I'm thinking of going to the local butcher for bones for the dogs.
What exactly do I want? What bones are best/safest?
That's a great question!! I've been wondering too..we had lamb chops the other night & I wanted to give them the bones but I was too scared it might kill them 
I've heard that lamb chops are good for them & tasty. I've heard the same about venison (dear) bones & those make their teeth very white! The best type of the actual bone are things like the ribs, necks, & tails because they aren't sharp/angeled to hurt their mouths.
I have heard do not ever give a dog any bones from poultry because they spliter & can cause cuts in the dogs mouth or worse, a piece can become lodged within their throat.
Cooked or not cooked?
I know one splinters more, but can never remember which.
I was also advised some years ago not to give pork bones, but darned if I can remember why? Are they more splintery too?
So, we go for beef….. ribs? knees? legs? Do we cook 'em or feed 'em raw?
Geez, this doesn't seem like it should be so confusing. Where's my head?
I know with our dogs (not Bs) growing up my mom would put beef bones cut through (so you can actually see the marrow inside) on a cookie sheet & warm them up for a little while at a low temp. I'm not sure that you have to do that I think she thought it brought out the flavor a bit more. Our dogs would lay there for hours licking the marrow out of the bones & then they would chew a bit on the edges as well.
Pork bones also splinter & can, if spliters are swalled, puncture intestines (same with poultry bones).
And finally, don't necessarily cook the bones. I've heard that they lose their nutritional stuff if cooked. I think my mom just heated up the round bones to make the marrow a bit warm. But I don't think it is necessary.
Never cooked bones, ever… that is what splinters... any raw meaty bones are fine... and as Nina said, warming them up with be a special treat, but do not cook them...
If you can get the butcher to find you brisket bones (beef) they are great for dogs... a friend in Australia on another list gets them for all his B's... and turned many people on to them here, however to find a "real" butcher that processes the entire steer.. is pretty far and few around here.
I have given mine all of the following... chicken backs, chicken necks, chicken wings (and turkey too), lamb (they love the riblets), and Beef ribs, knuckles, soup bones.... ... I have never done much pork... and all of the above were raw... as in not cooked at all... and they eat it all, meat, bones... everything...
You'll find conflicting information regarding dogs and bones (cooked, raw, chicken, beef, etc etc). Some vets think they are okay, some don't. It's just like the age old rawhide scenario. EVERY bone has the potential for complications, but more vets see complications with cooked bones versus raw bones. You're not going to find any one answer to your question.
Perhaps the best answer would be to talk to YOUR vet who knows YOUR dog and ask him/her. Some dogs do fine, and, while researching your question, I found that one person who fed her dog the 'right kind' of bone spent tons of money having a piece of bone removed that had lodged in her dog's esophogus.
In general, I found that the larger the dog, the larger the risk because larger dogs are more aggressive chewers which makes them more likely to break a smaller chunk off of a bone and swallow it. Splintering bones or not. Any bone can break into fragments. It's not so much the sharpness of the fragment as it is the size of the fragment and how long the stomach acids take to digest it. Longer digestion leads to intestinal blockage (possibly) Larger fragments, if swallowed, can get stuck in the throat or teeth and some dogs even break teeth on bones.
I give my B rawhide, but I fear bones and won't give them to him. I can't really afford to spend 1000's of dollars on surgery. It's just a risk I prefer not to take.
Never cooked bones, ever… that is what splinters... any raw meaty bones are fine... and as Nina said, warming them up with be a special treat, but do not cook them...
If you can get the butcher to find you brisket bones (beef) they are great for dogs... a friend in Australia on another list gets them for all his B's... and turned many people on to them here, however to find a "real" butcher that processes the entire steer.. is pretty far and few around here.I have given mine all of the following... chicken backs, chicken necks, chicken wings (and turkey too), lamb (they love the riblets), and Beef ribs, knuckles, soup bones.... ... I have never done much pork... and all of the above were raw... as in not cooked at all... and they eat it all, meat, bones... everything...
Thanks! Now…. I'm going to print all this out so I don't forget it....again.:rolleyes:
You'll find conflicting information regarding dogs and bones (cooked, raw, chicken, beef, etc etc). Some vets think they are okay, some don't. It's just like the age old rawhide scenario. EVERY bone has the potential for complications, but more vets see complications with cooked bones versus raw bones. You're not going to find any one answer to your question.
Perhaps the best answer would be to talk to YOUR vet who knows YOUR dog and ask him/her. Some dogs do fine, and, while researching your question, I found that one person who fed her dog the 'right kind' of bone spent tons of money having a piece of bone removed that had lodged in her dog's esophogus.
In general, I found that the larger the dog, the larger the risk because larger dogs are more aggressive chewers which makes them more likely to break a smaller chunk off of a bone and swallow it. Splintering bones or not. Any bone can break into fragments. It's not so much the sharpness of the fragment as it is the size of the fragment and how long the stomach acids take to digest it. Longer digestion leads to intestinal blockage (possibly) Larger fragments, if swallowed, can get stuck in the throat or teeth and some dogs even break teeth on bones.
I give my B rawhide, but I fear bones and won't give them to him. I can't really afford to spend 1000's of dollars on surgery. It's just a risk I prefer not to take.
Thanks; nothing is ever easy is it?
I give mine rawhide also, knowing there is some risk but have never had a problem….. I also know there's a risk in their stuffed toys, bedding.... everything has some risk.
I think I could give Keoki a rawhide as big as his own head and he would finish it off in two minutes:D .. I am looking for something that will occupy his time for a bit longer than that. He's not interested in Kongs, so those are out. I also buy beef tendons from my vet and those take a while to get down, but I want more options. I'm hoping bones will help....
I get the beef femur (leg) bone (it's a thick bone) and I tell my local butcher to cut it into 2-inch sizes (I usually get no more than 2 of these)… I boil them first then give one per day to my B (gotta keep her nice figure 
)... She loves it and it keeps her busy for awhile... But I also make sure I keep an eye on her until she's had her fill and her jaws get tired... Then I throw away the bone she just gnawed... I don't keep it around 'coz it gets dirty and ants will eventually swarm on it...
You are right about Vets… however many Vet (and I think we have had this discussion before on the forum...) don't know that much about foods... just look at what some "push" in their offices... and yes many Vet will have a fit about raw food diets...
There are many, many raw diet lists out there if people are interested... and like I said I do give mine raw meaty bones, so does lvoss... I have never had a problem, nor have I ever known anyone that feed raw have a problem.. but then again, anything/anytime can happen.
Exactly my point. It's really a choice each owner has to make. I chose to do the rawhide thing, knowing the risks, but not the bone thing. Tucker can't miss what he's never had. 
One thing that all of the online resources agree on is the recommendation that you keep an eye on your dog while gnawing whatever bone you choose to give them. Obviously if you hear the telltale crack and see splinters fly everywhere, you want to keep your dog from eating them. The splinters/fragments are really the only issue with bones.
I gave Tuck a pigs ear once that I had gotten out of the bin at PetCo. I noticed it was a bit harder than rawhide and I had concerns as I gave it to Tuck. About 3 minutes into his enthusiastic chewing, the ear shattered into a million pieces, including pieces that looked like toothpicks. It went directly into the trash and never more with the pigs ears… I don't know if this was a freak occurrence or not. The ear was brown and seemed to be coated with something. But anyway...
EL D is so aggressive with his chewing (he'll rip through tough toys and rawhide in seconds flat) that I'm too hesitant to give him real bones. My previous beastie wouldn't always chew his rawhide sufficiently and swallowed a big chunk - it wasn't too long before he sent up the most awful scream when it got stuck. I guess there is no one size fits all answer.
EL D is so aggressive with his chewing (he'll rip through tough toys and rawhide in seconds flat) that I'm too hesitant to give him real bones. My previous beastie wouldn't always chew his rawhide sufficiently and swallowed a big chunk - it wasn't too long before he sent up the most awful scream when it got stuck. I guess there is no one size fits all answer.
Hmmm, that is WHY I want to try real bones. Keoki's rawhides disappear before the other two have really even started! I'm hoping real bones will slow him down.
I gave Tuck a pigs ear once that I had gotten out of the bin at PetCo. I noticed it was a bit harder than rawhide and I had concerns as I gave it to Tuck. About 3 minutes into his enthusiastic chewing, the ear shattered into a million pieces, including pieces that looked like toothpicks. It went directly into the trash and never more with the pigs ears… I don't know if this was a freak occurrence or not. The ear was brown and seemed to be coated with something. But anyway...
I USED to give pig ears and pig ear strips but no more. I have no problem with the ears themselves, but they give my dogs such horrible gas :eek: , like… clear the room and run for cover, don't come back w/out a mask kind of gas. It is awful!
So, I decided no more pork products for them!
We use hooves…...they stink.......but our's get treats in their crates. They can have that stink all to themselves!:D
We give them soup bones too.
Can you imagine what the Basenji's in the African Villages chomp on and swallow?:eek:
We use hooves…...they stink.......but our's get treats in their crates. They can have that stink all to themselves!:D
We give them soup bones too.
Can you imagine what the Basenji's in the African Villages chomp on and swallow?:eek:
Oh yeah, hooves. I used to give those in the house, but ugh; they DO stink – like I don't even know how to describe that smell.
Now there on the back porch and they kind of chew on those while waiting for me to let them in the house.
Oh yeah, hooves. I used to give those in the house, but ugh; they DO stink – like I don't even know how to describe that smell.
Now there on the back porch and they kind of chew on those while waiting for me to let them in the house.
That's perfect JM:D , I can't describe the smell either.:eek: As not to gross everyone out, I won't even try!:D They do last a long time!!!
Dogs just seem to love stinky things…......I wonder why?
I gave up on hoof's years ago… one to many time stepping on one in the middle of the night and one too many broken tooth... and yes.. boy to they stink...
If anyone has horses and has ever been around when the Farrier is trimming their hooves.. that is what it smells like....
I gave up on hoof's years ago… one to many time stepping on one in the middle of the night
EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Our's never get the hooves anywhere but in the crate…...thankfully.:D
