Meaty Beef Shanks

Choose RDBK Meaty Beef Shanks as an excellent recreational raw bone option for dogs and cats.

• The meat portion of Meaty Beef Shanks can be fed as a meal replacement and include variable amounts of meat, connective tissue, and generous amounts of marrow (fat).

Recreational raw bones provide minimal nutritional value to your pet's diet. However, the advantages of offering your pet these marrow bones as a natural chew are numerous:

• Dental Health: Effectively cleans teeth and massages gums
• Jaw Muscle Exercise: Helps exercise and strengthen the jaw muscles.
• Mental Stimulation: Provides an engaging endorphin-releasing activity for mental stimulation.

Before you feed a recreational bone, please review the Safe Feeding and Handling Guidelines on this page and the label.   

Before you feed a recreational bone, please review the Safe Feeding and Handling Guidelines on this page and the label.

While offering recreational bones to your pet comes with numerous health benefits, it's crucial to be aware of potential risks. Understanding and implementing best practices for managing these risks will help you choose the safest bone options for your pet.

How to Choose the Safest Raw Bones for Your Pet:

• Know your pet’s history and chew style before offering bones. Take the RDBK bone quiz for a list of recommended bone options based on your pet’s size and chew style.
• Always choose a bone larger than your pet’s mouth capacity.
• Do not give recreational bones to aggressive chewers or gulpers.
• If you are uncertain if bones are right for your pet, please reach out to our education team, a holistic nutritionist or a raw-supportive veterinarian. 

Know the Potential Risks of Feeding Raw Bones to Your Pet:

• Bone chewing may pose a risk to any pet, particularly for those with dental issues and/or gastrointestinal concerns/disease or those on low-fat diets.
• Bone chewing may cause tooth fractures and/or GI upsets.
• Feeding frozen bones increases the risk of choking, GI upset and tooth fractures.
• Not intended for human consumption.

Guidelines for Safely Feeding Raw Bones to Your Pet:

• Always supervise your pet and remove the bone immediately if concerns arise.
• DO NOT serve on an empty stomach when your pet is hungry.  This may increase the risk of gulping.
• DO NOT COOK - NEVER FEED COOKED BONES
• Keep frozen until ready to serve. 
• Thaw bones completely in the fridge before serving (usually 6-12 hours in the fridge). 
• Refrigerate uneaten bones for up to 3 days. Discard bones after 1 hour if not in the fridge.
• Do not allow your pet to chew the bone down to pieces that can be swallowed.
• Remove and discard when one or all of the following apply:

  • The majority of the meat, connective tissue and marrow have been consumed

  • Your pet reaches the brittle part of the bone

  • If cracks or splinters are noted

• Wash hands and all surfaces with warm, soapy water after handling.

Learn More:

• Safe Raw Bone Feeding for Dogs and Cats: 8 Essential Rules for Pet Parents
• How to Choose the Best Raw Bones for Dogs
• How to Choose the Best Raw Bones for Cats

Q: Is feeding raw bones safe?

A: Bones can be safe when appropriate choices are made based on the size of your pet, the type of bone, and the style of chewer that they are, but feeding bones, like many other foods, can present some risks.  We must be aware of the potential risks as well as our pet’s abilities in order to feed them safely. 

Q: Can my pet break their teeth on bones?

A: Fractured teeth and worn teeth are considered a risk when allowing a pet to chew on almost anything.  With bones these risks can be mitigated and pretty much eliminated via proper bone selection for your individual pet’s size and chewing style.  However, dental injuries can always happen, so be sure to always supervise your pet closely when they are chewing or consuming bones and take them away if any concerns arise.  It is also good practice to inspect your pets’ teeth and mouth often and especially before and after offering bones, so that you can recognize any concerns and address them before they become an health or medical issue.

Q: How often can I give my pet a bone?

A: Each pet is different.  In general bones can be fed 1-2 times per week for adult pets and 3-4 times per week for puppies and kittens.  If your pet experiences very firm, hard, chalky stool or straining to poop or becomes constipated, cut back on how many bones you are feeding, this means they do not need that much bone in their diet, or they are less tolerant of bones.

Q: Can I feed frozen bones?

A: It is generally not recommended to feed bones frozen as this can increase risks of choking, and tooth fractures in some pets.  Very gentle chewers may be an exception to this, as the bone will slowly defrost to a safer state as they chew.  Our Sardines and Salmon Heads are naturally softer bones, and may be enjoyed in a semi- frozen state for most pets.  Know your pets' chewing style and observe them closely when offering any bone, frozen or not.

Q: Can I feed raw bones to my kibble-fed pet?

A: Anytime you add something new to your pet’s diet it is a good idea to check with your vet to be sure it is ok for your individual pet, just in case there is a medical reason not to do so.  The great news is that many kibble-fed pets can  enjoy raw bones!  You may notice a significant change in the firmness, texture and colour of your pet’s poop after having a bone, and this is totally normal, and can actually be beneficial (e.g. promotes natural expression of anal glands)! Just be sure they are not showing signs of constipation, and back off on the amount/size of bone if they are.  Your pet may also experience some softer stool as well, this is also ok, as long as we are not seeing diarrhea persist, and they are otherwise normal.  Kibble fed pets do have a different microbiome composition than raw fed pets, so they might experience more notable differences in digestion when feeding raw bones compared to raw fed pets.