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

Dog love for cracking 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, the 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 are dull in dogs.

In order for the dog’s entertainment not to turn into problems for the pet’s health, such as damage to the gums, teeth or esophagus, dog breeders need to understand which bones can be given to their dog and which are not worth it.

A puppy, and sometimes even adult dogs, must satisfy the innate instinct, which is associated with the fact that the animal needs to nibble from time to time. The formation of the milk dentition in dogs occurs before the age of six months, and then, as they grow older, the teeth change to permanent. Bones or sticks for gnawing are most relevant during the change of teeth, and after changing the dentition there is no need to gnaw hard objects. However, it is still not worth completely eliminating the bones from the dog’s diet, as they have a certain benefit 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 a period of 7 to 10 days;
• the hard surface of the cartilage and bone tissue helps to clean the dog’s teeth from dental deposits on enamel and soft plaque, which contains pathogenic bacteria;
• the bone marrow, which is located inside the tubular 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 of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace elements necessary for proper nutrition of the dog;
• in the process of chewing 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 the young dog from damage to shoes, furniture and other home furnishings.

If the dog is not given the type of bones that is suitable for cracking, the animal can experience quite serious health problems:

• sharp chips and edges of bone fragments can cause injury to the gums or mucous membrane of the dog’s oral cavity, which will cause inflammation due to the development of a bacterial infection;
• bone pieces often cause damage to the integrity of tooth enamel, which over time leads to the formation of carious cavities and tooth decay;
• due to the regular use of irregular bones, the dog’s teeth can not only become very blunt, but they also grind, and sometimes break;
• damaged or diseased teeth cause inflammatory processes that develop in the gastrointestinal tract of the 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 get into the dog’s trachea or larynx, it can be very difficult to extract them, such cases can cause mechanical asphyxiation, which, if adverse events unfold, can lead the dog to death;
• bone fragments can become stuck in the lumen of the small or large intestine, violating their patency partially or completely, it often even happens that in such situations without surgical intervention to restore the health of the dog can not do.

In order for crushed bones to be digested in the dog’s stomach, the acidity of the gastric juice should be quite high. If your pet consumes dry food or is on a mixed diet with partial addition of natural food, then the pH level of his digestive juices is slightly reduced, and in this case the bones cannot be digested and properly absorbed by the body. To clear the stomach of bones, the dog begins reflex vomiting.

Bones and cartilage are not full-fledged food for a dog, regardless of its size and breed, so they can not be replaced by feeding in the hope of saving food or natural products. The bone for your four-legged pet must not only be correctly selected, but also prepared in a special way before giving it to the pet.

Consider what bones can be given to a dog without harming 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 a boiled or raw form, but after the dog has swallowed the bone, it must be taken 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. Cartilage is usually taken from the area of ​​the ribs of cattle. Cartilage can be given to dogs of any breed, as their gnawing can not cause harm to the pet’s health, on the contrary, this product will strengthen the dog’s own musculoskeletal system. Cartilage can be offered to a dog raw or boiled.
• Minced meat. It is prepared by grinding boiled bones and mixing them with minced meat. For cooking do not use the bones of birds. The finished product can feed the dog a little, 2-3 times a week. You can’t give this food to your pet often, since minced meat is poorly digested in his stomach and it is necessary that the remnants of this food do not accumulate, but are removed from the stomach and intestines in a timely manner. Sometimes crushed boiled vegetables and cereal from cereals are added to such forcemeat. This is necessary to enhance intestinal motility and improve the removal of undigested portions of minced meat from the dog's body.

For puppies from the age of two months, soft veal ribs are best suited. 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 the puppy with a similar dog treat of one. If you want to treat the puppy with beef must, then the tidbit must be large - this is necessary so that the dog could not 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 also it is completely fresh and clean, without extraneous pollution and odors.

So that your pet does not have problems with the health of the digestive tract, the following types of bones must be excluded from his diet.

• Tubular chicken and turkey bones. They are a danger to the dog’s stomach and intestines due to the fact that they tend to split into sharp fragments that injure not only the animal’s oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract, but also often violate the integrity of the teeth. In addition, the raw bones of chickens can be infected with a bacterium called salmonella, and by eating such a treat, 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 its bones can become an increased source of hard-to-digest and digestible fat for the dog. Even boiled pork bones contain a large amount of pork fat. Raw bones should also not be offered to a dog for food, as pigs are a carrier for helminths, and the risk of a dog getting sick with such bones with leftover meat fibers is very high.
• Bones of a rabbit. Despite the fact that rabbit meat is considered dietary meat, the bones of this animal are thin and fragile, which means they are unsuitable for eating by a dog. Sharp rabbit bone fragments can damage the oral cavity or the walls of the stomach and intestines, thereby causing a life threat to your pet in the form of acute peritonitis.
• Lamb bones. Lamb products contain refractory fat, which is poorly digested in the dog’s stomach. The ram’s bones are small and fragile. When grinding, the bone tissue breaks down into small sharp fractions that can damage your pet's digestive tract.
• Fish bones. Their acute structure is an increased danger to the stomach and intestines of animals.For this reason, dogs should not be fed boiled or raw fish, since there is a real threat of perforation of the digestive organs or of stuck such bone fragments in the larynx.

In addition to being too keen on cracking bones can ruin your pet’s teeth, There are a number of serious problems, the consequences of which can be very sad, as they sometimes lead to the death of a dog.

• If the bone gets stuck in the dog in between the teeth, the animal begins a strong reflex salivation. The dog is trying to get a bone fragment that is interfering with it, but if it does not succeed, then at the worst 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, choking occurs if help is not provided.
• If after your dog has eaten bones, he begins to vomit violently, he must immediately be taken to a veterinary clinic, since such a condition of the pet indicates that he has obstruction in the digestive tract.
• Sometimes after consuming bones, you may notice diarrhea in the dog with an admixture of blood. This situation requires emergency medical measures, as your four-legged friend is likely to have a damaged intestine and peritonitis may begin, which can lead to death of the dog within a few hours.
• It happens that small fragments of bones are collected in the stomach into a dense conglomerate, which cannot be released naturally from the dog. A cleansing enema, oil rectal suppositories, and in more complex cases, surgical intervention will help alleviate the condition.

About what bones can and cannot be given to a dog, see the next video.