Dogs can eat uncooked raw bones of many animals like lamb or beef. These bones are soft to gnaw, eat, and digest, however there is a significant risk of choking if your puppy swallows a raw bone without chewing thoroughly. Plus, your puppy can be at risk of landing with loose or broken teeth on chewing bones that are too hard.
Adding to the health risks, bones with marrow have high-fat content. So, make appropriate adjustments to your dog’s diet to compensate for the extra calories. Also, there is a certain risk associated with feeding raw bones due to the possibility of bacterial contamination. So, it is best to ask your vet about handling and storing raw bones.
Because of these risks and many others, you should consider being prepared with pet insurance. The best pet insurance covers your canine fur baby’s medical care during accidents, allergies, injuries, specific illnesses, and dental and health emergencies. With this comprehensive medical coverage, you need not lose sleep over getting your puppy treated and the costs involved.
So, contemplate buying a policy. Meanwhile, read this article to learn some safety guidelines to follow when feeding your puppy a raw bone.
- Always supervise your puppy during the treat time with a raw bone. It goes unsaid that if you leave to work or head out to complete a chore, don’t leave your pup with a bone. Monitoring is essential to ensure the bone doesn’t break into bits and pieces that can be easily swallowed and choked on.
- Put the remaining bone back in the freezer once your puppy is done with chewing. This is an essential tip to prevent bacterial growth on the bone that can harm your puppy’s wellbeing.
- You can also consider grinding the bone and adding the powder to your puppy’s food. For instance, select soft and hollow bones like poultry necks/wings that can be easily powdered in a meat grinder.
- When it comes to recreational bones, consider offering your pup a large bone like hip/femur bone from creatures like a cow. The benefits of a bone like this are they last longer and have nutrition-rich bone marrow.
- For first-timers, it is best to offer a bone over a couple of days so the puppy doesn’t overindulge and fall sick. Let the puppy get into the habit slowly, as there is no need to hurry anyway.
- When shopping for raw bones, look for fresh and meaty ones from a professional butcher or well-known natural dog food company. Such bones may have cartilage or soft tissues still attached.
- You should select the bone depending on your dog’s size. If your puppy is too small for the bone, it will probably not enjoy gnawing at it and drop it after a few moments of handling. In contrast, if the bone is too small, the probability of your puppy swallowing it and choking on it is high.
- Clean up the uneaten bone pieces soon after your puppy finishes gnawing on the bone.
- Finally, check your puppy’s gums and teeth for abrasions or cracks. If you are offering your puppy raw meaty bones, taking your fur baby for regular oral/dental checkups becomes all the more important.
Bones are nutritive, provide oral exercise, and promote the psychological well being of your pet pup. So, offer your puppy a bone to chew but follow the above tips to ensure it has a safe gnawing experience. Also, being equipped with the best pet insurance is essential to handle puppy health emergencies and adverse health scenarios more effectively. Consider buying pet insurance so providing your fur baby quality health care isn’t as financially challenging.
