Ever thought of getting a bone for your dog? It might not seem appetising to us, but dogs and bones do go together and feeding dogs raw meat and bone is growing in popularity with owners.

This is mostly thanks to the health benefits involved, but also because of increasing distrust of commercial pre packed dog food. But along with this burst of popularity also comes the issue of whether feeding your dog raw meat with bones really is safe!

One of the most debated of these type of bones is raw poultry necks, especially from turkeys. So should you give your dog bones of this type? Are they of great benefit to your dog’s health and worth adding to its diet, or are they not safe for dogs and to be avoided at all costs? Let’s look at the facts!

Give your Dog a Bone: Why Go Raw

Most manufactured dog food contains a long list of additives, preservatives and grain products. Just as we have become more aware and concerned about these in our own diet, dog owners have taken notice for the sake of their dog’s health.

It is actually not biologically natural for dogs to eat food that's been reduced from its whole, unaltered state into prepared, packaged food. So you could argue that raw meat really is a dog’s natural food source.

Health Benefits of Poultry Necks:

Chew on Bones

Plus chewing on the bones can be great for keeping your dog’s teeth healthy. After only a very short time on a raw diet, your dog may have much-improved breath, little or no tartar and much cleaner teeth. All this without having to visit the veterinary dentist or brushing their teeth. So giving a bone to your dog to chew, or pup does have benefits.

Broder collie bones

A HUGE health bonus of raw meat - The chance of getting Gingivitis and periodontal disease in the teeth, which can lead to the spread of bacteria in your dog, is greatly reduced by feeding your dogs bones.

HOWEVER this doesn’t mean that they should be the only thing your dog is fed, or even the only source of meat. While poultry bones have some meat on them, they do not have enough to sustain a dog!

Also if neck bone is the only thing they are regularly fed, then the bone content in the diet will be too high, resulting in your dog suffering from poor digestion. Your dog would be missing out on the protein it needs and other vitamins and minerals that they would get from a balanced diet. At most, neck bones should make up no more than half of a dog’s main meal food, and be balanced out with other meats and vegetables.

Be Prepared

BUT, as with all bones, there is risk involved with feeding these to your dog, and it must be done carefully. Not everyone would recommended poultry bones as there is always a small chance of bones splintering.

First and foremost! Rule number 1! The Prime Directive! Never ever feed your dogs cooked bone. Cooking or boiling makes the bone become hard and brittle, and more likely to splinter than raw bone.

This doesn’t mean that all raw meat bones are safe. It is usually advisable when feeding your dog any bones to supervise them until they are finished to make certain they are not swallowing large chunks of bone.

Size Matters

Because of the size and shape of poultry necks you should be very aware of a few facts before feeding them to your dog. While they are quite long bones, they are also slim, which can be an issue for larger breeds, with wider throats.

There is an increased chance that if not chewed properly the dog could swallow them whole or in large bone fragments and get the neck bone trapped down the throat! This is an experience I am sure none of us want to see happen.

One method to ensure that this didn't happen would be to hold onto one end of the neck while your dog chewed on it. However this might not be appropriate for some dogs as they may not be delighted at the sight of you holding onto their food as they eat it!

big or small dog bone  

Know Your Dog

We already know that there are strong health benefits, but the worry of bones doing your dog a serious injury may still make you reluctant to indulge them. It isn’t even as simple as feeding a small dog small bones, or a large dog large bones.

Personality is more important than size. A 50 kg Rottweiler might daintily chew and nibble the neck safely, while a tiny Chihuahua might greedily try to swallow it whole.

Learn what type of eater your dog is. If you believe they are the kind of dog to carefully chew and swallow bone in small pieces then poultry necks may be ideal for them.

If your dog is more of a gobbler, it probably isn’t worth the risk. A more indelicate dog may also cause damage to their teeth from chomping too hard on bones. However some people believe the strong benefits to dental hygiene outweigh the smaller risk of cracking or breaking a tooth.

You might have considered cutting up the neck into smaller pieces to make it safer, but this may actually do more harm than good. Unless you are extremely careful, you run the risk of creating sharp edges on the cuts you make, which may in turn end up cutting your dog.

chihuahua dog bone

Sensitive Creatures

One more thing you should be aware of!

If your dog has not had raw meats in the past, please make sure to slowly introduce it into their diet. Dogs have surprisingly delicate stomachs, and the sudden introduction of a lot of raw meat can cause them to have stomach issues. Bones for dogs should be given maybe once or twice a week at first. Never feed your dog bones every day all at once.

In the end it is up to your best judgement to decide if raw poultry necks would be good for your dog. The health benefits are numerous. They could make up the heart of your dog’s meal intake, alongside other meats and vegetables, or just be reserved as a tasty snack.

But always think safety first! While bones are safe for dogs most of the time, if your dog is a good chewer, rather than a gobbler, and will crunch the bone properly and not swallow very large pieces, then they should be fine with poultry necks and really enjoy eating them.