Are ham bones safe for dogs?

Question

I'm scared to give anything anymore to my dogs after the whole "greenies" thing and watching the emergency vet show on Animal Planet and seeing how easily things like bone fragments either get lodged in their throats or impacted in their insides! These bones came sealed and the dogs are crazy about them! I hate to deprive them of such a treat! The packaging says to supervize them which I do. They just rip off tiny bits of ham still stuck to the bone but when they start trying to actually gnaw off segments of the bone, should I throw it away? We used to give our dogs butcher bones growing up and we never had any problems so am I just being paranoid? Oh, they are Shetland Sheepdogs so they don't tend to gulp things down like breeds like Labs do (I had a Lab and a Golden and they ate cell phones, remote controls, Christmas Ornaments, basically anything!).

Answer 1

I have a 10 year old german shepherd thats been eating whole bones of all kinds and he is very healthy. I would not give one to my chihuahua though. I think its ok to give a dog ham bone if they are large enough to handle it.

Answer 2

I know taking away something that they like makes you feel bad, but would you give a child something that could hurt them just because they "like" it?
ANY cooked bones are not adviseable. A dog's jaws can crunch bones into splinters without hesitation. Even though you're watching them closely, as long as they are using their back teeth on the thing, they can ingest splinters that can tear their digestive tract. It's not a matter of gulping; it's a matter of swallowing the fragments.
As with children, take away what they shouldn't have and replace it with something else. If you want to give them bones, give them RAW bones from beef or pork that you are preparing for your meal. Cooked bones are brittle; raw bones are somewhat pliable and can be ground up and digested. Talk to your vet for guidance.
Another thing that is definitely in the "okay" zone and will give them hours of fun is a "Kong". It's a solid rubber toy with a hole in the center. They go nuts if you stuff the hole with peanut butter!! It's worse than cats going after catnip! LOL
I'm glad you asked this question, and NO you are NOT being paranoid. Too many people don't give a hoot about their pets. Good for you!

Blessings

PS NEVER give a dog rawhide or pork hide! There are new found dangers in the treats of old...digestive and choking issues that are just not worth a bit of fun for the dog.

Answer 3

NEVER give a dog a cooked bone. Raw bones are fine, and actually raw chicken necks are good for teeth cleaning. But ham is processed by cooking so never ever give a dog a ham bone. They can splinter and cause serious injury.

Answer 4

The key here is that you only feed RAW bones, never cooked bones. Also, avoid weight bearing bones from large animals like leg bones from cows as these will break teeth. I have four shelties and they are all on a whole prey raw diet and they are doing wonderfully.
Also, it's better if you're feeding a bone that is totally encased in meat (not smoked or cured meat like ham) which will all digest better. Find out more here www.rawfed.com

Answer 5

I have had large dogs (German Shepherds and most recently a Golden Retriever) all my life, and we have always given them all kinds of bones....chicken bones included. I think it depends on the size of the dog...larger dogs tend to have a more powerful bite and tend to be more able to break down the bones to digestable sizes. Also, you need to consider the "greed" factor of the dog...do they take time to chew their food or do they tend to ingest greedily. I would not recommend small or cooked bones for greedy dogs. Give them something they really have to work at like raw beef bones which you can get from any grocery store.

Bones are very good for dogs because they not only have natural, healthy ingredients, but they also clean the teeth as they are being chewed. The vet always commented on my 15 year old shepherds teeth being so clean, healthy and white, and when she asked me how often I brushed his teeth, I told her never. I just give him bones. You have to remember.....these are dogs. They are natural carnivores.

Answer 6

Raw meaty bones are safe for dogs. Cooked or smoked bones can easily splinter and cause all sorts of problems.
Rawhide chews are not good either. Rawhide is not digestable and is chemically treated.
Raw bones are pliable and digest very well. Dogs are carnivores.Bone/bone meal is essential in a well balanced canine diet.

Answer 7

Natural Pig Ears, tend to last about 20+ min for our Goldies...

Better choice, Natural beef basted over-sized bone (( Tractor Supply co.)) They will chew on these for months at a time. When and if they ever splinter or break... time for a new one.

I have had the same concerns,,, as our Golden will dive for rocks,and will not hesitate to eat a matchbox car, or any toy, etc.

Answer 8

well, you should give him a regular meal of bone for teeth sharpness and salivation but it still can split into sharp parts and cause harmfull effect

Answer 9

NO REAL BONES ARE SAFE FOR A DOG. BONES DON'T DIGEST.

Answer 10

NO bones for dogs!! They can be fatal.They splinter & cause holes in the trake,,digestive track etc.Get rawhide chewies instead.