Bones

[Pokidia]

Sparky is our first dog and I have some questions about bones. Some people have told me it's OK to give him raw chicken bones (to clean his teeth) and others have told me no chicken bones at all. I tend to give him cooked lamb bones as he seems to prefer them cooked. Is this dangerous, someone told me they splinter. He doesn't seem too keen on raw bones. Help!!!!:confused:

[GoldenRetrLuver]

First of all....WELCOME TO PET TALK! I do not give my dogs chicken bones, cooked or not, if there cooked they could splinter, and dogs could choke on it and it could hurt them. Even if there not cooked, i think they are too small and and dangeous to give...

P.S. I would love to see pics of Sparky! Breed? Age?:)

[Pokidia]

Sparky is a 14 month old Maltese X Shih Tzu, all white and a big fluffy ball. He's very loyal and playful and is a delight to have around. Unfortunately I'm not too good with the computer and would have no idea how to put some pictures in. Sorry :confused:

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Awwww, sounds like a cutie!

Heres a link for posting pictures:

posting pics (http://207.44.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7406&highlight=101)

Theres a place called www.imagestation.com where you can upload your pics there.

Sorry if its confusing!:o

[binka_nugget]

well for Kai and I, we use bones. It really depends on how comfertable you are. I'm fairly comfertable but I always always always keep an eye on him while eating bones. It's a must. Cooked bones do splinter more easily (think of cooked chicken wings as opposed to raw chicken wings). But raw bones also are a bit risky. For Kai and I, I only give him bones that he can't swollow whole now. I learned after giving him a chicken wing. Although, he was fine. It's more of a matter of choking rather than passing through. My vet said it's alright to give raw bones as well as the breeder. But then again, everyone has different preferences. I give Kai a raw turkey neck every morning for breakfast along with some veggies and meat if he's still hungry. I let Kai eat the whole thing and no problems so far. The major advantage is the clean teeth. The last time we went to the vet, the first thing he mentioned was how clean Kai's teeth were. Although, if you're not comfertable with giving bones, you can always just brush your dog's teeth. It's a bit more work but has the same effect.

[wolf_Q]

I won't give my dogs any bones, cooked or raw.

[anna_66]

I never give chicken bones or cooked bones.

[lovemyshiba]

No bones here, especially not chicken bones--they can splinter and the dog can choke on them. I used to give my dogs bones I bought at the store, but a bad fight resulted in me throwing them all in the garbage--so it's Kongs and nylabones here!!

[Akitasix]

Pokidia-

Take a look here.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/general.cfm?gid=209&ref=DOGC&subref=BN

[micki76]

My dogs never get any real animal bones, cooked or raw. Too dangerous, especially chicken bones.

[mruffruff]

I don't give mine bones any more, although I have given them very large, meatless bones in the past. I do let them chew on hooves on rare ocassions, for a limited time. The hooves don't shatter and I can store them in a plastic bag in between.

I don't let my dogs have rawhide anymore; to many times they choked on a small piece. Pig ears don't last long but they love them.

Mary

[wolfsoul]

I don't agree with bones at all.

Even raw bones can cause damage. They can also sometimes splinter like any cooked bone. They can cut the throat and stomach, and they can cause severe impaction of the colon, sometimes resulting in need of surgery.

Pics of raw bone damage (http://65.54.244.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=ae6b7bbe211864f2e996e1ca21aac517&lat=1056045585&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fPetoftheDay%2ecom%2ftalk% 2fshowthread%2ephp%3fthreadid%3d28445%26goto%3dnew post)

Welcome to pet talk! :)

[binka_nugget]

I was just thinking, if you want the bones for teeth cleaning. It's better to stick with brushing daily, greenies, frozen towels, etc. If you want the bones for the nutrition (although you shouldn't need it if your dog already has a balanced diet), you could grind them up into powder. I don't feel too safe using whole bones for kai so the moment I have enough money to buy something decent to grind up the bones, I'll do just that.

[micki76]

Originally posted by mruffruff
I do let them chew on hooves on rare ocassions, for a limited time. The hooves don't shatter and I can store them in a plastic bag in between.
Mary

Chester shatters & splinters hooves, so we no longer give those either.

[Pokidia]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It seems the general consensus is NO BONES AT ALL!!! I have stopped giving Sparky his daily bone and will try some alternatives as he does like to have a chew.:)