Can I give bones to my dog?

The image of a dog chewing a bone is one of the best known in the animal world. Although bones are quality food with an interesting nutritional value as well as a means to relieve your dog's gums, giving bones to your dog should not be routine and should follow some precautions.

In this article, we will explain which bones are dangerous for dogs and what precautions to take before giving a bone to your pet.

Is it a good idea to give your dog a bone?

For the dog, gnawing on a bone is one of the greatest delights and can be considered as a treat. Chewing on a bone helps the dog maintain good oral health, including preventing tartar build-up. In addition, it will improve your dog's breath.

However, there are some bones that are dangerous and can cause serious injuries such as rabbit, chicken, brittle, unbreakable and sharp bones.

On the other hand, one should never give cooked bones to your dog. By cooking them, they tend to become brittle and break, which can cause injury to your dog.

What are the dangers of bones for dogs?

Not all bones are dangerous for dogs. Those that are forbidden are rabbit, chicken or sheep bones and all cooked bones that can form splinters and thus cause injury. Bones surrounded by rotten or unfresh meat are also prohibited as they can poison your dog.

Here are the main dangers of bones for dogs:

• Broken teeth;
• Lesions in the oral cavity (gum and tongue);
• Tracheal obstruction;
• Lesions in the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, intestines);
• Peritonitis;
• Digestive disorders;
• Blood in the feces.

In view of the risks to the animal's health, it is advisable to take your dog to the vet as soon as a suspicious sign appears after giving him a bone.

In the case of fragments stuck in the digestive tract, surgery may be required to remove them.

What bones are allowed for dogs?

Some bones such as uncooked beef bones can be chewed without breaking. It is possible to give your dog this type of bone without the risk of perforating the digestive tract with shards of bone fragments.

However, it is advisable not to give them regularly. Frequent chewing can damage the teeth. It is also important to make sure that the bone is big enough not to be swallowed to avoid the risk of choking or intestinal obstruction.

The ideal is to give an uncooked beef bone surrounded by some meat or a beef marrow bone once a week.

Some precautions to take

Although good bones are quite interesting for dogs, it is still necessary to take some precautions to preserve his health:

• Small bones are forbidden and to be proscribed;
• Prefer uncooked bones surrounded by meat, it will reduce the risk of constipation;
• Give your dog bones of an appropriate size, without giving him small ones, at the risk of suffocating him or perforating the membranes of his digestive tract;
• Supervise your pet when he chews and do not give him any when you are away;
• Prefer bones that have bone marrow, which are very much appreciated by dogs.