Bones

[caitlyn8161]

How old does a puppy need to be before they can be given bones to chew on? I have also heard that rawhide is bad for dog because of the splintering or something like that and it's easy to choke on. Is this true? Thanks!

[Rivsky]

Puppies can start eating bones at any age.

Just be very careful though as they do have a tendency to cause runny poops at first, particularly with higher protein meat such as lamb.

I personally don't feed rawhide for those reasons. No matter whether its bones or rawhides you decide to give your dog to chew on they should always be supervised just in case something should happen.

[Ritz459]

I agree. Rawhide can cause blockages if large chunks are chewed off and swallowed, so if your dog doesn't just knaw, but tears and eats, rawhide may not be the best choice.

Blackie and Rose get rawhide as well as pre-packaged beef bones. I've never had an issue with any of them. Chloe doesn't get rawhide or bones for two reasons - one being she is extremely possessive over them and two being they upset her tummy.

The best bones to buy are raw and Blackie and Rose agree with that statement. They had a feild day when our freezer stopped working...they had a raw roast for dinner that night.

[caitlyn8161]

At the pet store today I wanted to get her some bones to chew on but I didn't know if they were bad for pups (Aries is 14 weeks now). I'll get her one next time I'm out. Thanks! What bones or chew toys does everyone recommend as their dog's favorites?

[Dangels]

I give my dogs bones. I like to buy the smoked beef bones myself. I buy the really big ones, they're like the bottom part of a cow's leg, I think lol. They are really big, and cost around $10.00 each, but my dogs just love them. They also last forever. Obviously, I would recommend getting such a big bone for a puppy lol. I get them at my local pet supply store, however, I believe that Wal-Mart also has them.... not totally sure, though. I also get my dogs raw beef bones for pets that are sold at a local deli.

I agree that rawhides aren't always the best idea. I hardly ever give my dogs ridehide chews. I much rather bones or actual treats.

[Rivsky]

I personally steer clear of anything that I can actually see the bone - like the traditional marrow bones.

They can wreck teeth as they are such dense bones - basically your dog is chewing through a bone that has been designed to hold up something as heavy as a cow so the idea just doesn't sit well with me. The non-meatiest bone I will feed are chicken and duck frames as those bones are a nice and soft.

I prefer meaty bones as they have the added benefit of being good for flossing your dog's teeth as they pull the meat off.

My usual bone choices include:

Chicken or duck quarters
Turkey and full sheep necks (be careful of the size of these if your dog tends to inhale food though as turkey necks are the right size for getting caught in some dogs throats);
Meaty shanks
Ribs

I'm sure there's others I've missed but am having a mental block right now!!