Giving a dog a bone!!

[TeaNoSugar]

A quick question about dogs eating bones; I'm looking after a friends dog for a week, and just wondering if it's OK to let them have a bone from the butchers to chew on?

I got 3 fairly chunky bones from the butchers, the dog absolutely loves them and will happily gnaw away on one all day long, but seeing him crunching away on the first bone the other day, my lodger said her old dog suffered from stomach problems and constipation when she used to give her bones to eat.

Is it likely to be a problem? Bearing in mind the lurcher tends to chew/grind the bones over an entire day, whereas my lodgers dog is a fairly hefty Staffie, and apparently used to demolish them pretty quickly, which makes me think that swallowing big sharp chunks of bone might have been the problem in that case?

[Blanchimont]

We give our Husky bones, and she loves them. No issues, she'll normally wander off, grab her bone and occasionally you'll hear her with it, but no ill effects at all. Failing that, get a couple of rice bones or similar to help.

[bexVN]

Has the dog ever been given bones before? If you don't know I would really check with his owner first.

We have had to perform surgery before due to bones causing issues, However I am sure many many dogs eat them without issue!

[TeaNoSugar]

He had one on Monday with seemingly no ill effects other than the increasing smell of warm meat as the day went on and he insisted on following me everywhere carrying his bone, then dropping it on the floor to continue crunching it up. I did notice there have been some bone fragments in his poo when bagging it up on walks and in the garden, but nothing that looked alarming.

Anyway he definitely loves his bone!!

[bexVN]

Personally I wouldn't go giving someone else's dog foodstuffs that they've not ok'd. Don't give too many bones in a week, he will get constipated if his digestion is not used to them (or diarrhoea)

[Jasandjules]

All our dogs are raw fed. That means meat and bones. Every day.....

However I'd not feed it to someone else's dog without permission...

[Bonefish Blues]

We don't, but because it's the one thing that makes our Apso super-unhappy as he has to guard it at all costs from his family. If he can't eat it there and then, then we don't give it to him.

[Boosted LS1]

Some dogs can't digest bone fragments. So, they sick them up later on along with nasty yellow bile. I suspect they've had stomach ache in the meantime.

[TeaNoSugar]

Yeah I really should've checked first - lesson learned for next time I look after anyone's dog! I wouldn't want the dog getting ill because of something I've given it to eat!

[bexVN]

Don't be too hard on yourself. He was probably in his element chowing down on those bones . He'll be wanting to visit again no doubt!

I assume he was OK and his owner was OK about it.

[Pesty]

Logan destroys and makes bones disappear at an alarming rate he loves them.

We limit them only because I worry about his teeth Bing worn down he's like a machine. Luckily he's never really had issues with digesting food of any kind.

[Howitzer]

We gave our Rottie a sheep rib cage and neck for his birthday, in an hour the entire thing was gone.

1 hard pooh and then a few bits in his next couple.

I'd never feed it to a dog not used to it though, some go mad and don't chew it enough.

Looks to have been sensible and eaten it nicely though.

Dave!

[jock mcsporran]

Our dog loves bones. This thing he has below lasts him a half hour at most. He eats raw so munches through wings and all sorts most of the day.

[Tango13]

I used to enjoy trying to take bones off one of our dogs, she would try to growl, wag her tail and run off with the bone all at the same time...

I'd chase her into the back garden at which point she'd stop, turn round and start chasing me all whilst carrying her bone, wagging her tail and growling...

She really was a daft dog

[TwistingMyMelon]

Bought a "branded" bone from posh supermarket one that you have to wait for....it smelt odd so my misses wrestled it off the dogs and binned it, she then went to work, I was went out on the beers.

Got up the next morning ...very worse for wear into my kitchen to be confronted by piss, sick, poo and vomit everywhere...literally a large kitchen caked in it....couldn't work out which dog or both then found my terrier shivering in a ball ...my collie seemed ok, poor thing couldn't even walk to the car to go to vets, £100 @ vets later and a day of rest he was ok.

Phoned up the large company that made the bone, who paid put immediately on receipt of a vets bill...which was odd they were so forthcoming, whilst the vets bill was paid the 3 hours of cleaning was disgusting.

Not really sure why I posted! I guess just be careful with any bones that smell off, my terrier is a tough bugger and I have never seen him so ill after just a minute with a rotten bone

[Howitzer]

Came across his 1st birthday present earlier.



Dave!

[otolith]

I think there is some risk inherent in giving dogs bones, however you have to weigh that against the obvious enjoyment they get out of them.

My GSD gets the odd big bone from the butchers and often gets raw frozen chicken portions containing bones. Giving them frozen slows him down a bit!

[Jasandjules]

otolith said:

I think there is some risk inherent in giving dogs bones,

30-40,000 years of dogs killing and eating raw meat and bones before pet food would indicate that bones generally are ok..............?!?!?

[otolith]

Humans still sometimes choke to death on grapes, how long have we been eating those? It would be safer not to eat them, but what kind of life do you get if you're that risk averse? Likewise, dogs and bones.

[Pesty]

Only problem I have is that when he gets to the scraggy end he finds some mug to hold the disgusting blood and slobber mud covered thing disgusting and painful

That's not the bone that's my hand