Your Pets & RAW Bones
Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 7:33 pm
What really cleans dogs and cats' teeth and gums, maximising dental health, is the chewing motion and salivary secretions when they eat fresh meat and bones.
Although I recommend just feeding a balanced fresh meat and raw bones diet to my veterinary clients, co-feeding some balanced fresh meat and bones with good quality dry food is better than feeding no meat at all.
Over millions of years of evolution cats and dogs have enjoyed the benefits of eating raw bones, originally through catching and eating their prey – bones and all – and more recently (particularly with dogs), by being fed with big juicy bones by their human companions.
Since the introduction of processed, ready-to-serve, pet foods we've seen an unfortunate decline in the time-honoured tradition of feeding raw bones. And this decline has been matched by a marked increase in the incidence of pet dental disease and the flourishing of the veterinary dentistry industry with 80 percent of dogs and cats over three years old exhibiting some degree of dental disease!
Why raw bones are vital to your pet's diet
Raw bones have incredible nutritional value to your pet. They are a natural and highly-digestible source of gloucosamine, and calcium which is vital for your pet's growth and development, tooth and bone development and strength, joint structure, metabolic and muscular function.
Bones also play a vital role in dental hygiene for cats and dogs. The chewing process involved in eating raw bones removes food residue and tartar, prevents plaque from forming, reduces cavities and improves pet breath.
Bones also cleanse your pet's digestive tract, providing roughage that facilitates healthy faecal motions.
What kinds of bones should you feed your pet?
The larger the dog, the larger the bones it can handle. Lamb necks and shanks are great for large breeds while smaller breeds enjoy chicken necks and wings, ribs and brisket bones. Cats prefer smaller, softer bones like chicken necks and wings and rabbit pieces. These can be macerated using a meat cleaver or marinated in stock or gravy to make them more palatable to fussy pets.
How frequently should you give your pet a bone feed?
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Puppies and kittens can tackle soft macerated meat and bone pieces from five weeks' of age – as soon as their milk teeth have emerged – and should be fed every day during their growth phase. Adult dogs can happily continue with bones every day but at a minimum can make do with a twice-weekly bone feed. To help your pets avoid arthritis and maintain good health as they age, increase their weekly bone quota to supplement their calcium, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate intake.
What to consider when feeding raw bones
Avoid cooked bones, or feeding bones of a size that may tempt your pet to swallow them whole without chewing. Keep in mind a dog fed mainly on dry food won't be able to digest raw bones as well as a dog fed a raw diet due to poor gastric acidity levels. Avoid feeding large beef bones that are generally too hard for a dog to chew properly and can result in broken teeth. And remember, older pets that already have poor teeth may need a veterinary consultation prior to introducing raw bones to their diet. If bones are still hanging around after a few hours or days then they are too big or tough to be of significant value to your pet.
Although I recommend just feeding a balanced fresh meat and raw bones diet to my veterinary clients, co-feeding some balanced fresh meat and bones with good quality dry food is better than feeding no meat at all.
Over millions of years of evolution cats and dogs have enjoyed the benefits of eating raw bones, originally through catching and eating their prey – bones and all – and more recently (particularly with dogs), by being fed with big juicy bones by their human companions.
Since the introduction of processed, ready-to-serve, pet foods we've seen an unfortunate decline in the time-honoured tradition of feeding raw bones. And this decline has been matched by a marked increase in the incidence of pet dental disease and the flourishing of the veterinary dentistry industry with 80 percent of dogs and cats over three years old exhibiting some degree of dental disease!
Why raw bones are vital to your pet's diet
Raw bones have incredible nutritional value to your pet. They are a natural and highly-digestible source of gloucosamine, and calcium which is vital for your pet's growth and development, tooth and bone development and strength, joint structure, metabolic and muscular function.
Bones also play a vital role in dental hygiene for cats and dogs. The chewing process involved in eating raw bones removes food residue and tartar, prevents plaque from forming, reduces cavities and improves pet breath.
Bones also cleanse your pet's digestive tract, providing roughage that facilitates healthy faecal motions.
What kinds of bones should you feed your pet?
The larger the dog, the larger the bones it can handle. Lamb necks and shanks are great for large breeds while smaller breeds enjoy chicken necks and wings, ribs and brisket bones. Cats prefer smaller, softer bones like chicken necks and wings and rabbit pieces. These can be macerated using a meat cleaver or marinated in stock or gravy to make them more palatable to fussy pets.
How frequently should you give your pet a bone feed?
Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
Puppies and kittens can tackle soft macerated meat and bone pieces from five weeks' of age – as soon as their milk teeth have emerged – and should be fed every day during their growth phase. Adult dogs can happily continue with bones every day but at a minimum can make do with a twice-weekly bone feed. To help your pets avoid arthritis and maintain good health as they age, increase their weekly bone quota to supplement their calcium, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate intake.
What to consider when feeding raw bones
Avoid cooked bones, or feeding bones of a size that may tempt your pet to swallow them whole without chewing. Keep in mind a dog fed mainly on dry food won't be able to digest raw bones as well as a dog fed a raw diet due to poor gastric acidity levels. Avoid feeding large beef bones that are generally too hard for a dog to chew properly and can result in broken teeth. And remember, older pets that already have poor teeth may need a veterinary consultation prior to introducing raw bones to their diet. If bones are still hanging around after a few hours or days then they are too big or tough to be of significant value to your pet.
