# What raw bones do you think are the safest?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I can't help much, as my two are tiny and not power chewers, but I look for bones that are large enough to need chewing rather than bolting, and that are soft enough not to cause problems with cracked teeth. For mine that is mainly chicken wings and small riblets - for a large dog, it might mean whole chickens or chicken carcasses, oxtail, lamb necks, ribs, etc. I have heard the rule that the meaty bone should be at least as big as the dog's head, but one that size would feed my dogs for a week! I have found when feeding them larger bones the best thing is to keep a close eye on them and remove the bone before it becomes small enough to swallow, swapping it for something small and high value (you may need to set a timer: Poppy once ate a large chunk of lamb vertebrae and was starting on Sophy's piece before I woke up to how much she had eaten!). I think it is important to introduce bone gradually, and then to feed it regularly - the worst problems seem to be experienced by dogs that are not used to bone and then get a lot all at once and cannot digest it. Don't forget to balance the bone with boneless meat at other meals.


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks FJM. No worries, I am not feeding bones as the main meat source. Usually I blend up a mix of soft meat with a bit of rotating veggies; A nice home made barf which is very easy to eat.

The bones are a special treat a few times a week at the moment. He really loves them.

lol, I am not sure where to find a bone as big as his head! I have yet to see one. 

He has actually had these particular vertebrae occasionally in his diet for some months; even before I decided to switch to an all whole foods diet sans kibble. He didn't have a problem before. So Bones aren't a totally new territory for him. But now that he is eating all whole foods, I really want to keep them in the diet for nutritional reasons and for the teeth. 

It doesn't really seem like the bones get much smaller as he chews them. It just seems like he happened to get a big chunk randomly. I am usually in the room when he eats it, so if I hear a big crack I can ask him to drop it and he will let go of whatever was in his mouth for an inspection. He is very good about that because he has been training that move since he was a little baby. But obviously that isn't foolproof since the mini-golf ball got past me and I had no idea!


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

When I raw-fed, I gave chicken leg quarters and chicken backs, occasionally whole rabbit. (Sadly, I'm not able to raw-feed at present, but when I did, the dogs thrived. They loved it, their health was good, and they looked wonderful.)


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Mine get marrow bones without incident, and they love them. I know some are wary of cracked teeth with them. 

Today my dog food store had frozen beef kneecaps, so I got a pack of those to try. I think they are more cartilage than hard bone, and meant to be eaten...hopefully slowly given what they cost! I'll let you know how it goes.


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

My two are fed a fully raw diet and I'd agree with JudyD that chicken leg quarters are a good one for spoos, as are chicken thighs. I also feed chicken necks and feet (excellent source of chondroitin which is good for dogs joints). I've always gone for bones from chickens as they seem to be a bit more flexible and gentler on a dogs teeth. I've tried giving lamb ribs before but they struggle to get through them and they seem so tough that I worry about chipped teeth. Gustav was a terrible gulper when he was on kibble, he more or less inhaled his food, so I was rather worried that he'd do the same with his bones and end up choking himself, but he's really surprised me and chews everything properly.


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## Bellesdad0417 (May 18, 2014)

I give Finn dehydrated fish skins.

He loves them they clean his teeth and he gets that good omega fatty acids.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I too feed chicken legs,wings & cut up quarters, but Molly's favorite are Lamb neck bones.... they are not too big and have lots of meat on them, also baby back or country ribs (I do trim excess fat) Also, when the ethnic store in my neighborhood has it....goat meat cuts with the bone in!
I've never had a problem, but I am careful about the hardness of some bones because I don't want her breaking a tooth! Love how they help keep her teeth clean! Just took the picture two days ago!


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks a lot, everyone! It could be that these beef vertebrae are just too hard, so if a piece does come lose it doesn't have any chance of getting chewed or dissolved. It probably is hard on his teeth as well, which I hadn't really thought much of before.

It sounds like my next addition to our food trial is going to be chicken since many of you have recommended it, and it is so easy to obtain here. But as our food trial progresses I am going to try all of these things out and keep coming back to this post as a reference. It's very helpful. 

JudyD. That rabbit carcass sounds like quite the surreal luxury for a dog! Like hitting the jackpot. The thought of the dog devouring an entire rabbit caracas in the house makes me feel a bit weird, but also a bit intrigued. In his mind, that would probably be the best day of his life (other than the day he escaped from us to chase rabbits, of course).


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Rabbit is very popular here, although as the supply is dependent on Tilly-cat both catching one and being prepared to share it tends to be an occasional feast these days!


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

PuffDaddy said:


> JudyD. That rabbit carcass sounds like quite the surreal luxury for a dog! Like hitting the jackpot. The thought of the dog devouring an entire rabbit caracas in the house makes me feel a bit weird, but also a bit intrigued. In his mind, that would probably be the best day of his life (other than the day he escaped from us to chase rabbits, of course).


There was only one meat market in the area that carried rabbit. At $4/pound and approximately 3 pounds/rabbit, it was absolutely a luxury. I tried to find a breeder who would sell me carcasses--checked with 4H leaders, county extension agents, got names of breeders from other sources--but wasn't successful. As far as I could tell, hardly anyone actually butchered their rabbits, just bred them for the county fair. I had visions of houses overrun with them. (Long time ago, I kept angora rabbits for a couple of years, for the fur, and, believe me, "breeding like rabbits" is spot-on. Took about 30 seconds to do the deed, after which the male just fell over, and a few weeks later, the doe gave birth to half a dozen bunnies.) One woman told me that selling rabbits for human consumption was expensive because of government regulations about processing, so she didn't do it. I swore we wouldn't eat them ourselves, but she wouldn't budge.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

I feed raw, and a good rule of thumb for raw feeders is no weightbearing bones from large animals. Leg bones from a cow are meant to support a thousand pound animal, so they're extremely dense. I know a lot of people give them for chewing, but I don't. I've known too many people whose dogs have ended up with broken teeth, slab fractures, or abscesses from a fracture they couldn't see that ends up costing thousands. My poodle breeder has a spoo that found a deer carcass on her property and broke a tooth on a leg bone. My parents' dog has 3 broken teeth, poor guy - one from a deer leg, one from an antler (my fault, didn't know any better :sad, and one trying to get out of a crate. Not worth the risk to me. 

Other bones to avoid are sharp, oddly shaped, or cut bones, like those from a T bone steak or pork chop. Also be very careful with things like cut pork neck bones and turkey necks. We've had dogs in my raw group that have choked to death on both despite warnings not to feed them  The cut neck bones are easy to find in the store, and a cut up turkey neck is like giving a cut up hot dog to a toddler - it's a perfect size choke plug.


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## Red lippy mel (Mar 1, 2017)

I think there was info regarding sizes of raw bones on the raw fed dogs website. I know my Rotty loved big bones but she gnawed at them for so long, she wore down her teeth!!
I had to stick to bones she could crush. Nothing bigger than rabbit and chicken in the end. Turkey may have been a good choice but we don't get much turkey here in oz.


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## JenniferinTexas (Feb 5, 2017)

I've been researching a lot lately on the RAW diet. They recommend chicken and rabbit bones to be included in the meal. Bigger bones (not weight bearing bones) can be used as a chew/treat. Rib bones seem to be popular. The FB page Raw Feeding Advice and Support is excellent! They can answer all your questions and happy to do it.


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