Bones not only help control tartar on a dog’s teeth, but they also are nutritional. However, dogs shouldn’t eat just any bone as many are unsafe and unhealthy. The key is to recognize a safe bone from one that isn’t suitable.
Worst Choking Hazards
The worst choking hazards are chicken necks and wings. Besides these, others include the large bones of herbivores such as femurs and knuckle bones. These parts are hazardous to dogs because bones can chip or break teeth. What's more, fragments of the bone can flake off, causing choking. Yet, these are the very types of bones that manufacturers of pet food use in making treats they advertise that keep teeth clean.
Safe Meat Bones
There’s been much debate over whether meat bones are safe for dogs. It’s true dogs can incur problems chewing on raw bones. They can choke and aspiration can occur, leading to pneumonia. However, most often these problems happen in dogs that gulp down their food or feed on small parts of bones.
Rawhides
Rawhides have been given to dogs for years. However, caution must be taken when your dog chews it down to tiny slivers. Again, if your dog tends to gulp down bones too fast chewing a rawhide can be dangerous. However, if you’ve noted that your dog takes his time and uses plenty of saliva to soften the rawhide when chewing, then it shouldn’t be a concern.
Safe Treats
- Dental bones – Dental bones are safe as well as clean teeth and gums.
- Kongs – Kongs are toys stuffed with a dog’s favorite treat. It can be anything that’s safe for your dog to eat such as cheese, hot dogs, peanut butter or ground dog food. The key is to freeze the treat and then give it to your dog. Besides being safe, they’re virtually indestructible and essential for puppies going through the chewing stage.
- Ice cubes – On a hot day give your dog some frozen ice cubes to chew. There’s nothing dangerous about ice and it’s bound to refresh her. Just be sure to offer the ice cubes outdoors.
Preventing Choking and Broken Teeth
There are several steps you can take to lessen the threat of choking or broken teeth.
- Serve either frozen or partially frozen raw meaty bones. By your dog having to work harder to chew, he will automatically slow down, reducing the likelihood of choking.
- Serve pieces suited for your dog’s size. In other words, don’t give huge dogs small pieces as this can make them gulp down their bones. Besides forcing a dog to slow down his chewing, larger-sized pieces keep you dog occupied longer.
- Don’t serve cut bones. Stay clear of cut-up pieces such as neck bones, cut knuckle bones and cut ox-tail bones. Instead, feed large meaty bones in good condition.
- Don’t feed raw bones. Raw bones or those with just a scant amount of meat on them can cause constipation. However, if you do serve a bony treat, supplement it with raw meaty bone to balance the high content of bone material.
Realize that probably any bone can do harm if the dog doesn’t eat it properly by gulping it down or swallowing sharp edges. If you’re nervous about feeding a bone, then supervise your dog. Save the totally safe treats for when you’re away from your dog and you need something for him to occupy himself so he won’t get into trouble.
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