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It has always been popular to give dogs an occasional bone to chew on,
especially leftover bones from roasts or steaks. In recent years,
well-intentioned owners are feeding their pet dogs and cats a diet that is based
on raw bones, with a few other ingredients added in. Some pet owners want to
feed their pets a diet that they believe more closely mimics their ‘natural
diet'. Others wish to avoid manufacturing problems associated with commercially
prepared pet foods. Owners of pets with certain health issues such as allergies
feed these diets in an attempt to control exactly what their pet eats.
Advocates of a raw meat and bone-based diet hold the belief that feeding raw
bones to dogs and cats is beneficial by promoting chewing exercise and oral
health, and that raw bones will not cause any problems. But this is not always
the case. The two main problems that veterinarians see when pets are fed raw
bones are intestinal problems that range from digestive upsets all the way to
intestinal obstruction, and broken teeth.
Digestive upsets will occur if the pet eats bones from a meat source that it
is not used to, eats bones that are contaminated with bacteria (especially
E.coli or Salmonella), or eats bones that contain excessive fat. Bones that are
contaminated with pathogenic bacteria can cause serious infections, and can also
lead to environmental contamination, increasing the risk of infection to humans.
Intestinal obstruction can occur if the dog swallows large fragments of bone
which then pass out of the stomach and into the small intestines where they can
become stuck. This can cause a life-threatening situation that requires
emergency surgery. Bones that are cooked represent even more of a hazard -
cooked poultry bones, steak bones or pork-chop bones become very brittle and
splinter easily, leading to intestinal lacerations. Excessive fat in the diet
often causes diarrhea in the short term and in the long term leads to obesity.
Raw cattle bones are very hard, and when they are cooked they become even
harder. The dog that chews on these bones may fracture one or more teeth. The
most common tooth injury is called a ‘slab fracture' and it occurs when a ‘slab'
from the side of the tooth breaks off. In many cases, the slab fracture extends
into the pulp of the tooth - sometimes a root canal can be performed on the
tooth to save it, but many times the only treatment is extraction. Sometimes a
slab fracture is ‘invisible' because it involves a portion of the tooth at or
below the gum line - these injuries only become apparent when the mouth is
examined while the pet is put under general anesthetic. In many cases, the pet
does not show signs of pain - the only thing that may be noticed with careful
observation is that there is a reluctance to chew on one side of the mouth. Left
untreated, a slab fracture often progresses to a painful tooth root abscess; in
some cases, the infection will spread to the adjacent teeth, leading to loss of
one or more teeth.
So, if you are thinking of feeding bones to your pet, consider these facts
about the risks. For further advice, don't hesitate to contact our clinic.
Caution: These news items, written by Lifelearn Inc., are
licensed to this practice for the personal use of our clients. Any copying,
printing or further distribution is prohibited without the express written
permission of Lifelearn Inc. Please note that the news information presented
here is NOT a substitute for a proper consultation and/or clinical examination
of your pet by our clinic veterinarian.
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