Raw Bones

I’ve been trying to get Peabody to eat raw bones for years. He typically sniffs them and walks away, seemingly offended, like I’m trying to poison him. I used to give our other dogs (RIP) raw organic chicken medallions as treats, but Peabody refused to touch those, even when the other dogs were gobbling them up. I recently offered him a fresh, free-range, raw chicken drumstick – he took it in his mouth and immediately spit it out and walked away. I sometimes joke that my vegetarianism has worn off on him, but I doubt that’s actually the case. I thought it was more likely that raw meat, particularly chicken, smelled too much like our pet chickens, and he didn’t want to eat a member of his family.

I decided to try again, this time with a fresh beef bone, as we do not [yet] have a pet cow. I offered him the bone and he sniffed it and walked away. So much for the ‘pet’ theory. I put it down on the floor and pointed at it. He pounced around it, barking and play-bowing for about 20 minutes before he finally gave in and licked it. I wish I had it on video. That was it- he’s hooked. At the moment, I’m just picking up beef “soup” bones from the grocery store. They’re usually a combination of thick femur-type bones and knuckles with lots of cartilage and bone marrow. A two-pack of good-sized bones is usually about $2-$2.50 around here, so it’s an inexpensive way to add some fresh food to the diet. I’ve been slowly switching him over from dog food to a completely fresh diet (more on this later) and these are a good source of B vitamins and calcium.