HOWL AROUND COWAL

A selection of raw meaty bones

Bones are a great way of helping to clean your dogs teeth and they can provide mental stimulation preventing boredom and also help satisfy a young pups desire to chew, better to gnaw on a bone, as long as it is appropriate, than the table leg or your shoes. They also provide essential nutrients that can be an essential part of a raw diet.

Dogs are unable to grind bones but they will chomp down on them and crush softer bones.There is always a risk of a dog damaging its teeth on bones, choking or causing an intestinal blockage which is why it is so important to choose an appropriate size and type of bone in relation to your dog. And of course you should always supervise them eating bones. It is advisable to have an item to 'trade' with your dog if you feel they may not be coping with the bone such as a piece of meat or even a ball if that is what they value. Some owners hold onto a meaty bone with some pliers whilst their dog has a gnaw. As an owner you will need to find a solution that works for you and your dog. It is generally recommended to introduce bones to them when they are still  young as they learn how to handle them. 

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Rib bones are often recommended but these should not be given to aggressive chewers. If a dog has a powerful jaw they could crush the bone with little effort but in doing so could cause slab fractures to their teeth. Powerful chewers will need bones such as turkey necks or stronger beef bones although do not feed weight bearing bones which are designed to be more dense. Femur bones contain bone marrow which is loved by dogs, these can make excellent recreational bones but should be removed once the marrow has been eaten or if they show signs of trying to swallow or crunch on it.

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Never feed cooked bones to your dog as they will splinter and can cause internal bleeding. If you are concerned about giving your dog bones you could still feed them by giving your dogs the minces which contain minced bone. The cleaning aspect of giving your dog a bone won't be so great but their will still be some scraping and their teeth won't be coated in starchy sugars like when being fed kibble.