Are Bones Safe for my Dog?

With Summer just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to remind you of the danger of bones. Many people believe that certain bones are safe. I have seen problems with the rib bone to so called safe bones sold by the supermarket. All bones have the potential to cause serious problems. Here are just a few examples of the problems I have seen.

Chicken bones and other small bones are very dangerous. As the dog chews on them they splinter leaving very sharp points that may penetrate the digestive tract as they pass (bowel perforation), setting up peritonitis, which is a serious infection in the abdomen that often requires surgery.

What about large bones? Are there safe bones? Many of the retail pet stores sell pre-packaged bones that are supposed to be safe. In reality, they are not. Any bone may cause serious problems.

• Chewing on bones cause broken teeth. As dogs aggressively chew on these “safe” bones, they often break teeth, usually the molars. The broken teeth create pain and infected teeth require either extraction or a root canal to resolve the problem.

• Flat or long sections of bones often turn side ways across the roof of the mouth and become lodged between the molars. These patients are presented because they keep pawing and digging at their face. These bones are generally so tightly lodged in the patient’s mouth that a general anesthetic is required so the bone may be cut into sections and removed.

• Round bones often turn at the perfect angle so that as the dog chews the bone slips over the lower canine teeth lodging around the lower jaw. The dog often goes crazy trying to get the bone off. Again, the dog requires a general anesthetic so the bone may be cut in sections to remove the bone.

• Large pieces of bone which are swallowed often cause obstruction in the digestive tract. Obstructions are resolved only with surgery.

These are common problems seen with bones. Therefore, I never give bones to my dogs. My favorite chew object for dogs are Kong toys. The are hard and not easily destroyed, yet they have enough flexibility that they do not break teeth. Most Kongs are designed to place treats inside of them further encouraging the dog to use them.