15 tips about K9 dental care and bone chewing
Your K9-companion needs good dental care and a lot of people believe that bone chewing helps.
POLOKWANE – You are not the only one who needs good dental health. Your K9-companion also needs good dental care and a lot of people believe that bone chewing helps. Review spoke to the owner of K9 Training Academy, Jenny Venter, about tips when it comes to dental care and bone chewing.
Tips:
• Cooked bones, including those that come from table scraps, are not safe for dogs to eat. They can easily break and splinter.
• Most raw bones that have not been cooked are edible for dogs. Raw chicken, turkey, lamb or beef bones are soft enough to chew, eat and digest.
• With all bones, there is a risk of choking if your dog swallows without thoroughly chewing and bones that are too hard can cause damage to the teeth.
• Supervise chewing. Don’t leave your dog to chew a bone alone. They may bite off too much and choke or gnaw too aggressively which can cause injury.
• Throw out gnawed-down bones. If your dog chews a bone down to the brittle part, splintering becomes a problem. Additionally, a bone that has been chewed down too small becomes a choking hazard.
• Do not give bones to a dog who has had restorative dental work. These dogs are at risk for tooth breakage and dental problems.
• Do not give bones with marrow to dogs who get pancreatitis. Marrow is high in fat and can cause a flare up or diarrhoea.
• Do not give a bone to a dog who’s likely to bite it in half and swallow large chunks. You know how your dog eats. If your dog swallows food quickly rather than chewing, a bone presents a risk.
• Give the bone after a meal. A less hungry dog is less likely to chew and swallow a bone quickly.
• Don’t feed your dog bones that can be swallowed whole. This depends on the size of your dog. A small chicken bone is not safe for a Great Dane for instance.
• Give your dog bones that are longer than the length of their muzzle. This will make it impossible for them to swallow.
• Don’t feed your dog a bone cut lengthwise. A cut leg bone is more likely to splinter.
• Don’t feed your dog pork or rib bones. These bones are more likely to splinter.
• Only let your dog chew for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. This reduces the likelihood of injury.
• Refrigerate bones when not in use. Throw them out after three to four days. This reduces the likelihood of contamination.
