 The Short Answer is: |
After a bone has been cooked, it becomes harder and more brittle than a raw bone, and therefore considered more dangerous to dogs. Therefore, a cooked lamb bone will be more likely to break your dog’s teeth. It is more likely to break into sharp pieces that get stuck in your dog’s throat or further down its body. |
In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Have Cooked Lamb Bones?“.
When it comes time to clean up after roasting my kitchen looks like a bomb went off.
Theres not an inch of space on any of the work surfaces since every saucepan and roasting pan has been used.
It would be a simple place to begin clearing up the mammoth task if you gave the dog the bones straight from the joint.
However is this the right course of action?
I will specifically discuss lamb bones in todays article.
As we look at your dog and bones I want to start by looking at a few fundamental rules.
As for whether a bone should be raw or cooked the first rule is.
Should dogs eat cooked bones?
After a bone has been cooked it becomes harder and more brittle than a raw bone and therefore considered more dangerous to dogs.
Therefore a cooked lamb bone will be more likely to break your dogs teeth.
It is more likely to break into sharp pieces that get stuck in your dogs throat or further down in their body.
So from that standpoint alone raw lamb bones are better for your dog than cooked ones.
There is an important point to remember here: not all raw bones from any animal are safe to feed your dog.
I will discuss another guiding principle in the next section.
The size of a lamb bone matters
When it comes to keeping our dogs as safe as possible giving them raw bones is only part of the solution.
A bones size and shape are also important considerations.
We as dog owners need to make sure that any bone we give to our dogs is the right size.
Specifically we want to ensure that the bones are not so small that they could choke on them.
You should chew your bones not swallow them whole.
This depends on the size of your dog and how well he behaves at the dinner table.
When your dog chews his food and takes his time he will be less at risk than one who inhales food instead of eating it.
I will discuss the shape of a bone in the next section after establishing that raw bones are best and that size does matter.
Why lamb chop bones aren’t ideal
Lambchop bones are typically slender with sharp edges.
When it comes to our dogs we need to watch out for these sharp edges.
Again these bones may pose a choking hazard.
Due to this lamb chops are not a good choice of bone for many dogs even if they are raw…
If you are getting bored with me telling you which bones are not ideal then do not worry because I’ll tell you what is the best lamb bone for your dog in the next section.
What is the perfect lamb bone for your dog?
Last but not least when it comes to bones you should provide your dog with weight-bearing bones from any animal including lambs bones.
In my previous post I mentioned how cooked bones tend to splinter more easily than raw bones.
In the body weight-bearing bones such as the leg and shoulder bones are stronger and denser than other bones.
As a result they are less likely to splinter and therefore more dog friendly.
Thus we have returned to where we began in the article on my kitchen.
Occasionally roasting a leg of lamb will probably give your dog the perfect lamb bone.
Sadly when the bone has been roasted it isnot ideal for your dog.
Taking out the leg bone before roasting does not make sense for you or your family.
In part this is due to the fact that roasted joints have more flavor when roasted on the bone.
Second removing the bone from a leg of lamb before it is cooked is tricky and takes a lot of time.
I have tried to do it a couple of times and ended up in a real pickle!
How to debone a leg of lamb
Here is a video that shows step by step how to prepare a raw leg of lamb for your dog for those of you who are adamant they will eat it.
This video is only a minute long and the chef who narrates it believes that deboning a leg of lamb is an easy skill to learn.
Go figure!
Having discussed lamb bones in quite some detail I want to discuss another closely related issue
Can dogs eat mutton bones?
Even though lamb is more popular meat than mutton some people still like to eat it or feed it to their dogs.
The same applies to mutton bones as it does to lamb bones.
Mutton is the meat of a sheep if you do not know what it is.
In addition to raw mutton bones dogs can eat shoulder and leg bones of mutton.
The perfect (slow) cooked lamb bones for your dog
The conclusion of this article will be positive.
In my opinion deboning a lamb leg isnot practical for many of us so I’ll suggest a “hack”.
There is a workaround for those of you who are desperate to feed cooked lamb bones to your dog.
The safest way to do this is to make a simple plain lamb bone broth.
Do not add all of those fancy seasonings that you might add to a bone broth that you will consume.
In order to make lamb bone broth the cooked bones are heated in a pot of water with some vinegar for a number of hours (it can be either eight hours or twenty-four hours).
You should not add any other ingredients.
There is no need to add any seasoning or onion and garlic to your dogs food.
The best method is to use a slow cooker but it can also be done in a conventional oven.
As a result of boiling bones for such a long time they begin to dissolve and release many nutrients which are beneficial for your dog.
Even though the process takes forever it is very simple.
In this article we break down the process into six simple steps.
Amanda (Author)
With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.
Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)
Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.
