Giving your dog bones

Never give cooked bones to your dog, as they can splinter and perforate the intestines. However raw bones are an important source of balanced minerals, protein, fats and vitamins, and clean the teeth. Match the size of the bone to your dog so it can be eaten completely. A woman at one of the dog forums suggested giving bones to your dog while still frozen; the dog will eat them more slowly, thus cleaning the teeth even better. Chicken or turkey neck bones are a good one to start out with as they're smaller and easier for the dog to eat. I was apprehensive about giving my chihuahua bones as she eats very fast and tends to swallow food whole. I finally tried giving her a small slice of a chicken neck, and to my surprise she actually chewed it slowly and methodically until it was gone. If you think your dog will grab and gobble the bones without chewing them, consider adding pre-ground bones or bone meal to the raw food mixture. Smaller prey's bones, such as chicken, turkey, rabbitt, and pheasant, can be ground with a good quality home grinder. However beef bones are too hard for non-commercial grinders to handle, and may be too big for your dog depending on it's size. I found bone meal at Naturally Happy Pets, produced by NaturVets from only USDA approved beef bones. Recommended daily amounts for cats and dogs are:
up to 20 pounds 1 TBSP.
21 to 30 " 1 1/2 TBSP.
31 to 60 " 2 TBSP.
60 + " 2 1/2 TBSP.