Is it Safe to Feed My Dog Raw Bones?

May 13, 2020By Nicola Withers

You can't deny that pretty much every dog loves a raw meaty dog bone to chew on and it can keep them content for hours on end. We are huge advocates of feeding a completely raw & natural diet, and that includes bones of course.

Chewing is a natural and important behaviour for dogs, but we understand that some dog owners have concerns and reservations about giving bones to their four-legged bestie.

We're going to share some of the biggest benefits of feeding meaty raw bones.

We've all heard the phrase “give a dog a bone,” but before you start feeding your pup a tasty raw bone treat there are some important safety guidelines that you should follow.

Raw Bone vs. Cooked Bone

Cooked bone is hard, brittle and takes a long time for your dog to digest. It may also cause cracks in teeth and is likely to splinter when chewed. Those splinters can pass undigested into a dog’s intestines, causing pain and potential puncturing. Never feed your dog leftover cooked bones from your food.

Raw bones, on the other hand, are soft, bendy and easy for dogs to chew. The small pieces that break off will easily pass through your dog’s system and digest. Dogs that are used to a raw dog food diet have more acidic stomachs than dry fed dogs and so will digest raw bones more quickly.

It's important to know that dogs who eat cooked bones may suffer from the following symptoms:

Broken teeth
Mouth or tongue injuries
Bones looped around the lower jaw
Windpipe, oesophagus, or gastrointestinal blockage
Constipation
Rectal bleeding
Peritonitis–a bacterial infection of the abdomen caused by punctures in the stomach or intestines

Nutritional Value of Raw Dog Bones

When given in their raw state bones are completely different in molecular structure to cooked bones and are packed with nutritional benefits for your dog. If the bone also has meat, skin and cartilage attached, even better. Take a look at the Benyfit Natural range of raw bones and treats as an example.

Raw bone contains fresh bone marrow and essential vitamins and nutrients, including calcium, zinc, selenium and magnesium. These promote growth and development of healthy bones and teeth. Ra bones also contain glucosamine and chondroitin which aid healthy joints.

If that isn't enough to impress you then add Vitamin K2, Manganese, Phosphorus, Anti-oxidants, Vitamin E, Vitamin A and natural form amino acids.

It's also worth noting that in addition to nutritional and physical health benefits, chewing a meaty raw bone has the benefit of mentally stimulating dogs. This can actually help reduce anxiety, which is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Health Benefits of Feeding Raw Bones

Dental Hygiene

Raw bones are brilliant for keeping your dog’s teeth clean. Helping to reduce tartar and plaque build-up, this in turns leads to a reduction in gum disease.

If you’ve ever tried to clean your dog’s teeth with a toothbrush, you’ll know it’s not the easiest of jobs. Use a natural raw bone as a teeth cleaner instead.

Source of Fibre

Digested raw bone is an excellent source of fibre and roughage as well, helping your pooch to poo easily. Raw bones can be a great help at making dogs with softer stools be a little firmer. Be careful to manage your dogs stools when feeding raw bones, making sure they don't have too much depending on their size as this may make their poo slightly light & chalky.

Enrichment

If you’ve ever seen a dog with a raw bone, you’ll see just how much they love them. Chewing is known to be extremely calming for dogs and a raw bone is a much better and healthier option than a processed rawhide or synthetic chew toy.

Chewing Outlet

Raw meaty bones provide recreational activity and an appropriate chewing outlet for puppies. Young and teething dogs have a psychological and physical need to chew. If you've ever come across your favourite slippers and shoes looking like they have just been trough a mangle, and a guilty looking pup looking at you with their puppy-dog eyes, then you know how true this is.

How To Feed Raw Bones To Dogs

Always choose quality raw bones.

Those with meaty bits, cartilage, skin and muscle attached bring extra taste as well as nutritional benefits, and your dog will love the variety of textures.

It is important to choose the right size bone for your dog.

The bigger your dog, the bigger the bone you can feed. If your dog has never had a raw bone before, start small to get them used to it. Some bones, such as the weight-bearing bones, tend to be hard and could cause damage to teeth. Raw dog food suppliers will have a range of soft, easily digestible bones like ribs, wings and neck.

Don’t leave your dog unattended with a raw bone.

Some will try and gulp down a bone with little chewing and whilst dogs have a strong gag reflex, always keep an eye on how your dog behaves with a raw bone. Choking is extremely rare but we’d always advise being watchful. Dogs have large pre-molars, excellent for crunching and swallowing bone, and you may see your dog trying to swallow what look like huge pieces – remember to keep the size of the bone appropriate to your dog.

Feed raw bones in an area that can be easily cleaned.

Remember that these are raw meat products and they should be handled with the same procedures as meat for human consumption. Always wash hands and surfaces with hot soapy water.

The Benyfit Natural range of raw bones has been specially selected for size, variety of texture and ease of feeding. We’d recommend feeding raw bones alongside your dog’s usual raw diet, as an occasional treat to keep teeth sparkling clean and your dog happy.

If you have any questions about feeding raw bones, or our range of raw bones, please call our Customer Services team (on the dog and bone) on 01892 770188 or drop them a message at bn.info@benyfitnatural.co.uk.

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