# Are rabbit bones safe for pets?



## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Thinking of perhaps keeping an extra doe or two to provide each of my dogs with a rabbit once per week or so... would I need to cut off the meat for them, or could I give them the whole bun?

Dunno why I'm worried... same dogs used to get out as pups and eat rancid roadkill, who knows what kind of bones they ate then... but I am concerned.


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## March Hare (May 5, 2005)

Whole is good. Chewing through the bones helps keep their teeth clean. Do not cook the rabbit, though. The bones will become brittle and splinter, which can cause serious problems for the dog.

Russ


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

Be sure to leave the fur on as it wraps bone fragments in the intestines, providing extra protection.


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Ah, okay then. Thank you both!


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

What about cats? I'm a great believer in natural feeding and yet here I am feeding my most important animal, my cat Marilla, out of tins and packages. If I gave her some rabbit meat, raw, would that be good for her?


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Me too Maggie; I raise bengals, so...
Alot of my fellow breeders feed rabbit to theirs, raw or cooked and have no problem. They don't feed it exclusively, though, need to supplement with other things and vitamin powders, particularly need to watch that the kitties get enough taurine. I'm hoping to someday be able to switch to homemade food for most of mine, especially with losing some to the recalls last year.

I just assumed it would be fine for my cats, but knowing how my pups gulp their food...


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## birdiegirl (Nov 18, 2005)

I feed my 2 cats raw rabbit- they absolutely love it! I have a 2 yr old and a 5 month old kitten. I usually butcher my rabbits on the small side, at about 8-10 weeks old. 

I cut the rabbit into pieces: front legs, rear legs, and the torso is cut into 3 pieces. I take each portion as I feed it and before giving it to the cats, I pulverize the portion with a hammer. I smash it until the meat is flattened and I am convinced that the bones are smashed into tiny pieces. Once I do that, I hand the piece over to the cats. 

This way, they get the benefit of the raw bone, and I feel that the crushed bone will be digested without a problem. I also make sure that they get the rabbit heart, which is high in taurine, an amino acid essential for cats. 

It takes a moderate amount of time for the cats to work through chewing off pieces of the smashed bone/meat- I feed them in the bathroom with the door closed. After about 1/2 hour, they will finish.

They absolutely love rabbit- on butchering days, they wind themselves around my legs as I stand at the kitchen sink, where I do most of the work. Fresh is best, they tell me! 

Donna


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## xoxoGOATSxoxo (Jul 29, 2006)

Do chicken hearts have taurine in them too? We usually just cook them and give them too the dogs, but the cat might like it. 

Sorry to stealt he thread, I just had to ask about the taurine!


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## birdiegirl (Nov 18, 2005)

Chicken hearts are high in taurine, but you must feed them raw, not cooked. Both my dogs and cats love them!


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