# Puppies and Bones



## Shane (Oct 24, 2008)

Can My westie puppy, 17 weeks old, have raw bones from the buthchers?


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## gemnjoe04 (Oct 17, 2008)

I dont trust raw chicken bones but pork or beef were ok saying that when i had a litter the naughty puppies caught 3 of my chickens chicks and ate them whole with no issues just as long as they are raw no cooked bones 

I havent given my 4.5 month pup any raw bones yet just incase he breaks his teeth since hes losing them right now he snapped one of his canines playing tug of war


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## Sgurr (Aug 24, 2008)

Yes. your westie will love it.
You might want to try with a raw chicken wing as you can hold it while the pup has a good chew and then eats it. Or a super big bone - beef bone. It's important for all the teeth to be used when having a good chew on a bone - small bones (like chicken wings) will be chewed mainly with the front teeth and the larger ones with the side teeth.
I feed ESS pups from 5 weeks with chicken wings and the pups really enjoy them.
Raw only though, please. Cooked chicken and other small bones become brittle and split into dangerous shards.

For a really big bone, give it to your Westie for a day to chew at the attached meat. Then you can take it away and scrub it to get the very last bit of meat off. The clean bone can then go in the freezer (carefully labelled) for a week and be brought out and thawed for another good chew. You can do this for a couple of weeks and then throw it away - it keeps the pup's interest not having a bone all the time.

Sgurr


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## buddy'smom1956 (Nov 4, 2008)

At what age can you introduce bones to pups?


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## Sgurr (Aug 24, 2008)

Well my pups start to wean at about 3 weeks. I give finely minced beef (mince it myself) as their first solids and introduce other foods between then and 5 weeks. At 5 weeks they get their first chicken wings (under supervision) and a share of a big bone (3 or 4 pups on the bone as soon as you put it down for them).

Sgurr


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## ARNOLD (Nov 6, 2008)

as soon as they're weaned, of course! thats like askin if its safe to give a baby a banana!?


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2008)

I gave Zach a great big knuckle bone from the butchers at 16 weeks and it kept him occupied for nearly two hours lol they love it!

He has the occasional marrow bone as a treat now, he absolutely loves scooping all the marrow out!


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## Shane (Oct 24, 2008)

> You might want to try with a raw chicken wing


Is raw chicken really safe to feed her, My misses thinks I'm joking


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## Kiskasiberians (Oct 2, 2008)

Raw chicken is safe to feed her. Dogs have a short intestinal tract (unlike humans) and because of this nothing lies in the gut too long. Also their stomach acids kill almost anything Salmonella stands no chance.

I'd try to stay away from all cow leg bones as these can break teeth. Lamb and Pork ribs are ideal as they are soft enough to chew and are great at cleening teeth. Just ensure that the first couple of times your dog doesn't gulp them down. (pups don't normally but adult dogs can)



Shane said:


> Is raw chicken really safe to feed her, My misses thinks I'm joking


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## scosha37 (Feb 24, 2008)

Feeding Dogs Bones | Is it Safe?


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## Natik (Mar 9, 2008)

i gave my dogs bones and they ended up swollowing them whole which scared me alot. The second time they swollowed a rib bone and next day cobi got sick and the whole bone came out again and mayas bone ended up somewhere unseen 
Im a bit scared about feeding them any bones which they could swollow.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

Personally, I would NEVER give a bone to a dog unless it was a large knuckle bone, and then it would be given under supervision.

I have heard of two many accidents and vet trips. This is why I am slightly worried about a raw diet. Just my opinion though


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## gillieworm (Jul 4, 2008)

Shane said:


> Is raw chicken really safe to feed her, My misses thinks I'm joking


Yes it is safe, never ever feed cooked chicken bones though!

My pup was eating raw bones from about 16 weeks old when we changed over to raw feeding and she took to it like a duck to water


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## thedog (Jan 4, 2008)

We give our 2 chicken wings and drumsticks which they really enjoy. They had beef bones last wk which were massive one was bigger than Harlie he he. Didn't know we could feed pork ribs though thought i'd read somewhere not to give dogs pork (is this right?)xx


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## gillieworm (Jul 4, 2008)

thedog said:


> We give our 2 chicken wings and drumsticks which they really enjoy. They had beef bones last wk which were massive one was bigger than Harlie he he. Didn't know we could feed pork ribs though thought i'd read somewhere not to give dogs pork (is this right?)xx


I too have heard to avoid pork, because apparently parasites live on pork more or something


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## Shane (Oct 24, 2008)

Well, I got some bones and gave her one, unfortunately she turned into a snarling grawling beast, nice, so she's not getting any more.

I used to give my GSD bones and could do anything with her when she had it, I could even take it away but she would never ever show any sign of aggression. 

I wonder if little dogs feel more need to be defensive.
She is fine with toys and hide chews but for some reason a real bone made her think she was a lion.


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## Kiskasiberians (Oct 2, 2008)

The pork issue is a bit of a myth nowadays. There used to be concerns over trichinosis which is a parasite that affected pigs and caused serious problems in anything that ate it. Nowadays this is eradicated from pigs bred in the UK. There is still a possibility that wild game especially boar can pass it on but most suppliers of game freeze it for at least 2 weeks to ensure that the parasite is dead.



thedog said:


> We give our 2 chicken wings and drumsticks which they really enjoy. They had beef bones last wk which were massive one was bigger than Harlie he he. Didn't know we could feed pork ribs though thought i'd read somewhere not to give dogs pork (is this right?)xx


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## Kiskasiberians (Oct 2, 2008)

Sometimes it takes time. If she exhibits this type of behaviour then takje the bone off her and try again later. Over a few days she will realise that if she behaves she can enjoy her treat


Shane said:


> Well, I got some bones and gave her one, unfortunately she turned into a snarling grawling beast, nice, so she's not getting any more.
> 
> I used to give my GSD bones and could do anything with her when she had it, I could even take it away but she would never ever show any sign of aggression.
> 
> ...


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