There are a few rules to follow if you want to feed your dog bones. First and foremost, never feed your dog cooked bones. These bones are dried out and brittle. When your dog chews on these, the bones will splinter and harm your pet if swallowed. When feeding your dog bones, always give him raw bones. These are flexible and soft. If part of the bone is swallowed, the dog’s stomach acid will break it down and allow it to be digested.
You also need to be wary of the size of the bone. The bone should not be small enough for your dog to swallow whole, or for your dog to fit entirely in his mouth. And never feed your dog bones that have been cut or sawed: these tend to splinter when chewed on.
Anything you feed your pet, including kibble and rawhide bones, has the potential to be a choking hazard. Whenever you feed your dog a bone, you should supervise him while he chews. It is also important to train your dog to obey commands like ‘drop’. If your dog chews too hard on the bone or if he gets a hold of an unsafe bone, you need to be able to remove the hazard. You should also throw away any old bones that have been chewed.
The essence of a raw diet is a return to the foods dogs ate before they were domesticated. If you look at the dogs’ closest wild relative, the wolf, you can get a pretty good idea of what the species was built to eat. Wolves eat a diet made up mostly of raw meat plus the stomach content of their prey, leading to some suggestions that a percentage of vegetables and fruit should be added to a raw diet.
Bones are an integral part of the raw food diet as a source of calcium as well as a natural part of their diet. Dogs are carnivorous and before they were domesticated, dogs caught and ate the meat of prey as well as the bones. Wild foxes often eat entire chickens and wolves are known to chew on the bones of their prey. Cleary, canines are equipped, and in fact intended, to chew on bones.
Chew bones have dental benefits. The majority of dogs treated for problems with their teeth don’t have enough hard objects to chew on. Chewing helps remove plaque from the teeth, preventing bad breath, decay, and other dental issues. It also controls the build up of tartar, so that gums stay healthy and teeth stay white. Harder bones are best for dental treatment, since they keep exposed surfaces smooth and clean. In the wild, tearing through the skin of prey provided this benefit, but domesticated dogs no longer do this.
Dogs also chew to relieve boredom. Chew bones can entertain your dog for hours, offering him or her stimulation that wouldn’t be available normally. This can keep older, less active dogs happy a lot longer. When you’re not home during the day, things can get pretty dull for your pet, so provide him or her with something fun to do.
All dogs have an innate urge to chew, especially younger dogs and puppies. If you’ve been having trouble with your dog chewing shoes, furniture, or other inappropriate objects, a chew bone might be the solution. Chew bones stimulate the growth of adult teeth in puppies – just like a teething ring for human babies. The pain and discomfort of teething can be reduced by pressure on the teeth and gums.
Of course, every dog needs a bone that matches his or her habits, breed, and rate of chewing. Shape, size, hardness and taste are all things to consider. Smaller dogs should usually have smaller bones, though some large dogs prefer smaller ones, too. If your dog ignores a rawhide chew bone, consider offering a smaller one to see if that’s of more interest.
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