Pets World

If you have a dog, then at some point in time you’ve probably given it a bone. There are two schools of thought on marrow bones for dogs. On one hand, raw bones seem like a natural choice for dog diets, something that they’d get in the wild. Marrow bones can be beneficial for dogs’ teeth and gums, adding nutrients to their diets that they just don’t get from processed dog food. Then there’s the pure enjoyment factor. On the other hand, there are possible dangers in feeding raw marrow bones to your dog, which at the extreme may be life-threatening or even fatal.

Bones can be a natural part of a dog’s diet, especially if you’re a proponent of the raw foods diet. If you’d like to feed bones to your dog, the best type of bone to give is a raw, meaty marrow-filled bone. The bone should be a knuckle bone or a femur, with some meat still attached to it, along with the cartilage and marrow still inside. Make sure the bone is too big to fit completely in your dog’s mouth, as it may choke.

These raw bones are very beneficial for the nourishment of the teeth and gums and the marrow itself is great source of fat and protein. The chewing action will strengthen your dog’s jaw muscles and clean and whiten its teeth. Most dogs absolutely love raw bones, and they’ll spend many enjoyable hours gnawing away on them. Giving marrow bones as an occasional treat, once or twice per week, will greatly reduce boredom and keep your dog’s mind occupied.

There are some possible dangers involved in giving raw marrow bones to your dog that you should keep in mind. First of all, never give your dog any kind of bones without supervision. Some dogs are very aggressive chewers and will move the bone to their back teeth where they can crack them. This will allow shard and splinters of bone to break off and possibly cut their tongues and gums. Take the bone away after a day so it doesn’t start to harden.

There’s a greater danger that pieces of bone will be swallowed. Most healthy dogs’ immune systems can handle small pieces of bone, but sometimes a piece can get lodged in the intestines or esophagus and cause major damage before the problem is discovered. There have been many unfortunate cases of dogs eating bones that have actually punctured the intestines, requiring major surgery to repair the damage. Avoid feeding any kind of bone that can splinter, such as chicken bones or rib bones.

Feeding raw marrow bones to your dog can be enjoyable and beneficial to both you and your pet. They help clean their teeth and gums and are a great boredom-buster. Just make sure to feed the right kinds of bones, and to never let your dog chew on them without supervision. Why not give your dog a special treat tonight?