Are deer leg bones safe for dogs to chew? What are the risks?

No! Dogs should NEVER be given raw or cooked animal bones for several reasons. Raw bones run the risk of transmitting harmful bacteria, including Salmonella or Campylobacter, both to your dog and any exposed people. These bacteria can be transmitted through a dog’s stool and saliva. Bones can also pose hazards for foreign body obstruction in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. Poultry bones are inherently filled with air and cooked bones become more brittle, both of which can splinter leading to perforation of the stomach or intestines. Bones and antlers are also quite hard and can lead to tooth fractures. Instead of offering bones, alternative products such as Nylabones, Kongs, or the dental treats approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (www.vohc.org) are safer and more effective alternatives for dogs that like to chew.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I wouldn’t advise letting Sophie chew on the rib bone. They easily splinter and can easily cause a foreign body obstruction or irritation in her stomach or intestines. It’s best to stick with pet friendly bones and raw hides from your local pet store, because they don’t have the tendacy to splinter off and potentially cause harm to your pet. Best wishes and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach first for your very important pet question! Take care.

I would not recommend feeding cooked bones, and it’s best to avoid raw bones as well. Cooked bones can splinter and cause an obstruction, constipation or diarrhea. Raw bones could cause an obstruction as well and could result in food borne illness.

No I never give cooked chicken bones as they become hard after cooking and will splinter and can cause intestinal perforations or a blockage that can be life threatening and need emergency surgery to repair. Raw chicken necks with bones are fed by some people who feed a raw diet but I have seen problems with those also including vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Cooked chicken meat without the boxes, and chicken broth are fine to add into Eli's diet but please don't give the bones. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Eli.

Personally I have seen many dogs get sick from chewing on these. They can contain bacteria and some dogs chew them up too much and can get a stomach upset and diarrhea. I would give only dog biscuits or treats made in America in addition to his regular food. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cooper.

Hello. Other than the possibility of either dog vomiting up the bones in the middle of the night, they probably will be fine. Bones, while not recommended to be fed, will be digested. If this was a large carcass, like from a deer or cow, a dog can consume enough bone to either cause a blockage of severe constipation. But since this was a much smaller critter, I see no problems. Disease/parasite problems are nil, but may be a very small possibility. If your dogs are on a broad spectrum heartworm preventative, they are covered for parasites, otherwise a good wormer would not hurt. Watch for any signs of abdominal discomfort, prolonged diarrhea, inappetence or vomiting that lasts longer for a day or so, but if there are no issues, the bones will be gone in the next 12-18 hours. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

As with any bone or hard chew toy, there are concerns for tooth trauma. In my experience, I've seen many broken teeth from dogs chewing on deer antlers, hard bones, etc. I would usually recommend against giving these for that reason. As Rocky is a larger breed dog, the pieces of bone that he is chewing off of the main bone should not be a problem and they should pass through his intestines just fine. However, if given a large enough bone and he eats it whole, this could lead to a GI foreign body obstruction as the bone tries to pass through and gets stuck. There are alternatives you can use such as Kong toys that you can put treats in or put peanut butter in that would keep him busy. Hopefully this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns you may have.