Bones-are they good for my dog?

I'm frequently asked about my opinion as far as feeding dogs on bones and a variety of chews. Now just as we enjoy snacking, so do our pets. So what can we give them that is not only safe, but also beneficial to their health?

Dogs have evolved as scavengers, where a great deal of their diets would've been composed of the eating leftover carcasses of deceased animals. They have adapted over the millennia to have the jaws and teeth to chew. And they not only enjoy it, but they love it! It brings out a whole different side of their behavior, which can become very dominant and aggressive. Nevertheless, when bones are provided in the safe environment for the dog, it'll keep them busy for hours as they chew trying to get to the tasty marrow thereby naturally brushing and scouring their teeth. This helps to keep their mouth clean and their teeth in a clean and healthy condition.

Remember of course, that they haven't evolved to eat cooked bones, and so we always feed the bones raw. Cooking destroys the matrix of the bone causing it to become brittle, to splinter, and therefore is very dangerous. The raw bones (we always recommend beef bones that have come from the same butcher that you would use for our own meat consumption) have gone through meat inspection and are absolutely fine for your pets to chew on. Remember to always use the same precautions in handling these bones as you would when you handle any other raw meat products. We suggest providing your dog with a new bone approximately once every one or two weeks. Occasionally we will find a dog that cannot tolerate bones causing a degree of bowel disorder. In this case we would look for alternative chews which would be both beneficial for the teeth while keeping them occupied and satisfied. “Kong” toys, rawhide chews and a variety of other chews are available from pet stores. Generally however it has been my experience that some of these rawhide chews can get lodged in the mouth or throat or esophagus of these dogs and potentially can create some serious problems.

We stock bones at our clinic that we have found to be very well tolerated by our patients.