Mpati Veterinary Clinic
Dr A.D. (TONY) Grace (B.V.Sc.) DR A. (ASHLEIGH) OWEN (B.V.SC.)
28 Douglas St P.O.Box / Posbus 581 Dundee 3000
Telefax: 0342123466 / 0342181956
Cell: +27 82 567 9104
E-mail / E-pos: tonyg@trustnet.co.za
NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011
Feeding Bones to Dogs
The idea that it’s natural for dogs to chew on bones is a popular one. However, it’s a dangerous practice and can cause serious injury to
your pet.
Advantages:
 Entertainment - To a dog, there is nothing as pleasurable as a wholesome bone. To my mind the biggest advantage of a meaty
bone is that dogs enjoy them so much. So often our domesticated dogs lead dull lives. They lay in the back yard for hours with
little to interest them. No wonder they leap into a paroxysm of barking whenever a stranger or another dog walks past the
front gate as this is probably the highlight of their day. A bone can change all that.
 Nutritious - They are excellent source of protein and minerals.
 Clean teeth - Keeping a dog's teeth free from scale.
Disadvantages:
 Broken teeth – These are very painful and may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
 Bone gets stuck in the mouth - When a dog crushes a bone it can also wedge inside the dog's mouth. They often wedge
transversely between the teeth on the left and those on the right side of the mouth or they can lodge over a molar tooth
where they become stuck like a bulldog clip. Dogs with a bone lodged in their mouth are most unhappy. They paw frantically at
their mouth, they drool excessively and if the bone is stuck for several hours before it is detected, they develop breath that
smells worse than a kilogram of decayed prawns. Bones lodged inside the mouth can sometimes be removed by levering the
bone out with a blunt instrument such as the rounded metal handle of a sturdy dessert spoon. However this can be very
difficult and dangerous as the dog may be so frantic that it will try to bite. Removal under anaesthesia is usually necessary.
 Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw - This can be frightening or painful for your dog. Removal under anaesthesia
is usually necessary.
 Bone gets stuck in the oesophagus (the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach) - Your dog may gag, trying
to bring the bone back up, or swallow repeatedly. X-rays will have to be taken to see where along the oesophagus the bone is
lodged. Remember the oesophagus runs from the mouth, down the neck, through the chest, over the heart to the stomach in
the abdomen. Under anaesthesia, a tube will be passed into the oesophagus to try pushing the bone down into the stomach.
This can be very dangerous, especially if the bone is sharp or if it has to be pushed passed the heart.
 Bone gets stuck in the trachea (windpipe) - This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone.
This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
 Bone gets stuck in the stomach - It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into
the intestines. Surgery will be required to remove the bone.
 Bone gets stuck in the intestines - This causes a blockage and will require surgery to remove it.
 Constipation - The bone fragments tend to cement the dog's droppings together and the resultant lumps are so hard that
they cannot be passed. If, a day or so after feeding your dog a bone, your dog appears to be straining excessively without
passing any motions, then a visit to your vet is indicated immediately as serious constipation could have resulted and depending
on the severity, either a laxative or an enema will be given.
 Gastroenteritis - When you give your dog a bone, remove uneaten remains after 24 hours because they are likely to become
fly-blown. If left to 'mature' in the sun, the bone will harbour numerous dangerous bacteria which would cause a bowel
infection if the dog were to swallow them.
 Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in
your dog’s stomach or intestines.
Conclusion:
There are both pros and cons to feeding bones to your dog. In my opinion, the disadvantages are more plentiful and outweigh the
advantages by far. If you insist on feeding bones, the best types of bones to feed are the softer types. The soft brisket bones are
excellent, knuckle bones are good and so are the large marrow bones. Raw bones are far preferable to cooked, as raw bones can be
digested a lot more easily. By comparison, the wrong types of bones can certainly cause problems. Bones such as chop bones, 'T-Bones',
chicken bones and fish bones should never be fed. These bones have a dangerous tendency to splinter into sharp fragments which,
when swallowed, can perforate the dog's bowel, with life threatening consequences. Also some pets are "gulpers." Dogs that swallow
without chewing are not good candidates for any kind of bones, rawhides … or most toys, either.