Do you give your dog bones?

[n2mark]

I heard this was dangerous. Are my sources wrong?

At one time I would give my dogs the bones from baby back ribs, of course I left meat on them too. I was told this was hard on their system. Geez, when I eat ribs, they are pouting and whining at my side.

[Cuban_Liberal]

1. SOME bones, yes.

We give them beef bones and large pork bones.

[bread_and_roses]

2. Do NOT, NOT give your dog bones!

Ask your Vet if you don't believe me - you are literally risking their lives everytime you do it.

[n2mark]

6. Thanks, that is what I heard

I stopped doing it when a friend told me not to do this.

[tuvor]

16. You're right about cooked bones, but not about raw bones.

Well, first of all, anyone can conceivably choke on anything. Other than that, maybe you could clarify.

My friend runs a raw/natural dog and cat food store that also sells raw bones, and he has a large clientele.

No problems.

(Don't forget, traditional vets make money selling you their products. They don't make anything if they recommend raw bones.)

[bread_and_roses]

17. My Vet never tried to sell me anything

...in fact, the practice doesn't sell any toys, chewies, etc. When I asked her about raw bones (I had three large Golden Retrievers at the time) she told me she had spent more time than she cared to remember picking bone chips out of dogs guts, and no, raw weren't safe.

Since a perforated gut is painful and life-threatening, I choose to follow the advice of a Vet I trust rather than anyone else's. Others obviously can make their own decisions.

[Debi]

3. I do

I have two little dogs and they love bones...I worry about chicken bones but the hubby gives it to them anyway.

[Straight Shooter]

4. The problem with rib bones is they might splinter, which is very bad.

Best kind of bone is a knuckle bone. You can usually go to the meat department or your local butcher and ask them for bones for your dogs. Sometimes they give them away, sometimes they charge you.

Dogs absolutely love the marrow in bones, but it's my understanding that knuckle bones are best for their teeth, because of the smooth rounded surface.

I've been giving bones (never rib bones) to my dogs for 15 years and never had a problem.

My friend even gives his dog chicken bones, but never cooked! Only raw. No problems there, either, but I'm too chicken to try that :)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. They prefer Spock. (nt)

[Xithras]

11. Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a chewtoy!

;)

[BensMom]

7. Never pork or chicken

But i do get beef bones from the grocer.
I also give Fido rawhide bones to gnarl.

Better than my shoes.

[havocmom]

8. Rib bones VERY dangerous; they splinter too easily.

What kind of dog? We have a Golden Bed Hog and he has a collection of HUGE Nylabones, which he loves and also has some sort of Druid/hinge builder thing going with. He gets an occasional real cow bone, always a big one, either femur or shoulder and always raw (access to a meat processing shop is a plus when you need bones). Cooking makes them more likely to splinter.

Never poultry bones, no ribs or smaller bones, no cooked bones. Nylabones are really great, they come in various sizes & flavors and make great building blocks for the more creative hounds. Wish I could afford to get about 60 of the biggest ones. Would love to see what the 90 Pound Hound would arrange with them.

[shawcomm]

9. Pork bones especially will splinter and can really

mess up their insides. I've heard some people grind up chicken bones which makes them safe. I've never done it, but it sounds like it would be okay.

[H2O Man]

10. Yep.

My 118-lb dog is chewing on a large bone right now. I suspect that his ancestors were gnawing on bones for some time. I've known hundreds of dogs, and never known of any one of them having any trouble related to chewing on bones.

[Xithras]

12. Beef only

I've been told that pork bones are too soft, and I've actually had a dog choke to death on a chicken bone.

Big beef bones are fine though.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. RAW only. NEVER cooked, else they will splinter and your dog will suffer

the consequences. Big knuckle bones right from the butcher would be best.

Altho this site: http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/bones.html

http://www.thepetcenter.com/xra/bonecomp.html

Believes that feeding dogs bones of any kind can be dangerous, and has X-rays to supports it views.


The Galileo bones from Nylabones have always kept my dogs very happy.
They come in various sizes and do not chip.

[tuvor]

15. Agreed. In fact, raw food period.

Our SPCA-rescued Lab cross gets raw bones, and his teeth went from horrible to sparkly-clean. Our vet's amazed, and a little poorer for it.

Our pug, however, has such nonexistent teeth that we're uncomfortable giving him bones at all. He's happy with fish skin tied into bone shape.

But raw food is definitely the way to go. Dogs were meant to eat that way, and their bodies can't handle the filler found in almost all dried dog foods. In fact it causes a lot of problems that result in unnecessary vet bills.

[nuxvomica]

14. Never give your dog cooked bones of any sort. They will splinter.

Raw beef bones, I've been told, are okay. Also, if you buy the marrow bones at the butcher counter, you can dig out the marrow and give that to your dog, even if it's cooked. That's a very nutritious treat and dogs love it.

[NoPasaran]

18. I'm dreading the copycat thread this one will spawn n/t