Is it safe for my dog to eat bones?Updated a year ago

The simple answer is yes, provided they haven’t been cooked first as this makes them brittle which potentially could cause serious damage to your dog’s gut. Also, do not allow your dog to eat bones which have dried out as these can also splinter like cooked bones and become dangerous.

Dogs need to learn how to chew bones. Chewing on raw bones also helps to clean a dog’s teeth.

It is important when giving your dog anything to chew that you select an appropriate sized bone according to your dog’s age, size, breed and experience.

You must supervise your dog when feeding them bones and do remember the three S's

• Supervise - Always supervise your pet when feeding bones.
• Separate - If you have a multi-dog household separate them when feeding bones to avoid fights.
• Size - You may initially have to teach your pet to eat bones, especially if they like to gulp their food.  Start with a bone larger than the size of your pet’s head to ensure it can’t be swallowed e.g. a cow femur (knuckle end) for giant breeds.