In Melbourne, Australia, a happy owner is sharing the experience of an active dog named Penny. This owner found some excellent advice from Dr. Pitcairn on protecting your dog's teeth, and my own research indicates there is only one thing every expert agrees about--don't let your dog chew bones unattended. Even the most carefully chosen bone can break teeth, choke your dog or block its intestines.
My Dog: Should dogs eat frozen bones?, 2007-Aug-31: Earlier this year Penny had a major tooth removed because it was broken....We think it might have happened when she was eating a bone, because she cried out and stopped eating, but at the time we didn't realise what the problem was. ...
Dr. Richard Pitcairn says:
- Feed bones that are too large to be swallowed.
- Give only raw bones as cooked bones will splinter and can cause stomach or intestinal damage when swallowed.
- Do not give frozen bones as the can be too hard and cause the teeth to break.
- Start animals young with this practice and they will adapt to this with intelligence. The older animals, first introduced to this practice can try to swallow pieces too large.