This should maybe say all bones not just cooked bones considering that there are so many variables to consider when giving your dog these wonderful treats!
Let’s start with cooked bones since that is the one that causes the most amount of hospital visits for our four-legged friends.
Cooking the bone sounds like a great idea because to us humans, raw bones are unappetizing. However, the cooking process actually softens the bones, allowing your dog to either chew off more of the bone then he would otherwise be able to or, worse, bite the bone into chunks and then swallow the bits. Too many bits of bone at one sitting will cause constipation and a pretty sore gut – rarely does it result in hospitalization (although if your dog ever continues to strain with no success, take him to the vet for an enema or laxatives or both). However, swallowing chunks of bone is definitely a bad thing. I have no idea how many exploratory surgeries I have assisted at that have ended up being a chunk of bone.
Raw beef bones are great for dogs as are moose or deer if you live in an area where you can get wild game bones. Raw pork, chicken and turkey bones have their own complications. There is the splintering effect that can cut through an intestinal wall and cause the dog to bleed out. There is the salmonella factor with chicken. There are all the problems associated with undercooked pork. Most of these creatures do not produce bones big enough to give the dog something to chew on without a choking risk.
Be on the safe side, only ever feed your dog raw beef bones and preferably something nice and thick without too much cartilage like a femur or humorous. I realize that many people subscribe to the BARF system of feeding their dog – Bones And Raw Food and often BARF advocates suggest feeding dogs raw chicken backs or turkey necks. Some BARFers even feed their dogs ground bones. That is a conversation for another day – it is far too involved for this little post on toxins. All I ask is please do your research before subscribing to this belief system and use your own common sense.
If you have given your dog a nice big bone with a ton of marrow in it, well, expect some diarrhea. Marrow is most fat with a bit of protein thrown in and high quantities of fat cause all sorts of digestive upset. In fact, too much fat can be lethal to a dog, causing acute and severe diarrhea and vomiting. Always check the amount of fat on the bone to the size of the dog and remove any excess amount if you are concerned.
If you have given your dog a bone and, say, it split and there are pieces missing, watch him closely for any signs of distress. Sometimes the dog will be able to pass the chunk on his or her own. Other times complications arise. Check their teeth, too as often teeth give way before the bone does – that too is a story for another day.
Common sense applies to this toxin too. Keep bones cold until it is time to give them to your dog, inspect them for cracks, and never leave a dog alone with the bone. Monitor the bone throughout the time your dog is chewing on it for cracks or problems; this also serves as a great training exercise as you should always be able to take a bone away from your dog! If it’s a big bone, take it away from them and put it in the fridge for the next day so it is not too much for their system all at once.
Bones may not be a normal ‘toxin’ but they cause more hospital visits then almost everything else on our list so be careful!