Dogs love chewing bones, providing an engaging way for them to exercise their jaws while relieving pent-up energy. But it is essential that bones be selected with great care to meet both their chewing habits and nutritional requirements.
Raw meaty bone options like chicken, turkey, beef and oxtail are safe and nutritious for canines to consume. Just be sure to purchase your bones from a reliable butcher and follow appropriate food hygiene standards to reduce any risk of bacteria contamination.
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Safer than home-cooked bones
Chewing bones is an instinctual dog behavior, yet certain kinds of bones pose health and safety hazards for pups, such as splintering, broken teeth and intestinal obstructions that require surgical correction.
To protect your pup from these risks, only feed him raw bones from a butcher that have been soft enough not to fracture into harmful pieces and easy for your dog to digest.
Still, it’s essential that you closely supervise your pup while they chew. If the bone becomes worn down or fragmented, remove it immediately and visit a vet as soon as possible.
Helps break down tartar
Chewing on a bone helps your dog break down tartar, the brown or tan concrete-like accumulation visible around the base of its teeth and cheeks. Tartar is harmful for dental health and may lead to bad breath, cavities and gum disease if left unchecked.
A dense and round bone is best for chewing. Bovine or porcine leg bones make for especially hard chewing material; similarly shank and knee cap bones offer plenty of surface area.
Helps clean teeth
Dogs that enjoy chewing bones also benefit from having the bone scrape their teeth and gums to help remove food build-up and tartar deposits from their mouths. This action aids in the elimination of food buildup and tartar accumulation.
Similar to how brushing and flossing benefits us, this activity cleans our bodies from within.
Some dog owners have reported that they have successfully assisted their pets to clean their teeth by giving them raw bones from butchers to chew on. Of course, the size and duration of each bone’s chew depends entirely on your pet.
Choose a size appropriate to your dog when purchasing toys for them. Large breeds like Labradors and Dobermans need larger bones so as not to swallow it whole.
Helps keep gums healthy
Even though bones don’t serve as an alternative to professional dental cleanings, occasionally chewing on one can help your dog maintain healthy gums. Chewing on raw meaty bones helps break down plaque and protect against gum disease – potentially leading to bad breath, gingivitis and other forms of tooth and gum issues.
Veterinary dentists also note that large raw bones, like marrow and knucklebones, do not usually result in broken teeth due to their strength and shape (e.g. a cow femur). This is likely because their interior marrow adds extra support that makes them harder to shatter into fragments.
No matter whether you provide your pup with edible raw bones or recreational ones, it is vital to monitor his or her behavior while chewing in order to detect if he or she is biting too forcefully, potentially breaking a tooth or cutting their gums. This will allow you to detect whether their bite force exceeds acceptable limits, potentially breaking teeth or injuring gums.
Helps keep teeth clean
Dog bones from butcher are a fantastic way to promote dental health in your pet. Chewing and gnawing help break down tartar build-up, reduce gum disease, and keep teeth sparkling clean by stimulating saliva enzymes while stimulating teeth cleaning action.
As with anything given too frequently, bones can lead to numerous health complications for dogs. Large round bones should never be chewed on as these may cut or break teeth and damage gums causing significant discomfort for all involved.
Bones must also be monitored by an adult while your dog chews, particularly if your pup tends to nibble on things they shouldn’t or has loose stools.
