Can dogs eat lamb bones? A simple answer to the question is Yes. But…..One of the most commonly heard cliches is “serve a dog with a bone and leave it alone.” There is probably nothing more salivating treat for the dogs than to chew on a lamb bone.
While visiting a pet store or coming back from the restaurant, you must have thought about buying a lamb bone for your four-legged buddy, and the next thing that may click on your mind is, “Can dogs eat lamb bones?” Is it safe to treat a dog with a lamb bone?
Well, if you have got questions, we have got answers to solve all these puzzles for you.
Can dogs eat lamb bones?
As mentioned above, lamb bone is pretty much a common treat for dogs. Most pet owners wish to treat their furry friends with lamb bone now and then. Or they are accustomed to treating their pup with their leftover bones.
Dogs do love lamb bone the same as we do. It’s a natural food for the dogs, and every time they see a lamb bone, they drag it to a quiet and safe place to gnaw it for hours undisturbed.
Lamb’s bone is safe, nutritious food for the dogs to enjoy but only if it’s raw and is big so that the dogs can’t swallow it. Otherwise, it can splinter your dogs’ stomach and can cut its tongue and jaws.
Raw bone or cooked bone?
Raw bone is safe to feed to your dog as cooking turns the hard bones into brittle ones that can easily splinter, that’s very harmful if the dogs swallow it. The dogs can easily reduce the size of brittle cooked bones and swallow. Sharp edges of small bones can damage the tissue, puncture the intestine and esophagus, or hurt the throat and cut the tongue. All of these situations can lead your dog to the death door.
Contrarily, raw bone is safe in all aspects; it’s not easy to break it into pieces and swallow it.
Why do dogs love to chew on lamb bone?
Just like humans, dogs love lamb bones simply because of their salivating taste. Dogs are carnivores, and it’s natural for them to catch prey in their jaws that, of course, include lamb bones. Although the dogs that live on kibble don’t prey on animals, it’s still in their instinct to love lamb bone or meat.
The curious instinct of dogs urges them to chew on different things to discover new textures. You’ll mostly see small puppies chewing on shoes, toys, plastic bags, and other household items now and then. So, chewing on bones is a palatable experience for the dogs.
Lamb bone: Health benefits
- Treating your dog with lamb bone is actually free dental care that will save you several trips to the veterinarian as it can reduce the risk of periodontal diseases.
- The building up of plaques and waterproof and toothpaste-proof layers by bacteria in dogs’ teeth result in bad breath in dogs. Serving your dog with a lamb bone can scratch the plaque and strengthen the gums. Instead of scratching the teeth’ plaques, the naturally occurring enzymes in raw bones will easily break the protective layer build-up by bacteria.
- Nutrients in raw lamb bones keep the dogs’ skeleton strong by providing them with extra calcium and phosphorus-the main components of skeleton. The presence of chondroitin and glucosamine in lamb bone helps the bones and joints to be stronger.
- Gnawing or chewing up the raw bones is an effective way to help your dog with mental stimulation, and build up its skull, neck, and jaw muscles. It’s an easy way to distract your dogs’ attention from chewing on the filthy items to a safe and nutritious item like lamb bone to develop a positive chewing habit.
- Chewing on lamb bone also helps them in the teething process to ward off irritation during teething, as it happens with human babies.
- Lamb bones, just like other bones, eliminate the risks of bloating and anal gland issues.
Health risks associated with lamb bones
Instead of choking and splintering the esophagus and different tissue linings, diarrhea and bowel syndrome are other health risks associated with feeding lamb bone to the pup. Your dog may have to go for surgery or can even die.
If your dog has weak teeth or is suffering from tooth pain, serving them with a bone to chew on is just like putting oil on the fire. If your dog is old or is losing its teeth because of any dental issue feeding it lamb bone may worsen teeth issues. Similarly, feeding a lamb bone to senior dogs who have no teeth or are about to leave all the teeth is not a good idea.
It’s not rare for the germs to occupy the raw bone surfaces, and the potential risk of health hazards may increase in dogs because of the contamination. So, provide your dog with raw bone only when it is clean and germ-free.
Tips for feeding lamb bone to your dog
- Buy fresh lamb bone from the butcher.
- To avoid contamination, if you want to freeze the lamb bones, freeze them in separate packs.
- Don’t allow your dog to chew on the lamb bone for more than 45 minutes.
- Clean or sanitize the surface in contact with lamb bone after feeding the dog.
- Most pet owners leave their dogs with lamb bone alone without any supervision. And the dogs, as bone-lovers, are never willing to leave the bone until it is cut into very small pieces. So, you must supervise your dog while it is enjoying the palatability of lamb bone. Keep the bone aside as soon as you see its size is reduced, and it can be swallowed easily by the dogs.
- Don’t forget to pick up the leftover small pieces of bones because they may be contaminated with germs and bacteria very soon. And dogs will never stop gnawing at them until they are taken away.
- The dog with restorative dental work should not be given any kind of lamb bone. Otherwise, they may suffer from more dental issues. In the case of dogs with dental issues, the answer to “can dog eat lamb bones” is simply No.
- Don’t provide the senior dogs with lamb bone very often.
- Dogs with poor stomachs should not be entertained with lamb bone.
- Because lamb bone is full of nutrients, you must have a complete check and balance on your dog’s nutrient doses. If your dog already has enough nutrients, you must not serve it with the lamb bone.
Conclusion
Just like humans, dogs deserve to enjoy the lamb bones, and they enjoy it more than anything else. Just make sure to serve them with raw bone, and they should not swallow it.
It gives them mental and physical stimulation and keeps their gums and skeletal muscles strong. It’s an easy way to clean their teeth without any extra nuisance. In short, lamb bone is safe as long as it’s raw, its size is large, and it is not contaminated.
We hope you have gained useful information from the article “Can dogs eat lamb bones?” and this will help you in using lamb bones as treats.
You can read more articles about dog care, nutrition, and training on Dog Vet Tips.