Old dog bones can be repurposed as long as it is the suitable bone variant for your pet. After selecting the edible dog bone for your pet, you may reuse it depending on your preferences. However, inedible bones can cause severe problems to your pet.
How To Reuse Old Dog Bones?
Dogs and bones seem like a match made in heaven. It is like the same thing with cats and fishbones—they are featured in a way that they’re meant for each other. The truth is, not all bones are safe for your dog’s tummy. It can present multiple safety and health hazards to your beloved pet.
Chewing is considerably a natural dog behavior. They may even chew anything; even it is not considered edible. Bones are a better treat to prevent your dog from gnawing foreign objects and digesting them inside their stomach. Dogs also use bones to keep their teeth sharp and clean.
Selecting the right bone for your pet will provide much-needed mental stimulation. Some dog owners may have an initial idea that cooked chicken bones are bad for their dogs. In reality, any brittle bones from poultry, pork, and beef can be dangerous to your companion. These brittle bones break and splinter into small pieces with sharp edges, potentially cutting your dog’s mouth, throat, and digestive tract.
Can Old Bones Make Dogs Sick?
Despite the dog’s love to chew bones, repurposing brittle bones is not recommended. Instead, using giant bone marrow is recommended for your dog’s chewing and mouthing needs. But did you know that several old bone variants can harm your beloved dogs and puppies? Before you try to give a bone treat for your pet, you must first find out which variants are considered safe and which ones should be discarded.
Bone scraps, especially those brittle bones left during your lovely dinner, must be disposed of. Whether those bones are boiled, baked, fried, smoked, or steamed—they can break easily into fragments with jagged edges. Not only that these can be a choking hazard for your small dogs, but they can also lead to severe damages internally, including:
- Mouth injuries caused by bone fragments hitting the gum, cheek, and tongue area.
- Obstruction coming from bone pieces left stuck in the esophagus, trachea, or small intestine.
- Sharp bone fragments can potentially lead to severe internal bleeding.
- Brittle bones with collagen contain high-fat content, which can lead to pancreatitis.
- Peritonitis, a bacterial infection in the abdomen area due to bones sticking and penetrating the stomach area.
When picking the suitable bone variant for your dog, select for one’s that are larger than their mouth—about the size of their head; this will ensure that your dog will not swallow the large bone while it will give enough mouthing and chewing area for your pet. If you own large dog breeds, you may select bones from beef and bison’s knuckle area.
Another point of caution is when giving raw bones to your pet. Natural bones can give food-borne illnesses which can harm your dog. Therefore, do not repurpose old bones originally raw to prevent salmonella and food contamination from affecting your beloved pet. Instead, throw the natural bone pieces immediately after your dog consumed the raw flesh.
Do Bones Dissolve in Dog’s Stomach?
Just like cats with their fishbones, dogs have been eating their bones for years—and they are considered edible. If you give chicken bones to your pet, make sure that they are entirely ground and free from shards. This will give way for your dog to dissolve the bone completely. At times, ground chicken bones can be dissolved and absorbed by the stomach area before they become risky to your pet.
Other bone variants such as beef and pork bones are not recommended for grinding since they can produce small yet sharp shards. Chicken bones are tiny and brittle, and they will form a smooth mash when ground. Pork and beef bones, however, can significantly cause severe conditions to your pet, namely:
- Potential obstruction in the throat or pharynx area.
- Risk of tearing the gastrointestinal tract.
- Contamination from bacteria buildup.
Provided that your dog may have consumed inappropriate bones, you may check for the initial warning signs within a day or two before taking them to your veterinarian:
- Gagging, retching, or coughing
- Poor appetite and lack of mobility
- Lethargic and drooling
- Breathing problems
- Excessive thirst and licking of lips
- Uncomfortable in sitting and defecation
- Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems
- Anxiety, irritability, and other psychological issues
If symptoms persist, it is a clear indication that your dog has consumed a dog bone that hasn’t dissolved properly. It may also be an indication of injury from the ingested bone. It is essential to take note of these signs in the next few hours before the condition worsens. After treatment, refrain from using old bones that were considered indigestible for dogs.
What Can I Do with Old Dog Bones?
As mentioned earlier, old dog bones can be repurposed as long as they are cooked, cleaned, and made with giant bone marrow. Beef knuckles can be considered, although they cannot be filled or stuffed with other ingredients. Commercially produced old bones made with tough, edible skin can be reused as well.
Do not discard those old dog bones. Instead, if you give little effort to it, you can reuse these items as tasty treats that can provide nutrients while keeping your dog’s mouth busy. Below are ways to reuse your dog bones:
- If you are using giant bone marrow, you may fill it with nutritious filling. Make sure that you are selecting those that have a smooth and tough finish. Old bone marrows cleaned and buffed can be repurposed into a bone vessel filled with yummy dog treats.
- If you are using beef or buffalo knuckles, you may cover them with sticky treats. Buffalo knuckles can be repurposed by covering them with sticky treats. Mix homemade peanut butter and pumpkin puree and roll your beef knuckles. Make sure to chill it to prevent the mixture from melting.
- If you are using dried animal skin, you may recook it. Commercially manufactured edible dog bones are made with beef, pork, and other red meat with dehydrated skin. To repurpose this, you may boil it inside a pressure cooker until tender. Then, mix it with your dog’s meal or remold it into a bone-shaped figure before dehydrating it.
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