Raw bones are a great treat for dogs and cats. Chewing helps to clean their teeth and gums naturally, keeps them occupied and produces endorphins to help calm and relax your pet.
Do I Have To Feed Raw To Give Bones?
You can give raw bones to raw-fed pets as part of their diet, but you can also offer them to cats and dogs who are being fed a dry or wet food as a treat.
Raw Bones, Not Cooked
The most important thing to remember is that bones must always be served raw. Do not give your pet cooked bones. Raw bones are naturally moist, flexible and easily digested by the high acidity of an animal's stomach. Cooked bones are dry and brittle, which makes them prone to splintering and can cause damage to the throat and stomach as they pass through.
Start With Soft Bones
When you start feeding bones it is advisable to begin with necks as they are made up of soft bone, cartilage and connective tissue. If your dog chews these well, then you can move onto wings, which are a softer bone, then working your way to heavier chews such as carcass and ribs. You also need to make sure you are giving an appropriate size bone - a large dog might be tempted to swallow a small bone whole, while a small dog will find a big caracass too much bone to handle in one sitting.
What Are Recreational Bones?
Marrowbones or meaty knuckle bones are weight-bearing bones from large animals and they are too hard to be eaten whole. Instead your dog will get a lot of fun getting the meat off the bone, but remember to take it away once all the meat has gone.
Can You Feed Fish?
At Lulu's Pet Pantry I stock a wide range of raw bones. I have whole sprats, necks and wings as the entry-level raw bones in a variety of proteins, carcass and ribs to provide a heavier chew, and marrowbones or meaty knuckle bones for recreational chews.
At Lulu's Pet Pantry I stock a wide range of raw bones. I have whole sprats, necks and wings as the entry-level raw bones in a variety of proteins, carcass and ribs to provide a heavier chew, and marrowbones or meaty knuckle bones for recreational chews.