can eat a diet higher in protein and/or animal fats as the body is conditioned and their diet is from almost day 1 that way
where as our own dogs could have something similar to a toxic reaction as their intestinal systems would be "virgin" to this type of diet being fed mostly kibble.

3. when we try to feed our own a dog a diet that is much more diverse than normal they can't always digest it and can have bad effects on them.

I'll try to find a couple of articles that are very detailed on this and also scientifically stated as well listing effects of different foods including bones
(forgot where i saved it at the moment).

4. Personally i dont' feed my dogs bones to eat as i don't want to take chances BUT i do let them chew,grind down TANK knuckly bones by Merrick and throw it away once it's half the original size

 

[mtd885]

You are right My Bad! You do have a BONE to pick with me...hahaha I've spent the last 6 months researching Raw Diets so I'm still in the learning stage. My close friend who practices Vet Med in Pennsylvania had little experience with Raw feeding other than to cure allergies. Her experience was limited to the Barf formulas. The short story; The Prey Model diet tries to replicate what a canine will eat in the wild. In the wild they eat the meat,bones and organs(organs contain whatever the prey had been eating such as grasses and grains). No Carbs or Veggies in the wild otherwise. There are no supplements or veggies added to the prey model diet. The question my friend brought up, will Abby be getting enough calcium and phosphorous on a raw diet? Based on what I'm feeding the answer is yes. Her typical diet is Raw chicken backs,chicken quarters,beef kidney and heart,beef pork lamb chicken liver,Raw whole fish once a week (start with canned jack mackeral)for omega 3,pork shoulders(picnics)and ribs,lamb,eggs with shells for calcium,pumpkin with SEB (slippery elm bark) for aid in digestion and loose stools,Tripe (menudo),venison (when hunters offer)and more! If this looks more costly than the dreaded Kibble diet it's not! It's actually cheaper! Even tho Abby still has puppy teeth there is no tartar or placque on her teeth and her puppy breath is fresh. Her Blood work last week was perfect and her weight is proportionate to size. I anticipate as others have attested to fewer vet visits, no teeth cleaning (which is done under anesthesia!!)by using her teeth to rip and tear meat off the bone her teeth get flossed by tendons and strands of connecting tissue. Low risks of Allergies! Most Allergies are food related (others environmental)and have been connected with additives and ingredients used by the major pet food manufacturers in their products. Geez I feel like I'm running for office
:roll: Here's someplace to go to further your understanding of the subject.
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

 

[MaxandMe]

we're lucky to have access to venison a few times a year. it is Excellent food for dogs, lean and highly digestible!

NOW RAW Salmon and Trout should NOT be given rather canned or COOKED fish is the way to go for safety sake.

I do not give a Raw/barf diet so i can't really discus much of it
I will say this though, when i grew up on Harkers Island NC (outer banks)
we didn't have but one tiny store on the island and we didnt'give our dogs any dogfood.
They ate what we did as we all grew up with farms with our own cows, pigs, chickens etc. These dogs were so healthy!!! so it does make one think about kibble and how many "food" reactions some dogs have.
Also rarely did a dog need vet visits

max had a modified diet but I boiled and/or poached or baked everything for him. and i'd say the cost is similar to feeding dry with supplements.
as price of meats has really risen here

 

[annieG]

We let Tanner chew on the Merrick Tank bones (only when we are in the same room and observing him) but like Annmarie, we throw them away when they are about half original size. We gave Tanner raw marrow bones that we bought at the pet store...He like them but mostly like the marrow. It was too rich for him, gave him the runs. He didn't chew the bones once the marrow was gone so we haven't bought them in a while.

Raw diet and raw chicken wings...I have read that dogs eating raw diet do well and can chew and digest the chicken wings. I don't have any personal experience though.

Regarding cooked bones...ABSOLUTELY NEVER NEVER. One week after rescuing my Kerrie Blue a friend of mine slipped her a lamb chop bone. She bit it into breakingit into several pieces. I didn't realize it at the time but a piece broke off and pierced her esophagus. When she stopped eating and drinking the next day, I took her to the vet. They scoped her but could not see anything. They also did other exams, finally did an exploratory and found the bone still in the side of her esophagus and it had started gangrene. Well a month later, several thousand dollars later, she was able to come home. I just freak when I see anyone give their dogs cooked bones.

 

[DebBrown]

Not an expert by any means but we give Charlie the large tank knuckle bones and occasionally a marrow bone. He's not all that into dog toys and the edible treats that cost up to $5 each are gone in minutes. The big bones last weeks around here and are a clear favorite.

Deb