Puppies and bones

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edfroncz
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Puppies and bones

Post by edfroncz »

We have a five-month-old mix breed puppy, American Staffordshire terrier Rottweiler and box. He has plenty of chew toys but so far we haven't bought him any bones to chew on because we were afraid his teeth maybe too soft. He loves to chew on sticks outside and even seems to prefer them to his chew toys. At what age can we start giving him appropriate bones to chew on? Thanks for your help on this.

Ed
Erica
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Re: Puppies and bones

Post by Erica »

For now I'd keep avoiding bones. Good alternatives are bully sticks or himalayan chews! Dogs love them and they are easy on a puppy's little teeth. :)
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
edfroncz
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Re: Puppies and bones

Post by edfroncz »

Great. Thank you. Bully sticks are what we have been giving him.
JudyN
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Re: Puppies and bones

Post by JudyN »

At that age I think it's fine for puppies to have bones. Here's some guidelines from RSPCA Austraila:
Between four to six months of age puppies cut their permanent teeth and grow rapidly

Introducing fresh raw meaty bones at around 12 weeks of age ensures they are chewing actively around the time their permanent teeth are erupting.
This chewing is important to alleviate "teething" issues and also provides several important health benefits including keeping teeth and gums healthy
Raw bones should be introduced gradually. The bone must be large enough so that the puppy cannot fit the whole bone in its mouth or swallow the bone whole
Some examples include raw lamb ribs (not lamb chops though), raw lamb flaps, raw chicken wings
Too many raw bones can cause constipation. One raw bone per week is generally well-tolerated
'Meaty' bones are better
Always supervise your puppy when eating raw bones
Dogs ‘like’ bones very much and sometimes become protective. Do take care and discourage young children from approaching dogs that are eating
Avoid large marrow bones, T-bones, 'chop' bones e.g. lamb cutlets, large knuckle bones or bones sawn lengthwise as dogs may crack their teeth on these

Never feed cooked bones as these can splinter and cause internal damage or become an intestinal obstruction
http://kb.rspca.org.au/what-should-i-fe ... y_266.html
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Puppies and bones

Post by Nettle »

I wean my pups onto raw bones in the shape of chicken wings. By the time they are getting their second teeth they can manage much bigger bones. The thing is to make sure that the bones are protected by a good layer of meat.

You do get the occasional dog can't cope with bones, so always supervise. You probably do anyway :)
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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