For your dogs, ban the bone

It sure is tempting, isn't it? You've got a big honkin' bone from soup you've made, or from a roast or a ham, maybe. Your dog is begging. What's the harm?

Potentially plenty, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A timely reminder from FDA points out 11 serious problems that bones can cause—and we're not just talking those small chicken and turkey bones we all know about. They are:

1. Broken teeth.  (Veterinary dentistry—very expensive)
2. Mouth or tongue injuries.  (Very bloody and messy.)
3. Bone could get stuck around the dog’s lower jaw.  (May look funny, but it’s not.  Time to see your vet.)
4. Bone could get stuck in your dog’s esophagus (food tube).  (Time to see your vet.)
5. Bone could get stuck in your dog’s windpipe if he accidentally inhales a small enough piece.  (This is an emergency! Very dangerous.)
6. Bone can get stuck in the stomach.  (It went in just fine, but is too big to pass out of the stomach into the intestines.  Time for surgery.)
7. Bone can get stuck in the intestines and cause a major blockage.  (Time for surgery.)
8. Constipation due to bone shards.  (Your dog can’t pass the bone shards because they’re very sharp and are scraping the inside of your dog’s intestines, causing him severe pain.  Time to see your vet.) 
9. Severe bleeding from the rectum.  (Known in veterinary speak as Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis—or HGE.  Very messy and dangerous.)
10. Peritonitis.  (A nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen caused when bone shards poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines.  This can kill your dog.) 
11. Death.

Dogs love to chew, of course, but there are plenty of options that don't present the risk that a bone does. If you're not sure, talk with your veterinarian.