dumb question....regarding ribs.... - Page 1

Do any of you ever feed your dog beef rib bones(under supervision)? Thanks... What beef bones do you prefer?

Giebel, I have allowed our dogs to have UNCOOKED beef and/or pork ribs without any problems. I use supervision during these times, and never had an issue. The ribs do not have much bone mass and are easy for a dog to chew into small pieces. It is COOKED bones that can cause problems, as they can break into sharp pieces and become lodged in the throat. Any pieces of bone, either uncooked or cooked that make it to the stomach will be softened by the stomach acid. I have heard of a dog becoming "clogged" from eating too many bones, but cannot substanciate this as one hears a lot of things. In my opinion, a occassional rib or two (2) poses no threat for an adult dog with good teeth. What type of bones do I prefer? Ones large enough to last for a very long time, and of such size that the dog must chew the bone a lot to chip any material away. Of course this depends on the dog, as some will destroy in but a few hours a large bone that would last at least two (2) weeks with another dog. I don't leave old bones around the dogs, as the bones do become brittle over time and are as dangerous as cooked bones. Bob-O

Thanks bob that's helpful, in the past I've always given him femur bones raw...I appreciate your knowledge and advice, thanks for taking the time to answer my question...

It's probably not a great idea to feed a dog femurs or any of the long weight bearing bones of cattle since they are very dense and hard as rocks. Most dogs will break off or wear down their teeth chewings on bones like that. Better to give them a raw knuckle bone instead and don't let them have it after they start to chew into the cartilage as it can cause an impaction if they eat too much. As much as I like to see my dog enjoy a raw bone, I don't feed them too much anymore. Blitz has fractured the tips off all 4 of his canines chewing femurs and he gets diarrhea from the knuckle bones. I think the rib beef bones would be fine as long aa they are fed raw and have most of the meat and fat trimmed.

Our veterinarian has noticed an increase of broken teeth as people substitute the extremely hard nylon/plastic bones for real bones. My old dog loved his raw knuckle bones. I'll have to try some well trimmed rib bones.

I too have pretty much quit recreational bones (but I do feed RAW, ground chicken bones) because I have one female (Yette again!) who can crush almost any bone and eats them. She once became impacted when she got a bone that had been thrown in the trash, so Bob-O yes it does happen.When feeding RAW the bones are what help keep the stool firm, to much bone and it gets cement like. The long bones are good but are very hard, no problems yet with broken teeth. I have bought the Petsmart bones like this and stuff the inside with liverwurst, this keeps then busy for ahile. I used to feed the rib bones but since Yette can devour them in a short time I just don't anymore, they would be OK if you have the time to watch your dog.

Chewing is important for good dental health. Knuckle bones are fine for this. Raw hide is also good and they seem to enjoy it.

thanks again for everyones advice...he's a pretty gentle bone eater and takes his time, but i will only give him bones in moderation. He still loves to chew like crazy though..ice cubes, sticks, rocks, logs..whatever he can get his mouth on, not as bad as when he was a pup though...he never got excited about the kong,only just as a fetch toy.

Trailrider, thanks for the answer. I have heard of impaction being caused by bones, and certainly understand how it could happen. While bone shards/pieces are softened in the digestive system they stay otherwise intact as they pass through the dog. I just never experienced this and personally knew no one who did. Jonah, ditto on the knuckle bones. I thinks that green bones are a good thing-we just need to be careful. Bob-O