Every cooked bone can be dangerous for dogs. Especially chicken bones, since they tend to splinter easier than others. Choking is a concern, but the greatest fear is the one you do not see. It is when a bone lodge or tears part of the intestinal tract, which can cause the dog to bleed to death internally. By the time you realize there is a problem it is usually too late. Raw bones are better but they can also splinter. This is why it is so important to have a locking trash can.

We’ve all heard it said, “Do not feed your dog’s chicken bones!” But in fact, feeding any cooked bone to your dog is dangerous because cooked bones can splinter and damage the stomach and intestines. Many dogs enjoy chewing raw chicken or turkey neck and raw chicken wings that are free of salmonella and other bacteria. Raw beef knuckle bones are also yummy treats. Work with your holistic veterinarian to do what is best for your individual dogs.

Although dogs have been chewing bones for thousands of years. That’s what nature intended, right? Well, perhaps, but it’s an activity that is not without its risk. As a veterinarian, I have seen the negative effects of feeding dog’s bones mostly chicken bone more time than I can count. The stakes are high enough that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has even gotten involved and the following are reasons why bone especially chicken bones are dangerous for your dogs.

5 Reasons Not To Feed Your Dog Cooked Bones

1. Bones get stuck in the stomach. It went down just fine, but the bones may be too large to pass from the stomach to the intestines. Depending on the size of the bone, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy – a procedure in which your veterinarian will use a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools – to attempt to remove the bone from your dog’s stomach.

2. Constipation can occur due to bone fragments. Your dog may have difficulty passing the bone fragments because they are too sharp and will scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.

3. Bones get looped around the dog’s lower jaw. This can be terrifying or painful for your dog and is likely to be expensive for you as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.

4. Bone can get stuck in dog’s esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may choke, trying to bring the bone back up, and you will have to see your veterinarian.

5. Peritonitis. This is a very serious infection of the abdomen, difficult to cure and is caused when the bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestine. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian as peritonitis can kill your dog.

I look at feeding your dogs chicken bones, in the same way; I do letting the dogs run loose. Is it normal? Yes. Do dogs like it? Yes. Are there any potential benefits? Yes … until misfortune strikes. There are a lot of ways to safely please your dog’s need to chew, to promote dental hygiene, and to provide your dog with high quality and balanced nutrition he needs to stay in good health.

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Best interactive dog toys

Today’s post is written by Michelle from How To Clean Almost Anything.

Dogs bring fun, friendship and hair, often LOTS of hair! All dogs shed hair but not all dogs shed equally. If if you don’t want to spend your life vacuuming up dog hair from every surface of your home, then your best bet would be to choose a low shedding dog breed.

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a dog for your home. Aside from how much hair they shed you’ll need to think about how much space you have, how regularly you can exercise them, how much time you can devote to training them and whether you’ve got kids in the house. Once you’ve narrowed down the size of dog you think will suit your lifestyle, you can then look at which dogs shed the least.

Remember, even a low shedding dog will still produce some hair and a good quality pet vacuum (you can find some reviews here) will be a worthwhile investment. Dogs also require regular grooming regardless of how much hair they tend to shed.

Low Shedding Small Dogs

Maltese Terrier

These cute fluffy little dogs are a great option for families with kids. They don’t shed much hair and are super friendly and good with children.

Havanese

Another cute fluffy option for families. Low on hair shedding and easy to look after.

Poodle

Poodles are well known for their low shedding and tendency towards low allergy. The miniature and small poodle options make great small dogs with little to no hair loss. They do require regular grooming.

Low Shedding Medium Dogs

Labradoodle

This one can be a bit hit and miss as labradors are big shedders but poodles are not. Check whether the parents were low shed to get an idea of whether the offspring will be.

Schnauzer

These dogs make great guard dogs and are loyal pets. Even though their coat is long, it doesn’t shed much. They will require regular grooming.

Portuguese Water Dog

They dogs are fun, energetic, friendly, and clever. They might look like a hair disaster but their coats actually shed very little. As their name suggests, they LOVE water.

Low Shedding Large Dogs

Rhodesian Ridgeback

These large energetic dogs are a great option for those looking for an active dog that doesn’t shed much. They require lots of exercise so keep this in mind if you’re considering this breed.

Giant Poodle

Much like their smaller brothers, these dogs don’t shed hair in the traditional sense and are a great option for those with allergies.

Whatever dog you choose, remember that a dog is a pet for life. They require ongoing care, love and money so make sure you are emotionally, financially and physically ready for the commitment.

In many of our homes dogs are considered among the family members. But, over time, we’ve become reliant on dry food in a bag. We’re conditioned to think that this brand or that brand will be good for our dog. The bottom line is that most dog food manufacturers spend more on the packaging then they do on the ingredients. This leads to deficiencies in the health of our dogs.

Both homemade raw and prepared raw food can be a great benefit to your dog’s health. Unlike processed food (canned or kibble), raw food retains all nutrients. However, preparing a raw diet for your dog is not as easy as just giving them raw meat. You must make certain the diet is balanced and contains all the nutrients, amino acids and ingredients your dog needs to thrive.

Breaking the myth

Raw dog food is good for a dog because it hasall-natural vitamins and minerals which a dog needs for a long, healthy life. But, the biggest question people have is “What ingredients should I use in a balanced raw diet?”

• Raw muscle meat from a variety of sources (beef, chicken, deer, turkey, etc.)
• Organ Meat (liver, hearts, kidney)
• Raw meaty bones (or ground bone)
• Vegetables (sweet potato, broccoli, apples, carrots)
• Beef trachea, trim, chicken and turkey feet are loaded in natural chondroitin and glucosamine which help to build healthy joints.

The key is to feed the ingredients in the appropriate amounts to provide all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients a dog needs. Often, this is where the homemade raw diet becomes difficult. In a prepared raw diet, an animal nutritionist has done the work for you – precisely measuring out a recipe that contains the right amounts of key ingredients.

With a prepared raw dog food:

• you don’t have to source all the ingredients yourself
• contains the right amounts of essential nutrients
• bone is ground for you and added to the food
• vegetables are pureed for you and added to the food

Don’t change quickly

If you feel that giving raw food can increase the health benefits in your dog then don’t switch immediately. Make sure that slowly you are adding some raw food in your dog’s diet. Then change to half and finally all raw as your dog accepts the change.

High-quality raw foods

Raw dog food can really enrich the growth of dogs and start making them live longer than the expected years. If you decide to make it yourself, be careful of where you get your ingredients. Super market meats are intended to be cooked, therefore, a certain amount of salmonella can be present. Raw diet manufacturers use freezing or drying tend to eliminate bacteria.

Benefits of raw food

Raw food for dogs can be beneficial in some of the ways which are mentioned below.

• Better stools
• Clean and better teeth
• Easy digestion
• Healthy skin
• Shinier coats
• Superior energy levels

If you intend to feed a prepared raw dog food, look for a manufacturer that is USDA inspected and lists their ingredients and preparation process. Try to be certain that they are using a recipe backed by scientific knowledge and not just someone’s best guess.

When you start crate training of your dog, make sure to take care of the following thing. The crate should not use as a mean of punishment of jail. It should be a place for the dog to relax so that you can focus on other things. Following are the cautions of crate training:

• Do not put your dog in the crate as a punishment. This will put fear in the heart of the dog and it will become difficult for you to train him.
• Put your dog in the crate when it’s required like when you have the guest in the house or taking your dog to another place in a car etc.
• Do not put your dog in the crate for too long and take care about other necessaries like there should be food and water bowl and soft bed etc.
• During crate training, make sure to take care about his bowels moment and urination. The period should not be more than 2-3 hours.

Selection of crate for dog crate training:

The crates for dogs are available in different sizes and made with different materials like plastic, metal, rigid frame and much more. So, make sure to purchase one which you believe that the most comfortable for your dog. Also, take care about the size of the crate. It should not small in size and have enough height so that your dog can stand in it. Even if you have a new born dog or puppy, then still consider purchasing a large size crate. You can purchase a crate if you have a good budget to spend on or you can rent it from the local animal shelter.

If you are not sure those which size of the crate will be perfect for your dog, then purchase one through online stores like Amazon because these websites give a recommendation of size on the basis of your dog’s breed, age and size etc.

Here you can find an overview of the best dog crates.

The dog’s crate training process:

Crate training is not hard as its sound like only if it has been done in correct way. Especially, if you are training a puppy, then the process is very easy. Yes, it could be very difficult for grown dogs sometimes but if you follow the instruction correctly then you can train your dog about crate within few days. Following I am writing step by step dog crate training process, which can be applied to both the adult dogs and puppies.

More info about dogs you can read on US bones.

Step 1: Introduce crate to your dog

The introduction of the crate to your dog is not hard. Simply place the crate on the place where your dog sleeps or spend the most time. Do not force him to enter in the crate. If possible, then leave crate in the same place for 1-2 days so that dog can get completely familiar with this. To encourage him, to enter in the crate, drop some of his favorite toys in it. You can also use the dog treat for this purpose.

Step 2: Feed your dog in the crate

This step will surely allow your dog to enter in the crate. Instead of feeding your dog outside the crate, place your dog’s food and water bowl inside the crate. While dog eating the meal inside the crate, close the door. If your dog while to be let out then do it immediately, if not then keep it close at least for 10-20 minutes and stay next to it.

Step 3: Train your dog in the crate for longer periods

If your dog knows the commands then use them and ask your dog to enter in the dog and sit there. You can use treats for this purpose. Make sure to praise your dog every time if he follows your commands. In the first week of training do not leave the dog in the crate for more than 30 minutes. Day by day, increase the time of crate training. Place the soft bed of your dog inside the crate to encourage him to stay there for longer period.

Some pooches are con artists. They have mastered the art of escaping crates, mainly because they don’t like to be contained. Buying an inescapable dog crate can be confusing, thanks to the huge number of options. Below are some of the things you need to know.

Does my dog need a crate?

Well, crates are handy if you have a hyperactive dog. Sometimes, you may have guests at home, and it’s impossible to have the pet around, especially if the food is being served or somebody is scared. For some pet owners, a crate is also a simple way to contain the animal when they are leaving the house for smaller periods. So, it largely depends on your pooch and his behavior.

Using an escape-proof dog crate

An escape-proof dog crate is designed to be durable, so that big breeds like Rottweiler or GSDs don’t escape.  Some dog breeds are smarter than others, and they always find ways to break the crate. With escape-proof dog crates, your concerns will be limited, although it’s important to mention that none of the products are indestructible. Some are just better than others.

Buying the first crate

Before you pick a dog crate for your beloved pooch, here are the things to consider.

• Why do you need the crate? If you are traveling with your pet on a flight, you will need a crate that’s airline complaint. Many pet owners use crate for training, while others use it a simple way to keep the animal in control.

• What kind of crate will work for your dog? If you have a smaller dog, a fabric crate might seem like a good idea, but ideally, it’s best to go for plastic ones that are durable and effective for most breeds. Some metal crates are also escape-proof. Just make sure that the dog has enough ventilation.

• Do you need additional features? Some dog crates are foldable, while others are easy to store. A few crates have coatings so as to prevent rusting, while others might have better opening for the dog to get in. It all depends on what kind of crate would work for your needs.

Finally, do consider the size of the animal before picking a product. If you are looking for dog crates like these, you can check online on certain portals, where you will find detailed reviews and comparison between different options.

Owning a dog has been a great responsibility for the people. It would be no less than raising your own child. Dogs are wonderful creatures. They would make you fall in love with them instantly when you come across one. Among the several breeds available for dogs, you would choose the one that would appeal you the most. Regardless the breed, you would be having a partner in the form of your pet who would be loyal and faithful to you in every possible manner. When it comes to dogs and their raising needs, you should have the best supplies suitable to their needs. Be it food or other dog supplies, you should have the best for them.

Searching for dog supplies online

In case, you wonder where to search for dog supplies, your best bet would be the online realm. The internet has been a boon to the people searching for the best supplies in the contemporary times. It would not be wrong to suggest that for the best options available for dog supplies; you should resort to the internet. Although, you may have options in the form of word of mouth or searching through yellow pages, these options would offer you limited scope. You would be limited to a couple of pet stores like YourDogIsWorthItToo to find the best dog harness for your pooch. On the other hand, when searching online, you would come across a number of options providing you with best deals on various dog supplies.

What kind of dog harness you should look for online

When it comes to searching for a suitable dog harness, you should have the best options suitable to your needs. It would be pertinent to mention here that you should purchase a dog harness that would be comfortable for your dog and you as well. The days are long gone when people used the old-fashioned dog collar and the harness attached to it. These have been known to make the dog uncomfortable when they would literally drag you in the park. When taking a stroll in the park with your dog, chances are higher that your dog would chase every other squirrel, cat or any other animal they come across. It would be a daunting task to handle your dog at such times. Therefore, you would need a harness that would control the sudden movements of your dog along with securing your balance.