Bones for dogs: which ones can and should not be fed?

A dog's love for gnawing bones is known to every dog ​​breeder. Bones are not only a kind of toothbrush, but also entertainment for the dog. There is an opinion that by gnawing bones, an animal sharpens its teeth, but in fact it is impossible to do this with a bone; rather, on the contrary, the teeth from this procedure in dogs become dull.

To prevent canine entertainment from turning into health problems, such as damage to the gums, teeth or esophagus, dog breeders need to understand which bones to give to their dog and which not to.

A puppy, and sometimes even an adult dog, needs to satisfy an innate instinct, which is associated with the fact that the animal needs to gnaw something from time to time. The formation of the milk dentition in dogs occurs up to six months of age, and then, as they grow older, the teeth change to permanent ones. Bones or sticks for gnawing are most relevant during the period of changing teeth, and after changing the dentition there is no need to gnaw hard objects. However, it is still not worthwhile to completely exclude bones from the dog's diet, since they have certain benefits for the animal's body:

• the dog's chewing apparatus consists of muscles and tendon ligaments, and in order to maintain them in a healthy state, constant training is necessary, performed by active chewing at least 3-4 times in an interval of 7 to 10 days;
• the hard surface of cartilage and bone tissue helps to cleanse the dog's teeth from dental deposits on the enamel and soft plaque, which contains pathogenic bacteria;
• the bone marrow, which is located inside the long bones, is a valuable nutrient rich in animal proteins, which, entering the dog's body, saturate it with the necessary complex of fatty amino acids;
• any bone tissue contains natural sources of minerals calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace elements necessary for a good nutrition of a dog;
• in the process of gnawing and monotonous chewing, the animal gets the opportunity to simply occupy itself with something or calm its nervous system with excessive overexcitation, as well as switch attention from one object to another;
• bones, being an object for gnawing, distract a young dog from damaging shoes, furniture and other household items.

If you give your dog the wrong kind of bone that is suitable for gnawing, the animal can have some pretty serious health problems:

• Sharp chips and edges of bone fragments can injure the gums or mucous membrane of the dog's mouth, which will cause inflammation due to the development of a bacterial infection;
• bone pieces often cause damage to the integrity of the tooth enamel, which over time leads to the formation of carious cavities and tooth decay;
• due to the regular use of the wrong bones, a dog's teeth can not only become very dull, but they also grind and sometimes break;
• damaged or diseased teeth cause inflammatory processes developing in the gastrointestinal tract of an animal;
• fragments of small fragments of bones can damage the integrity of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach and intestines, sometimes even perforation of these organs occurs;
• large parts of the bones can fall into the trachea or larynx of the dog, it can be very difficult to remove them, such cases can cause mechanical asphyxia, which, if the development of events is unfavorable, can lead to the death of the dog;
• fragments of bones can get stuck in the lumen of the small or large intestine, disrupting their patency partially or completely, it often even happens that in such situations it is impossible to do without surgical intervention to restore the dog's health.

In order for the crushed bones to be digested in the dog's stomach, the acidity of the gastric juice must be quite high. If your pet eats dry food or is on a mixed diet with a partial addition of natural food, then the pH level of its digestive juices is somewhat lowered, and in this case the bones cannot be digested and absorbed by the body properly. To clear the bones of the stomach, the dog starts reflexive vomiting.

Bones and cartilage are not complete food for a dog, regardless of size or breed, so they cannot be substituted for feeding in the hope of saving feed or natural products. A bone for your four-legged pet must not only be chosen correctly, but also prepared in a special way before giving it to the pet.

Consider what bones can be given to a dog without harm to its health.

• Beef bones. This refers to large tubular formations that are taken from the femur and cut off the part located closer to the hip joint. It is better if the remains of muscle fibers and tendons are present on the bone surface. Such bones can be offered to the dog in boiled or raw form, but after the dog gnaws the bone, it must be taken away so that the pet does not gnaw it into small pieces.
• Cartilage. Cartilage tissue itself is a very valuable and nutritious product that contains collagen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and protein components. Usually the cartilages are taken from the ribs of cattle. Cartilage can be given to dogs of any breed, since chewing them can not harm the pet's health, on the contrary, this product will strengthen the dog's own musculoskeletal system. Cartilage can be offered raw or cooked to your dog.
• Minced meat and bone. It is prepared by chopping boiled bones and mixing them with minced meat. Bones of birds are not used for cooking. The finished product can be fed to the dog little by little, 2-3 times a week. You can not give such food to a pet often, since minced meat and bone is poorly digested in his stomach and it is necessary that the remnants of this food do not accumulate, but are promptly removed from the stomach and intestines. Sometimes chopped boiled vegetables and cereal porridge are added to such minced meat. This is necessary to enhance intestinal motility and improve the removal of undigested minced meat from the dog's body.

For puppies from 2 months of age, soft veal ribs are best. The kid will gnaw off the remnants of meat and cartilage from them, but as soon as the bone is gnawed, it must immediately be taken from the pet. Therefore, you should try not to leave a puppy with such a dog treat alone. If you want to treat the puppy with beef bush, then the tidbit should be large. - this is necessary so that the dog cannot accidentally swallow it.

Before you give your four-legged friend a bone, you need to make sure that the product can be eaten by dogs, and that it is absolutely fresh and clean, free of foreign contamination and odors.

To ensure that your pet does not have problems with the health of the digestive tract, it is necessary to exclude the following types of bones from his diet.

• Tubular chicken and turkey bones. They pose a danger to the stomach and intestines of the dog due to the fact that they tend to split into sharp fragments, which injure not only the oral cavity of the animal and the organs of the digestive tract, but also often violate even the integrity of the teeth. In addition, raw chicken bones can be contaminated with a bacterium called salmonella, and when the treat is eaten, the dog develops a bacterial disease.
• Pork cartilage and bones. Since this animal has a large percentage of animal fats in its body, not only its meat, but also bones can become an increased source of hard-to-digest and assimilable fat for the dog. Even boiled pork bones are high in pork fat. Raw bones, too, should not be offered to a dog for food, since pigs are carriers of helminths, and the risk of a dog getting sick when eating such bones with residues of meat fibers on them is very high.
• Rabbit bones. Despite the fact that rabbit meat is considered dietary meat, the bones of this animal are thin and fragile, which means that they are not suitable for consumption by a dog. Sharp fragments of rabbit bones can damage the mouth or the walls of the stomach and intestines, thereby posing a threat to your pet's life in the form of acute peritonitis.
• Lamb bones. Lamb products contain a refractory fat that is difficult to digest in the dog's stomach. The bones of a ram are small in size and fragile. When minced, bone tissue breaks down into small, sharp fractions that can damage your pet's digestive tract.
• Fish bones. Their sharp structure poses an increased danger to the stomach and intestines of animals.For this reason, dogs should not be fed boiled or raw fish, as there is a real threat of perforation of the digestive organs or of such bone fragments getting stuck in the larynx.

In addition to the fact that an excessive enthusiasm for gnawing bones can ruin your pet's teeth, there are also a number of serious problems, the consequences of which can be very sad, since sometimes they lead to the death of the dog.

• If a bone gets stuck in the gaps between the teeth in a dog, the animal begins to experience strong reflex salivation. The dog tries to get the bone fragment that interferes with it, but if it fails, then in the worst possible outcome of the situation, the dog may suffocate as a result of asphyxiation from its own saliva.
• When a large bone gets stuck in the trachea and blocks the access of oxygen to the lungs, if no help is provided, suffocation occurs.
• If, after your dog has eaten the bones, he begins to vomit, he must immediately be taken to the veterinary clinic, since this condition of the pet indicates that he has an obstruction in the digestive tract.
• Sometimes after consuming bones you may notice bloody diarrhea in your dog. This situation requires taking urgent medical measures, since, most likely, your four-legged friend has damaged intestines and peritonitis may begin, which can lead to death of the dog within a few hours.
• It so happens that small fragments of bones are collected in the stomach into a dense conglomerate, which cannot be expelled from the dog's body naturally. A cleansing enema, oil rectal suppositories, and in more difficult cases, surgical intervention will help alleviate the condition.

For information on what bones can and should not be given to a dog, see the next video.