Dog food: bones for your dog

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Monday, May 7th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Should you give your dog bones?

Vets argue about the health effects of bones for dogs. According to Tom Lonssdale, BVSc, MRCVS, a veterinarian in New South Wales, Australia and author of Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health, raw bones are a natural, healthy food for dogs.

Bones for dogs, especially those that contain some meat, provide your dog with protein. What’s more, they contain a balance of essential minerals which your dog needs.

They also serve as nature’s toothbrush, Lonssdale says. Providing your canine friend with bones for dogs helps prevent periodontal disease and can even reverse its effects. Lonssdale further states, “My No. 1 safety warning would be to read up about dietary needs before taking on the responsibility of keeping a carnivore.”

On the other hand, another veterinarian, Ed Sullivan, DVM, of Animal Medical Center, a 24 hour emergency clinic located in Bellingham, Washington, says the exact opposite about bones for dogs. In fact, he outright advises against bones.

He says, “The potential for complications is always there, including bones lodged in the mouth or throat, intestinal obstruction, fractured teeth, and digestive upset.”

Then again, Sullivan adds that he rarely encounters dogs with injury or illness due to eating bones for dogs. He says, “We see way more complications with toys, rocks, plastic bags, clothing, and string than with bones.”

What’s best?

Distinguish between the good bones and the bad. Based on the comments above, it appears that your dog stands to gain more by eating the occasional bone than not avoiding it completely. Accidents involving bones are rare so it should not stop you from trying to provide your dog with as much nutrients and minerals as only a bone can provide.

Just make certain that the bones you get from the butcher or the grocer are not sharply angled or sawed. Instead, try beef tails and ribs, necks of lamb, chicken, turkey and beef. And get bones for dogs that contain lots of meat attached to them but the fat removed.