Now having finished with the meal, I saw that Murphy obviously wanted something, too. I had on my plate two pork chop bones with some meat still on them. Maybe I'm getting old but I honestly couldn't remember if pork chop bones are ok for dogs or not. So I did what any responsible dog owner would do--I set the plate on the counter and adjourned to my office to consult the computer. A Google search on the question of "Can dogs have pork chop bones?" produced countless answers, and they seemed to go both ways: yes, dogs can have pork bones, and no, dogs cannot have pork bones because they splinter. A variation of these answers indicated that uncooked bones might be ok, but cooked ones being softer were a bad idea. Yet another school of thought was that it was ok for little dogs who would gnaw them, but not big dogs who could devour the bones. So many different opinions on what should have been a simple question...
Of course while I was trying to be a good dog owner by diligently researching the issue, Murphy rendered the whole question moot by reaching up onto the counter and just taking them. By the time I'd finally decided to err on the side of caution and not give him the bones, they were gone.
"What? Why iz I a 'Damn Dog' now?"
As someone who has fed a raw diet to dogs: raw bones are ok though they should be only given under supervision just in case. Cooked bones are much more likely to break in ways that cause harm to a dogs mouth, stomach and intestines and so shouldn't be given except nder very close supervision of a dog you know you can safely retrieve them from when they start to break. Since he already ate them just keep an eye on things to make sure they pass through safely. He looks like he enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteOh well... Murphy solved the problem didn't he... :-)
ReplyDeleteActually, you should refrain from giving Murphy pork in any form. Some some breeds of dogs are more susceptible to prancreatitis than others. However, it is possible for a dog of any breed to be at risk. Pancreatitis is an inflamation of the pancreas, caused by high fat content in the diet. If not promptly treated by a veterinarian, pancreatitis can lead to the animal's death. After recovering from a bout of pancreatitis, the dog will be on a low-fat diet for the remainder of his life.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to assume that the meat and bones were well done--so some of the danger of undercooked pork would be averted. Most of the fat is also nowhere near the bones, so the pancreatitis is less of a risk, too. My family's Sumo Beagle (fat rolls on fat rolls) eats pork chop, chicken, rib, etc., bones pretty often. He's pretty delicate in the digestion, and he's never taken any harm from it. Neither did our old chow mix that passed from age and infirmity recently.
ReplyDeleteI'd say your dog will probably be fine.