# How much bone meal?



## Kalli (Apr 2, 2015)

I`m still in the research phase, and have decided to grind the meat and veggies, add vitamins and minerals, but how do I determine the amount of bone meal he needs? Before I invest in a heavy duty grinder that can also take bones I want to see how my dog is going to tolerate raw food. He is very sensitive, and I`m not comfortable feeding whole bones anyway. So bone meal it has to be in the beginning. Does anyone know? Thanks, K.


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## Kritter (Jan 9, 2015)

Check out dogaware.com. There's a lot of info on feeding homemade. Whenever I have a boneless grind and I don't add a supplement, I do add 1/2 teaspoon of eggshell per pound of meat.


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## Spy Car (Apr 16, 2015)

What makes you uncomfortable about feeding soft edible bone (such as chicken bones)?

Many of the advantages of a raw diet come from the enhanced dental hygiene experienced when dogs chew bone (as opposed to it being ground for them) as well as the mental and physical stimulation and satisfaction that comes with chewing bone.

There are load-bearing bones from large animals (so called recreational bones, as opposed to raw-meaty-bones) that, do to their hardness and density, present risks to teeth, but RMBs are safe, nutritious, and beneficial.

Grinders are expensive, not approved for bone grinding, and ground bone removes benefits while adding cost and inconvenience.

I'd think about reconsidering the plan. 

Bill


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## Kalli (Apr 2, 2015)

I think it`s possible for bones to splinter, and lead to injuries. Close supervision is strongly recommended while chewing, which would be a pain. He also has dental issues; he ground the tips off his teeth by chewing on a sandy foam Frisbee at the beach ("tennis ball syndrome"), plus, as we just learned during our visit to the vet dentist, his lower jaw is slightly too long, which means his upper und lower teeth hit directly, leading to higher than average wear. So I will stick with the brushing and stay away from bones. He will need crowns in the near future. I figured out the bone meal though. A dog his size (75#) needs a little above 2000mg Ca daily. The amount of the bone meal depends on the brand.


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## Spy Car (Apr 16, 2015)

Kalli said:


> I think it`s possible for bones to splinter, and lead to injuries. Close supervision is strongly recommended while chewing, which would be a pain. He also has dental issues; he ground the tips off his teeth by chewing on a sandy foam Frisbee at the beach ("tennis ball syndrome"), plus, as we just learned during our visit to the vet dentist, his lower jaw is slightly too long, which means his upper und lower teeth hit directly, leading to higher than average wear. So I will stick with the brushing and stay away from bones. He will need crowns in the near future. I figured out the bone meal though. A dog his size (75#) needs a little above 2000mg Ca daily. The amount of the bone meal depends on the brand.


Soft edible bones (like raw chicken bones) don't splinter or cause injury. This is a false concern. 

As for supervision, it is wise when transitioning a dog to eating whole raw food to supervise them, to make sure they are not "gulpers" who might swallow food whole and choke. But just as with young clildren who are just learning to eat (and need to the watched closely) as dogs/puppies prove themselves owners can begin to relax. When starting larger pieces are better than small pieces to minimize the swallowing risk.

I'm sorry to read your dog has dental issues. You and your dental vet will have a much better perspective than anyone else about whether to feed soft bone (or not) in your case, but generally speaking it is much better for a dog (and for a dog's teeth in particular) if they chew soft edible bone themselves rather than having bone ground for them or for soft bone to replaced in the diet with bone meal or calcium.

I mention this because many people whose dogs don't have the problems yours does may read the thread, and it's best not to leave misperceptions. Chewing soft edible bone is really good for dogs, and keeps teeth clean and white.

Bill


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

SpyCar is correct....raw bones don't splinter, cooked do.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Kalli said:


> I think it`s possible for bones to splinter, and lead to injuries. Close supervision is strongly recommended while chewing, which would be a pain. He also has dental issues; he ground the tips off his teeth by chewing on a sandy foam Frisbee at the beach ("tennis ball syndrome"), plus, as we just learned during our visit to the vet dentist, his lower jaw is slightly too long, which means his upper und lower teeth hit directly, leading to higher than average wear. So I will stick with the brushing and stay away from bones. He will need crowns in the near future. I figured out the bone meal though. A dog his size (75#) needs a little above 2000mg Ca daily. The amount of the bone meal depends on the brand.


Why would it be a pain to watch your dog chew? 

And like has been said earlier, raw bones do not splinter. It's the cooked ones that are a problem with splintering.


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## Kritter (Jan 9, 2015)

It sounds to me like Kalli is not comfortable with the raw bones. So as long as he/she is fine with brushing then so be it. I cannot fathom brushing my dogs teeth on a regular basis so I feed RMBs 2-3 times per week, but only the ones I am comfortable with. To each his/her own.


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## Spy Car (Apr 16, 2015)

Kritter said:


> It sounds to me like Kalli is not comfortable with the raw bones. So as long as he/she is fine with brushing then so be it. I cannot fathom brushing my dogs teeth on a regular basis so I feed RMBs 2-3 times per week, but only the ones I am comfortable with. To each his/her own.


If a person has cause not to feed soft edible bone, such as having unusual dental problems, that is a decision best left to them and their dental veterinarian. But if a person has misconceptions (such as worries soft raw bones might splinter) it is not doing them or their dog a favor not to mention such "fears" are unfounded. Soft raw bones do not splinter.

This is a public forum where people seek information and they should also be made aware that chewing soft edible bone is good for dog's teeth, keeping them clean and white, and also good for dog's minds and muscles. There are advantages that are lost went bone is pre-ground for a dog. There may be times one needs to compromise the ideal due to other issues.

Bill


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## Spy Car (Apr 16, 2015)

naturalfeddogs said:


> Why would it be a pain to watch your dog chew?
> 
> And like has been said earlier, raw bones do not splinter. It's the cooked ones that are a problem with splintering.


One of the most unexpected pleasures of our raw diet adventure has been the joy I've derived from watching my dog eat really interesting food with such gusto. Maybe I'm strange that way, but I positively enjoy watching him eat.

Bill


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## Kritter (Jan 9, 2015)

Spy Car said:


> If a person has cause not to feed soft edible bone, such as having unusual dental problems, that is a decision best left to them and their dental veterinarian. But if a person has misconceptions (such as worries soft raw bones might splinter) it is not doing them or their dog a favor not to mention such "fears" are unfounded. Soft raw bones do not splinter.
> 
> This is a public forum where people seek information and they should also be made aware that chewing soft edible bone is good for dog's teeth, keeping them clean and white, and also good for dog's minds and muscles. There are advantages that are lost went bone is pre-ground for a dog. There may be times one needs to compromise the ideal due to other issues.
> 
> Bill



I agree with you Bill. Sounds like Kalli has defined what works in her/his house though. My pups had some pork riblets with ground pork organs and sardines tonight. At least one of my girls will spit out an organ or two, so I grind them. It is fun watching them working through something new


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## Kalli (Apr 2, 2015)

Yes, I`m aware to not feed cooked bones ever. And I`m not completely opposed to feeding raw bones for recreational purpose; the problem is just that in our case I can`t risk overdoing it, and to rely on that as the only Calcium source is a bit optimistic. They need a lot of Calcium compared to humans. Otherwise the transition is going well. He is eating as always; stools are a little softer than I would wish, but it`s only day 3.


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## Spy Car (Apr 16, 2015)

Kalli said:


> Yes, I`m aware to not feed cooked bones ever. And I`m not completely opposed to feeding raw bones for recreational purpose; the problem is just that in our case I can`t risk overdoing it, and to rely on that as the only Calcium source is a bit optimistic. They need a lot of Calcium compared to humans. Otherwise the transition is going well. He is eating as always; stools are a little softer than I would wish, but it`s only day 3.


It is actually the "recreational bones," those harder load-bearing bones of large animals that pose risks to dogs teeth. They will cause more wear and can cause cracks and breaks with vigorous chewers. With a dog with dental problems I'd be especially cautious of recreational bones.

Soft edible bones provide more nutrition, help with dental hygiene, and are much easier on teeth. See what your dental vet says.

Bill


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## thedogproblems (Apr 14, 2015)

The amount of food your dog requires will vary depending on his age and breed.The weight of the dog decides the amount of food it needs.dogs weighing less than 10 pounds requires only between ¼ cup and ¾ cup of dry food per day.very active dogs may eat as much as 1 cup of food on daily basis.if you paln to feed your dog a mixture of wet and dry foods,cut the amount of dry food in half and substitute it with the same volume of wet food.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

thedogproblems said:


> The amount of food your dog requires will vary depending on his age and breed.The weight of the dog decides the amount of food it needs.dogs weighing less than 10 pounds requires only between ¼ cup and ¾ cup of dry food per day.very active dogs may eat as much as 1 cup of food on daily basis.if you paln to feed your dog a mixture of wet and dry foods,cut the amount of dry food in half and substitute it with the same volume of wet food.


The food is raw. Not dry or wet.


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## Kalli (Apr 2, 2015)

With recreational bones I mean large, meaty joints, which I took away as soon as the meat was gone. The only advantage from feeding raw we have at this point is nutritional. There is not much chewing involved. I grind/chop a mix of muscle and organ meats, add 25% of a fruit and veggi mix plus vitamins/minerals. He has a very fickly stomach, is a puker, and has complex food allergies nobody has been able to figure out. Before this we were on a hydrolyzed protein diet, which is bad news in terms of nutritional value. His skin was perfect, but he lost a lot of weight, and got yeast. I don`t mind brushing his teeth, and he likes it. Actually gets in line for it at night. I want to see how things go before adding raw chicken backs or necks, and then wait and see again.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Can you post some pictures of his teeth?


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## Kritter (Jan 9, 2015)

One of my dogs broke her tooth on a recreational bone, so they are no more in our house. I only feed necks (chix, duck, turkey), chix backs, pork riblets, easy stuff. Keep doing what works best for you.


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## Kalli (Apr 2, 2015)

He won`t keep still for that. Just imagine the tips of his canines ground off about between 1-3 mm. It differs. The tops are not slightly rounded anymore, but flat. I thought I could see the root canals, but thankfully it`s just something called tertiary dentin, which builds in response to an irritant. Also, on the lower jaw the tops of the two teeth following the canines are flat-ish.


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