Helping my wee fella eat raw bones healthily - all advice welcome and especially videos!

[loveyouradvice]

I would love your advice please about bones. I'm nervous about feeding bones to wee dachshund - 5.5kg. He started raw almost 5 weeks ago and is loving it. I gave him his first ducks neck three days ago - planning to feed him half with just meat for the rest of the day. I sat down with him and held one end, limiting how much he could chew at a time to slow him down. He ate about a third and then just decided that was enough and looked very happy. Next day some serious dry retching and up came a large piece of bone - about the size of a £2 coin.

Could this have potentially been dangerous for him? Is there more I can do? Any videos I can watch about training dogs to eat bones? He is a bit of a gulper and I'm using a slow feeder now which he enjoys.

I'm hoping to try him on lamb ribs next but keen not to put him at risk. He is very game and up for anything! I had thought with these meaty bones that stomach acids would pretty much digest anything ... but clearly not

I thought bird bones weren't recommended? Our old Jackie once stole a chicken leg and the bones were really painful when she pooed the out. Mum also said that she was worried in case they splintered and stuck in here throat.

I hope you're not likely to be anxious if your dog needs surgery for a life threatening obstruction oh and about 1 - 2k to cover the vets bill. Yes , raw bones are marginally safer than cooked as there are fewer soft edges but there is good reason why vets will tell you bpnes are bad for your dogs.

Add the potential for salmonella poisoning (would you eat raw meat?) And its a recipe for disaster.

Im a vet nurse and im really baffled by this latest trend and ive tried to research unbiased, medically based information to advise people how to provide a balanced raw diet but the genetal advice is, well, don't.

*sharp

I could understand it if you have got yourself a rescue dog that’s been wandering the streets and is probably quite tough, but you’ve got what’s probably a very expensive, and highly bred dog and you want to feed it bones. I had a dog that happily chewed bones and unfortunately ended up with a perforated colon. I thought I was being careful, followed all the advice. But I’d never risk it now. I give my dog pigs ears now. They have absolutely no choking risk.

I have a dachshund and raw feed. I give him chews like lamb tails, ostrich tendon, hairy rabbit ears, puffed chicken feet, rolled deer hide with fur on, etc.

But the only actual substantial bone I’ll give him is a massive ostrich bone. The outside sort of crumbles/disintegrates so I know there won’t be any shards. It takes a loooong time to get to the centre and I take it away at that point.

I know that bones can help their teeth and anal glands so I’m happy for him to have it. But like yours he’s a gulper so this is the only one I’ve found so far that I’d give him. (He also has antlers etc for chewing.)

www.jrpetproducts.com/shop/large-ostrich-bone/?v=79cba1185463
^ This is the bone if you were interested.

I wouldn’t feed bones to a gulper.

I am really surprised to hear this happened though, chicken and duck bones are soft and easily crunched.

I used to feed raw and never experienced anything like that.
I stopped feeding raw due to space but I have to be honest, some of the posts made recently by the poster ‘Veterinari* really unsettled me, if space was no issue, I’m not sure if I actually would go back to raw feeding now.

Mine gets good quality wet food now (70 to 80% human grade meat and the remainder fruit/veg), the occasional healthy treat like an apple or banana or a large spoonful of Greek yogurt, an egg etc and I have to be honest, she looks just as good as she did on raw.
No body odour, glossy coat, good poos etc.
I have brushed her teeth daily since puppyhood so she has good teeth regardless of diet.

If you want to feed raw I’d stick with completes include ground bone.
I wouldn’t risk bony meat with a gulper.

I raw feed, but I've stopped giving mine whole raw bones because pretty much 9 times out of 10 they'd end up vomiting up bile and shards of bone in the night. They have no issues with the ground bone that comes in their complete raw meals, so they're getting all their calcium. Some dogs are absolutely fine with raw bones but with mine were not, I really did try and persevere with recommendations from our vet (a very pro raw vet) but in the end gave up on the whole bones. I give them other things to chew on instead (pizzle sticks, Yakers, Whimzees) and brush their teeth with an enzyme toothpaste to keep on top of their dental hygiene.

Thanks all ... Yes I was surprised it happened given how soft they are meant to be, and how careful I thought I was being ... going to be much warier now.

He used to have Venidog Venison bones which
he loved and chewed carefully and slowly for ages, but they have I think stopped doing them - wondering whether they had problems with them.

Satsumas - those ostrich bones look great. Having read all the reviews, I am going to try them. I'm keen he has the satisfaction, relaxation and especially teeth cleaning from occasional bones but yes, generally I think I am going to be happier feeding Raw completes.

And I'm guessing, once a gulper always a gulper? Or trainable otherwise? I'm using a slow feeder which he seems to enjoy.

70 to 80% human grade meat

I read that wrong. In a Soylent Green kind of a way.

You can raw feed without giving them bones.

I would stick with a complete raw food, and then give things like trachea, pizzles, pigs ears, cows hooves etc. as treats instead of bones. They're much safer, softer and far, far less likely to cause problems.

@ArabellaScott 😂

@loveyouradvice if you’re using a slow feeder you might also try a lickimat? (You spread the raw on it.) There’s also a lickimat wobble bowl that slows them down well. You can use it as a licki bowl or turn it inside out and use it as a dome.

Yes, will have a go with a lickimat... hadn't heard of the wobble ball - will take a look!