Which Bones are Safe to Give Your Dog

Here are a few simple tips from Dr. Judy (Holistic Vet)
 
1.  Never feed ANY cooked bone.  Cooked bones can splinter and fragment causing damage to the digestive tract.

2.  Long bones such as marrow bones and some knuckle bones are hard enough to crack some dog’s teeth. These are ok, but only allow your dog to chew on them for a few minutes at a time in order to minimize tooth damage.

3.  Soft bones such as chicken or turkey necks, chicken backs, legs, breasts, and wings, patellas (knee caps) and others that are cartilage are the best to feed, but must be fed RAW.  Raw chicken bones??  Yes!   My only caution is to introduce these raw treats gradually to allow your dog’s digestive tract to adapt.  Dogs that are fed a BARF diet get them on a regular basis ground into the food.  The benefits of this type of bone are many:

     The raw meat that is attached to the bones provides a healthy source of protein.

     The bones are an excellent source of calcium and phosphorous 

     The cartilage provides the building blocks for sturdy joints

     There is no better toothbrush in the world – I have even seen this type of treat remove tartar from teeth – amazing!

Real bones can be a real treat for your dog.  Don’t let your pet miss out on this valuable addition to its diet!

  No ham bones, no lamb bones (they splinter easily)

Another important point is giving dogs appropriate sized bones.  Gnawing on bones can result in the cracking of the tips of the fourth premolars. These cracked teeth can lead to root infections and suborbital abscesses that require tooth reconstruction or extraction.

  Always supervise your dog when he's busy with a dog bone.

AND NEVER GIVE RAWHIDE TREATS.  EVER.  

http://laycockdanes.blogspot.ca/2012/12/rawhide-to-give-or-not-to-givethat-is.html