Raw Meaty Bones

[Janie]

Is safe or not to feed raw meaty bones?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Raw meaty bones", or RMB, is an entire method of raw feeding started by an Australian veterinarian, Ian Billingsley. The followers of RMB are fanatical in their devotion to the program, but the "science" behind it is very shaky, and the statements on the raw feeding websites about anatomy, immunity, nutrition, and the natural habits of wolves & dogs are very inaccurate. It is not true that cooking changes the nutritional qualities of meat; there is a small amount of protein lost, and that's it. It is also not true that raw feeding somehow protects your dog against diseases, parasites, allergies, or fleas. It is also not true that dogs cannot digest grains, although it is true that this requires additonal work on the part of the digestive system.
As far as I can tell, you have to follow the whole RMB program; I don't think you can just give the dog raw meaty bones sometimes and then give them other kinds of cooked or processed foods, it will cause major digestive problems. There is also a risk of choking & bone splinters, the dogs have to be watched carefully while eating. The exception to this is raw beef marrow bones, which are perfectly safe for dogs. But there is really no benefit to giving them raw as opposed to cooked. As far as I can tell, the reason that normal people feed raw is because they don't want to feed commercial dog food, but also don't want to have to cook. And to me, that is the only reason that makes sense.
I personally don't see any benefit to giving raw bones & meat, and lots of risk, but I know a few people who do subscribe to this feeding method and feel that it works for their dogs.

[Janie]

Thank you,Karen.

[Nancy Sunderland]

I have the same questions! Can you doodle aficionados please give me advice about the "raw meaty bone" diet? It sounds, (pardon my verbiage), icky! But they are carnivors, and it stands to reason... I wonder, is it really doable, or is it too much work? But.........if it's better for them..... Here is a sample of some advice/info a found from a doodle breeders website:

"1. Raw Meaty Bones

Why?

Nature intended dogs and wolves to eat a raw diet. They are carnivores. Man invented kibble for convenience and it has done considerable harm to many dogs! Dogs stomachs are designed to process bone."

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy, the verbiage on the raw feeding websites makes these blanket statements as if they were fact...there are lots of nice normal people who follow the RMB feeding program for various reasons, but the core group of RMB followers are fanatical, and follow a philosophy that is not biologically logical or accurate. I have researched this extensively, and I cannot find one scrap of impartial evidence that the RMB diet is beneficial, and have even found some evidence (again, scientific, NOT anecdotal) that it can be harmful. One bit of information that I found interesting is that the wolves in wolf preserves and habitats are NOT fed raw...they are given commercial kibble, and it is felt that they are healthier with this.
As to whether it's doable, sure. All you feed your dogs ever, is raw meat & bones. I personally wouldn't want to have raw meat & chicken lying around my house, but we do have members who feed raw. Is it better for them? In my opinion, no. The normal people who feed raw do it because of the controversies over commercial dog foods, and because it is much easier than cooking for your dog, which many of our members also do.
"Nature intended dogs and wolves to eat a raw diet"... Well, nature also intended for them to live outdoors, to never be bathed or brushed, to fight each other for dominance of their packs, and to die of various causes at about 6 years old. So if someone wants their dog to live "as nature intended", why stop with food? Throw the dog out in the yard and let him fend for himself. Of course, we don't do that. We groom them, we buy them toys, we bathe them, we take them to the vet, and we feed them to the best of our abilities. Wolves & dogs hooked up with man in the first place because they wanted our food, lol.
RAW diets do not cause a dog's immune system to be healthier. They don't prevent illness or repel fleas. Dogs with compromised immune systems can be seriously harmed by raw food, just like humans with immune system deficiencies. Eating bones is beneficial for the teeth, but that is a separate issue. The digestive systems of dogs and wolves are not identical. Wolves teeth are 3 times bigger, and their digestive tracts are much shorter. While they are sometimes classified as carnivores, they are also classified as omnivores, as they do eat fruits and vegetables when these are available to them. Corn, wheat, and certain other grains are not natural foods for dogs, but you can certainly feed high quality kibble and homecooked foods that will provide all the nutrients a dog (or wolf, for that matter) needs, and then some. If you want to feed raw for your own reasons, that's fine, and maybe we can get a discussion going here where the few who do feed raw will explain their routines, minus the fanatical RMB website vernacular. But don't do it because it's better for your dog then other premium kibble or homecooked foods...it's not.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You may find this study very interesting; nine caretakers of wolves in wolf preserves were surveyed about feeding raw meat & bones to wolves. I found this to be a real eye-opener.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/wolfexrep.html