Many a pet owner has been told that feeding bones is natural and healthy for dogs. They also claim that feeding bones promotes clean teeth and aids the nutritional status of the animal. But “natural” does not always equate with “healthy.”
ARE BONES SAFE FOR DOGS?
Cooked bones should always be off-limits. They become brittle and easily break into sharp shards that can do a lot of damage when they pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Never feed your dog cooked bones. This includes those that originate in your kitchen and those that can be purchased. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that between Nov. 1, 2010 and Sept. 12, 2017, it received accounts of 90 dogs who became sick after eating commercially-available smoked or baked bone treats. Fifteen of the dogs died.
Raw bones are safer. If you want to give your dog a bone because chewing provides mental stimulation and can help keep the teeth clean, Dr. Karen Becker recommends picking a raw bone that is approximately the size of your dog’s head. Bones of this size will allow your dog to gnaw while helping to reduce the chances that your dog will break off and swallow a chunk of bone that can cause health problems.
She also says that dogs should always be monitored when they are chewing on bones. Why? Unchecked access to bones, even raw bones, can have disastrous results. Here are just a few examples where a dog has been very seriously harmed by ingesting raw bones.
Also remember raw bones can introduce food-borne pathogens like Salmonella into your household, particularly if the bones are left out for extended periods of time. This can be especially dangerous if anyone in the home (human or pet) is immunocompromised due to illness or because they are taking certain types of medications.