Is it Okay to Give My Dog a Bone? 🦴

There’s lots of contradictory information available that tells owners not to feed bones vs you can feed bones so it’s important to determine which are facts ✅ and which are fiction ❌ . Simply put; giving your dog a bone can be dangerous, but it doesn’t have to be.

What Bones do I Avoid?🤔

Cooked Bones

Cooked bones of any kind are not safe for dogs to consume‼️ During the cooking process bones become brittle which means they can easily splinter and cause damage to your dog’s digestive system. 🐶 They can also suffer from things like:

* Broken/fractured teeth 🦷 * Mouth or tongue injuries * Bones becoming stuck in the mouth * Constipation 💩 * Rectal bleeding * Intestinal blockage and peritonitis 😷

Rawhide

As previously covered in our Dental Chews post; rawhide of any kind is also not 🚫recommended to feed to your pet. They can cause much similar conditions as the cooked bones and harbor large amounts of harmful bacteria like E Coli. 🦠

Commercially Bought Bone Treats

These treats often appear like they would be suitable for your pet but often due to them being processed and dehydrated ☀️ it creates the same brittle effect as the cooked bones. 🦴 Things like pork 🐷 leg bones, dehydrated ribs and beef knuckles are examples of these dried bones. Some common symptoms reported in pets include:

* Choking * Intestinal blockage * Cuts in the mouth or on the tonsils 👅 * Vomiting 🤮 * Diarrhoea * Rectal bleeding 🩸

What Bones Can I Feed?

Most raw bones that have not been cooked can be fed to your dog. 🍖 Things like raw chicken (Wings, necks) 🐓, raw turkey (Wings, necks) 🦃, lamb bones with rounded ends 🐑, kangaroo tail or beef bones (like leg or brisket bones) 🐄 are often soft enough to chew and digest. It is also important to choose bones that have minimal fat and marrow to avoid digestive upset and conditions like Pancreatitis. 🤢

Extra Considerations

It is recommended to feed your dog a bone equivalent to the size of their head, this is to avoid small chunks being accidentally swallowed.🐕

Never let your dog bury a bone and then dig it up later to eat 🍽. Harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E Coli 🦠 build up on the bones surface and can cause serious illness in your pet.

It is also a good idea to lessen your pets meal if given a bone. 🍖 This is to prevent your pet becoming overweight ⚖️ by consuming too many calories, just like people!

ALWAYS supervise 👀 your pet when giving them a bone and if any symptoms occur then your pet may not be a candidate for bones in future. 😮If you are ever unsure please contact your Veterinarian 👨🏻‍⚕️👩🏼‍⚕️ to chat with them about appropriate bones for your pet.

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