How safe are bones?

[meljoy]

I know chicken bones are a no no as they can splinter but how safe are other bones for cavaliers to chew on.
We had pork ribs the other day, the ribs were quite big and I wondered if it would have been safe to let Leo have one after we'd finished to chew on.
Also my neighbour had a roast lamb and brought the bone round for Leo. I took it but didnt give it to him as I wasnt sure, the last thing I want is for him to get a bit stuck in his throat and choke!!

Anyone give bones to their cavs as a treat?
Thanks Mel

[Tania]

Hi

All cooked bones are a definate "no no". I used to give my dogs raw chicken wings until one day Molly swallowed one whole I nearly died on the spot with shock!

I then decided to cut them up with garden scissors, one night Dotty was having a pooh she yelped! Then she seemed fine, the next morning she did the same again.
I carried out a pooh inspection and found a tiny piece of bone which must have stabbed her. We were very lucky it could have been very serious. I will not feed bones at
all now except the venison marrow bones, 10% of their total food is made up of ground bone.

I read here - Trichinosis is a parasite passed by raw pork, there is some doubt as to whether the bacteria gets killed in the gut, home freezers do not kill the bacteria or worm eggs.
This might then cause a problem with the pooh, which could pose a risk to children. I will look for the thread about this as it explains everything in more detail.

Vets have reported some alarming stories of dogs with ruptured intestines. A lot of raw food experts advise dogs/wolves live on raw meat/bones and so should the domestic dog. Don't forget these animals will
eat a lot of fur, skin and feathers which will help to protect the lining of their stomach. Wolves do not go to the vet with a rupture, so there is know way of knowing how many
accidents there are.

I personally would not take the risk, it is not worth it, we have enough to worry about.

Here is the link.
http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/s...ht=trichinosis

[meljoy]

Thanks Tania,

You have confirmed what I really thought. Leo always looks so pleading at us when we have a joint but it just isnt worth the risk.

Thanks
Mel

[Emkaybee]

I give my dogs beef marrow bones. I have them sliced at the butcher shop so they are about 1.5-2 inches wide, just right for a Cavalier's mouth. I keep them in the freezer and they each get about one a week. They are raw and safe for them--don't splinter--and keep their teeth quite pearly white.

[Kate H]

I give Oliver bones under strict supervision. Not cooked lamb as it tends to splinter, except the blade end of a shoulder of lamb - the shoulder blade is soft enough to chew thoroughly, and the tougher end is too tough to get into (Oliver has just enjoyed one from our Easter lamb). Marinaded pork ribs yes, if they come from the chinese takeaway, who use very well-cooked, soft bones, the flat sort of rib; the sort that come frozen from the supermarket are usually much too hard and more like chop bones. Not too much bone at once, otherwise he tends to get constipated. But I have never had a problem with those mentioned - and he does enjoy them. Aled hasn't got enough teeth to cope! Big raw beef bones are usually OK because they don't splinter and can only be gnawed at slowly, but they're messy in the house and liable to be stashed away in the garden and discovered weeks later in a disgusting state!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[Brian M]

Hi

From one of the butchers in our local fresh country produce market I buy sheets of Isle Of Mann "Breast of Lamb" which he kindly chops up for me with that big
butchers meat cleaver into pieces approx 75 mm x 75 mm, which I then further cut up using ordinary garden secateurs into smaller bits then weigh
them so the girls get 25 gramme per meal ,if I can cut them fine, if I cant then I dont use that piece but most seem OK .Tonights tea I gave them
raw turkey neck but before I fed them they were assaulted by me and a big hammer to ensure any large bone pieces became small bone pieces or mashed ,
I have stopped feeding chicken wings as on the last occasion Daisy (it had to be Daisy ) got a piece of small bone lodged inbetween her back teeth which
I managed to prise out so no more chicken wings for them .As I feed a raw diet I do supplement with bonemeal for their calcium requirements and when
fed bone of any size I am always there till they have finished , I dont feed cooked bone of any sort or pork bones .

[BrooklynMom]

I never know what to think about bones!
Brooky, every once in a while, will get a big lamb shank bone (it's way too big for her but the butcher always gives me one!). I let her chew the meaty bits off then knaw on the bone for a little while then just take it away. It is hard and big, so she can't really "eat" the bone...she can sometimes knaw off the top of the bone and get some marrow out, but doesnt make a huge dent. So far she has been fine with that...but gosh. Who knows. I am always so paranoid when I give it to her that I would rather save the stress and not! Ha.

With beef marrow bones...do the eat the whole bone?

Oh, and sometimes she gets chicken necks which she loves and eats like a lady I gave her a wing once and she swallowed it whole! Never will do that again.

[JessieAndMe]

Jessie doesn't show any interest in bones at all. We've bought them on several occasions, and he just prefers his bully sticks and smoked roo to
indulge with.

[Soushiruiuma]

I give mine oxtails, which are not recommended online, but seem fine for us. I feed them raw and supervise eating, they are both used to me grabbing their bone periodically to check its breaking down properly and not splintering.

We haven't had any problems with those.

I am not liable if anyone gives these to their dog(s) and has issues.

[Emkaybee]

When I give my dogs the beef marrow bones, they chew on them, frozen, until the marrow is gone. They do that in the back yard or in the kitchen, with the gate up. Once the marrow is gone, they can bring it into the house and mess around with it. They will gnaw on the bone quite contentedly for long periods of time. Because it's not cooked, the bone doesn't splinter. But it does clean their teeth! I have friends who use the empty spot where the marrow was to put snacks like mixed up peanut butter and kibble and then freeze them. They serve as Kongs then.