Raw Deer Bone Prep?

[Cass C]

My family recently finished a hunting trip and I now have 2 nice size deer worth of bones for Lyka and Lily.

 

I don't want my dogs to get sick, so my question is what is the best way to prepare the bones for my dogs? Do I need to cook them, just feed them raw, or is there another trick to feeding bones I should know?

[Sue R]

Always feed raw not cooked. You might choose to freeze for several weeks to kill any possible parasites in the meat.

[Sue R]

And introduce gradually to avoid gastric upsets.

[GentleLake]

^^ What Sue said.

 

You never want to feed cooked bones. The heat changes them and it's then that they can splinter and cause problems. Raw bones are digestible.

 

And, yes, freeze them for a couple weeks to kill parasites and feed sparingly for dogs who aren't used to them.

[waffles]

Don't cook them. I freeze venison for a few weeks. No other prep required. I feed ribs in slabs, several still attached as single ribs seem like more of a choking hazard. I don't normally feed deer legs as they aren't fully edible for my guy. I would caution feeding a lot at a time if raw isn't your dogs normal diet or if they aren't used to eating it as you may have a sleepless night ahead of you!

[Gideon's girl]

I think GentleLake meant "Never feed cooked bones." And we all agree. I also would freeze for a few weeks to kill parasites. I wouldn't give bones more often that 3 times a week, probably less, unless you are going to work at balancing the raw part of the diet.

 

I wouldn't use the leg bones, they are weight bearing bones and harder than the other bones and can break teeth.

[Cass C]

Thanks for all the advice! I don't plan to feed them the bones all the time or a lot at a time. I just figure they would make a great treat. So a follow-up question as I'm not used to feeding them raw bones, when I introduce them slowly do I just feed them reasonably smaller bones at first like a rib or can I somehow keep a larger bone after they have chewed on it for a few minutes without it spoiling?

[Cass C]

Just to clarify I mean starting with a piece of rib, not a whole rib at once.

[Gideon's girl]

Some people do let their dog have a bone for a couple hours then refreeze it.

[gcv-border]

This ^^^ is what I do with neck bones, but I only let them have it for about 20 minutes, then take it away and refreeze. It lasts about 3-4 chewing sessions. Obviously the first session is the best because of the meat on the bone, but they seem to chew it just as vigorously the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th times.

[GentleLake]

I think GentleLake meant "Never feed cooked bones."

 

Yes! Thanks for catching my mistake! I've corrected the original post.

 

As for the femurs, many people believe they're OK. They're not as hard as the weight bearing bones of larger ungulate like cattle. Sometimes I feed them, but I don't like the way they splinter. Makes me nervous. I watch carefully and clean up any sharp pieces.

[Sue R]

Thanks for all the advice! I don't plan to feed them the bones all the time or a lot at a time. I just figure they would make a great treat. So a follow-up question as I'm not used to feeding them raw bones, when I introduce them slowly do I just feed them reasonably smaller bones at first like a rib or can I somehow keep a larger bone after they have chewed on it for a few minutes without it spoiling?

I do it both ways if I am re-introducing raw bones after they haven't had them for a while.

 

Rib bones are nice because they are not "rich" like some other bones. Neck bones are nice because they can consume them (my favorite).

 

Once my dogs are accustomed to getting raw bones, giving one once a week is no issue, but it's just when they haven't had them for a while that I ease them back into it.