# For those that feed a raw diet, what kinds of raw meaty bones do you use?



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I'm not raw feeding now, but I still give raw meaty bones every couple of weeks. Our local Kroger has turkey necks, at least some of the time. When they do show up, I buy as many packages as I can get and freeze them. My dogs like chicken leg quarters and chicken backs, too. I have given whole rabbit, but it's too expensive for routine use. I tried pork neck bones, but they didn't work well. I don't grind anything.


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## Critterluvr (Jul 28, 2014)

Don't grind them up, raw turkey and chicken bones (necks, backs, etc.) are very soft and dogs love crunching them up! Awesome for the teeth and gums as well.....
About 3 days a week I give my dogs meaty bones....I'm lucky that there is a chicken processing plant not too far from where I live and they sell big boxes of carcasses that still have lots of meat on them for a very cheap price.
Turkey necks, chicken backs or thighs, pork necks....whatever you can find for a decent price will work.
Good luck, raw is a great way to go!


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

I swapped Gunther onto a raw diet when he was about 19 weeks old and haven't looked back since (he's now 15 months old). I just swapped him over straight away from kibble to raw, giving him chicken wings as his main source of meaty bones to begin with as they contain bones which are flexible and easy to chew. He spent the first few weeks very diligently removing every last morsel of meat from the wing and leaving the bone, if dogs aren't used to having 'real' meat to chew then it can take them a while to realise that they can actually eat the bones! I persevered and eventually he realised he could actually eat the whole thing!
I have heard that you should avoid giving wings to large, adult dogs as they are easy for them to wolf down without chewing and risk getting the small bones stuck in their throat, but I still give them to Gunther now as he's very good about chewing all his food, so I suppose it depends on what sort of eater your dog is. 
If your dog is a 'gulper' then I'd recommend feeding frozen/part frozen meaty bones as it forces the dog to slow down and take it's time chewing. Chicken thighs are a good one as the bones are easy for dogs to chew and they're pretty cheap to buy from the supermarket.
Chicken feet are great, as they have soft, easy to chew bones in them and are full of chrondroitin which is good for joints, but obviously you won't find these in a supermarket! If you look online there are plenty of companies delivering frozen raw dog food nowadays (or at least there are in the UK). I also buy chicken and duck necks online, these are good as they have quite a large meat to bone ratio (bear in mind that bone should only make up 10% of the dogs raw diet, too much bone can lead to constipation) and again are pretty easy for a dog to eat.
Definitely do not feed any weight bearing bones as they are incredibly dense and hard and can cause chipped/fractured teeth. Starting off with chicken thighs and feet/necks, if you can find them, would be my advice and if you can trust your dog not to gulp its food then chicken wings are perfect.
And well done for doing the best thing for your dog and swapping him to raw!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I feed 3-4 chicken necks daily. I found two grocery store meat departments that will special order them for me. Never had a problem with choking or bone shards. Buck has been on one meal of kibble and the necks in the evening since he was a puppy. His teeth are beautiful.


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