Questions about raw feeding can get surprisingly controversial Some breeders will wean onto raw, others wouldn't ever give an adult dog an uncooked bone, so there isn't a hard and fast rule as such. We have fed dogs on raw diets with no trouble and lots of success in the past, but some vets worry about the risk of penetrating injuries even from uncooked bones. You can read both sides of the argument here, it's an interesting one!
As Lucy said, you could get many, many views on this. I raw feed, but only feed minces with bone minced in. The only 'bones' they gey are cow knuckle/hip joints for an hour or two of gnawing. I have heard too many horror stories (including one of my stud dogs pups) choking or swallowing pieces of rib bones etc. I had a golden retriever staying recently and she had a raw chicken leg or wing every evening and it terrified me, but obviously she had no issue with them. I just would risk it for my babies. My litters of pups get their first knuckle/hip joints at 5 or 6 weeks old.
Do you buy them from the raw food supplier or from the butcher? I read that there is more likely to be issues with bacteria from a butcher. So many different views out there.
My dog has ribs, spines and carcasses and has done since he was about 7 months old. I very rarely give knuckle bones cos I worry he will break his teeth, he is such a determined chewer. I get them from the butchers, friends who hunt and chicken carcass from a raw food supplier as I can't get organic chicken locally. We've never had a problem with choking - he seems to instinctively know what to do. It amazes me the way a side of venison ribs can be so completely digested yet bits of carrot and rice pass through intact.
