Pork Bone And Marrow

Pork slaughter leaves the skeleton once the meat is cut away. Raw food makers grind those bones, marrow and all, into the meat mix, so the bone stays uncooked, unlike rendered bone meal.^1,8

1. 01 // Source Pork bones Bones separated from the meat at slaughter, a by-product of the pork industry, with marrow still inside.
2. 02 // Process Ground fine Bones are ground together with meat and organs, so the bone arrives as grit inside the patty, not as pieces.
3. 03 // Process Pressure treated, sometimes Some makers use high-pressure processing. In one test, 586 MPa for 2 minutes cut Salmonella 100,000-fold.
4. 04 // Output Frozen raw food Packed and frozen uncooked. Unlike rendered bone meal, it is never heated to kill disease agents.

1. 01

   Supplies the calcium

   Muscle meat and organs are low in calcium. Bone brings about 22% calcium and 10% phosphorus on a dry basis, and in one raw ration survey some rations got excess calcium from bones.^1,3

2. 02

   Uses a slaughter leftover

   Bone is what remains after pork is cut for meat. Grinding it into pet food turns a by-product that does not sell as meat into an ingredient.¹

3. 03

   Firms the stool

   Bone mineral passes largely undigested and adds dry bulk. In a beagle trial, more meat and bone meal raised fecal dry matter.⁴

How much No source publishes a rate for ground pork bone; a 6-beagle trial fed bone-rich meat and bone meal at 6, 12 and 24% of the diet.⁴

1. Brands say

   Ground bone is a natural calcium source

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Raw bone meal runs about 22% calcium and 10% phosphorus on a dry basis. In a survey of 95 raw rations, some got excess calcium from bones while others fell far short. The calcium is real; the dose varies.^1,3

2. Owners say

   Bone in the diet firms up stool

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 6-beagle trial, meat and bone meal at 6, 12 and 24% raised fecal dry matter and moved scores toward ideal without changing protein digestibility. That was dried bone meal in kibble, not raw pork bone.⁴

3. Brands say

   Marrow adds extra nutrition

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   One study measured pig marrow at 18 to 27% fat, and rib marrow carried more protein and iron than marrow from other bones. No study has fed marrow to dogs or measured any benefit. In a ground blend it mainly adds fat.²

4. Owners say

   Raw bone keeps teeth clean

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Chewing whole beef bones cut calculus by 65 to 90% in 14 days in a 12-dog trial, with some gum injuries. Ground bone in a thawed patty is never gnawed against the teeth, so that effect does not apply.⁵

5. Owners say

   Bone in dog food can splinter and choke

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Bones made up 61% of esophageal foreign bodies in a 261-dog study, but those were swallowed pieces of whole bone. Finely ground bone is a different material, and no study links it to obstruction.⁶