Bones…. Wow! What a contentious topic! There are many who strongly advocate feeding raw bones to dogs (myself included) and then there are others who are dead against it. These opinions are often formed from prior experience and so there are a few things to go over first. The Risks Of Feeding Bones There will always be a small risk of complications with feeding bones. Some bones can get stuck in the mouth. Some bones are not well digested and can cause obstruction or perforation of the intestines. Some dogs do not tolerate raw bones and may vomit or have diarrhoea. Some dogs may even develop severe constipation when fed bones. However, if your dog or cat does not eat raw bones, they will definitely suffer from dental disease. Very few dogs will have good oral health if they do not chew on raw meaty bones. Dental disease is a painful, debilitating condition where the body is in a constant state of inflammation, trying to rid itself of an infection that will never go away. This is a terrible disease to suffer from and is a huge reason that pets suffer a poor quality of life. How To Safely Feed Bones To You Pet So, how can we feed bones safely? How can we ensure good oral health whilst minimising the risk of dangerous complications? By looking to the pet’s evolution and respecting what they would naturally be eating. To clean teeth and gums well, dogs and cats should be chewing through soft bones, cartilage, ligaments and meat. Dogs and cats if in a feral state would naturally predate birds, lizards and small mammals such as rabbits, possums, rats and mice. They would not naturally hunt a cow and eat the entire leg bones! These are far too dense and hard and can break their teeth. So since your cat and dog are domesticated and don’t have ready access to the bones of small prey animals, what type of commercially available bones should you feed? Raw chicken is the most readily available source of bone that is a biologically appropriate […]