You may want your baby back (baby back, baby back) ribs, as the Chilis commercial jingle went a few years ago, but is it cool to give beef or pork rib bones to dogs as a treat once in a while?
While theres anything inherently toxic to dogs about cooked pork or beef rib meat, bones are a more complicated issue. Because of the chances of choking, digestion problems, and sharp bones in the gastrointestinal tract, veterinarians like Renee Schmid, DVM, DABVT, DABT, a veterinarian toxicologist who works with Pet Poison Helpline, have begun shying away from recommending that dogs chew on animal bones.
Are Rib Bones OK For Dogs
Depending on the size of your dog and how they digest the bones, they might be an ok treat. The shards might injure your dog’s mouth so it is best to keep the bones away from your dog.
No, puppies should not eat rib bones. They are a very dangerous choking hazard for such small pups. It’s better to give your puppy rawhide alternatives to chew on.
Raw rib bones are a popular treat for dogs that are on a raw food diet. This is a risky choice that dog owners should make after doing lots of research. Some dogs don’t get sick after eating raw meat, others will.
Raw pork rib bones are safer for dogs to eat than cooked bones. Raw ribs might have salmonella or bacteria on them, so be careful when you give them to your dog.
A cooked bone is actually more dangerous for dogs than raw bones. When they cook, they become softer, which means they could splinter. It is better to keep all cooked bones away from your dog.
Do dogs digest bones? Yes, most dogs will be able to digest bones or pieces of bones they swallow. The reason that this article urges so much caution is that some dogs might not digest parts of a bone. It’s a risk that dog owners need to take after doing their own research.
Small amounts of rib bones might be ok for some larger breeds of dogs. It becomes dangerous when your dog breaks off tiny splinters that they can’t digest.
Let’s look at the kind of bones and how safe they are for your dog.
Most of the time, cooked rib bones are ok for dogs. If your dog swallows small parts of rib bones, watch for signs of stomach pains or choking. If you don’t see any, they are probably ok.
Raw bones won’t splinter as easily, but they also might contain salmonella or e. coli.
If you give your dog raw pork bones, it might be contaminated and your dog could get trichinella spiralis from it – which is a parasitic infection.
Watch for the following symptoms of food poisoning if you give your dog raw rib bones:
If you see that your dog is in lots of pain please take them to the veterinarian.
Can dogs eat beef rib bones? Beef bones have the same dangers as pork bones. Dogs can eat them under close supervision. Watch for signs of choking, stomach pains, or coughing.
It is better to avoid giving your dog pork rib bones than to risk them choking or getting parts of a bone stuck in their intestinal tract.
No, dogs should not eat BBQ ribs. BBQ sauce is way too high in sugar to be safe for dogs to eat. It might also contain garlic or onion powder, which is unsafe for dogs to eat.
Can Dogs Eat Spare Rib Bones
Dogs might like the pork meat on them, but they should not eat spare rib bones. Not only could they chew the bone into sharp edges, but spare ribs have a lot of extra fat on them. Dogs that eat too much fat are at a higher risk of inflammation of the pancreas.
These are small bones and not a good idea for dogs. The sharp pieces could cause severe internal damage to some dogs.
What if your dog really wants a bone?
If you do allow your dog to eat rib bones, give him raw rib bones, which are softer and pose less of a risk. But the risk still exists. “During the cooking process, the bones become harder,” says Kimberly Gauthier, a dog lover and a blogger at Keep the Tail Wagging. “As dogs chew them up, they splinter and become a health hazard that can lead to high vet bills and possibly death.” Cooking also removes the nutrition that’s contained in bones.
Gauthier recommends dog owners who want to add raw rib bones to their dog’s diet do so while supervising their dogs, and that they advise their dog sitter to do the same. Watch how your dog chews the rib bones and see if she swallows long shards of bones.
FAQ
Can I give my dog a short rib bone?
What happens if a dog eats short rib bones?
Are cooked beef rib bones safe for dogs?
Cooked bones splinter into shards that can cause choking and serious damage to the dog’s mouth, throat, or intestines. Cooking can also remove nutrients from the bone.
What kind of bones are safe for dogs?