Bones for Dogs?

[mnhermit]

I remember years ago, just giving bones to dogs (didn't even worry too much about chicken bones), but in the years I didn't have dogs, I seem to recall people telling me not to give ANY cooked bones to critters - is this the case or can I 'treat' them with the bone from the roast I cooked yesterday?

[bamfiles]

If your dogs don't want it, my parrot does. He loves cow. Have you seen what dogs will eat on their own? I vote you give them the bones.

[Village Idiot]

Give them beef bones, but don't, under any circumstances, give them rawhide chews. Those things uncurl in the dog's alimentary canal and create a blockage which can kill them. We believe that rawhides were the cause of the end for Boji.

[millring]

We give the dogs beef bones -- usually the huge un-crackable ones Dar gets from the butcher. As a rule we do this...

Before we give our dogs bones, we make sure we can also take it from them if we feel the need.

Next, we never let them out of earshot. If we hear a huge crack, we go and inspect what they've broken off. If the bone seems to have broken into swallowable but dangerous looking sizes, we take them.

Finally, we put a timer on the ones that will chew obsessively. Ariel will grind her teeth down (ultimately) if we'd let her go 'til she's "done". Breeze likes to walk away from Ariel and bury and unbury and bury and unbury and bury and unbury -- all the while making sidelong glances Ariel's way to make sure she hasn't figured out where he's burying.

[Supertramp78]

Whenever I hear about rawhide problems I go back to thinking on stats. Millions and millions of rawhide chews are sold all the time and if they were a problem you think lots and lots of dogs would die from this and we would be hearing about this from vets.


Which I haven't.

[millring]

If I give the dogs the occasional rawhide I watch them like a hawk. I've had one dog (Aspen) gnaw and soften such a length and swallow so much at once that I literally had to pull it out of his throat to stop him from choking on it. I did the Heimlich maneuver on Bear once just to force enough up out of his throat so I could grab it as he was choking on it.

And pig's ears any more often than occasionally is, from what I understand, asking for your dog to develop pancreatitis.

[Resolve]

Thanks guys...you are giving me a huge guilt complex!!!

My son and DIL recently adopted a 9 month old lab from a rescue association. We went out to see her a few weeks ago and wanting to be gracious I picked up some rawhide chews at the store before heading out there. The dog LOVED them...but as I read this thread I'm tempted to call my son and ask him to do a recall on my "gift".

Damn...I was trying so hard to do the right thing!!

[Doug]

Round bones not flat bones (no ribs). Beef. Very large knuckles like hip joints.

Rawhide best are the flat pieces not the tied in a bone.

[omaha]

Lucky gets the occasional beef bone. Not sure what they are...maybe the femur? They have a huge ball on one end. Takes him about a month to finish one.

[Jawbone]

No rawhide, especially those from china that are cured with arsenic.
My vet told me not to let our lab (ex) have ANY bones, large dogs can and do eat them. The bone chips and dust build up in the intestines and can kill.
Milk bone are fine, but what our dog really likes is a rubber toy stuffed with peanut butter.

[Jawbone]

stolen off the net:
For decades, images of dogs happily chewing on bones have been promoted on television and in motion pictures. As a result, pet owners have been feeding their dogs both raw and cooked bones, thinking that they are providing a natural form of nutrition for their pets. In reality, they are compromising the dog's health and unintentionally risking the animal's life. The consumption of bones by dogs has resulted in vomiting, organ puncture, and cancer. Feeding dogs bones is not a good thing to do!

Dogs are natural and instinctive scavengers. They might not be fed bones by their guardian, but they can find them in trash cans, on unattended plates, and when they find a dead animal, such as a bird or rat. This is very dangerous and must be prevented. One of the more common dangers of bone consumption is bone splinters. Bones from small birds, such as starlings, or medium-sized birds, such as chickens, as well as fish and other meats, can easily splinter when chewed and disperse inside an unsuspecting dog, leading to ripping and tearing of internal organs, and, possibly, death.

In addition to the intestinal danger that results from eating bones, dogs may experience cracking or breaking of teeth. This could result in prolonged periods of pain for the animal because tooth injuries are not as easily noticed as other physical ailments. When the problem is discovered, the dog may have to undergo oral surgery to remove infections, reconstruct a tooth, or extract teeth. This is painful and traumatic for the dog and can be very costly for the dog's guardian.

If a pet owner is in doubt regarding proper nutrition for a dog, it is recommended that they consult a veterinarian, or, at the very least, perform cursory research on the internet. Food requirements vary, depending on a dog's breed, weight, and size. If a pet owner can't bear not to give the dog a treat, use rawhide or chew bones made of dog food purchased at the store or pet shop.

A proper diet for a dog contains a balance of nutrients that are low in fat and are easily digestible. Veterinarians do not recommend that dogs receive 'table scraps' or leftovers from the owner's meals. Eating these foods can result in weight gain and a rejection of food specifically prepared for dogs. In particular, dogs should never be given chocolate, raw meats, or raw organ meats. These foods can cause skeletal problems and toxicity in dogs. They, along with real bones, are a "No, no!"

One of the best, and most easily accessible, sources of information regarding animal nutrition is the internet. A concerned dog owner can search the internet using words such as "feeding dogs," "dog food," or "dog nutrition." The resulting information will include general nutrition information, feeding a specific a breed of dog, and training a dog to eat certain foods. Chew bones and other safe treats are also available on the internet.

Dogs can be fed properly, safely, and consistently when everyone in the home, or family and friends outside the home, are aware of the dog's dietary needs. This information will help anyone who may be taking care of the dog in an owner's absence. Dog owners should list the foods that the dog eats and the way in which the food is prepared. Also, there should be a prominent notation stating that feeding bones to the dog is prohibited. Since feeding dogs bones is very dangerous, be sure that no one, family, friend, or dog-sitter ever does!

David Beart is owner of the Professors House, a site dedicated to family, relationships, dog health, and household issues.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Beart

olen from the net

[Resolve]

Oct 31, 2009 20:10:22 GMT -5 Jawbone said:

what our dog really likes is a rubber toy stuffed with peanut butter.

That's what my son says their lab really gets off on!!

[Jawbone]

as for rawhide:

Contrary to the unfortunately very popular belief, those yummy little rawhide bone treats we give our dogs to provide distraction for our pets are actually quite bad for them.

Pick up a rawhide treat now-they come in all shapes and sizes. Some come in the rectangular flat disks, while others are cleverly twisted into replicas of real bones. They all have one thing in common though-the ability to make a dog very, very ill.

Dogs eat the way fish do-until all the food is gone. Their instincts tell them that when the food is there it must be gorged upon as they never know when their next meal will be. Also, in the wild, dogs come in packs. First come, first serve, so stuff yourself and you will survive. While this is not the case for most domesticated dogs, the instinct to eat everything super-fast is still there.

Which is exactly why those rawhide treats are so dangerous.

Think about it-those treats are designed to be gnawed upon for at least an hour's time, leaving a mutt gaily chewing on his little rawhide delicacy until he bores of it and wanders away. The reality is most dogs will have those little bones half-consumed within just a few minutes, with the entirety gone in less than half an hour.

While that may sound like a simple piggish act on your dog's part, a serious complication may be in the making. Those pieces of rawhide, when swallowed in massive sizes, as they most often are, do not digest in the dog's body. This means the dog has to either pass a very large blockage or retain a very large blockage, both of which are extremely painful for the poor creature, with the latter being potentially fatal.

My advice is to NEVER allow your dog to have chewy rawhide bones, especially the ones that are purchased in the flat squares. Those sharp edges will remain sharp and tear through your dog's intestinal wall or stomach lining. Not a good thing.

[omaha]

"Dogs eat the way fish do-until all the food is gone."

Lucky has never been that way. He eats when he wants, but always leaves plenty of food in the bowl. At at 12 years old, he doesn't weigh much more than he did at two.

[Village Idiot]

I agree with Jawbone, there.

[mnhermit]

Thankyou all for your wisdom. The pork roast bone went in the trash and I now have a more clear idea of why I shouldn't give the dog a bone, other than knick knack paddy whack. I did give both of them a rawhide bone (rawhide twisted up to look like a bone). The first two were destroyed and in their guts in about 30 minutes. However the last 3 or 4 took them forever to breakdown - one of the dogs would carry it around hiding it in different parts of the yard for the other of them that would sit down and chew on it for hours at a time. I think it hurt their teeth. I'll pass on rawhide from now on too.

[Village Idiot]

Nov 1, 2009 7:21:14 GMT -5 mnhermit said:

I'll pass on rawhide from now on too.

Yea, but how about the dogs?

[mnhermit]

They'll just have to be happy with the bones they find in the woods, or the ground squirrel dens they dig up, or the rabbits they catch, or the birds that are too slow...I'll pass on all that.