Is is safe to feed raw bones? (vet, stomach, teeth)

[Woof Woof Woof!]

I know some people swear by raw diets and giving the dog a chicken drumstick or whatever. But I've read vet reports that saw raw bones can get stuck in a dog's esophagus or lodge in the stomach and require an operation. Who do you believe? What is safe?

I'd like to hear from the jury please...

W

[breeze823]

Well I was always taught to never feed a dog chicken or pork bones because they splinter, but I have given my dogs raw beef bones before lots of times. You know those big huge dinosaur bones they sell at the grocery store in the meat dept, my dogs love those!

[jbm32206]

I've been told by more than one vet, that it's not good for them to have bones, they do splinter and/or get caught in either their mouth or throat...and that's not just the chicken bones. In fact, my dog had part of a large beef bone stuck in the top of her mouth, which resulted in a puncture. I've long since stopped giving mine bones at all.

[mrs1885]

Chicken bones splinter, so don't feed those. But raw beef bones are fine. Just make sure they are raw! Once cooked they can splinter to some degree. My vet even recommended them.

I use frozen raw bones a lot. God only knows what the local butcher in the grocery store thinks of me - I buy them in bulk from them!!

For a foster dog that comes in with seperation anxiety they have been a God send. I kennel them with the frozen bone. If they flip when I leave, I'll let them stay in there long enough to notice the bone. When they stop crying and chew the bone for a few minutes, I come in, praise and open the kennel door. They get to choose if they want to stay in with the bone or come out, but the bone does not leave the kennel. The vast majority of the time they choose to stay. Now the kennel has become a good place. Within a few days they actually love the kennel and truly could care less if I exist!! LOL!!

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by mrs1885

God only knows what the local butcher in the grocery store thinks of me - I buy them in bulk from them!!

Where I live, the supermarket sells "soup bones" - cut knuckle or shank bones with lots of fatty meat attached. Fortunately them come in the "Val-U-Pac Family Size"... so there will be a stack of the trays in my trolley. It's when sweet old ladies stop me and say, "Now, just how do you cook those?" I run into trouble!

I've fed raw meat and bones (beef) for years. Never a mishap and my dogs could do toothpaste ads. I've got a 9 yr old who has never had his teeth descaled or anything of the sort. Dinner takes a long, long time and is very "satisfying" it would seem.

The only thing that has ever happened - and it was just the other week - was one dog managed to chew the bone down to just the right size to fit into his palette nicely - like a retainer. Popped it out with the end of a wooden spoon, he thanked me, and continued eating his dinner.

Edited to add: there is a school of thought that worries about bacteria levels in raw meat and bones. Should this be of concern, a one minute dip into boiling water is long enough to kill off bacteria without removing the nutrients &/or making the bone splinter when chewed.

[Woof Woof Woof!]

I know that cooked bones splinter because they are brittle, but what about raw bones?

[mrs1885]

Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!

I know that cooked bones splinter because they are brittle, but what about raw bones?

The beef bones when raw do not splinter. I've never had one splinter. And I've been using them 11 years in rescue work and with my own dogs.

[Blondie621]

My rule is no bones! Better safe than sorry. Mine only get the Dentleys in a package from Petsmart. I buy the four package for like 20 bucks. They have maple/bacon in them. When my dogs chew them halfway down I toss them. Only because they could be a choke hazzard!

[dogpaw]

Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!

I know that cooked bones splinter because they are brittle, but what about raw bones?

I have feed my dogs raw chicken bones many times without any issues. I would never feed my dogs cooked chicken bones.

[Viralmd]

If you're going to feed raw, please FREEZE the bones for at LEAST 24h! That helps to kill some of the parasites, such as the beef tapeworm!