Bone Feeding - Not So Sure

[chezzyr]

Hi guys

Just after some advice. I was bagging up some off cuts for the freezer and jabbed myself

with a sliver of bone. We are encouraged to feed bones yet I got a bit of a fright at how

sharp this bone was. These are 'lamb off cuts' and from what I can tell mainly from the

ribs area.

I used to feed chicken necks but they virtually go straight down, the teeth don't get

a workout. So in more recently months I have mainly fed the lamb flaps/lamb off cuts.

Though she seems to have gone off them - is preferring to bury her bones rather

than eat them.

Wondering what other people feed, what bones/raw meat they find are the safest.

I am thinking I might give the lamb off cuts a rest for a while. Just not sure how I

am feeling about these sharp bones right now

[aus_k9gsd]

i feed brisket bones as they are a softer bone, chicken frames, necks and wings also lamb neck and turkey necks, so they get a good variety

i also dont feed lamb shanks for the same reason, i watched one of the dogs eating them and the bone ends up broken up into long spear like pieces which i was not comfortable with

[tramissa]

I've found turkey necks are great, but my 2 are a little smaller than yours They can't swallow them whole though

I also give the flaps, lamb necks, roo tails, brisket etc. I find if I give the same bones consistently, they turn their nose up at them, but if I mix them up, they are always eager for bones.

[The Spotted Devil]

I feed chicken wings and frames - the latter I leave frozen so it takes a bit more work to chomp up but Zig is very careful, despite being a guts

[Guest Tess32]

Lamb necks, lamb ribs, chicken frames and wings, turkey wings, chicken maryland, turkey maryland, goat off cuts, duck frames.

[puggy_puggy]

I feed chicken necks but cut them up as I have pugs, they still crunch on them a few times before they swallow the pieces.

I also feed lamb flaps, lamb backs and kangaroo tails.

[gareth]

I never feed lamb offcuts as the bones are too fine and hard. Lamb necks, are fine however.

[SparkyTansy]

never had a problem with flaps, but avoid off cuts of any other kind...

i give mainly chicken frames (complete with most of the guts) which they love and when i can find them, they love turkey necks... i also give kangaroo tails but only the weims and the greyhound eat these... the setters don't like kangaroo!

[Georgie-boy]

My two get lambs necks as the bones are soft enough for them to crunch through.

[Bilbo_Baggins_Junior]

Frozen chicken necks all around here! Zarah will be upgraded to frozen chicken frames when she is older.

[kermat]

I've had some concerns about feeding raw bones lately too - the last few times the boys have had bones (we just get a variety from the markets, usually split lambs necks and beef chuck), I've gone into the laundry the next day to let them outside and there has been a puddle of yellow froth with a hard white chunk - which I presume is a bit of bone - in it. We ran out of bones last week and this throw-up hasn't appeared again since. I might just stick to chicken frames!!

[Golden Rules]

If you are at all concerned with feeding bones, you should stick to chicken (or turkey) frames. The bones are rubbery and clean their teeth beautifully.

I never feed frozen - I don't eat frozen food so why should my dogs?

[kamuzz]

If you are at all concerned with feeding bones, you should stick to chicken (or turkey) frames. The bones are rubbery and clean their teeth beautifully.

I never feed frozen - I don't eat frozen food so why should my dogs?

Because you can watch TV and your dogs can't?

Have been told to feed my dogs frozen bones as a way of keeping them occupied for longer.

[puggy_puggy]

I've had some concerns about feeding raw bones lately too - the last few times the boys have had bones (we just get a variety from the markets, usually split lambs necks and beef chuck), I've gone into the laundry the next day to let them outside and there has been a puddle of yellow froth with a hard white chunk - which I presume is a bit of bone - in it. We ran out of bones last week and this throw-up hasn't appeared again since. I might just stick to chicken frames!!

The yellow froth is just the dog throwing up and getting out of it's body the bit of bone it can't digest.

Beef bones are very hard. Maybe just feed lamb and chicken bones.

[RuralPug]

Long weight bearing mammal bones don't splinter - marrow bones, shins, also ox-tail, ox knuckles and roo-tail are very strong. With poultry it seems to be the opposite IMO - the drumstick bones are brittle can splinter & the others seem comparitively non-brittle.

Any bone will be brittle if cooked, of course, which is why you should NEVER feed cooked bones.

I find that most "offcuts" tend to be more fat than bone, which may be fine for some dogs, but not really good for my seniors. My meat wholesaler has a great range of smoked bones - no fat, no marrow & no splinters which suits me just fine as "toothbrush" food.

For calcium I give chicken necks (but they are a choking hazard to my small breed so I supervise carefully) and sardines.

[Golden Rules]

If you are at all concerned with feeding bones, you should stick to chicken (or turkey) frames. The bones are rubbery and clean their teeth beautifully.

I never feed frozen - I don't eat frozen food so why should my dogs?

Because you can watch TV and your dogs can't?

Have been told to feed my dogs frozen bones as a way of keeping them occupied for longer.

And you do everthing you are told?

I'd rather take the dogs for a walk to keep them occupied than feeding frozen bones

[cassie]

I feed frozen chicken frames too and have not had a problem. I used to feed them thawed but my Berner would gobble them so quickly, they were gone before you knew it! Then he would bring them back up again - every time :rolleyes: Now he gets them frozen and it takes him a good 5 or more minutes to eat it all, and he actually has to chew and break bits off, not just crunch the whole thing down in two mouthfuls I've not had a problem with frozen bones, and they don't seem to enjoy them any less

EFS

Edited July 5, 2008 by cassie

[Kangaroo dog]

With poultry it seems to be the opposite IMO - the drumstick bones are brittle can splinter & the others seem comparitively non-brittle.

ive found the same thing, and i do feed a lot of chicken carcasses. Recently i had som einsight into the reason why commercial chicken carcasses are so brittle, i noticed especially when i had to kill a heap of roosters and fed them to the dogs(and the family) i noticed their bones were a lot more harder, even some old hens were the same.

Now i watched a show and the bloke was saying because the chooks we buy in the shops are only 6-10weeks of age and so large their bodies dont have enough time to properly develop the bones in their legs especially, thast why sometiems those animal rights terrorists show footage of meat chooks that cant even walk, because they grow faster then their legs can support.... their bones are spongy

makes me wonder how much calcium is in chook bones from a commercial operation compared to a backyard chook?