Hi Ted,

Thanks for your question.

There are multiple reasons why hard bone treats are not good for dogs. Bone treats are hard and can break or fracture your dog’s teeth and this is much more common than people think. The hard bone can splinter into shards that can penetrate the tissue of the mouth, pharynx, stomach or the rest of the digestive tract.

An appropriate treat would be one that is low in calories and soft enough to prevent dental trauma. I assume you would also like something that your dog can be entertained by. A really great idea is buying a large ‘kong’ which is a hard rubber toy that you can pack with different food materials such as wet food, kibble, vegetables and any other appropriate treat. A treat like this will make your dog lick, chew, ingest and engage with the toy for longer.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Clayton Greenway