Here are the top reasons that bones are bad for dogs (according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration):
Broken teeth. Bones are very hard and can be brittle, making it easy for a dog to break one of its large chewing teeth. A broken tooth is painful and must be treated. Whether the tooth is extracted or saved with a root canal, this is an expensive outcome.
Injuries to the mouth and tongue. The broken edges of bones can be razor sharp. Dogs can break off sharp shards of bone, which can pierce the tongue, the cheek, or the soft palate on the roof of the mouth.
Bones can get looped around the lower jaw. Round bones can get stuck around the lower jaw, behind the lower canine teeth. This is a very scary experience for the dog, and most dogs need to be sedated or anesthetized in order to cut the bone off.
Dogs can choke. Pieces of bone can lodge in the esophagus on the way down to the stomach. Sharp bone shards can penetrate the soft tissues at the back of the throat or pierce the esophagus. It is also possible for a piece of bone to get into the trachea (windpipe), interfering with your dog’s ability to breathe. Choking is an emergency!
Injuries to the stomach and intestinal lining. Just as sharp bone fragments can damage the mouth, they can also damage the walls of the stomach and intestines. In some cases, bone fragments may completely penetrate the walls of the stomach or intestine, allowing food and intestinal contents to leak into the abdomen. This causes a condition called peritonitis – an abdominal infection that can be fatal, even if treated aggressively.
Bones can get stuck in the stomach. If the bone fragment is large, it may be unable to pass out of the stomach. Bone fragments that remain trapped in the stomach can lead to chronic vomiting and stomach irritation. These retained bone fragments must be removed with abdominal surgery or endoscopy.
Bones can cause a blockage in the small intestine or colon. Bone fragments can become lodged in the small intestines, causing a complete intestinal blockage. This is an emergency and requires surgical removal of the obstruction. If bone fragments travel down the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and reach the large bowel/colon, they may collect and cause constipation. This is painful for the dog, as the bone fragments scrape the lining of the colon and rectum and lead to significant trauma. Enemas and manipulation may be required to evacuate the large bowel.
Contamination with pathogens on raw bones. Raw meat and bones can be contaminated with a number of pathogens, including E. coli, Salmonella species, and Listeria. These pathogens may or may not make a dog sick, depending on the dogs health status, but pose a significant health risk to the humans in the household. Children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are the most vulnerable, and these organisms can be life-threatening.
But sometimes our dogs will turn to chewing because they are bored or anxious. If you’ve changed homes or something else in their environment has changed, they could chew as a coping mechanism. If it’s stress-related then it’s a good idea to remove any stressors or make sure that they get the mental stimulation that could be causing them to want to chew more frequently. Excessive energy will also cause them to want to chew on things more as well, so adding to their walk time can be a good solution.
Some of the benefits can be nutritional value as some bones have high-calorie bone marrow in them. As the dogs scrape away at the bones in order to try to get the marrow, the dogs are inadvertently getting their intake of calcium as they wear down the bone. It is also well-known that dogs will often chew things when they’re puppies. Chewing on bones is a way for puppies to relieve some of the pain of teething. But as they get older, the dogs chewing on bones can actually be beneficial for their dental health. It’s a way for them to remove plaque from their teeth.
But sometimes dogs will chew bones simply because they like it. And that is perfectly fine. But as a rule of thumb, you should keep an eye on your dog while they enjoy a bone as they could run the risk of breaking the bones up into smaller bits that could get then get swallowed. And never allow them to chew bones like chicken bones, which can break and splinter and cause injury.
A dog and their bone. It’s a love story as old as time. Dogs love to chew on things. Usually, it’s bones or chew toys that we buy them, sometimes it’s household items like pillows or shoes. But for the most part, we try to steer them towards bones because it’s so much better for them than our sneakers. But there are plenty of benefits for chewing on bones, as well as plenty of reasons why dogs like to chew on bones.
Recreational bones – big chunks of beef or bison femur or hip bones filled with marrow — don’t supply significant dietary nutrition for your dog (they are not designed to be chewed up and swallowed, only gnawed on), but they do provide mental stimulation and are great for your pup’s oral health.
At my clinic, Natural Pet Animal Hospital, we recommend to all our dog parents that they separate bones into two categories:
The health risks listed above for cooked bones can also apply to recreational raw bones if your dog has unrestricted, unsupervised access to them. The following are do’s and don’ts for feeding recreational raw bones (and yes, they have to be raw, not steamed, boiled or baked):
Do separate dogs in a multi-dog household before feeding bones. Dogs can get quite territorial about bones and some dogs will fight over them.
Edible bones are the hollow, non weight-bearing bones of birds (typically chicken wings and chicken and turkey necks). They are soft, pliable, do not contain marrow, and can be easily crushed in a meat grinder. These bones provide calcium, phosphorus and trace minerals which can be an essential part of your pup’s balanced raw food diet.
Dog bones: Which are safe for dogs? | Ultimate Pet Nutrition – Dog Health Tips
We’ve seen it countless times, a dog chewing a bone and seemingly very happy with it. But the reality is, bones pose a significant health risk to dogs and vets have often advised against them. But there is also this growing trend of giving raw bones to dogs as a form of chew treat, and some people believe that providing bones can actually have health benefits. So, what is the verdict surrounding the safety of feeding bones to dogs? The answer is not as simple as one would expect. We’ll discuss in detail the hazards that go along with giving bones to dogs, and if there are actual nutritional benefits to it.