I first learned about raw meaty bones for dogs in 2014.
Back then, my kibble-fed Boxer mix pup Missy was being treated for thyroid cancer and I was desperately doing research on raw dog food.
I was on a mission to find something that would strengthen her immune system. I just wasn’t ready to lose her yet – I mean, she was only 3 and a half years old at that point!!
Ultimately, I lost her to a second cancer diagnosis in 2018, but she stayed in remission from cancer for 2.5 years longer than predicted by her oncologist.
Her new raw diet helped her with that, including raw meaty bones.
Since my initial research phase in 2015, I’ve fed a ton of different raw meaty bones.
Everything from chicken feet to rabbit heads and duck frames.
I also got my raw dog food nutrition specialist certification from Dogs Naturally Magazine and wrote 3 raw dog food ebooks to share my learnings with other dog parents.
That said, I know a thing or two about raw meaty bones for dogs!
- Raw Meaty Bones Diet For Dogs: 10% Of Raw Dog Food
- Never Feed Your Dog Cooked Bones
- Best Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs
- Don’t Feed Your Dog Weight Bearing Bones From Large Hooved Animals
- Where To Buy Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs
- Benefits Of Eating Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs: Tooth, Gum, and Jaw Health
- Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs: Bottom Line
- Content Related to Raw Meaty Bones:
Raw Meaty Bones Diet For Dogs: 10% Of Raw Dog Food
Raw dog food for adult dogs consists of 70-80% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, and 10% secreting organs (5% liver, 5% other secreting organ).
If you want to add veggies to your dog’s raw diet, feed 70% muscle meat and 10% veggies.
Raw meaty bones can and will be eaten entirely, which is normal and nothing to worry about.
A dog’s stomach is much more acidic than our human’s. Therefore, it’s designed to break down raw cuts of meat including raw meaty bones.
Although raw meaty bones only make up 10% of the overall raw diet, they’re an integral part of it.
That’s because they’re rich in calcium, phosphorus and trace minerals.
Those are essential to a dog’s skeletal health.
Without the bone content, a raw diet would be nutritiously incomplete and considered unbalanced.
Read more on balanced raw dog food here.
Never Feed Your Dog Cooked Bones
I have to stress the importance of never feeding your dog cooked bones!
They should NEVER be fed because cooking changes the bone structure and makes them brittle.
That said, they can splinter and cause choking as well as lots of internal damage to a dog’s body.
Raw meaty bones on the other hand are soft and pliable.
The only time where you can cook bones for your dog is when you’re making homemade bone broth.
Best Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs
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The best raw meaty bones for dogs are poultry:
- legs
- feet
- necks
- wings
- frames/backs
- heads
Also: chunked rabbit, rabbit heads and meaty goat bones.
It’s important to always feed your dog the appropriate size raw meaty bone.
That said, raw meaty bones should always be larger than a dog’s mouth.
That’s especially important when your dog is a gulper to ensure that the bone gets chewed a few times and not just swallowed whole.
For example, don’t give your gulping Great Dane a duck head, and don’t give your gulping Boxer a chicken wing.
Raw Meaty Bones That Are Safe To Feed Small Dogs
Small dogs should be fed smaller raw meaty bones that are appropriate in size to their mouths.
They can be fed:
- chicken wings/necks/feet
- duck feet/necks
- small beef oxtails
Grind Your Dog’s Raw Meaty Bones If They Have Trouble Chewing Due To Age Or Poor Dental Health
Dogs suffering from tooth decay or those that might have had the majority of their teeth pulled should not be offered raw meaty bones for obvious reasons.
They can’t chew them.
But that doesn’t mean that those dogs have to miss out on the health benefits of bone content.
You can buy a meat/bone grinder and grind your own bones and then add them to your pup’s raw diet.
If no teeth are left you’ll have to grind the entirety of the meal, to include the muscle meat and organs.
Another option is to buy pre-made raw meals from companies such as Darwin’s Natural Pet, Raw Paws Pet Food, and Raw Feeding Miami.
They offer raw, balanced meals that have been put together following the 80/10/5/5 raw feeding formula and that have been completely ground.
Some brands like Darwin’s and Raw Paws Pet Food add veggies and/or fruit to their formulas.
Be aware that those meals are more expensive than purchasing the individual components of the raw diet and putting them together yourself.
You’re paying for the convenience factor!
That said, every now and then I buy pre-made raw as well, but usually only when I can get a good deal on it.
That’s why I recommend browsing Raw Feeding Miami’s Monthly Specials section and Raw Paws Pet Food Sales section on a regular basis.
Raw Meaty Bones I Feed My Dogs
My Boxer mixes Missy (50 lb) and Buzz (75 lb) ate:
- duck frames/heads/necks/wings & feet
- turkey wings & necks
- chicken leg quarters, drumsticks and feet
They also had the occasional rabbit head, (stuffed) quail, and beef oxtail.
Raw Feeding Miami carry whole quails. A 4 pack of those is $14.
My pup Wally is a 38 lb Feist mix and eats:
- duck heads/necks/wings & feet
- turkey wings and necks
- chunked rabbit and raw rabbit heads
- goat ribs
There are a few raw meaty bones I don’t feed him like a) duck frames (they’re a bit too large for him), b) quails and c) any raw meaty chicken bones.
The reason why he can’t have quails and chicken is because he’s allergic to both.
Don’t Feed Your Dog Weight Bearing Bones From Large Hooved Animals
I don’t feed weight bearing bones from large hooved grazing animals such as beef and bison (knuckle and femur bones).
Neither should you!
They should be avoided because of their density, which can fracture teeth.
It makes sense when you think about it – they have to hold up hundreds of pounds of animal weight after all!
In comparison, poultry bones are considerably less dense because they only hold up a few pounds of animal.
I also don’t feed deer legs, but I do let Wally rip the meat off of them.
I can do this because he’s OK with leaving the bone alone and he accepts me taking it away when he’s done with the meat.
It’s important to know your dog’s chewing habits!
Don’t Feed Your Dog Smoked Beef Bones
Also don’t feed your dog smoked beef bones!
I made the huge mistake of offering Buzz a large, smoked beef bone from the grocery store for Christmas back in 2014.
This was before I started feeding raw dog food and assumed that all recreational bones for dogs were safe.
I couldn’t have been more wrong as it resulted in Buzz fracturing a molar that had to be removed in its entirety.
It was a painful and expensive experience I don’t wish on anyone else.
Where To Buy Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs
You can get raw meaty bones from dog food retailers like:
- Raw Feeding Miami
- Raw Paws Pet Food, and
- My Pet Carnivore.
You can also find some at your local grocery store, Walmart, or a nearby farm.
Raw Feeding Miami
Raw Feeding Miami sells these raw meaty bones:
- Chicken: Feet, leg quarters, necks, and rib cages
- Duck: Chunked duck, feet, frames, heads, necks, wings
- Goose: Chunked goose, heads, necks, and wings
- Pork: Tails
- Quail: Whole quails
- Rabbit: Chunked rabbit, ground rabbit bones, whole bones, and heads
- Turkey: Ground turkey necks and whole turkey necks
- Pheasant: Pheasant grind
- Wild boar: Baby back ribs
Raw Paws Pet Food
You can buy the following raw meaty bones from Raw Paws Pet Food:
- Chicken: Necks, feet, wings, leg quarters, and backs
- Duck: Necks and frames
- Turkey: Necks and tails
- Goat: Meaty goat bones (ribs, necks, tails, femur bones)
- Lamb: Meaty lamb bones (ribs, necks, tails, femur bones)
- Pork: Meaty pork neck bones & pig tails
Tip: Save 10% off your orders from Raw Feeding Miami with my referral link, and 15% off your orders from Raw Paws Pet Food with my discount code K9Savings.
My Pet Carnivore
My Pet Carnivore sells these raw meaty bones:
- Beaver: Ground whole beaver
- Chicken: Coarse and fine ground whole chicken, feet and necks
- Duck: Coarse and fine ground whole duck, feet and necks
- Goat: Coarse ground whole goat, chunks and tails
- Lamb & Mutton: Coarse ground whole mutton, mutton chunks, ground lamb supreme (only about 5% bone content from ribs), lamb breast ribs
- Muskrat: Ground whole muskrat
- Pork: Coarse and fine ground whole pork and chunks
- Rabbit: Coarse and fine ground whole rabbit and feet
- Turkey: Coarse and fine ground whole turkey and necks
Grocery Stores & Walmart
It’ll depend a little on what your particular grocery stores and Walmart carry, but I’ve been able to find the following at my local ones:
- Grocery stores: Chicken leg quarters, wings, drumsticks, and turkey necks
- Walmart: Chicken feet, wings, leg quarters, turkey necks and beef oxtails
Farms
Local farms can be particular great for finding bone-in rabbit cuts as well as chicken feet.
Benefits Of Eating Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs: Tooth, Gum, and Jaw Health
I’ve already mentioned their calcium, phosphorus and trace mineral content which are all important for a healthy skeleton.
But raw meaty bones also act as a natural tooth brush by scraping off food residue and therefore helping prevent plaque buildup. The latter can cause a plethora of diseases as the bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to vital organs.
Gnawing on the bone is also a wonderful means of exercising a dog’s jaws and providing mental stimulation.
It’s OK to offer raw meaty bones that are still partially frozen for a longer lasting workout, so to speak.
They’re also great for puppies as the cold helps soothe hurting puppy gums!
Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs: Bottom Line
Raw meaty bones are an integral part of balanced raw dog food. They’re safe to feed to your dog as long as a few guidelines are observed.
Remember to feed the appropriate size raw meaty bone.
You’ll also want to avoid weight bearing ones from large grazing animals as well as smoked ones.
Your dog’s teeth will thank you!
Do you feed raw meaty bones? As always, we’d love to hear from you in our comment section!
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- Resources
Love, love, love the video by Vet’s All Natural.
Agreed! “Match the bone to the animal” | “never feed cooked bones” | “bones will save you dental bills” are my favorite nuggets of wisdom from the video.
Even though we aren’t raw feeders, this was so interesting! Way back when we used to give our first dog bones, but they were the beef bones. Once I heard about tooth fracturing, we stopped. But it’s interesting to know what other bones are safe, and what the benefits are.
Thank you, Jan. It took me quite some time and a lot of research to feel comfortable feeding raw bones, but now that I know which ones are safe to feed, it has become second nature!
We love meaty bones! We knew about not feeding cooked ones. Since we don’t do raw, Dant and Ziva get them as treats. I’d never heard about not giving them the knuckle bones though…we give them the beef knuckles because they last a long time and the pups seem to enjoy chewing them. I do keep a close watch on their teeth though. Thanks for the tips!!
My pleasure! Every dog is different and so are his or her chewing habits, and I have no doubt that some dogs will do totally fine with knuckle bones. Sounds like Dante & Ziva are in that club 😉 You’re doing the right thing by supervising them. Happy chewing/K9 tooth brushing!!
My dog eats some raw muscle meat, but I’ve had trouble introducing bones. Whenever I give him one, he looks helpless and asks me why I would ever give him such a difficult task. Maybe I just have a lazy boy.
BOL! What kind of bone have you tried giving your pup?
I’ve only tried chicken drumsticks, because I was reluctant to spend more money on him after that went so poorly. I even tried making cuts into them to give him the idea. I thought it might help, since he frequently gets raw chicken breast. No such luck.
Hm, maybe try adding some peanut butter or raw honey to entice him to take a crunch. Or maybe a turkey neck to see if a different protein might interest him more – I find those at my local grocery store for very little money.