As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about bone broth, you should NEVER give your dog cooked bones! Whether you cook them or you pick up those flavored, baked dog bones at the store. Just don’t do it!  Cooked bones can splinter in your dogs intestinal tract and cause major damage.

Not related, but also dangerous is rawhide. All those cute rawhide toys that stores advertise especially around the holidays, please don’t ever feed your dog one. They can cause choking, blockages, gastrointestinal upsets and are not easily digestible. Plus if you read about the chemical process the hide goes through to become a “pet treat” you’ll run the other way as fast as you can! (Google Dr. Karen Becker’s video on how rawhide is made).

For chew treats, sticks with real food products like a bully stick or yak cheese for example. And I also like to check to make sure not only what country the product is coming from but also the meat source itself.

So if you do want to feed your dog bones, they should be raw. Oh, no! I just heard 90% of the vets in the country yelling at me for saying that! *insert cheesy grin*

Here’s a chart to make things easier. Raw bones are one of the best things for your dog to keep those pearly whites in great shape!  Plus it keeps them busy. I would probably give it to them in a crate or confine them somewhere so they’re not dragging a raw bone all over the house or onto your couch. 😉 And please supervise when they have one. Don’t leave them alone with a bone. Also, start young (if possible) and learn to exchange the bone for a high value treat (maybe a small piece of chicken) should you need to take it away anytime. The last thing you want is a dog resource “guarding” their treat.

🦴