Bone meal provides dogs with essential calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals essential to their wellbeing and helps strengthen their immune systems.
Dogs can obtain essential nutrition by chewing bones, but it’s essential that these are properly cooked before giving to their canines as uncooked bones can cause tooth fractures and blockages in their digestive tracts.
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It’s easy to make
Bone meal is an easy and cost-effective way to supplement your dog’s diet, providing essential calcium, phosphorous and other essential nutrients such as protein. When fed at appropriate levels it can build strong bones and teeth, support cell health and aid digestion – however too much bone meal could potentially block their digestive tract, potentially leading to fatal consequences in dogs.
Food-grade bone meal is ideal, while commercial versions often contain animal by-products that could be dangerous to dogs. When making homemade bone meal, select beef bones with plenty of marrow and use apple cider vinegar to extract minerals; once cool, you can freeze individual servings into ice cube trays to store for longer.
It’s affordable
Many pet parents opt to make homemade bone broth as part of their dogs’ meals, however they must be mindful not to use human-grade bone meal as this could contain ingredients harmful for dogs. Furthermore, certain commercial bone broths contain more sodium than necessary and should only be fed on occasion.
Bone meal provides essential minerals like calcium and phosphorous while simultaneously strengthening your immune system. Homemakers can make it by boiling meat bones, fat and cartilage until gelatinous before processing it with a food processor – it’s especially popular among followers of the raw-food BARF diet.
Bone meal is an inexpensive ingredient used to add moisture and protein to kibble. While cheaper pet food brands often feature it, higher-end brands will generally switch out for meat and bone meals that come from food-grade animals for optimal nutrition. Conversely, lower-end brands may use animal byproducts collected at slaughterhouses before being stored in refrigerated warehouses before eventually being sold off to dog food manufacturers.
It’s healthy
Bone meal provides your pup with essential calcium and phosphorous nutrients essential to their wellbeing. Plus, its abrasive nature can help clean their teeth and gums more effectively than other sources.
However, it’s essential that only bone meal that has been sterilized and ground finely is fed to your dog as whole bones may crack their teeth or block their digestive tracts.
As mentioned previously, higher-quality foods tend to use safer versions of bone meal than its cheaper counterparts; bargain-basement meals typically use cheaper bone meals that include animal bones and hooves slaughtered for human food; these cheap options may lead to issues like diarrhea and gas. Furthermore, gardener’s bone meal sold in home and garden stores may contain chemical fertilizers toxic for dogs and should therefore be avoided at all costs.
It’s natural
Bone meal provides essential calcium and phosphorus nutrients that support bone health in dogs when fed moderately. Furthermore, bone meal may help strengthen immunity systems while supporting digestion.
Raw animal bones provide essential nutrition for dogs, but can be harmful if not handled appropriately. When raw bones are not ground finely enough, they may splinter and present a potential choking or laceration hazard for your pup. For maximum safety, ensure all bones have been sterilized before being finely ground to eliminate bacterial contamination and ensure good hygiene standards are upheld during storage and transportation.
To avoid these risks, select a high-quality commercial bone broth designed specifically for pets that is free from additives, herbs and spices. Or make your own broth using organic vegetables from local sources and bones from nearby. There are plenty of recipes online for homemade bone broth too!
