How To Choose a Dog Bone

Picking a good dog bone is no light matter. Let's say your dog wants a bone and you happen to have a cooked bone from the ham roast you've been eating - a bone that was going to go to waste. You saw him chewing longingly on the leg of your sofa earlier in the day and naturally decide to give him the bone he so desperately craves... only find yourself in the animal emergency room later that night because your dog has suffered an intestinal blockage.

This is just one of the many nightmarish scenarios that can easily result from letting your dog chew the wrong bone. The possibilities are so frightening to pet owners that many deny their dogs the natural satisfaction they derive from chewing a good dog bone. Indeed, the danger of health complications exists whenever a dog chews a real bone. But you don't have to deny your dog the pleasure entirely. By choosing the right dog bone - whether it be a real bone or an even safer alternative - you provide greater safety for your dog while also granting him the supreme satisfaction of chewing. Follow these few simple rules to reduce the risk of bad consequences from chewing dog bones.

1. Raw bones, not cooked bones. Never feed your dog cooked bones, because the cooking process greatly complicates digestion of the bone. There's a far greater chance of bowel obstruction when the bone is cooked. Raw bones, still with a layer of meat on the bone but with as little fat as possible, are a safer choice. Dogs can handle raw meat bacteria better than humans, though there is still a chance of minor illness. If you don't want to risk bacterial illness, the only advisable cooking method is boiling.

2. Size. The bone should be large enough that your dog can't swallow it or fit the whole dog bone in his mouth. Dog bones this small can spell trouble; it's possible for bones to get stuck in your dog's throat or for fragments to lodge themselves in the mouth.
3. Uncut. Don't give your dog bones that have been sawed or cut. These bones are much likelier to splinter badly and cause health issues.
4. Proper training. Obedience is an important part of dog bone safety; if your dog is chewing too long and hard on a bone - or somehow gets hold of an unsafe, cooked bone - you need to be able to take the bone from him. An untrained dog, half-crazed with lust over the delicious bone, isn't going to let you remove it. You should train your dog from a young age to be obedient.
5. Supervision. Even with a safer raw bone, you should still supervise your dog as long as he has access to it. Dogs all chew bones at different rates. Moderating your dog's chewing requires that you keep watch on him.
6. When to discard the bone. Any raw bone should be thrown away after two days at most.
7. Symptoms of a problem. Even with the safest real bones, there will always be some risk in the form of obstruction, choking, bacterial illness and tooth chipping. If, after chewing a dog bone, your dog begins to lose appetite, become lethargic, vomit, or have bloody diarrhea or difficulty going to the bathroom, then you should take him to a vet immediately.
8. Alternatives to real bone. Your dog's natural instinct is to chew bone but, as a pet owner, you're understandably hesitant to let her. You don't have to give up on dog bones yet, though. Today's pet owners are in luck; plenty of safe, easily digestible alternatives are now available on the market, in all sizes. These alternatives aren't made from real bone - instead favoring ingredients like rice, cornstarch or nylon - but do contain the flavors that dogs love! You don't have to worry about splintering or bacteria. Though obstruction isn't a concern with these dog bones, observe the same precaution about size.

The safest choice, clearly, is the alternative dog bone that isn't made of real bone at all. The best advice would be for you to try these non-bone dog bones first; if your dog hates them, then you can explore other, less safe options. But if she likes the dog bone alternatives, then your choice is simple!