What are the risks of feeding bones to your dog?

Cooked bones and small raw bones can be a choking hazard for dogs. Always give a bone that’s appropriate for the size of your dog. Extra hard bones can break teeth and damage your dog’s mouth
so the structure of the bone is also important.

Some dogs may have a dry crumbly poo or develop constipation the day after (or a couple of days after) eating a bone because of the high calcium level. If your dog is constipated include extra insoluble fibre in their diet from foodstuffs like steamed leafy vegetables or pureed pumpkin or squash to soften their poo. If you know that your dog usually becomes constipated after eating a bone you can replace some of their usual food with plain mince on days that they get a bone.

Some dogs may throw up bile containing bone fragments if they eat more bone than they can comfortably digest. If you know this happens to your dog try feeding smaller bones or limiting the length of time they have a bone by swapping it for a high value treat when you feel they’ve had enough.

What bones can dogs eat guide.