In the previous blog post, the nutritional claims of bone broth were discussed. It was summarized that bone broth is probably beneficial for dogs but that many claims are anecdotal. We do know bone broth can provide energy as well as various amino acids, minerals and collagen that are extracted from the bones during the cooking process. We know that some of the nutrients that may be found (in various quantities) in bone broth do have positive effects on the gastrointestinal tract, which may make bone broth useful in times of temporary inappetence: not only is bone broth palatable, it may also help heal a damaged gut. We do know that making bone broth is a great way to eek out every bit of use from leftover bones before they head to the compost pile!
There was a good question posed: Does feeding raw meaty bones (RMBs in the semantics of the “raw feeding” culture) provide the same nutrition as bone broth?
As stated, the nutritional benefits of bone broth are likely highly dependent on the type of bones used and cooking methods. As to the nutrients provided in RMBs; there is very little information. Food databases (such as USDA’s Food Data Central) do not contain measurements of the nutrients in the actual bones; the entry for chicken necks for example, is assuming the bone is not eaten. Unfortunately, there is no nutrient database for RMBs, and in many cases, the nutrients in RMBs can only be estimated by extrapolation of data from various sources. Thus, from a purely scientific perspective, the nutritional benefits of one over the other cannot currently be proven, as there exist no studies that compare the two and likely never will be; the parameters for controlling such a study would be difficult and it would be near impossible to obtain funding for such a study. There is no human interest here; people don’t generally consume raw meaty bones!
That said, we know what animal bones and connective tissue are made of: minerals and amino acids. We know that a dog’s bones and connective tissue are generated and maintained through the constant turnover of minerals and amino acids. RMBs and especially those that include connective tissues contain the amino acid glycine. Glycine is a building block for collagen and glutathione (an anti-oxidant). While glycine is considered non-essential in that the body does not need a dietary source; rather, it is synthesized from other amino acids, it is likely essential in certain situations when not enough can be made such as growth, aging, or when there are suboptimal levels of the precursor amino acids available. Additionally, cartilage from RMBs contains glucosamine and chondroitin and collagen; which, when ingested might be used to build new healthy connective tissues.
By this we could say that feeding raw meaty bones to dogs is beneficial. But compared to bone broth, there may be more risk in feeding RMBs to dogs such as choking risk, teeth wearing or breakage, constipation, salmonella and other bacterial infections and the risk of oversupply of certain minerals. 100 g of RMB is going to provide a lot more of everything (risks included) than 100 g of broth, where the nutrients are additionally displaced by the added water*. There is going to be more minerals in a RMB vs broth: more calcium and also more phosphorus (a nutrient already abundant in meat ingredients). An oversupply of calcium and / or a skewed calcium to phosphorus ratio can have dire consequences on growing puppies. Excess phosphorus can advance kidney dysfunction in senior dogs
The decision to RMB or not to RMB is going to be very personal. If incorporated as part of a balanced diet, RMBs can contribute many essential and non-essential (but beneficial) nutrients. Overfeeding may lead to health problems. RMBs should generally not be regularly fed in addition to a balanced diet.
Laboratory analysis of some common RMBs can be found in this book: Segal, M. (2009). K9 Kitchen: Your Dogs' Diet: the Truth Behind the Hype. United States: Doggie Diner.
*If you are interested in a deeper dive into this topic, including an estimated nutrient comparison between chicken bone broth (stock) and raw chicken neck RMBs, head on over to the clients only site (password required).
© Fiona Robertson Cert. ACN