Hi Everyone,
Just a quick question-is it ok to give a puppy bones to chew on?

My boyfriend thinks not and says it will make the dog aggresive-i just wanted to give her a treat...

Any advice?

Thanks sarah

It is more than OK to give your pup bones.In my experience it is a neccesity!
Why would giving bones make your dog aggressive? Only a male could come up with something so odd ;)

RAW chicken wings and necks are great to start off with.Stay away from those smoked pet shop bones or any bones that have been heat treated/cooked.

There are two types of bones.

"Meal" bones, ie chicken wings, necks, lamb ribs, etc, bones covered in meat that are entirely consumed.

Recreational bones, ie lamb shanks, marrowbones, anything with not a lot of meat on that the dog cannot entirely consume.

Both are good, my dogs love them.

There are rules wtih bones.

They must be raw. The dog must be allowed to eat his bone in peace, do NOT let anyone attempt to take it off him unless they have say THREE bones to swap it for, that isnt fair.

Em

Hi,

Thanks for the info' i will go to the butchers later on today..

I have also read about the bones to keep puppy occupied when you go out-the ones you can fill with cheese spread,etc.Where would i get those from?

Sorry for asking dumb questions..

Thanks Sarah x

Hi sarah,
would that be the kongs? big rubber hollow toys... available at most good pet shops :-)
you can stuff them with alsorts, they freeze well too to make them last longer :D

Thanks-yes those are the things:) kongs-will speak to the OH later on and tell him to get one on the way home.

Thanks very much:)

(did'nt make it to the butchers)

I wouldn't fill any bone with anything, just let the pup enjoy it while it lasts, then throw it away.  Pet shops do sell 'sterilised' bones stuffed with all sorts of things that may or may not taste like cheese, but I wouldn't suggest you give these to a pup as a) the filling may be too rich, and b) the bones will have been treated at high temperatures (hence the 'sterilised' label) and this may make them more prone to splintering :(

On the subject of bones can someone please tell me why the cooked marrow bones are a no no?  I have always given my dogs these and to be honest would never dream of giving them raw bones, just down trust it myself but I guess there are reasons why many of you do?  I have not had a problem with the knuckle/marrow bones before so want to know why cooked are not advised - sorry if this has been covered before, I have not got time to do a search, already get told off for browsing: D

Cooking alters the structure of the bone itself, and makes it brittle and more prone to splintering into sharp knife-like pieces that can do great damage if swallowed.

Yeah makes sense I guess, jsut never had a problem myself but never say never.  I am not convinced that my two would like them raw, they love the crackled bits :D  has anyones dogs turned their noses up at the???

>>has anyones dogs turned their noses up at the???

Not here... kai goes nuts if he knows ive been to the butchers, doesnt want to wait for me to take them out of the bag :D

Cooked bones are more likely to pierce the intestines,to set/compact like concrete in the bowel or to stick like fish hooks into the rectum! :(

I started to feed my dog raw bones quite recently after having fed him a few cooked ones which I now no longer do for obvious reasons. I am a first time owner and have been a bit too cautious in the past with what I have fed. I have now adopted the attitude that they would eat all sorts of obscure things in the wild and now feed lots of raw bones as well as eggs in their shells and stuff like that. I have read what lots of you have written about chicken wings and necks and stuff and would love to start feeding that sort of thing as I want him to have a full and varied diet as well as a nice treat but im a bit worried about the small bones inside. Do your dogs not have any trouble with these? Obviously not but I cant understand why cooked bones are a no no and yet you can feed smaller bones which to my mind a dog could choke on. Educate me please!!!!!

Also, what other lovely treats can I feed?

Exposing bones to high temperatures alters the structure of the bone, making it more brittle and liable to splinter. The sharp ends mean that tears can be occur during digestion or that pieces of bone can become 'anchored' along the way, causing blockages etc. Raw bones don't splinter like cooked ones and are therefore much safer for the dog.

I suppose a dog *could* choke on a small bone like a chicken wing but I don't think they are are any more at risk from this than they are from choking on dry kibble, chews etc. My Newfie pup seems to be able to gulp down whole chicken wings with no trouble (although I do hold on to them for as long as possible to encourage her to take her time) whereas my older dog can make a chicken wing last a good 10 minutes.