Can Dogs Eat Lamb Bones? 3 Risks of Lamb Bones for Dogs

Dogs can eat lamb bones—if raw and uncooked. Lamb bones can help clean your dog’s teeth and strengthen their jaws. Raw bones also contain essential vitamins and minerals for your dog’s diet, like calcium and phosphorus. Lamb bones are meaty bones strictly for gnawing, like pork bones or beef bones. Give your dog a large chewing bone because small bones can become lodged in your dog’s stomach or cause your dog to choke.

While dogs can eat raw lamb bones, not all kinds of bones are safe for dogs. Raw chicken bones can splinter and cause a choking hazard, so do not feed dogs these types of bones. The safest option for your pet is nutritious store-bought kibble or homemade dog food.

Though lamb bones offer some benefits to your dog’s health, it’s never safe to give cooked bones to dogs. Lamb bones can cause:

1. 1. Choking and dental hazards: If your dog eats a small piece of bone, it can be a choking hazard. If swallowed, small lamb bones, such as lamb chop bones, can lodge in a dog’s throat or cause blockages in its digestive system. Large bones, like knucklebones, are too thick and can damage your dog’s teeth. Only give your dog raw lamb ribs, lamb shanks, or tail bones.
2. 2. Internal injuries: Cooked lamb bones become brittle and splinter easily in a dog’s mouth. Those fragments cause internal damage to a dog’s esophagus and digestive system. Perforations in a dog’s digestive tract or stomach can lead to bacterial infections.
3. 3. Stomach problems: Don’t give bones to dogs with stomach or bowel issues. The marrow inside bones is very rich and can aggravate these problems. Give pets with sensitive stomachs rawhide dog chews instead of lamb bones.

There are several ways to make raw lamb bones safe for dogs. To offer your dog a raw bone, follow these tips:

1. 1. Check the size. Only give your dog a bone that’s larger than the size of its muzzle. This prevents the dog from swallowing and possibly choking on the bone. Ensure the bone is free of sharp edges that might cut your dog’s tongue.
2. 2. Keep them clean. A dog’s stomach acids help them digest bones and eliminate potential bacteria in raw food. However, raw meat still poses a health hazard for certain dogs, especially puppies and dogs with autoimmune conditions. Also, trim any fat or skin from raw bones; animal fat often causes gastrointestinal upset and can lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas.
3. 3. Watch your dog. Dog owners should never allow their pets to eat raw lamb bones unattended. Watch for signs of choking or gastrointestinal distress, such as shallow breathing, pain, constipation, or vomiting.

Certain human foods can cause adverse reactions in canines, so always consult your veterinarian to determine whether it is safe to add these foods to your pet’s diet. This article is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.

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