Are beefhide bones safe for my dog to chew? What are the dangers?

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.

This is indeed a true fact. Some raw hides have more of a tendency to cause intestinal blockages. A quick google search can help identify which ones to stay away from as you have already done. I would recommend the ones from your vet which are usually easily digestible. I really like the Virbac or CET dental chews personally and have never seen an issue with blockages from these. I hope this helps! Take care.

Daisy is super cute! The decision to give a dog rawhide is always a tricky one. Some dogs never have any problems with rawhide while others get bad stomach upset from them. Some dogs can even swallow a piece that's too big and end up with an intestinal obstruction. Intestinal obstructions are serious and require surgery to correct. I'd monitor Daisy to make sure she doesn't bite off a large piece of rawhide and swallow it as this would make her prone to intestinal obstruction. Remove the rawhide when it gets small as she may swallow it. I'd also watch to make sure she doesn't develop any vomiting or diarrhea. If you see this she should be examined by a veterinarian and rawhide should no longer be given If you want to err on the side of caution then I wouldn't give Daisy rawhide in the future. A Kong or another type of safe chew toy may be a better option for her. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck with Daisy!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Charlie. I do not recommend giving him a real bone from a butcher nor a pet supply store. The main concern I have is the dog can break off a piece of bone and swallow it. I have had to perform surgery more than once to remove such pieces out of a dog's intestines. I hope this information helps!

No, I would advise against give your dog these bones. If eaten the bones could cause and intestinal obstruction. Your dog could also catch a bacterial infection or parasite from ingesting these bones. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.

Hi Diana, I have not yet tried the Nylabone Healthy Edibles with my dogs, but I just looked at the ingredients and think they might be a nice treat for Joey. Certainly, I always recommend monitoring a dog with any edible chew because they will sometimes bite off too large of a chunk, but I suspect that will be less of a problem with the Healthy Edibles than some of the other chew options on the market. If Joey has a problem with allergies, my favorite chews are Honest Kitchen Beams (https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/beams?gclid=Cj0KEQjwmK3OBRDKjN-L55---_UBEiQAOL6t1ONBCfGAKhdZ3BxXNOpy4Q4FLZFPR0lX79hOaIj9CO0aApIM8P8HAQ) and Sam's Yams (sweet potato treats). I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.