Bones for you dogs?

Every week I pick up some sort of treat for my dogs at the butchers. A knuckle, leg, marrow, soup bones or just 3 extra big beef ribs. I do not cook these in any manner, I just seperate the dogs and give each his or her treat.

My dogs ar not real big but all three have great crushing jaws and break these bone like they are nothing especially the rib bones. I have concerns about bone splinters since they eat just about all of the bone.

Anyone have any experianced input on this?

You just can't believe the power in Dowsers jaws plus when he yawns it looks like a whole football could fit in there. Ever seen a dog run around trying to get a football unstuck from his teeth? The fun lasts all day.

 

The only food my dogs get is raw meat and bones and organ meats. As long as the bones are not cooked or smoked, they are fine.

Some people say large marrow bones are bad because they can break dogs' teeth or they can get their lower jaw wedged in the hollow center. Other people say that's silliness and marrow bones are just fine.

I don't feed soupbones and things like that because there isn't much meat on it. But if you're just doing it for a treat and not nutrition, that's fine.

My dogs don't eat the beef ribs. They just pull the meat off and leave the bone. Beef bones are harder than poultry bones and apparently pork bones as well. But your dogs are quite a bit bigger than mine!

 

even though Jake eats raw, I havent got the nerve to give him a meaty bone, I think he would swallow it whole :shock: :shock: I should really try one one of these days. what would be a good one to start off fo rhim heis an aggresive chewer?

wasnt it here I read about someones bone getting caught in the mouth on the teetch and they to take it to vet to be removed?? I think that is soo rare thoug

 

I cut the largest bones off the end of a Beef Rib Rack for my boys. Dowser gets the biggest Duncan next size and Pepsi the smaller one. It takes about 10 minutes to remove the meat then about 30 minutes later I am picking up the small sharp peices of left over bone. They just flat out eat them.
I have had both Pepsi and Dowser get a bone caught accross the upper jaw between teeth but they were bones that someone else had given them not the raw ribs I give my guys. I was able to remove the bones both times with ease.

 

Your dogs look to be about 50 pounds each, mine are 50, 77 and 80. Pepsi the smallest still has enough jaw to crush a rib bone and she is almost 14.

 

Yes, my dogs are around 50 pounds (good call!). Nala is an aggressive chewer, but even she doesn't chew through the beefs ribs. She crunches turkey leg bones right up, though.

Your dogs have those massive, crushing jaws. Mine are more "petite" in that area.

 

Funny thing is, when i think of turkey bones and a dog not being able to crush it I laugh. I used to bite the end off a turkey leg myself and give the joints to the dog. Now I just hold the bone and let them take off the end and I throw out the long part. The end comes off like butter to them. *CRACK* thanks human anymore for me?"

Anyone know about dogs dental anatomy? Dowser seems to have some extra teeth in back that are turned sideways like a molar rotated 90 degrease with a cutting edge on the outside edge. I found this when he accidently got my finger back there playing, it cut me like a knife. Poor guy was very upset after he did it too.

 

That sounds like something you may want to have looked at. Is it cutting the inside of his mouth?

 

It seems normal, the cutting edge is on the outside pointing down. I kinda tried looking up dog dental on the net and I saw some similar to his but his are much larger and the tooth below in the lower jaw matches the upper for fit like scissors.
It explains how he bit through a leash and a lunge line cable I had him on. I got a thicker cable and he bit that a few times but never got through it. Finally he has given up and I can use cable when i need to.

 

I guess I'm not picturing what you are describing. If the tooth is oriented sideways, then that is not normal. But if you are just describing how sharp the cutting edge is, then that IS normal. Dogs' teeth are shaped much differently than ours. It's how you can tell they are carnivores, among other things. Their teeth are meant for ripping and tearing, whereas ours are meant for grinding. That's one reason dogs don't chew as much as people do and their humans get worried they will choke! Dogs only chew their food enough for it to fit down their throats. Humans chew their food by grinding it up into little bits, and digestion is actually started in the mouth (for certain foods).

I have seen Bonnie working on a tough piece of food. She will munch on it for a while and then swallow, then hork it back up (guess it didn't fit) and chew some more, then try to swallow again. Sometimes she will do this several times!

Usually, however, she chews enough the first time. It seems to happen more with things that DON'T have bones in them. I guess they are big and mushy and she thinks they'll slide right down when really they need to be chewed more.