Everybody used to feed dog bones. Then veterinarians deemed them dangerous. Now, there's disagreement: Some veterinarians warn against bones, others claim they're essential.

Raw bones are natural, healthy food for dogs, says Tom Lonssdale, BVSc,MRCVS, a veterinarian in New South Wales, Australia, and author of Raw Meaty Bones promote Health.

Meaty bones provide protein and a balance of essential minerals: they also serve as nature's toothbrush, he says. A more natural diet based on raw, meaty bones helps prevent peridontal disease and can actually reverse its effects, Lonsdale says, "My No. 1 safety warning would be to read up about dietary needs before taking on the responsibility of keeping a carnivore."

Ed Sullivan, DVM, of Animal Medical Center, a 24 hour emergency clinic in Bellingham, Wash., advises against bones.

"The potential for complications is always there," he says, "including bones lodged in the mouth or throat, intestinal obstruction, fractured teeth, and digestive upset."

However, Sullivan rarely encounters dogs with injury or illness from eating bones. "We see way more complications with toys, rocks, plastic bags, clothing, and string than with bones."

If you choose to give your dog bones, go to a butcher or grocer and be sure you know the good bones from the bad.

The Good:
Try beef tails and ribs, or necks from lamb, chicken, turkey, and beef.
Select bones with meat attached and most fat removed.
Choose bones too large for your dog to swallow hole.


The Bad:
Sharply angled, sawed bones.
Bones cut in small pieces or without much meat.
Heavy leg marrowbones.
Bones from baked, broiled, or barbecued meat.


3 Steps To Safer Chewing
If you think your dog would benefit from chewing bones:
Supervise all bone chewing.
Teach your dog to release objects willingly so you can safely take the bone away if necessary.
Discard after two days; raw bones spoil quickly.


Cooked or Raw
"Cooked bones are harder to digest and give rise to increased risk of obstruction or penetration of the bowel," Lonsdale says.

Kimberly Barron, DVM, agrees. "In the past year, we had about six dogs with problems from cooked bones versus zero with raw," says Barron, a veterinarian at Northshore Veterinary Hospital in Bellingham, Wash.

If you prefer to give your dog cooked bones, boil them rather than roasting; dry heat makes bones more brittle.

For your own safety, be aware that raw meat and bones can harbor salmonella and E.coli; pregnant women who handle them risk exposure to toxoplasmosis, an organism that can cause miscarriage.

Dogs face less bacterial risk than people do. "Pets can contract bacteria from eating raw meat, especially chicken but this tends to be a mild or rare occurrence," Lonsdale says. Dogs usually recover on their own, but see your veterinarian of your dog experiences diarrhea for more than 24 hours, bloody diarrhea, or diarrhea and vomiting.

Before you give any bone to your dog, talk with your veterinarian.

By: September Morn.