Did you ever notice that one of the top complaints people have regarding new puppies is that they chew everything from furniture to clothing and the humans? Many pet owners comment that their pet is “just teething”, but in looking at evolution of domesticated pets, the first choice for a female dog to bring her pups has always been raw bones with meat attached.
Imagine being born to eat wild prey, and never being able to satisfy that hunger. Puppies, kittens, and ferrets thrive on raw meaty bones. In addition to being instinctual, bone eating satisfies vital nutrient needs (arginine and taurine) which cooked and processed pet foods do not contain.
Raw bones not only provide the ideal proportions of magnesium, calcium and phosphorus for healthy bone, cartilage, ligament and dental growth and repair throughout life, but they also provide needed exercise for strengthening muscles and creating coordination in the central nervous system.
When I recommend raw bones and real food items to pet owners, many comment that they fear diseases from raw feeding. Pets have natural processes which humans don’t possess) to rid their bodies of harmful bacteria.
Clients often give more harmful items like, Pigs ears, cow hooves, Bully sticks, Kong Toys, rawhides, rubber, nylon, and smoked or cooked bones. They may help pets fulfill the need to chew, but are not good substitutes for raw meat bones. All of the above “chews” are not “foods”, so they are not regulated by the FDA. They are not produced in the USA and often contain chemical toxins, including mercury and lead (from processing in China and Mexico). Because rawhide is animal skin, it may contain foreign pesticides, manure and environmental factors.
Additionally, pets should be monitored while chewing non-raw bone treats. I have removed intestinal blockages of the dental treats, nylabones and cooked bones when large portions are torn and swallowed.
Currently the only rawhide chew treat I recommend is an inspected type of dental enzyme chew which is produced from US beef product. It is sold as a dental treatment, so it is monitored for safety. This product has been shown to improve dental health in pets who cannot chew raw bones as part of their diets; however, I still see ideal results for general and dental health when pets eat raw bones.
Advantages of feeding raw bones:
1. Instinctual and stimulating activity for a dog.
2. Pets stay occupied when the rest of their “pack members” are gone. This saves your items from damage (remote controls, books, shoes, laundry, furniture).
3. The release of endorphins which creates a feeling of well-being for your pet.
4. Consumption of the calcium contained in bones can prevent tartar build up, gum disease and tooth loss, and helps strengthen your dog's own bones. If you regularly give your pets bones, it will significantly reduce the risk of periodontal disease.
Ideal bones for pets are always raw, never cooked! You might recall a biology experiment at high school with chicken bones. When a bone was heated, it became brittle and would splinter when force was applied. When a raw bone was immersed in acid, it became soft and pliable.
Apply those insights to a dog with a bone: if the bone is cooked it is more likely to splinter and puncture the dog's abdomen. If raw, it doesn’t splinter.
The bones I recommend are from the following list:
• Beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Venison
• Small game and bird carcasses
• Chicken carcasses, wings and necks can also be fed with complete confidence
• For cats and ferrets, chicken wings and rabbit are ideal.
Considerations regarding raw feeding:
1. It is messier than feeding processed food, so feed bones outdoors or somewhere that can be cleaned well.
2. With multiple pets in the household, be certain to separate pets and give everyone their own bone. (Dogs can be so excited to get raw bones, they may fight).
3. Pets with certain chronic health issues, allergies and digestive disorders may benefit from raw feeding, BUT please cautiously and gradually introduce new items.
4. Treat bones just like you treat your own meat. Refrigerate no more than three days. Individually wrap bones and freeze, if you buy in bulk. Bones may be fed right out of the freezer.
5. Rinse well prior to feeding.
6. If your pet vomits or has loose bowel movements after feeding bones, wait several days prior to trying a different source of bones.
7. Purchase bones from a local butcher, rather than the grocery store (they’re cheaper and healthier for your pets) or use all the parts from the deer or small game this hunting season.
If you can’t get past the idea of raw bones, consider feeding a prepared raw complete diet. Many frozen diets include ground bones. At Ellwood & Chippewa Animal Hospitals, we carry BARF (bones and raw feeding diet, based on Dr. Ian Billinghurst’s research on the ideal pet foods).