Question:
I need to know if it's safe to feed chicken, ham and oxtail bones to dogs. I don't believe in feeding dogs and cats bones. What about their intestines? Don't bones tear their intestines up?My grandson has two Rottweiler dogs -- an adult and a puppy. He gets upset with me when I tell him not to feed his dogs bones. So I decided to let you handle this. Please advise.
B.H., Winston-Salem, NC Jun 26, 2005
Answer:
Lay down the law with your grandson because you are absolutely right. Only raw beef marrow bones (soup or shank) are safe for dogs, as they don't splinter and cause internal injury.Other bones that splinter easily can lodge in animals' throats, perforate the intestines, and cause impaction when a large volume of soft bones are chewed and swallowed. Knotted rawhide chews can also pose a problem when the knot is swallowed and blocks the intestines. Rawhide sticks made of ground-up pieces of animal skin may harbor harmful bacteria, and because they can be easily chewed up may result in severe constipation and intestinal impaction.
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