bones - yes? no? raw? cooked?

"John Casey" wrote in message

<snip>
Take something hard, put it in your mouth and bite
> on it. You naturally can not bite hard enough to break your teeth. Yes,
> people have lost teeth biting into food that had something hard in it
> they wern't expecting. Bone is all hard, so there is no surprise. If
> you watch a dog chewing on a bone, they really don't bite down on it,
> it seems they tend to shave it with their teeth.
>

I beg to differ. I broke a tooth eating a one of those hard sour dough
pretzels... had to have a crown.......and my teeth are reasonably strong....
no cavities, no other problems.

Sue and Atty
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

Do NOT cook. This dries out the bone, and it becomes brittle - causing
splintering easily.

Type of bone may depend on the dog. Is Zoot a gulper? How big is Zoot?

"fatbak" wrote in message

> Zoot would love to chew on a bone. Nylabones just don't cut it and I don't
> blame her. The vet recommends no bones because they can break a dog's
> teeth. Based on the way I've seen Zoot gnaw a bone, that seems quite
> possible.
>
> What's the general consensus? Do you give your dog bones? If not, why not?
>
> Then if I decide to ignore the vet's advice (which I don't like to do) and
> get Zoot a bone, what kind? Cooked? Raw? A knuckle bone or some other
> part?
>
> Irene
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

Thanks for your input, John.


> Take something hard, put it in your mouth and bite
> on it. You naturally can not bite hard enough to break your teeth.

Oooohhh, I think we *could* bite hard enough to break our teeth, but we
don't because we know it could happen. It's more mental than physical
for humans. Dogs don't "get" the cause-and-effect relationship, so they
don't necessarily hold themselves back from chewing hard enough to break
teeth.

However, I agree that vets do tend to err on the side of caution. For
someone who listens to the vet, though, it's like dipping a toe into a
cold lake when I think I might do something against what the vet says.
Ah, not the best analogy but it's late.


> you watch a dog chewing on a bone, they really don't bite down on it,
> it seems they tend to shave it with their teeth.

Mmm, that's true, they do seem to scrape or shave it more than they chew
on it.

Would like to hear what others have to say about this. Thanks
Irene
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

I would recommend raw bones over cooked, as was mentioned, cooked bones
can splinter. I would also recommend a large bone that the dog can't
swallow. especially if he's a gulper. In other words, no poultry bones.
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

Zoot's 40 lbs, and a gulper? - I don't know, exactly. She's my first dog
so I don't have another to compare her to. She does seem to eat fast,
whether it's food or a treat, but don't most dogs?

I already knew to avoid chicken bones, and now I know to avoid cooked
ones too. I'm guessing that the bones I'll get from the grocery store
meat dept will still have some meat stuck to them - doesn't this go bad?
Would boiling just enough to cook that little bit of meat still dry out
the bone?

Yeah, I know people have been giving bones to their dogs for ages. I'm
not sure why I'm being so overly cautious!

Irene


ZPL wrote:
> Do NOT cook. This dries out the bone, and it becomes brittle - causing
> splintering easily.
>
> Type of bone may depend on the dog. Is Zoot a gulper? How big is Zoot?
>
> "fatbak" wrote in message
>
>
>>Zoot would love to chew on a bone. Nylabones just don't cut it and I don't
>>blame her. The vet recommends no bones because they can break a dog's
>>teeth. Based on the way I've seen Zoot gnaw a bone, that seems quite
>>possible.
>>
>>What's the general consensus? Do you give your dog bones? If not, why not?
>>
>>Then if I decide to ignore the vet's advice (which I don't like to do) and
>>get Zoot a bone, what kind? Cooked? Raw? A knuckle bone or some other
>>part?
>>
>>Irene
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

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 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

I think I could write a very interesting illustrated book on the numerous
types of bones of different sizes, raw and cooked, that have got stuck in
dogs stomachs, intestines or trachea. There is no bone that is 100% safe for
eating! On the subject of chicken bones those 'wish bones' are certainly to
be avoided. Their spring like nature encourages them to become lodged in the
pharynx, oesophagus or trachea.


"John Casey" wrote in message

As far as bones go I will not, no matter how many people say it is ok,
give my dogs chicken bones, neck or otherwise.
> GDonn0309@..."
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

"fatbak" wrote in message

I'm guessing that the bones I'll get from the grocery store
> meat dept will still have some meat stuck to them
.......well, you guess would be wrong! They're skinning the bones down to
nothing. I wouldn't get those marrow bones either, especially if they've
been cut into little 1/2 donuts - too easy to swallow. Even if you could
get the marrow bones in bigger pieces, it's those hard leg bones which may
crack teeth. If your store has knuckle bones that they cut up, see if they
can't sell you one uncut.

- doesn't this go bad?
> Would boiling just enough to cook that little bit of meat still dry out
> the bone?
........I don't see the point of boiling any bone. Do you rush to the vet
for antibiotics after your dog licks his butt? Let your dog chew for 1/2 an
hour, take it away and wrap it up and put in the fridge and let him have it
again the next day. Too much bone at first may be too rich for the dog so
limit the time at first.

buglady
take out the dog before replying
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

Nixa get bones directly from a local butcher. While Nixa is not a gulper,
she is a mega chewer. I take the bones away when they get too small.
The first time I heard Nixa gnawing on her bone It was quite surprised.
The noise was nothing like I have never seem before.

Renee (Nixa's mom)

"fatbak" wrote in message

> Zoot would love to chew on a bone. Nylabones just don't cut it and I don't
> blame her. The vet recommends no bones because they can break a dog's
> teeth. Based on the way I've seen Zoot gnaw a bone, that seems quite
> possible.
>
> What's the general consensus? Do you give your dog bones? If not, why not?
>
> Then if I decide to ignore the vet's advice (which I don't like to do) and
> get Zoot a bone, what kind? Cooked? Raw? A knuckle bone or some other
> part?
>
> Irene
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked? 

"R. Zimmerman" wrote in message

> Nixa get bones directly from a local butcher. While Nixa is not a gulper,
> she is a mega chewer. I take the bones away when they get too small.
> The first time I heard Nixa gnawing on her bone It was quite surprised.
> The noise was nothing like I have never seem before.
>
> Renee (Nixa's mom)
>
> "fatbak" wrote in message
>
>> Zoot would love to chew on a bone. Nylabones just don't cut it and I
>> don't blame her. The vet recommends no bones because they can break a
>> dog's teeth. Based on the way I've seen Zoot gnaw a bone, that seems
>> quite possible.
>>
>> What's the general consensus? Do you give your dog bones? If not, why
>> not?
>>
>> Then if I decide to ignore the vet's advice (which I don't like to do)
>> and get Zoot a bone, what kind? Cooked? Raw? A knuckle bone or some other
>> part?
>>
>> Irene

I feed my dog raw meat and bones on a daily basis, and have been doing so
for 2 1/2 years. As long as the bones are raw, and they're not of the
weight-bearing type (like leg/thigh bones: hollow and very hard and dense in
structure), they're fine.

My dog gets lamb ribs, oxtails, pigs trotters, pork chops, whole chicken (I
smash the leg/thigh bones with a hammer as my dog doesn't chew them well
enough), turkey necks, salmon and trout heads/backs, &c.

I speculate that the reasons why vets don't recommend bones may be many.
They've probably seen numerous dogs come in with problems due to having
eaten *cooked* bones, which tend to splinter or not get properly digested.
Also, they may mistakenly believe that dogs are as susceptible (is that the
word?) to bacteria as we humans are (which is an odd thing to believe about
an opportunistic carnivore). They may even advice against raw bones because
they have no experience or knowledge in raw feeding, and therefore don't
want you to take any chances.

And finally, there's no doubt in my mind that many vets have gotten most of
their knowledge about dog nutrition from dry food companies, who'd rather
have you feed your dog nothing but their grain-based pellets.

But one thing is important to remember about bones: pups and growing dogs
don't have the ability to pass excess calcium. They'll absorb it all, which
may lead to skeletal problems. Adult dogs, however, only absorb the calcium
they need, and may therefore eat more bones than growing dogs.

Roxanne
 >> Stay informed about: bones - yes? no? raw? cooked?