For many dog owners, the question of whether to feed bones to their beloved canines is a common one, often surrounded by conflicting advice. While the image of a dog happily gnawing on a bone is classic, the reality is more complex. When chosen and given correctly, bones can offer a wealth of nutritional, health, and behavioral advantages for your dog. However, understanding the distinctions between safe and dangerous bones, raw versus cooked, and proper feeding practices is crucial to ensure your pet’s well-being. This comprehensive guide will delve into everything you need to know about feeding bones to your dog, from the undeniable benefits to the critical risks, ensuring you make informed decisions for their health. Just as it’s important to know what bones are safe, it’s equally vital to understand ingredients dangerous for dogs in their overall diet.
The Benefits of Feeding Bones to Dogs
Beyond simply being a treat, bones provide a holistic range of benefits that contribute to a dog’s overall health and happiness.
Nutritional Powerhouse
Bones are a natural source of essential minerals, vitamins, and vital amino and fatty acids, playing a significant role in a dog’s diet:
- Protein: Rich in amino acids crucial for healthy skin and fur, robust muscle development, and efficient tissue repair throughout the body.
- Calcium Phosphate: Fundamental for bone growth and the continuous regeneration and adaptation of the skeletal system.
- Magnesium: Supports optimal muscle function, particularly vital for maintaining a healthy heart.
- Phosphorus: Essential for bone structure, cellular integrity, and efficient energy production within cells.
- Marrow: Contains collagen, iron, and vitamin B. Collagen promotes healthy joints, skin, coat, and digestion. Iron and vitamin B provide the necessary energy for a long, vibrant, and healthy life.
- Vitamin D and Glucosamine: Work synergistically to support a healthy digestive system, helping to prevent common issues like leaky gut syndrome and poor gut function.
Dental Health and Oral Hygiene
One of the most immediate and visible benefits of bones for dogs is their impact on oral health. Many dogs resist tooth brushing, making raw meaty bones an excellent alternative. The act of chewing and gnawing on raw meaty bones, pulling off gristle and cartilage, acts as a natural floss and cleaning mechanism for your dog’s teeth, helping to reduce plaque and tartar buildup.
Digestive Aid and Jaw Exercise
Raw bones contribute to digestive health by providing natural roughage. This cleansing effect on the digestive tract encourages healthy fecal motions, which in turn supports the proper functioning of the anal glands. Additionally, the intensive chewing and gnawing on raw bone provide a superb natural workout for your dog’s jaw muscles, strengthening them and promoting good oral structure.
Mental Stimulation and Emotional Wellbeing
Chewing is an inherent and vital behavior for dogs. Allowing them to express these natural instincts is crucial for their mental well-being. Regular chewing has a calming effect on dogs as this activity releases endorphins, which enhance feelings of pleasure. This means bones can help make your dog feel happy and significantly reduce anxiety.
Understanding Canine Digestion and Bones
A dog’s ability to digest bones efficiently can vary, largely depending on their diet. Dogs accustomed to a raw diet typically have lower stomach pH levels, which are more acidic and thus more conducive to breaking down small pieces of bone effectively. In contrast, dogs primarily fed kibble may have a less acidic stomach environment, making bone digestion more challenging.
Most dogs will struggle to digest large, dense pieces of bone. If ingested, these larger fragments can pass into the intestine, leading to constipation, or, in severe cases, accumulate and cause an impaction, which is a serious medical concern.
Raw vs. Cooked Bones: A Crucial Distinction
This is perhaps the most critical distinction every dog owner must understand when considering feeding bones.
Why Cooked Bones Are a Strict No-Go
Never, under any circumstances, give dogs cooked bones. Cooking fundamentally alters the consistency of bone, making it brittle and prone to shattering or splintering into sharp fragments. These sharp pieces can cause severe damage to your dog’s mouth, throat, and intestines, potentially leading to perforations or blockages that require emergency veterinary intervention. Furthermore, cooking strips bones of much of their nutritional value, making them less beneficial. Cooked bones are also considerably harder to digest, increasing the risk of blockages.
If you suspect your dog has ingested a cooked bone, contact your veterinarian immediately for assessment.
The Right Way to Feed Raw Bones
Always offer dogs raw bones with meat attached for eating or chewing. Raw bones are pliable and much less likely to splinter than cooked ones. While there’s a small inherent risk of bacteria like Salmonella with raw bones, you can take a precautionary step by freezing the bone for a couple of days. This helps inhibit bacterial growth and acts as a safeguard against any potential parasites. Reputable sources for farmed meat generally pose a low risk for parasites, but taking this precaution does no harm.
Golden Retriever enjoying a raw marrow bone safely outdoors
How to Safely Feed Bones to Your Dog
Ensuring your dog’s safety while they enjoy a bone involves a few key practices.
Essential Safety Guidelines
For your dog to safely eat a bone, you need to:
- Supervise your dog: Always keep a close eye on your dog while they are eating bones. This allows you to intervene quickly if they struggle or if the bone becomes too small.
- Provide raw, fresh bones with flesh: As discussed, cooked bones are dangerous. Opt for raw bones that still have meat and connective tissue attached.
- Select the right type of bone for your dog: This is paramount and depends heavily on your dog’s size and chewing habits.
Never Leave Your Dog Unsupervised with a Bone
Even if your dog has eaten bones many times before, never leave them alone with a bone. Depending on the bone’s size and shape, your dog might attempt to swallow it whole, or a piece could snap off and become lodged in their throat or digestive tract. If a part of the bone starts to break off or becomes too small, be prepared to gently take it away. Offer a high-value treat in return to prevent any potential resource guarding behaviors. If your dog finishes with the bone and it’s still in good condition, wrap it in a food bag and refrigerate it; they can enjoy another gnaw on it in a couple of days.
When Can Puppies Start Eating Bones?
Once puppies begin developing their teeth, they can be introduced to bones appropriate for their size. Soft, chewable bones like chicken wings, chicken necks, and duck necks are recommended for young pups. Initially, they might mostly mouth the bones, but they will still derive nutritional benefits. This activity is also excellent for developing their eye-mouth coordination and teaching them proper chewing techniques. As a general rule, just like certain bones are harmful, pet owners should also be cautious about what meat is not good for dogs for their puppies to avoid early dietary issues.
When your pup reaches approximately six months of age, their adult teeth will begin to emerge, and they can then be given more rigid bones. However, very hard bones, such as a cow’s leg bone, can potentially cause damage to developing adult teeth and gums, so extreme caution is advised.
What Bones Are Safe for Dogs?
The ideal type of bone will largely depend on your dog’s size and chewing strength. It’s crucial to select bones that are appropriately sized and structured to minimize risks.
Safe Bone Choices by Dog Size
- Small Dogs and Puppies:
- Chicken necks
- Duck feet
- Chicken wings
- Medium Dogs:
- Duck necks
- Chicken thighs
- Turkey wings
- Chicken carcass
- Large Dogs:
- Lamb ribs
- Lamb neck pieces
- Venison ribs
- Extra-Large Dogs:
- Venison neck
- Turkey neck
- Chicken/Duck carcass
- Lamb ribs
What Bones Are Dangerous for Dogs?
Just as important as knowing what bones are safe, understanding which ones to avoid is critical for your dog’s safety. Many seemingly harmless bones can pose significant threats.
Bones to Absolutely Avoid
- Weight-Bearing Bones: Bones like those from cow and pig legs are designed to support the animal’s substantial weight and are incredibly hard. Chewing on these can easily lead to broken teeth in dogs, causing severe pain and expensive veterinary dental procedures.
- Bone Marrow Rings: These large, hollow bones are often seen in pet stores. While the marrow is highly nutritious, once it’s consumed, the ring itself can become dangerously lodged around the lower jaw or teeth of small dogs. For larger dogs, attempting to bite through such a hard ring can cause tooth damage.
- Sharp-Edged Bones: Bones obtained from butchers or supermarkets may be cut with sharp blades, leaving jagged or sharp edges. These sharp points can cut into your dog’s mouth, gums, or cause internal damage if swallowed. When choosing bones, also remember that beyond bones, knowing what vegetables are not good for dogs to eat is another important aspect of preventing harm.
Potential Risks and How to Mitigate Them
Even with safe bones, risks exist. Being aware of these and knowing how to respond is part of responsible bone feeding.
Choking Hazards and Dental Damage
Cooked bones and small raw bones can pose a severe choking hazard for dogs. Always ensure the bone is appropriate for your dog’s size – too small, and it can be swallowed whole; too large, and it may not fit properly. The structure of the bone is also critical; extra hard bones, even raw ones, can lead to broken teeth and mouth damage.
Digestive Upset: Constipation and Vomiting
Some dogs may experience digestive issues the day after (or a couple of days after) eating a bone, such as dry, crumbly stools or constipation, due to the high calcium content. If your dog becomes constipated, try adding extra insoluble fiber to their diet through foods like steamed leafy vegetables or pureed pumpkin or squash to soften their stool. If you know your dog is prone to constipation after eating bones, consider replacing some of their regular food with plain mince on the days they receive a bone.
Other dogs might throw up bile containing bone fragments if they consume more bone than they can comfortably digest. If this is a recurring issue for your dog, try feeding smaller bones or limit the duration they have access to a bone by swapping it for a high-value treat when you believe they’ve had enough. This is similar to how overeating certain harmful fruits and vegetables for dogs can also lead to digestive upset.
Addressing Food Sensitivities
For dogs with known food sensitivities, it’s generally best that any ground bone included in their meal comes from the same animal source as the meat in that meal to minimize the risk of adverse reactions. For instance, if feeding chicken-based raw food, the bone content should also be chicken bone. Always be vigilant, as some meat not suitable for dogs to eat can also trigger sensitivities, so awareness of all dietary components is key.
What to Do If Your Dog is Choking on a Bone
Choking is a terrifying experience for both dog and owner. Recognizing the signs and knowing how to act quickly can be life-saving.
Your dog will start to choke when an object gets lodged at the back of their throat, blocking their airway. If your dog’s airway is partially blocked, they may exhibit the following signs:
- Retching or gagging
- Pacing anxiously
- Paw at their mouth
- Blue gums or tongue (indicating lack of oxygen)
If the airway is fully blocked, they will struggle to make any noise, often appearing panicked.
To help a dog that is choking:
- Mouth Sweep: If you can safely do so, open your dog’s mouth and gently sweep the back of their throat with your fingers, attempting to remove any obstruction. Only perform this if your dog is responsive and cooperative, as there is a risk they may bite you if agitated or in distress.
- Heimlich Maneuver: For an object lodged further back in the throat, you can attempt the Heimlich maneuver:
- If the dog is lying on its back: Place your hands over the widest part of their chest and perform a quick, strong thrust to dislodge the object. Immediately check the back of the throat and remove the object if visible.
- For larger dogs: Position yourself behind your dog, lift their front legs off the ground so they are standing on their hind legs only. Make a fist with one hand, place your other hand on top, and push firmly upwards and forwards, just behind the rib cage.
If the object does not come loose, contact your veterinarian immediately and get your dog to them as quickly as possible. Time is critical in choking emergencies.
Integrating Bones into a Raw Diet and Beyond
For those feeding a raw diet, the inclusion of bone is often a core component.
Bones as a Treat vs. Dietary Staple
The composition of many commercially prepared raw foods, such as Bella & Duke’s, typically includes 80% human-grade meat, offal, and bone, alongside 20% superfoods and seasonal fruits and vegetables. This balance is carefully designed to provide complete nutrition, meaning there’s usually no need to add additional whole bone to your dog’s raw food as a dietary staple.
However, you can still offer bones to your dog as an occasional treat or as a comforting chew item, especially when they might be feeling anxious or simply need mental stimulation.
Recommended Bone Proportion in Diet
It is generally recommended that bone makes up approximately 10% of a dog’s raw food diet. If you are feeding whole bones with meat attached, this proportion could make up around 30% of a dog’s diet, as the meat and bone are delivered together, providing a balanced meal component.
Bone Alternatives for Dogs
If your dog isn’t keen on bones, or if you prefer not to give them bones due to concerns, there are other beneficial options.
If you have a bone that you no longer wish to give your dog, consider making bone broth from it. Bone broth can be used as a delicious and nutritious food topper. Alternatively, commercially prepared bone broth, such as our Mighty Beef Bone Broth, is readily available. Packed with vitamins and minerals, bone broth is a tasty addition to your dog’s regular raw food, actively helping to support their bone structure and immune system, providing many of the benefits of bones without the associated risks.
Conclusion
Feeding bones to your dog can be a highly beneficial practice, offering significant advantages for their dental health, nutrition, digestion, and mental well-being. However, the key to safe bone feeding lies in strict adherence to guidelines: always choosing raw, appropriately sized bones with meat attached, never feeding cooked bones, and constant supervision. Understanding the specific types of bones that are safe and dangerous, and knowing how to respond in an emergency, are critical responsibilities for every pet owner. By making informed choices and prioritizing your dog’s safety, you can allow them to enjoy the many positive aspects of bone chewing. Consult with your veterinarian if you have any doubts or concerns about incorporating bones into your dog’s diet, ensuring their continued health and happiness.
