Feeding raw meaty bones (RMBs) is important when your dog is on a raw meat diet.
Although they only make up 10% of it, their calcium and phosphorus content are needed for healthy muscle growth and regeneration.
Benefits Of Feeding Raw Meaty Bones
The activity of eating them keeps our dogs’ jaws exercised and their teeth clean. Additionally, you also won’t need to pay for expensive dental cleanings performed by your vet.
The concept of feeding dogs bones tends to be scary to new raw feeders. I know this because I’ve been there, experienced that!
However, it’s actually very safe to do so as long as you’re aware of and follow a few safety guidelines.
Safety Guidelines For Feeding Raw Meaty Bones
Always feed raw bones. Cooked bones become brittle and can splinter, causing internal damage.
Feed RMBs that are appropriate for your dog’s size mouth. A RMB should be a little larger than your dog’s mouth so that it can’t just be swallowed whole.
Always supervise mealtime featuring RMBs, especially when your dog is a gulper. Hold one end of the RMB with your hand while your dog chews on the other end to encourage slow AND polite eating manners.
Don’t offer weight bearing RMBs from large animals such as cows and bisons. They’re too dense and can cause tooth fractures.
RMBs such as oxtails are ok to feed from that category of herbivores, but steer clear of knuckle, trotter, and neck bones.
RMBs I’ve Fed My Medium To Large Size Dogs
My medium and large size dogs Wally (38 lb), Missy (50 lbs) & Buzz (70 lbs) have had the following RMBs:
- Chicken leg quarters, thighs, and feet
- Duck necks, heads, feet, and frames
- Lamb bones, including ribs
- Turkey necks & thighs
- Bone-in pork chops
- Salmon heads
- Rabbit heads
- Beef oxtails
- Goat ribs
- Pork ribs
Know Your Dog’s Chewing Habits
I could get away with feeding both Missy & Buzz feet despite the fact that they’re smaller bones than the pups’ respective mouths. That’s because neither of them were gulpers and would properly chew the feet before swallowing them.
I’m adding this detail to suggest that you offer your dog RMBs according to his chewing habits. Start by offering your dog the appropriate RMB for their respective size.
Stick with smaller RMBs from the poultry category (feet, wings) for your small to medium size dog, and offer your large to extra large pup larger RMBs (heads, necks, thighs, frames).
Once you’re familiar with your dog’s chewing/eating habits, you can technically rotate between different size RMBs, but don’t forget to always supervise, just to be on the safe side.
Do you feed your dog RMBs? As always, I’d love to hear from you in our comment section!
Content Related to Feeding Raw Meaty Bones:
- Raw meaty bones for dogs: How to feed and where to get them
- Raw duck heads for dogs: How to feed and where to buy
- When & how to feed raw marrow bones for dogs
- How to feed raw turkey necks for dogs
- All about raw chicken feet for dogs
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