Can dogs eat lamb bones?

Lamb is everywhere in New Zealand, so it’s no surprise this is one of the bone questions people search for most. The answer depends almost entirely on whether the bone is raw or cooked, and which part of the lamb it comes from.

Raw lamb bones raw feeders use

• Lamb necks: meaty and fairly soft, and one of the most popular raw lamb bones.
• Lamb ribs: thinner bones with meat between them.
• Lamb flaps (the brisket): soft bone with a lot of fat. Most raw feeders give these now and then rather than often, because they’re so rich.

Choose a piece your dog has to chew rather than one they could swallow whole, which is a choking risk.

Cooked lamb bones: never

Cooking makes bone hard and brittle, and it can splinter into sharp pieces. That’s true of the leg bone from a roast dinner, chop bones, and any lamb bone that’s been cooked, smoked or boiled. Bin them where the dog can’t reach.

Shanks and leg bones

Raw lamb shanks and leg bones are weight-bearing bones. They’re much denser than necks or ribs, so many raw feeders leave them out. Our guide to which raw bones dogs can eat covers bones from other animals too.

Match the bone to the diet

The simplest rule is to feed bones from the same animal as the rest of your dog’s food. If your dog eats lamb, raw lamb necks from the butcher pair naturally with our Lamb & Heart Rolls, which are lamb and lamb heart in 1.8 kg rolls.

Our own bones are beef, veal and goat, in 10 kg cartons:

• Beef Brisket Bones and Beef Neck Bones for dogs on beef
• Veal Brisket Bones and Veal Neck Bones, which sit in the beef family too
• Goat Bones (when we have them) for dogs that stay off beef

Feeding any raw bone

• Supervise, and take the bone away once it’s small enough to swallow.
• Feed outside or on a surface that’s easy to wipe down.
• Give each dog their own space at bone time.
• Bones are about 10% of a raw diet, which for most dogs means a raw meaty bone a few times a week.

Lamb bone questions

Can my dog have the bone from my lamb chops?

No. Chop bones are cooked, and cooked bones can splinter. Raw lamb ribs or necks are the safer swap.

Are lamb bones too fatty?

Necks and ribs are fine for most dogs. Lamb flaps are the fatty one, so keep them as an occasional extra.