If you want to do raw with your dog but your dog can’t eat bones or you are afraid of the idea…you can try three options – raw no bones.
- Buy meat with pre-ground bone mixed in it.
- Give egg shells as they are the same constituent as bones.
- Cut up some of the chicken bones to VERY small pieces so your dog won’t choke.
The last one can be done with dogs that have missing teeth but good digestive systems for example. You can use a good knife to cut the tips off of each bone (the cartilage is excellent for your dog as well), cut the ribs and the spine/tail (and neck if available) into small edible pieces. These parts of the bones are relatively soft and have no sharp ends.
The best thing is to do a combination of all three things to ensure your dog gets about 10% (this may vary from dog to dog) bone content in the diet. Many people make the mistake of feeding raw but don’t give bones or organs and this is the majority of nutritional imbalances begin. Meat has lots of protein and some nutrients BUT it needs bones and organs to balance out the rest. This is where the majority of Calcium, Magnesium and fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E and K are.
Also if your pet has a particular problem with an organ and it is nutritional in nature (most are) then feed that particular organ back to them because it will be rich in those nutrients. So, for example…you have an arthritic dog – make sure you feed lots of bones/joints of the prey animal you are feeding to help. If you have a cat with kidney problems or liver issues make sure you feed sufficient amounts of those organs. Animals with eye troubles will eat the eyes of another animal if given a chance (I know kind of gross but instinctively they know) or the internal organs such as the liver/kidneys that contain Vitamin A which the eyes are rich in. Deficiency of Vitamin A in their body means eye troubles.
Variety is important. Don’t get stuck with one meat source and one veggie for example. Soon you will have problems on your hands and you won’t know where it came from.
Even if you feed a kibbled diet – offer your pet eggs, egg shells, bones, cartilage, bone broth, bone gelatin (the stuff left in your pan after you cook chicken or beef), different types of organs and so on. Not only will your cat or dog love this but it will offer more nutrients they wouldn’t get otherwise.