Many dog owners know not to toss a turkey or chicken bone to their dog; those bones are just too brittle. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\u00a0says the risk goes beyond that, especially when it comes to the \u201cbone treats\u201d you may see at the store.<\/p>\n
FDA has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to “bone treats,\u201d which differ from uncooked butcher-type bones because they are processed and packaged for sale as dog treats. A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs\u2014including treats described as\u00a0\u201cHam Bones,\u201d\u00a0\u201cPork Femur Bones,\u201d\u00a0\u201cRib Bones,\u201d and\u00a0\u201cSmokey Knuckle Bones\u201d\u2014were listed in the reports. The products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking, and may contain other ingredients such as preservatives, seasonings, and smoke flavorings.<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019re planning to give your dog a stocking full of bone treats this holiday season, you may want to reconsider. According to Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the FDA, \u201cGiving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats have included:<\/p>\n
The reports, sent in by pet owners and veterinarians, involved about 90 dogs (some reports included more than one dog). In addition, FDA received seven reports of product problems, such as moldy-appearing bones, or bone treats splintering when chewed by the pet.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips to keep your dog safe:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recommend supervising your dog with any chew toy or treat, especially one she hasn\u2019t had before,\u201d\u00a0adds Stamper. \u201cAnd if she \u2018just isn\u2019t acting right,\u2019 call your veterinarian right away!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many dog owners know not to toss a turkey or chicken bone to their dog; those bones are just too brittle. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\u00a0says the risk goes beyond that, especially when it comes to the \u201cbone treats\u201d you may see at the store. What\u2019s a Bone Treat? FDA has received […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5409,"featured_media":114311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1,4530,46],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n