Throwing a bone to your dog? You may want to look at some of these dog bone guidelines. They can promote mental stimulation, prevent boredom, and are good exercise. It's important to be careful because dogs can choke on bones or be injured if a bone splinter gets stuck in their digestive tract. Here is some advice on what bones are safe. However, it's always good to check with your vet if you have any questions about your pet.
Cooked Bones:
Cooked, smoked, and dehydrated bones are brittle. This increases the chance that a splinter can cause an internal injury to your pet. The FDA states that the following are risks when giving your dog a cooked bone.
Risks of Cooked bones:
- Broken teeth and oral injuries
- Bone can get stuck in lower jaw
- Bone can get stuck in esophagus, windpipe, stomach, or intestines
- Gastrointestinal obstruction
- Severe bleeding from the rectum
- Peritonitis
Raw Bones:
On the contrary to cooked bones, raw bones can be safe for dogs so long that you follow some guidelines. There are two types of raw bones, edible and recreational bones. Edible bones are hollow, non-weight-bearing bones of birds. These provide calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals. Recreational bones are big pieces of beef, bison femur, or hip bones filled with marrow. They do not provide nutrition for your dog but they do provide mental stimulation and good oral health.
Advice for Recreational Raw Bones:
- Observe your pet when they have a bone and make sure they do not choke or swallow it. Remove the bone before it gets small enough to swallow.
- If you have more than one dog, separate them so they do not get territorial over bones.
- Don’t give bones to a dog that had dental work or crowns.
- Don’t give raw bones to your dog if they have a susceptibility to pancreatitis. This is because raw bone marrow is rich and can cause diarrhea and a flare-up of pancreatitis. Thawing the bone and scooping out the bone marrow can help avoid this.
- Don't give bones to a dog that had dental work.
- Give bones to your pet after they have eaten so they are not hungry and tempted to swallow it.
- For older dogs, stick to softer bones.
If these risks prevent you from giving your dog bones, a healthy alternative can be a high quality, edible dental bone. This can include Greenies Dental Treats, Himalayan Dog Chew, and C.E.T. Chews.
Related stories:
National love your pet day
http://www.clickondetroit.com/live-in-the-d/whats-the-buzz/national-love-your-pet-day
Traveling with your pet
http://www.clickondetroit.com/pets/traveling-with-your-pet