Bones And Raw Food
See also:
Pet Food Suppliers
In 1994, Canine Health Concern made contact with the Australian vet Ian Billinghurst and popularised the raw meaty bone diet. We were probably the first people in the UK to feed raw chicken wings to our dogs - with much trepidation in response to all the horror stories. But we were desperate: our dogs were sick and dying around us. Within the space of a few months, our vet bills had plummeted by 65 per cent. Watching our sick dogs recover and our young dogs thrive was a thrilling and exciting experience for us, and the delight has increased with every letter or phone call we receive from dog owners who tell the same story.
Which Bones are Best?
by Ian Billinghurst
Bone eating dogs are long lived healthy dogs. In our hospital and at home, we have fed every conceivable type of bone to every conceivable type of dog. From this wide circle of bone feeding experience we feel confident to offer advice on what kind of bones to feed.
Chicken Bones
Raw chicken on the bone is without doubt the very best form in which to feed your dog most of its requirements of meaty bones. Most people, when I suggest they feed their dog chicken bones (I often recommend chicken wings) reel back in horror and surprise and say, "But I thought you were not supposed to give chicken bones to dogs". The answer is, of course, that it is most certainly not a good idea to feed COOKED chicken bones to your dog.
There is an incredible difference between cooked and raw chicken. Have you ever tried to chew on raw chicken? It is tough. The bones on the other hand, coming from ten week old birds, are extremely soft. Once your dog has crunched through that flesh, the bones are very safely crushed. Contrast this with the cooked chicken. The flesh is beautifully soft, whilst the bones have gone brittle and sometimes quite splintery. These are dangerous!
Chicken pieces, the carcases, the wings, the necks, whatever, I now consider to be the most important raw meaty bone for our dogs. Of all the meaty bones available, chicken carcases would undoubtedly be the most nutritious and safest. They have the best fatty acid content of all animal bones. They are beautifully balanced with respect to their bone to flesh ratio, and when raw, they are soft and safe.
Some larger dogs will get into the habit of swallowing chicken carcases whole, which means that many of the benefits of bone eating are denied the dog. For that reason, and because variability is important when it comes to feeding dogs, it is wise to also feed both lamb and beef bones on a regular basis.
Lamb Bones
Lamb bones can be very fatty, and that is something to be avoided in some instances. Cut the fat off, or simply throw away the really fatty pieces. Lots of dogs do very well eating lamb flaps. Occasionally we find an animal that cannot tolerate lamb. It seems to cause diarrhoea. In that case, switch to chicken. Lamb bones, as the name suggests, come from a young animal. The bones are soft and there is usually a reasonable amount of meat left on them. The essential fatty acid content is reasonable because of the high fat content.
Beef Bones
Bones store toxins. The older the animal, the more toxins that will be stored in its bones. For example, an old cow kept pastured in a paddock near a main highway all its life will have bones full of lead from leaded petrol fumes. Not a great idea to feed these to your dog.
These days, it is not common for older animals' bones to end up in a butchers' shop, but if they did they would most likely be beef bones. So beef bones are probably the ones you should avoid if you have the opportunity to do so.
Feeding Bones to Dogs
Eating bones should commence when puppies are first introduced to solid food. We use minced up chicken wings and necks, bones and all. After about ten days, those pups are eating the wings in their entirety, without the need to be broken up.
We use the same technique with dogs which have never eaten bones before. If initially the dog does not like the taste, we mix a tiny portion of this minced chicken with a larger portion of whatever it does like - also minced. Over a period of time, we gradually increase the proportion of minced up chicken bits.
Bones should be fed daily to your dog. At the very least, feed them three times a week. Any less than that, and all the problems kept away by bones gradually start to appear. Also note that they should be raw meaty bones, not the bones without the meat, or the meat without the bones.
CHC note - This article describes which bones should be fed. It does not therefore mention the other ingredients of the BARF diet. Bones should make up around 70% of the diet, with the remaining 30% being a mixture of lightly steamed or pulverised raw vegetables, cottage cheese, fish, fruit and good quality human table scraps. A quality complete vitamin and mineral supplement, extra vitamin C, and an oil such as hemp or flax seed oil should also be added.
Back to:
Diet
A to Z
See also:
Pet Food Suppliers
In 1994, Canine Health Concern made contact with the Australian vet Ian Billinghurst and popularised the raw meaty bone diet. We were probably the first people in the UK to feed raw chicken wings to our dogs - with much trepidation in response to all the horror stories. But we were desperate: our dogs were sick and dying around us. Within the space of a few months, our vet bills had plummeted by 65 per cent. Watching our sick dogs recover and our young dogs thrive was a thrilling and exciting experience for us, and the delight has increased with every letter or phone call we receive from dog owners who tell the same story.
Which Bones are Best?
by Ian Billinghurst
Bone eating dogs are long lived healthy dogs. In our hospital and at home, we have fed every conceivable type of bone to every conceivable type of dog. From this wide circle of bone feeding experience we feel confident to offer advice on what kind of bones to feed.
Chicken Bones
Raw chicken on the bone is without doubt the very best form in which to feed your dog most of its requirements of meaty bones. Most people, when I suggest they feed their dog chicken bones (I often recommend chicken wings) reel back in horror and surprise and say, "But I thought you were not supposed to give chicken bones to dogs". The answer is, of course, that it is most certainly not a good idea to feed COOKED chicken bones to your dog.
There is an incredible difference between cooked and raw chicken. Have you ever tried to chew on raw chicken? It is tough. The bones on the other hand, coming from ten week old birds, are extremely soft. Once your dog has crunched through that flesh, the bones are very safely crushed. Contrast this with the cooked chicken. The flesh is beautifully soft, whilst the bones have gone brittle and sometimes quite splintery. These are dangerous!
Chicken pieces, the carcases, the wings, the necks, whatever, I now consider to be the most important raw meaty bone for our dogs. Of all the meaty bones available, chicken carcases would undoubtedly be the most nutritious and safest. They have the best fatty acid content of all animal bones. They are beautifully balanced with respect to their bone to flesh ratio, and when raw, they are soft and safe.
Some larger dogs will get into the habit of swallowing chicken carcases whole, which means that many of the benefits of bone eating are denied the dog. For that reason, and because variability is important when it comes to feeding dogs, it is wise to also feed both lamb and beef bones on a regular basis.
Lamb Bones
Lamb bones can be very fatty, and that is something to be avoided in some instances. Cut the fat off, or simply throw away the really fatty pieces. Lots of dogs do very well eating lamb flaps. Occasionally we find an animal that cannot tolerate lamb. It seems to cause diarrhoea. In that case, switch to chicken. Lamb bones, as the name suggests, come from a young animal. The bones are soft and there is usually a reasonable amount of meat left on them. The essential fatty acid content is reasonable because of the high fat content.
Beef Bones
Bones store toxins. The older the animal, the more toxins that will be stored in its bones. For example, an old cow kept pastured in a paddock near a main highway all its life will have bones full of lead from leaded petrol fumes. Not a great idea to feed these to your dog.
These days, it is not common for older animals' bones to end up in a butchers' shop, but if they did they would most likely be beef bones. So beef bones are probably the ones you should avoid if you have the opportunity to do so.
Feeding Bones to Dogs
Eating bones should commence when puppies are first introduced to solid food. We use minced up chicken wings and necks, bones and all. After about ten days, those pups are eating the wings in their entirety, without the need to be broken up.
We use the same technique with dogs which have never eaten bones before. If initially the dog does not like the taste, we mix a tiny portion of this minced chicken with a larger portion of whatever it does like - also minced. Over a period of time, we gradually increase the proportion of minced up chicken bits.
Bones should be fed daily to your dog. At the very least, feed them three times a week. Any less than that, and all the problems kept away by bones gradually start to appear. Also note that they should be raw meaty bones, not the bones without the meat, or the meat without the bones.
CHC note - This article describes which bones should be fed. It does not therefore mention the other ingredients of the BARF diet. Bones should make up around 70% of the diet, with the remaining 30% being a mixture of lightly steamed or pulverised raw vegetables, cottage cheese, fish, fruit and good quality human table scraps. A quality complete vitamin and mineral supplement, extra vitamin C, and an oil such as hemp or flax seed oil should also be added.
Back to:
Diet
A to Z