Feeding bones to your dog
Feeding bones to dogs is controversial. Evidence suggests chewing bones is good for dogs in some ways, yet bad in other ways.
- Bones are a natural source of calcium and phosphorus.
- Chewing stimulates the jaw and prevents boredom.
- Bones can break teeth and cause damage to the enamel.
- Cooked bones are brittle and splinter. Splinters can perforate the intestines.
- Type of bones: Raw bones don't splinter, but may contain bacteria that cause diarrhea and illness.
- Never feed raw pork, with or without bones.
- Work with a holistic veterinarian to determine what's best for your pet.
Chicken bones for dogs
We've all heard the saying, 'Don't feed
your dog chicken bones!' But really, feeding any cooked bone to your dog is dangerous because cooked bones may splinter and damage the stomach and intestines. Raw bones do not normally splinter. Many pets enjoy chewing raw chicken or turkey necks and raw chicken wings that are free of salmonella and other bacteria. Raw beef knuckle bones are also delicious treats. Work with your holistic veterinarian to do what is best for your individual pet.
Rawhide dog bones
Rawhide dog bones allow dogs to chew safely indoors without dirtying the floor or furniture. Rawhide dog bones exercise the jaw, stimulate saliva flow, and help keep the mouth healthy. Because rawhide does not dissolve in the intestines, make sure your pet doesn't swallow large hunks. Remove the rawhide once it is small enough that your pet might swallow it whole.
Tips to make bone chewing safer for your dog
- Allow your pet a bone for 20 minutes per day, rinse the bone, and put it in the refrigerator for the next day. Consider soaking the bone in vinegar to kill bacteria before refrigerating. Discard bones after a few days.
- Begin offering bones to puppies. They learn to chew and not gulp. Watch adult dogs receiving bones for the first time. These pets have the biggest problem because they become overly excited, attack their bones, bite off and swallow chunks, and develop intestinal blockages.
- Observe your pet while he or she has a bone. Remove the bone well before it is small enough to fit entirely in the mouth and get swallowed.
- Don't get bitten while removing a bone. Have a harness and leash around your dog, ask your pet to come, offer an overwhelmingly great treat, and lead them away from the bone. For many dogs, it's safer to lead your pet away than to reach down and take a bone.
Consider alternative dog treats
Raw bones have their benefits, and now many dog treats do as well. Whether it's dental
health you are concerned with, or you're looking for an all-natural treat, there are plenty of options. As with all dog treats, moderation is key to avoid excessive weight gain.
Q. I have a co-worker who feeds raw chicken wings to her dog. I thought chicken bones could kill dogs. Is this safe?
A. Chicken bones can and do kill dogs. All bones, whether raw or cooked, can potentially fracture teeth and block or tear the throat, stomach and intestines. Raw bones have additional risks that concern both veterinarians and public-health officials: foodborne pathogens such as salmonella. Bacteria such as this are a risk not only to the animals eating the diets, but for other pets and people in the household, particularly for the very young, very old and immunosuppressed. The risk isn't limited to raw meat, by the way, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that all pet food and treats need careful handling.
Consider the Alternatives
Many people now feed their dogs and cats what’s known as the BARF diet (for “bones and raw flesh” or “biologically appropriate raw food"). These pet owners are generally well-educated people who are trying to do what’s best for their pets; however, their devotion to this style of feeding borders on religious zealotry in the minds of many veterinarians.
I personally feed brand-name commercial diets from top companies to all my pets. As a veterinarian, I have a difficult time with the idea that a diet based on science and feeding trials could be so easily dismissed by pet owners who are so committed to their pet’s health. I have known many of the veterinary nutritionists working in the industry for many years, and I am comfortable with their work and their integrity. But I also know many intelligent pet owners who provide their animals with a home-prepared diet that includes raw, meaty bones.
Talk to Your Vet
I doubt that I will ever be completely comfortable with a raw diet, but I have no problem with people who want to maintain their pets on a home-prepared cooked diet in consultation with their veterinarian, preferably one that was vetted by a veterinary nutritionist. I just ask them to keep in mind that if they are not careful to research before they start and to source their ingredients carefully, they may end up with a diet that is not nutritionally balanced and, in the case of raw foods, contaminated with harmful bacteria. We just don’t know enough about all the possible formulations of home-prepared diets to say, hands down, that they are OK.
I am well aware that many pet owners will disagree with me. The number of people who feed raw chicken bones (along with other raw muscle meats, organs and bones as part of a raw diet plan) and have perfectly healthy animals is no doubt proof that feeding a raw chicken bone to a dog is not the automatic death sentence many pet owners have long believed it to be.
But as a veterinarian with more than three decades of experience, I still can’t, in good faith, recommend a raw food diet to my clients as the best option for their pets. The science of pet nutrition is constantly evolving, though, and the debate on this issue remains a healthy one within the veterinary community.