WARNING: Knuckle bones are NOT safe!
Well don't I feel like an idiot. I've been on here for months telling people who ask dental questions what to do about their dogs tartar, etc. to give raw knuckle bones because they won't break teeth. I was told this in my veterinary dentistry class and have been feeding raw knuckle bones for almost a year now with no problems.....until last night. I gave Franklin and Truck a knuckle bone bc Truck has horrible teeth and I use them to keep Franklin's teeth clean. Well last night he broke his tooth on a knuckle bone. Of course Franklin is one of those dogs that if it can happen it WILL happen, so I've always been SUPER careful of what I give him (food, toys, etc). Now I am faced with a vet bill of around $1000 to get the tooth pulled and I am currently an unemployed student. Not a good combination. Not really sure what I am going to do, I do have Care Credit but the hospital only offers 3 months no interest and then interest jumps to something like 29% so I may just have to charge the whole thing on a credit card or something. Augh, really bad timing for this because teeth are the ONE thing they can't fix for almost free at my school. The Dr.s at my school are so good and can do most anything, but of course not this type of extraction because it is very difficult. Having a small panic attack now to figure out how I am going to pay for this. But just wanted to put it out there DO NOT FEED BONES! I was always told knuckle bones are softer than weight bearing bones so they won't break teeth and that seemed to be true, but not anymore. Now I may have to resort to actually brushing teeth :-(
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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Thanks! I won't feed pork because of the scary/nasty parasites that it can have and I know it needs to be frozen for at least a month to kill them and frankly I don't have the freezer space for that, but will definitely look into oxtail or beef necks. Frank is a chewer and the brief period he was fed raw he chewed up the chicken legs and necks just fine, no attempt to gulp. I had read the whole thing about feeding kibble with raw but I don't buy it, dogs eat all kinds of garbage and it isn't the same consistency and they do fine. Franklin got kibble with raw at the same time and he did fine, just seems weird to me to say they can only process one type of food at a time, I mean they eat poop for goodness sake! Lol. I get my raw bones from a natural market that sells only local grass fed organic so I can be sure it is from a good source, I actually won't even step into a Walmart so no fear of buying stuff there! Lol.
And on a different note, I told my dentistry teacher about him breaking a tooth on a raw knuckle bone and she was absolutely shocked, she said she had never heard of it happening and she has been recommending them to her clients for years. I think Franklin falls into the category of if it can happen it will happen so maybe isn't the best judge of if something is safe vs not safe lol.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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A food science major told me that trichonosis has been wiped out in US pork, so you don't have to worry about that! The USDA lowered the required meat temperature for pork to 145, too, and chefs everywhere rejoiced haha. So, I wouldn't worry about pork... though you do have Franklin the Murphy's Law Dog, so maybe you should. ;)
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Permalink Reply by Cindi & Twinkie on
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Please tell me more about ox tails. I know I can get them at the Korean market close to me. Do you cook them? Make osso bucco first? ;)
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No cooking! Not unless I am going to eat it, haha. Just give it straight to the dog. :D
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Permalink Reply by Emily Trupiano on
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Holy moly! I can't believe a dentistry professor would recommend any bone.
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Permalink Reply by Lucy & Ricky (Wendy/Jack ) on
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Lucy broke her tooth chewing rocks and the extraction was about 300. No more than 400, for sure.
Re. knuckle bones. I thought I read somewhere to boil them first to soften them. But, I'm not sure and hardly an expert on bones. When in doubt, I don't use them. My husband brushes my Corgis teeth 1/wk. I've also read somewhere that greenies, sold for teeth cleaning, can be dangerous and shouldn't be used.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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I buy frozen leg bones, about 2" long, at the local boutique pet store. Hard, weight-bearing bones. No problems so far.
I do worry that we might sprain an ankle stepping on one in the dark, there are so many of them around the house...
My dentist wants to crown two of my teeth, $575 ea. (with insurance). I figure, I can't afford it... spend the money cleaning the dogs' teeth instead...
Is this sick?
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sick. get those crowns! cheaper than implants if you let them go. spoken by the mother of an almost oral surgeon.
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12/12/12 Al has a split carnasial tooth. I have sinned. I've broken my dog's tooth by buying him beef bones.
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Permalink Reply by Tomi and Story on
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Oh no! Al has been having a bit of a tough time the last few months, his stifle and now his tooth! I'm so sorry :(
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Well Franklin went to the vet, estimate is $1,006. :-( The reason it is so expensive is the x-rays and oral surgery involved in removing the tooth. I called around and found that a lot of vets don't even do the surgery to remove this tooth and the three I talked to that do have dental x-rays and the appropriate drills, etc. are booked until early Feb. Man I really should have got this boy insurance!
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Permalink Reply by Mal Schaal on
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Wow. My child had to have a tooth pulled, and because of his age he had to be sedated and it had to be done in the hospital. I only paid $550.
I say "only" but it seemed a lot before I read your post.
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