Golden Retriever gets Dog Bone Stuck to Jaw
I have been saying it for years.
There is no safe bone for dogs.
FDA warning for bone treats.
https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm
(And by the way, I LOVE being right-- or at least validated)
People want to tell you that bones are just fine if they're fresh bones, or as long as it’s not chicken bones or some other cockamamie thing. They'll tell you that Dr. Internet said they've given bones to dogs for years and never had a problem. That's what this person told me. To which I said, “Your dog has a broken tooth.”
I have seen bones lacerate the intestines of a German Shepard Dog, break teeth (my own dog included), and least 10 times a year some dog comes in with a bone stuck in it’s mouth. Want to see a good example of that? Check out the above video. We eventually removed the bone (with some brute force by yours truly... after a failure of brute intellegence.). This dog ended up with some serious dermatitis and the owner had a several hundred dollar cost.
Sure, millions of dogs eat millions of bones a year and are fine. But some are not fine. Some are the opposite of fine. Will your dog be okay? I honestly don’t know. I’m not a psychic (pet or otherwise), but I do know that if a bone lacerates your dog’s intestine it has now happened to 100% of that dog. To me, though the risk is small, it is not worth it.
What do I like? Food puzzles. Things where they have to figure out how to get the kibble or beef or whatever out of the toy. Start with an amazing treat. Some super yummy treat that they cannot freaking believe they’re getting, and use a very easy toy (like a Kong). Slowly make it harder and harder to get the treat out. Move up to the Twistn-n-treat or the Squirrel Dude. Freeze the treats to make it even more challenging. But always make it just easy enough that they succeed. (PS this works for veterinarians on social media too)
So in summation. No to bones. Yes to puzzles. And sometimes, brute force is the way to go.