From early childhood we are taught: “The bunny eats carrots, the goat eats cabbage, the cat eats fish, and the dog eats a bone.” But is everything really so clear? Today I invite you to discuss an important topic:
Bones in the diet of dogs have perhaps been and remain one of the most controversial foods. For many years, dog owners have been heated debates about whether it is possible to give dogs bones, and if so, what kind.
What are bones for and what are their benefits? The benefits directly depend on the type of bone.
Types of bones for dogs
Spongy bones are useful - sternum, pelvis, spine bones (including necks and tails).
In long bones (animal limb bones), only the heads are good for dogs. Butchers cut them up and call them sugar pits.
The former are eaten by dogs as part of a portion of food, and the latter can only be crushed by very powerful jaws; all others can only gnaw them. But any bone suitable for a dog consists of whole or divided joints, their heads are covered with hyaline cartilage, the joint itself is covered with a capsule, and there is synovial fluid inside. Tendons are attached to bones.
Why shouldn't you give bird bones?
A separate topic of discussion is the consequences of feeding poultry bones to dogs. Even though they are softer, it is a piece of tubular chicken bone that can easily puncture a dog's stomach. Such a chicken-bone dinner can have very sad, even fatal, consequences.
Causes
You should not give your dogs bird bones for the reason that if you remember, birds have a higher body temperature. This means that many dangerous and harmful microbes are not scary for them, but turn birds into passive carriers of them. Often these harmful microbes choose not soft tissue, but bone tissue, especially the bones of the paws, as their localization site. They are most often purchased by dog owners to reward their pet for following a command or to give them a treat after a walk.
What if you boil it thoroughly?
Even if you boil the chicken feet and serve them to your pet with broth, you will not solve the problem. The microbes will die, but the toxins will remain. And after eating chicken foot soup, your dog may develop a toxic infection in the body caused by the toxins present in the bones. For a strong and robust dog, a toxic infection may not be terrible - the matter will most likely be limited to mild malaise, vomiting or an upset stomach. But if a puppy or a bitch who is about to give birth eats such a treat, serious consequences cannot be avoided.
A detailed study of the question “can I feed my dog poultry bones?” allows us to come to the conclusion that this is not worth doing if we protect the health of our four-legged pet and worry about it.
Benefits of bones for dogs:
- Bones are a source of calcium, phosphorus, and minerals that animals of all ages need: glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen, which dogs will absorb in the best possible way and without side effects, unlike commercially available synthesized drugs.
- Bones train chewing muscles, strengthen gums, promote mechanical cleaning of teeth, and prevent the deposition of tartar and plaque.
- The dog chews the bone and produces saliva and gastric juice, which are necessary for good digestion of food. For this and not only reason, bones should be given after meals, but we will come to this later.
- Bones contain spongy substance and are a hematopoietic organ. And this very substance is very useful for dogs. Bones also contain bone marrow, a source of unsaturated and saturated fats.
- Bones contribute to the formation of feces and facilitate its passage through the gastrointestinal tract and mechanical emptying of the paranal glands.
- Gnawing bones, the dog gets a release and calms down.
- And finally, bones are simply delicious! Dogs love them!
So, the benefits of bones for dogs are obvious.
Ingestion of bones into the stomach
If your pet eats too many bones, they will gradually clog his stomach. It is worth noting that it is for this reason that many stray dogs die.
A metabolic disorder occurs in the pet's body. Accordingly, the acidity of gastric juice decreases. As a result, bones swallowed by a dog will not be able to soften and exit into the intestines, and then leave the pet’s body.
Thus, they will continue to accumulate inside the stomach. This can lead to obstruction and severe bleeding, which will provoke the death of your beloved four-legged animal.
What bones can you give to dogs?
- All spongy bones can be used: necks, backs, tails, spinal bones, sternum, scapula and heads of long bones.
- Dogs eat relatively soft bones completely, but they rather gnaw off the heads of large bones, and if they are cut, they eat away the bone substance.
- Dogs can also be given bones as part of fish carcasses, fins, salmon ridges, and fish heads.
Consequences of use
Eating tubular bones can lead to serious consequences.
Among them are:
Damage to the oral mucosa. As a result of the injuries received, stomatitis and periodontal disease develop.- Chips of tooth enamel, grinding of teeth. Such damage provokes the appearance of pulpitis and caries.
- Sticking of bone particles in the esophagus. Threats of suffocation.
- Damage to the pharynx, trachea. The animal suffers from acute pain.
- Perforation of the digestive organs. When such problems occur, internal bleeding occurs. It is possible that feces and stomach contents may leak into the peritoneal cavity. The animal needs surgery. There is a risk of developing sepsis and peritonitis. The dog may die.
- Sticking of bone particles in the anus, colon. In the best case scenario, constipation will occur. In the worst case, intoxication occurs due to intestinal obstruction.
If your pet has eaten such food, its condition should be monitored for 2-3 days. The following changes should cause alarm:
- loss of appetite or complete refusal to eat;
- clearly expressed anxiety;
lethargy, passivity;- appearance of cough;
- excessive drooling;
- gagging;
- whining;
- the presence of blood in the stool;
- bleeding;
- constipation.
Any of these symptoms should be a reason to contact your veterinarian.
If the incident of bone consumption was isolated, the pet’s condition has not worsened, there is no cause for concern. The pieces pass out on their own in the feces.
Sometimes your pet needs help to cleanse its intestines to avoid negative consequences . A wax candle (a small piece) that needs to be fed to the animal will help with this.
When it enters the gastrointestinal tract, it begins to melt, envelops sharp particles and promotes their safe removal from the body.
For a small breed dog, three centimeters of a church candle will be enough. Large dogs need to be fed about half.
An hour and a half after this procedure, the pet is given its usual food. It is noted that the risk of damage to the mucous membranes is significantly higher if the stomach is empty.
You should give your dog a candle three times a day. You need to use only natural products. Paraffin is absolutely useless.
It is strictly forbidden to induce vomiting or use laxatives. When performing such actions, the walls of the gastrointestinal tract begin to contract, and sharp bone particles can dig into them.
What bones should dogs not eat?
- All tubular bones of large animals, bones of soup chickens.
- Bones outside a piece of meat, bare bones, are especially dangerous.
If you give a leg of a 35-day-old broiler, the dog will not be able to swallow it without chewing. She will turn it into a cutlet, with bones inside. And in this form, the bones are completely digestible and safe for the gastrointestinal tract.
- The ribs aren't the best. While the cartilaginous ends of the ribs are very useful, they themselves can crumble into long, sharp pieces.
Benefit
Lamb contains the following substances:
- trace elements (iodine, iron, chromium, cobalt, copper);
- macroelements (calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, chlorine);
- multivitamin composition (A, B, E, D).
It is recommended to use raw meat: it retains vitamins and minerals that are destroyed during heat treatment. To eliminate the risk of helminth infection, it is recommended to store the product in the freezer. In the morning it is scalded with boiling water, allowed to defrost, and then placed in the animal’s bowl.
Lamb is useful for pets who are weakened after illness or surgery, or in old age.
How to give bones correctly?
Bones are given raw, as part of a meal or after it. The necks of chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, quails, rabbits, lambs, beef tails, as well as the backs of chickens, quails and the like contain quite a lot of meat and can make up up to half of the entire meat and bone portion of a dog’s diet. They are given with food or immediately after. Animals eat them without leaving a trace. Bones of large joints and others, practically devoid of meat, are given after the main portion of food. It is good to periodically feed bird and rabbit heads. They are rich in brain, one of the sources of unsaturated fatty acids. Depending on the meatiness, bones occupy from 5% to 50% of the total protein portion of a dog’s diet. When feeding fish with a soft spine and small fish (herring, herring, capelin, etc.), there is no need to pull out the spine and remove the head. It is better to grind the hard and sharp spines of large fish through a meat grinder.
It is important to balance the dog’s capabilities and habits with the bones given. For voraciously swallowing dogs, those who do not know how or cannot chew due to age or weak teeth, it is safe to give soft bones beaten with a hammer or rolled through a meat grinder. In this form, they retain all their beneficial properties, but will never cause any harm. Dogs that are effective bone chewers will do well on the heads of large bones. But it is important to ensure that they do not bite off or swallow large and sharp pieces and do not eat more than 10% of the food in order to avoid too dense feces and/or coprostasis . It is also worth taking away the remains of any bones to avoid swallowing them whole. A puppy, for example, in excitement can swallow a whole rib or a piece of neck, but will not be able to digest it.
Always keep an eye on your pet's mouth. It happens that a bone can get stuck, a tooth can break off or become damaged (by the way, not necessarily from the bones, but still). Usually, large bones serve as a good “brush” and there are no tartar deposits, but it makes sense to monitor the process and condition of the oral cavity, gums and teeth.
Any bones that are boiled, fried or baked are strictly prohibited! The dog is not able to digest them in principle. Neither big, nor small, nor spongy, much less tubular. Bones from jellied meat or fried chicken, stewed rabbit or baked goose belong in a garbage can, not in a dog bowl! Have you seen scary photos and videos of how they operate and remove deposits of bones from a dog’s stomach? This is exactly what they are, sharp fragments of bare tubular boiled bones, which were given without any measure.
Pork bones
No! Not only bones, even pork meat is not allowed for dogs. By eating raw pork, your dog runs the risk of becoming infected with various worms, and cooked pork is very fatty for pets.
There are cases when owners, having cooked jellied meat, rush to treat their pet to bones from it. Well, the good stuff shouldn’t go to waste, right? The result of such feeding is that, at best, you will be able to get away with a slight fright, namely Vaseline and an enema.
In the worst case, there is an operation during which the intestines are cut and the bones are removed from it. This is followed by the postoperative period, when the dog needs to be given the maximum amount of time and attention. Still want to treat your dog to some boiled pork bones? Many have already become convinced that such “savings” cost too much. Don't be one of them.
Who can and should be given bones?
- You can absolutely safely give bones to dogs that eat raw natural food. The acidity in the stomach of such dogs is pH 1 or lower. In such an acidic environment, bones are digested quite successfully under the influence of gastric juices and hydrochloric acid.
- Bones are shown to puppies from the moment of weaning, even with their milk teeth they perfectly gnaw out the spongy substance from the chopped strong heads of bones, gnaw the heads, eating cartilage and attached tendons.
- Even an old dog or one with an incomplete set of teeth will benefit from bones. To obtain useful substances, it is better to grind the bones, and give larger ones purely for pleasure without taking into account the bone component in the total amount, if the dog can only grind the bone, but does not eat part of it.
Features of lamb
Lamb is considered a hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly product; it contains a rare and easily digestible protein that does not cause allergies. Lamb meat contains B vitamins, retinol (A), tocopherol (E), D, K.
Lamb is distinguished by its high fat content - 20-25%. For comparison, rabbit meat contains 5-10%, beef - 12-20%.
To reduce fat intake, you can include healthy lamb by-products in your dog’s diet:
- trachea - consists of cartilaginous tissue, has a low calorie content, useful for sedentary pets or obese animals;
- heart - increases the dog’s endurance, affects the increase in its muscle mass;
- stomach (rumen), offal - stimulate the digestion of the animal due to the content of enzymes;
- liver - contains a large amount of iron, indicated for weakened animals.
But not all by-products are uniquely healthy. Lamb lung has no nutritional value, and it is also poorly digested due to the abundance of connective tissue. Lamb spleen, despite its good content of iron, minerals, amino acids, can cause an eating disorder. The spleen is suitable for consumption only in minimal portions.
A good form of treat for walking is a dried or cured meat product or offal (offal) - they are easy to use, do not fall off, do not stain your hands and are high in calories.
Who shouldn't be given bones?
First of all, these are dogs that eat industrial food. These foods contain a lot of plant components that lead to changes in stomach acidity. Instead of pH1 typical for carnivores, it has pH4 and higher values. In such an environment, bones cannot be processed effectively, which leads to problems. Often this is vomiting of eaten bones or feces with pieces of undigested bones. This threatens the health and life of the animal. A similar situation can arise in dogs that eat a mixed diet - dry food/canned food and meat. Bones are also contraindicated for dogs with gastrointestinal diseases, especially those taking medications that reduce gastric secretory activity (for example, omez). Bitches should not be given bones when they are starting to feed their puppies.
Many dogs can regurgitate food, and in this case, sharp pieces of bone that would be safely digested in the mother's stomach can cause significant harm to the puppies, who are unlikely to be able to digest them. This is especially true for bitches who eat dry food or have a mixed diet. Pregnant bitches who eat raw foods are also not given bones in the last week of pregnancy.
This measure reduces the risk of developing hypocalcemia and related conditions and facilitates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract in later stages. Calcium necessary for fetuses and labor during this period will come from the mother’s bones under the influence of parathyroid hormone, the activity of which is activated at the end of pregnancy.
Beef, pork and lamb bones
Experienced veterinarians consider this product to be the only one that can really be used in animal feeding. Speaking about whether it is possible to give a dog beef bones, it is worth noting that they have a reduced fat content. However, you need to understand that raw foods are quite tough. It will simply be impossible for the animal to chew them. However, if you use such bones as toys for animals, then in this case the pet will not only enjoy an interesting game.
The hard material is great for changing teeth. However, boiled beef bone should never be given. Although they are much softer, and it will not be difficult for a dog to chew them, particles of such a product very quickly clog the stomach. In this case, consequences cannot be avoided. This means that when talking about whether it is possible to give a dog boiled beef bones, it is worth taking this important nuance into account.
Many people believe that pork bones are no different from the previous product. However, the use of such nutrition is allowed only if absolutely all fat is cut off from the bones. If we talk about the opinion of experts about whether it is possible to give a dog boiled pork bones, then they do not recommend such a treat. The pet runs the risk of quickly clogging its stomach.
Lamb bones are too high in fat, so it is most difficult for the animal’s body to digest such a product. It is better to abandon such experiments altogether. When asked whether it is possible to give a dog lamb bones, experts answer unequivocally - regardless of the breed of the animal, they should not be given.
How to safely introduce bones into your dog's diet?
The first thing to do is switch your dog to raw feeding. Only animals with a low pH1 value can eat bones well; animals that eat industrial feed have a pH4. Acidity will decrease after 2-3 weeks of feeding raw meat, poultry and fish. You should start with rolled or beaten soft bird bones. As a rule, from the 10th day the dog can assimilate them well. If you observe vomiting of bones, it means it’s too early, or the pieces are too large and the stomach returned them. You can give bones from the necks and in the carcass of poultry, the back, and gnaw on beef bones 3-4 weeks after switching to raw food. Always watch how the dog eats; many need to be taught to work with their jaws, holding the neck or wing by the tip, so that the dog learns to chew and not swallow greedily. Don't rush, there is no need to force the process. Each animal is individual, and if one dog easily and quickly switches to raw food and can digest bones within a week, another may require 2 months or half a year. It is convenient to make mixed meat preparations by grinding soft bones into it. Especially for small, toothless dogs and during the transition period for puppies. You can grind the necks and backs of birds or rabbits and freeze the balls.
Add these balls to the meat, gradually increasing their quantity to the prescribed amount. Cartilage is the most difficult to digest. Therefore, at first they are appropriate in ground form, and then dogs will be able to successfully chew and digest them.
Who is it suitable for?
Lamb can be given to any size dog. But this meat is especially useful for guard and herding breeds. After all, their body adapted to such food many centuries ago. Nutritious lamb quickly saturates animals that move actively and spend a lot of energy (sled dogs, service dogs, runners).
Sheep and ram meat is suitable for allergy sufferers, as it practically does not cause individual intolerance. A variety of healthy by-products allows you to diversify the diet of a pet on a strict diet.
Lamb is rich in iron, microelements, and B vitamins, which makes it an ideal dish for older and weakened dogs. Fresh raw meat is especially beneficial. To kill helminths, you can freeze it overnight or scald it with boiling water.
Alternative
The bones can be replaced with well-boiled cartilage. You can feed your dog pork ears, which are healthy food, but they must be heat-treated.
Also, dogs eat boiled bones with a soft structure with great pleasure. You can give your pet beef bones, or rather the large heads of the hip joints. After the dog has gnawed the meat and cartilage tissue, it is better to remove the bone, since the pet can dislocate its jaw trying to chew the bone.
If you decide to feed your pet bones, remember that the size of the bone must correspond to the size and age of the animal. Limit your consumption of beef bones to twice a week.
. It is better to feed the animal raw beef bones, since boiled ones have a negative effect on the pet’s intestines.
