The general guideline is one to two raw bones per week with a few days in between each serving, but this may vary between individual dogs so talk to your vet for advice. They can advise you on the best diet, and the most appropriate raw bones for your dog. The Australian Veterinary Association can provide details of qualified vets in your area, and for general care advice, pay a visit to the RSPCA website. If they happen to get all the way through they can also be very uncomfortable for the dog to get out the other end.
Frozen bones get very hard and dogs are more likely to crack their teeth on them, and old or buried bones grow bacteria on them that can cause infection. While there are plenty of risks associated with bones, as long as dog owners are responsible with the way they give bones to their dog, there should be no problems.
The likelihood of injury also depends on the size and shape of the bone ingested. If you pet ingests a cooked bone it is recommend to seek veterinary treatment immediately.
It is important to pay close attention to your dog over the next few days to ensure the bone passes. If the bone doesn't pass and your pooch seems to be having difficulty defecating or there's blood in their stool, or their stomach seems to be swelling, or vomiting, or seems anxious, visit your vet immediately. A cooked rib bone and bottle cap removed from the stomach of week-old Bull Terrier after being swallowed. If you do choose to give your dog bones, always stick to raw bones.
Raw bones act as a kind of toothbrush removing tartar and plaque, keeping their teeth clean. They are also great at a being a boredom buster by providing mental and physical stimulation. Although they are safer than cooked bones, please be aware of their risk factors. Always give dogs raw bones, never cooked. The health risks listed above for cooked bones can also apply to recreational raw bones if your dog has unrestricted, unsupervised access to them.
When the bone has been gnawed down in size throw it out. Do not allow your dog to chew it down to a small chunk he can swallow. Do separate dogs in a multi-dog household before feeding bones. Dogs can get quite territorial about bones and some dogs will fight over them. Fresh raw bones become a gooey, greasy mess until your dog has gnawed them clean, so make sure to protect your flooring and furniture.
Raw bone marrow is very rich and can cause diarrhea and a flare-up of pancreatitis. My pit bulls tried to do this the first time I fed them recreational raw bones — they bit them in two and tried to eat both halves whole.
Over time, I trained them to chew smaller femur bones less aggressively. When you get the bones home, store them in the freezer and thaw one at a time before feeding to your pup. Hungry dogs are more tempted to swallow a bone whole or break it apart and swallow large chunks.
This increases the risk of an obstruction in the digestive tract. If one of the above conditions prevents you from offering raw bones to your dog, consider a softer alternative: a high quality, edible dental bone. A fully digestible, high quality dental dog chew provides mechanical abrasion to help control plaque and tartar, and is similar to the effect of eating whole, raw food in the wild.
In addition, most traditional dog chews contain unhealthy ingredients like gelatin, artificial sweeteners, and other additives and preservatives that are potentially cancer causing.
I highly recommend a high quality dog dental bone, that is percent natural and contain absolutely no corn, soy, gluten, extra fat or sugar, or animal byproducts. Whether you go with raw bones, a high quality dog dental bone, or a combination, the important thing to remember is your canine family member is designed to chew. She needs your help to insure she gets regular opportunities to brush and floss as nature intended, and to exercise those jaw muscles.
I recently boarded my dog Satch at the Animal Keeper in Encinitas.
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