Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Would you feed this:

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To him?

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He is begging for that T-bone! I feed Chucky only raw food, so he is accustomed to eating raw meat with bones every day. But I was cautioned to never give your dog a bone that had been cooked. I do not give him any cooked bones from a roasted chicken, bone-in ham or a stewed chicken for example. But what about a large steak bone that probably only made it to room temperature? Is a light sear considered cooked? I ate this T-bone steak extremely rare, just seared on the outside, cool and very red center.

flag	asked Jul 11 2011 at 1:00 texasleah 4,809●1●14●34

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sure......my dogs are paleo too. – The Quilt Jul 11 2011 at 1:01

Thanks for that tip, I had no idea that dogs shouldn't eat cooked bones. I made braised short ribs a while back and gave my aussie shepherd one of the bones. She loved it but later threw it up =( – HeatherC Jul 11 2011 at 1:21

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Absolutely no cooked bones and no weight bearing bones for dogs. The cooked do splinter, and the weight bearing crack teeth. If you do want to give knuckle bones, have the butcher quarter them and take them away after the marrow and ends are gone. And, always, always, watch your dogs when they are eating bones. Just like with pigs ears, Greenies (Yuck), and hide, weird things DO happen, so keep an eye on the furbabies when they are chowing down. (I worked in an eVet for a while...saw a lotta *weird stuff.) – Marie Jul 11 2011 at 1:51

Thanks Marie, very informative, you should make it an answer instead of a comment. So..i think my t bone was not cooked so that qualifies. But not sure about the weight bearing part? Meaning leg bones? – texasleah Jul 11 2011 at 2:14

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Yes, weight bearing bones are very tough for dogs. They also have a tendency to shatter/splinter. I am all raw with my dog (all raw meat and bones, not processed "raw food") and I tried lamb shank many times and he'll eat it fine but many time throw up during the night. No big deal really, but there in the vomit is shards of shank. – ben61820 Jul 11 2011 at 2:18

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Marie · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-11 02:29:29Z UTC

Absolutely no cooked bones and no weight bearing bones for dogs. These bones, leg and some consider beef necks to be weight bearing, are too dense for the risk of fracturing teeth. (However, Monte's dentist says there is less risk than in bite/protection sports. But I'd imagine most of those issues are handler error. It isn't unusual to loose entire canine or fracture the tips off in those events.) Here's an *OK survey regarding the risks of feeding raw: Raw Fit Pet

Within my fairly large circle of raw feeders, we've seen many fractured teeth in dogs that were consistently fed weight bearing bones. Some have debated whether this was due to the dog's diet during development, but generally we don't feel it is worth the risk and the associated expense of a root canal ($1,500) or extraction ($450).

The cooked do splinter, and the weight bearing crack teeth. If you do want to see what happens take a cooked bone and smack it with a meat tenderizer. Then do the same with raw bones.

If you do want to give knuckle bones, have the butcher quarter them and take them away after the marrow and ends are gone. And, always, always, watch your dogs when they are eating bones. Just like with pigs ears, Greenies (Yuck), and hide, weird things DO happen, so keep an eye on the furbabies when they are chowing down. (I worked in an eVet for a while...saw a lotta *weird stuff.)

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Raw bones also make for great teeth cleaner and provide great exercise for their necks and jaws. Don't clean too much off that bone!

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And a satiated Monte: alt text

Ryan H · Answer 2 · 2011-07-11 01:14:45Z UTC

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I always gave cooked bones to my dogs growing up.

It was just what we did, so I would never have thought twice about it.

answered Jul 11 2011 at 1:14

Ryan H
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ben61820 · Answer 3 · 2011-07-11 01:30:14Z UTC

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Don't feed your dog cooked bones. They splinter easily. Feed bones raw. A T-bone, btw, is a tough bone for a dog to get through anyway. He could gnaw it some but he may not eat it. That's a tough bone. Ribs are easier for them to break up.

That being said, the bone in your pick doesn't look too cooked so he may fare just fine on it.

As a rule, feed bones raw only.

answered Jul 11 2011 at 1:30

ben61820
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	yeah that is why I thought I would ask...the bone is still as hard as a rock and not degraded at all. – texasleah Jul 11 2011 at 1:35
	Yeah I mean, that bone probably didn't break down to the point that it would cause a danger. But if it were me I'd toss it, no reason to put that lil bastard in danger:) – ben61820 Jul 11 2011 at 2:20

Allie · Answer 4 · 2011-07-11 01:30:44Z UTC

A quick googleage and I came across this article.

Here is a quote:

Raw bones, not cooked bones. Never feed your dog cooked bones, because the cooking process greatly complicates digestion of the bone. There's a far greater chance of bowel obstruction when the bone is cooked. Raw bones, still with a layer of meat on the bone but with as little fat as possible, are a safer choice for a dog treat. Dogs can handle raw meat bacteria better than humans, though there is still a chance of minor illness. If you don't want to risk bacterial illness, the only advisable cooking method for homemade dog bones is boiling.

wheelhouse · Answer 5 · 2011-07-11 01:25:41Z UTC

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I've fed many a cooked T-bone to my dogs in the past. I have never heard that it was a bad thing and have never seen any ill effects from doing it. I cant speak from a scientific standpoint, but anecdotaly I see no issue from it.

answered Jul 11 2011 at 1:25

wheelhouse
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being · Answer 6 · 2011-07-11 01:28:10Z UTC

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i had always heard that the danger was with poultry bones, which splinter when they are cooked. i think ruminant bones are just fine. my dogs get them too. OUTSIDE.

answered Jul 11 2011 at 1:28

being
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Nah, sorry AKD - any bones should be raw for safety – ben61820 Jul 11 2011 at 2:21

shrug you win some and lose some. guess my dogs all just got lucky. – being Jul 11 2011 at 2:49

Joshua · Answer 7 · 2011-07-11 01:48:40Z UTC

I give my dog steak bones and the cartilage tips of my oxtails, but she got ill (constipated) when I gave her a stewbone. I have even started giving her the chine bone in my pork chops (since the USDA said it's ok for us peons to eat medium-rare pork). I would never give a slow-cooked bone to the dog. most of the bones I give her end up "chewies" anyway.

Are slightly warmed bones safe to feed to your dog? (pictures)

7 Answers