Dogs need to chew, tear, rip, and grind. It is a natural instinct and those given the opportunity are very happy pups with great attitudes, strong upper body mass and excellent dental health!
We find our dogs asking for something to chew on right after they eat. They instinctively know that this natural behavior also gets their gastric juices flowing aiding in digestion. If you don’t have a raw bone readily defrosted, a Bully Stick is a good alternative chewing source. A Slow Roasted Knuckle Bone can also be offered to the less aggressive chewer.
Bones provide your pet with optimal mental and emotional stimulation while exercising their jaw and neck muscles, cleaning their teeth and massaging their gums.
A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT BONES AND CHEWS
Care must be taken when serving bones to your dog. If a dog is an extremely aggressive chewer, you will want to take extra care in selecting the appropriate bone and closely monitoring him. We offer various bones as listed below including both raw and roasted knuckle bones. Knuckle bones are considered recreational bones. Our preference and our dog’s preference are the raw knuckle bones. Roasted Knuckle bones may not be the best choice for the extremely aggressive chewer.
The general rule is that whole bones (and chews) should be plenty large enough that your dog cannot gulp them down in whole large pieces.
Chews such as Bully Sticks and Pigs Ears can be so irresistible to dogs that they forget to chew down the last part enough to safely swallow it. Watch your dog, if he has eaten most of the chew and you think he may try and gulp down the rest rather than chew it down to a more manageable piece; take the chew away from him. Shorter pieces of Bully Sticks and smaller pieces of Pigs Ears (the leftovers) can be offered to smaller dogs of yours, friends, or family.
If your dog has severe gingivitis and/or decayed teeth, it is not recommended they be fed bones to chew on until this condition is improved. Hard chews like Bully Sticks can also pose a risk of tooth fracture in these cases. A Meaty bone could be offered for ripping and tearing enjoyment, but caution should be taken with bones if your pet has poor dental health. Dental health will greatly improve with the superior nutrition of a raw diet.
All Pets Should Be Monitored When Enjoying Any Bone or Chew
NEVER leave your pet unattended with any Chew or Bone. ALWAYS monitor to assure they do not try to swallow large, hard pieces and that they don’t consume too much of a raw knuckle bone at one time because this can cause uncomfortably hard stools.