Benefits of Raw Bones

• Raw bones clean teeth: when a dog chews on a bone, they remove tartar or calculus from their teeth, which supports the natural health of your pet’s teeth and gums. Tartar is a big problem. Once tartar or calculus starts to build up on teeth, plague can enter under the gum line causing inflammation (gingivitis) and this invites bad bacteria to enter into the gums and body. Over time, this can lead to infection all over the body...issues in the joints, liver, and elsewhere. Tartar build up should be avoided at all costs. 
• Raw bones are all-natural: compared to highly-processed and highly-chemical rawhide chews, bones are all natural! This whole, unprocessed food works with dogs bodies and doesn’t contain unnecessary chemicals or preservatives—the only preservative is the freezer! 
• Raw bones provide mental stimulation: dogs, especially puppies, have an innate desire to chew. By providing dogs with a positive outlet for their chewing, you won’t have to worry as much about your dog chewing on things they aren’t supposed to (like your favorite pair of socks). When dogs are mentally stimulated, they will be far less likely to act out and cause destruction elsewhere in the house.

How to Feed Raw Recreational Bones

• Before you ever buying your dog a bone, make sure to access what type of bone is ideal for their size. Giving dogs a properly-sized bone that matches how big they are is super important so that the raw chewing experience will be a good one. 
• Tip: give your dog a bone that is the same size as or bigger than your dog’s head! If the bone is smaller than your dog’s head...it might be too small for them. 
• Now to the fun part: eating! Once you bring your properly-sized bone home, here are a few tips & tricks to make feeding you dog fun and safe: 
• Feed your dog on a towel or outside: when your pup is chewing on a de-thawing bone, bits of blood and meat may get on the carpet or wherever they are chewing. In order to stay away from having raw meat all over the place, the best thing to do is give your dog a bone on something washable or give it to them outside (where they can get as dirty as they want!).  
• Try not to give your dog a bone every day: just like with humans, dogs don’t need a special snack every single day. Recreational bones are best when fed 1-2 times a week instead of every day! GI upset from consuming too many raw bones can occur, leading to diarrhea in some dogs if consumed daily. 
• Be careful and supervise: be sure to supervise your dog while they chow down on their bone. In case they bite off a small piece, you can remove this piece so that they don’t choke. While there are a lot of scare tactics surrounding feeding dogs bones, this mostly isn’t applicable to raw bones if you choose the right size and supervise. Warning: do not feed your dog cooked bones! This is where splinters and damage to your dog’s system can occur.