Should I feed raw meaty Bones?
Yes, it is an important and integral part of your dog’s diet. Choose the bone size appropriately to your dog. They will spend hours gnawing and improving neck and jaw muscles whilst naturally cleaning their teeth and strengthening mouth and gums.
It is an instinctive process for a dog to gnaw a bone and also produces calming endorphins – what more could they want?
Choose to give as an extra to their diet once or twice a week or if very meaty it can be a meal for your dog – as always know your dog and choose the bone accordingly (harder bones may not be appropriate for very young or very old teeth)
Chicken wings or necks are great for a puppy to start on (8weeks+) as they are bendy and soft enough for their little teeth.
Can puppies be fed raw?
Absolutely; and the good news is that there is no confusing information on different foods for different age pups. Raw food fed dogs, are fed the same food from weaning. regardless of age. If you have a pup that is slightly older, it is just the amount of times a day and the quantities that change.
You could start with our puppy formula, then move on to our other products maybe just trying one type of protein to start with (tripe or chicken is a good start) and add a new protein every week or two.
Chicken wings, necks from 8 weeks (you won’t want to feed your puppy huge marrow bones) so just use common sense in that area. See our Carcasses & Bones section for lots of choice, plus you may also like to try our Offal section too.
For more info on how much to feed your puppy, please see our Puppy Feeding Guide
Can my pregnant bitch be fed raw?
Yes! Yes! Yes! And Yes again
This is by far the best thing for a pregnant bitch.
You will find that her needs will be greater to keep up with the demands of the load she is carrying – and sometimes she might not want to eat a lot, she will be the best judge of her needs so let her guide you. Needs may also increase through nursing to weaning.
Chicken bones or not?
Raw chicken bones are fantastic for your dog. They are soft enough so that they bend easily, and break well for the dog to digest.
DON’T feed COOKED chicken bones.
Some people worry about their dog choking on bones. While such incidents are very rare (far more incidents occur with dogs choking on dried food), I would recommend feeding bigger portions of meaty bones, if you have concerns either whole carcasses, such as whole chickens or rabbits, these can be portioned down for a smaller dog if needs be. My Cairn loves chicken/duck/turkey necks or wings – in fact he loves all bones and a meaty knuckle is like Christmas every time!
If you want an absolute guarantee that choking will never occur – it is not possible to give that guarantee; feeding your dog is about management of risk. I do not leave my dog with a bone unattended (and I mean go out for the day, not nip to the loo!) As mentioned above it is as common if not more so for a dog to choke on dried food.
How much should I feed?
You feed your dog based on their breed, size and energy requirements. It will differ for how much exercise/work your dog does, and what their metabolism is like.
Look at your dogs regularly – if they are looking a little plump, then cut back on the amount. If they look a bit thin, then, an extra few grams in the diet for a few days may be the solution.
It’s really not hard to do, and when you get into a routine, it’s incredibly easy. See the feeding guide on our how much to feed page.
Why not commercial food?
There are a range of problems with commercial dog foods.
Dog’s food should never be cooked. It should be fed in a raw natural state like nature intended. Cooking a dog’s food ruins most of the nutritional value.
Access to raw meaty bones is an integral part of a dogs diet. These clean their teeth, work and develop their neck and jaw muscles, and the chewing action prepares their stomach for the incoming food mass. Chewing bones also slows down the eating process considerably.
Commercial dog foods main ingredient is cereals – the main ingredient your dog should be eating is raw meaty bones. These cereals are one of the main cause’s digestive problems.
Commercial dog foods are laden with preservatives, colours, and salt.
Most commercial dog foods have high levels of carbohydrates in them. High levels of carbohydrates are linked to over-eating, diabetes, weight gain, and numerous other problems.
Another disadvantage to feeding your dog standard dried food is the dryness of the food. Not only does the dried food make your dog thirsty, but it absorbs essential fluids in the stomach which are essential for proper digestion. Dried food will expand in your dog’s stomach which can create gas which in turn can make them flatulent and cause bloat, (far more common with commercial or inferior foods that swell in the stomach) this can be a life-threatening illness in which the stomach becomes distended and twists.
I believe there is no substitute for a raw diet.
My dog that gets both diarrhoea and constipation, why?
Diarrhoea and constipation in dogs – the cause, if there is no underlying medical condition, is most likely from, too much fat and too much bone – e.g. a pig trotter that is both very bony and very fatty, or a duck carcass which is also bony and fatty. Some dogs can tolerate this for occasional meals, yet new to raw dogs and/or dogs with sensitive constitutions can’t, so always feed according to the health of your dog.
When monitoring your dog’s stool, bear the following in mind:
Too much bone = constipation (some dogs can only have 10% bone or less, some as much as 25% – each dog is different)
- Too little bone = loose stools
- Too much organ = loose stools (introduce organ nice and slowly)
- Too much fat/skin too soon = loose stools (build up fat and skin content nice and slowly)
The key is start with 1 protein and when stools are good introduce a different protein, repeat until you have a varied diet.
If you dog has a sensitive stomach and often suffers from diarrhoea and constipation, you may like to try our Low Purine formula, which is specially designed for dogs suffering from kidney disease, bladder stones, and liver problems.
My Dog Keeps Vomiting After Eating
What you should look for if your dog keeps vomiting after eating?
If your dog keeps vomiting after eating and there is no underlying medical condition, vomiting indicates that the stomach is rejecting the food because it can’t handle it. Usually, this is when there are any of the factors below:
- Too much food – feed smaller amounts over more meals
- Too much fat – reduce fat and skin content
- Too much bone – reduce bone content
Pieces swallowed are too large – this is the most common cause because the dog gets over-excited at his new food. As above, hand feed large pieces instead so that they gnaw on it whilst you hold the other end until they relax that this is their new food now.
Also, with dogs that have been fed dried food for many years, the stomach acid is often a little bit weaker, thought to be because carbohydrates don’t need as much acidity to be digested. Try feeding smaller amounts, more often, while they adjust.