Give a Dog a Bone?

The pros and cons of feeding your furry friend these ‘treats’

- By Nici De Wet

MANY of us are guilty of it: giving our pooch a leftover bone from the braai or dinner table. What’s the harm right, it’s a nice treat? Wrong.

Bones can be extremely harmful, even fatal, for dogs and cats.

“We have patients admitted on a monthly basis,” says Alan Perrins, spokesperson for the Western Cape branch of the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa.

“Mainly dogs but also cats, and the number increases over the festive season, with bones getting stuck in their mouths or lodged in their throats. Regrettably, many people feed bones out of ignorance.”

Some like to claim they give their dogs bones because dogs in the wild eat bones. Unfortunately that’s not always wise, says Ingrid de Wet from the Country Animal Clinic in Somerset West.

“I’ve seen many hyenas with terribly broken or worn-down teeth so bones always come with a risk,” she says.

But there are some benefits. “Dogs are chewers and chewing does provide mental stimulation and relieves boredom,” explains Bronwyn Leverton from Pinelands Village Veterinary Clinic in Cape Town.

“Bones – and sometimes the stringy sinews attached – can break off tartar and help clean teeth. They also have some nutritional value and can help relieve teething pain in pups.”

THE DAMAGE BONES CAN CAUSE