Tip of the Month: Bones - To Feed or Not to Feed?
I own/operate a custom care dog boarding kennel and as such agree to feed whatever a dog's owner requests; kibble, raw, can dog food, organ meat, scrambled eggs, tripe, pumpkin, raw peas and veggies, half a raw chicken, treats of every description...you name it! Many years ago I was asked once to feed a dog one raw bone per day. I double checked instructions and the dog's mom she said she fed them regularly and had never had any trouble. That night I gave her dog one of the bones she provided. The next morning I went into a kennel to find a very painful dog amidst what looked like a murderscene for all the pools of blood everywhere! According to the vet the dog had splintered off part of the bone which punctured the intestines, tearing and ripping through the digestive tract as it traveled. A $5000 vet surgery later...the dog recovered and was fine. Since then, I prefer not to leave any dog unsupervised with bones.
What about cooked bones you ask? When we cook meat with bone, we make it more edible as we also cook off any threatening bacteria. Bones become softer and drier which translates to smaller sharper pieces breaking off bones easier and raising the risk of cutting the mouth and/or throat and when swallowed, lacerating the intestines or getting lodged in a dog's digestive tract.
Other common issues with feeding your dog any kind of bones, including what some feel are the safer choices, like marrow bones (btw once the marrow center is eaten, it is common for the ring to slip over a dog's lower jaw – not fun),is broken, cracked and chipped teeth. As we all know, dogs will gnaw and chew and really get focused on eating those bones but the dental threat and potential of having to repair tooth and jaw damage in your dog's mouth may not be worth the pleasure of giving your dog that yummy bone!
Some folks argue that dogs have chewed up raw meat and bones forever however rarely do they realize that when the outcome is bad for predators in the wild, those dogs simply don't survive. As for your own pup, you can be sure that a sharp or stuck bone or dental damage will result in a very painful scene and one doozer of a vet bill! The good news is that there are many alternatives that are safe and healthy for your dog's chewing pleasure!
*Veterinarians (and myself) advise against letting dogs chew bones in general unless carefully supervised.
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