05/11/2025
Teeth - Part 2
As discussed in our last newsletter raw, meaty bones are a great addition to our cats and dogs meals. They provide enrichment, as well as being great for dental health. The action of grinding, ripping and chewing helps remove plaque and tartar from their teeth.
Is it safe to feed bones? Short answer is in most cases YES. A few factors to consider.
🍖Firstly: choosing the right bones is important! The safest bones are RAW, non weight bearing bones. NEVER feed cooked bones - these can splinter and become indigestible. Weight bearing means the animals puts their entire body weight on them (such as legs). A general guide is choosing a bone larger than the width of your pets mouth, so they cannot gulp it. The aim is to choose bones big enough that they spend some time chewing and grinding the meat and bone.
Depending on your animal's size, suitable bones can be: necks, wings, feet, tails, frames, ribs, heads and backs. Small animals can be suitable whole such as chicken, duck, quail, rabbit, and fish.
🍖Secondly: it is very important to supervise your pet eating bones to ensure they don't swallow them whole.
🍖Thirdly: introduce bones to your animal slowly, starting of with a single piece twice a week and build up amount and frequency slowly over a month or two. This allows their digestion to become acclimated and helps prevent constipation and obstructions.
If you need recommendations for your specific situation, ask your vet at your next consult or book a phone consultation with us.
While not quite as effective, feeding larger chunks of meat are better for the teeth than mince as it will mean they'll have to tear, chew and grind the meat instead of just swallow.
Is there a risk of bacteria if I feed raw meat and bone? The risk of handling raw meat for animals is the same as if you were handling raw meat for own meal. Use common sense - hand and kitchen hygiene, buy fresh, store frozen(to kill parasites), avoid leaving them out for longer than 30mins - if uninterested, remove and feed later.
What are your favourite bones to feed? Send us a pic of their next boney meal!
Keep an eye out for Teeth - Part 3 over the coming weeks!
