Q: Is it safe feed my pets the leftover bones from my family's dinner?
Q: Is it safe feed my pets the leftover bones from my family's dinner?
A: It is not very safe to feed your pets cooked bones. They are prone to causing constipation in both dogs and cats. They also break very easily which allows large pieces to be swallowed. These can cause an oesophagus or bowel obstruction, which requires surgery to resolve and can be a life threatening problem.
Chicken bones contain a lot of air, and consequently tend to break into very spiky sharp pieces which can cause a lot of damage if swallowed - for example, tears/perforations in the oesophagus, stomach, or bowel.
Raw bones are much safer as they don't tend to shatter and it is more difficult to break off a piece, but they can have some serious drawbacks as well. All of the above can still happen (though much less often), and they can also lead to gastrointestinal infections with Salmonella, Campylobacter and other organisms. Due to the infection risk they have to be handled carefully, good hygiene needs to be observed and location and length of feeding need to be carefully considered. For example you would not want your dog to chew a raw bone on the sofa! Raw bone feeding is much more risky of there are young children in the house as well. The size and type of bone matters as well. If you are interested in safe methods of feeding bones to your pets, please discuss these in more detail with your vet - not everyone can accomplish this safely and there are always some risks.
If you have a question for Dr. Dalya simply send it through to drdalya@petside.co.uk
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