How to give dog bones to Senior dogs with weaker teeth or jaws. 

If a dog is older, you might wonder why we would consider giving them dog bones at all?  And we are talking about the genuine article from real dead animals.  We are as blunt as this, because we like dealing with facts.  With appropriate foods, and foods that serve several functions, rather than just looking attractive to the owners in a supermarket.

Before we work out what works best with your older dog (or puppy), you need to consider ..

The state of your dog’s mouth

• Does it have weaker teeth or jaws due to conditions like periodontal disease (a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue around teeth and gums in general
• weaker jaws because of the age of the muscles that contract it
• tooth decay
• wearing of teeth through general use

All of these factors might have you think that its too much trouble to feed a dog a bone, or that they would enjoy it at all.  But there are many reasons dogs of all ages should have access to such a pleasurable eating moment.

Much of what I am about to tell you, is from studying and applying this over the last ten years as a dog treat retailer, as well as feeding my cockapoo who is now over 16 years old.

There are caveats to this like knowing your dog (and how far they are likely to want to chew a bone) as well as how strong they are at breaking a bone.

TURNING the Dog bone perceived ‘weaknesses’ into your dog’s strengths

• Countering weaker jaws, because of the age of the muscles that contract it

It’s true, jaw strength reduces with age once a dog is past its middle years.  And if they are a small dog, or a retriever variety or a breed with a flat face not meant for doing a lot of chewing then bones of appropriate size can be exactly the exercise they need.

Your dog’s jaws reduction in strength as it ages is typically because the muscles atrophy.  But if they don’t do work (like chewing), they will atrophy quicker. If you want to build up jaw muscles (and muscles on the rest of their body), then you want to start with a high-quality meat protein source. Because its bio-available and easily digested.  And then easily used to create more muscle in your dog.

But then you also want exercise. Older dogs don’t play with dog toys that much. And smearing a rubber treat with a non-animal product like peanut butter just wastes an opportunity to get a quality protein into them.

We don’t have a lot of room in this article to go into the nuances of different bone types, but what you need to think about for strengthening the jaw, is do you want a dog bone that they will not be able to eat, and will just gnaw the meat off the nubs on either end, or a bone that is just the right size (not to cause a choking hazard), that they can fully consume?

Being aware that if a bone only has a little meat on it, and they cant chew the bone, its not going to last a long time with them, as they will soon loose interest in putting effort into something that will not reward them (with food)

   Helping strengthen weaker jaws due to conditions like periodontal disease 

Gum disease in dogs is usually caused by insufficient chewing, or the bacteria and waste products from food left over from kibble and wet food cans.

That is why using whole meats (raw or cooked – especially for older dogs) serves a double purpose. It helps build muscles for the jaws, and it deposits less bacteria causing crumbs (because meat as no carbs in it – no sugars to feed the bacteria and rot the gums).

Cleaning your dog’s teeth daily with a tooth brush is the new recommended method of reducing dog tooth decay and gum disease. But we know few people who go to this level of work.  So if you can feed more meat, without gravy and grains to get trapped between the teeth and gums, that is a good first step.

But the action of chewing on a bone, putting the effort in, so that the gum has blood circulation and saliva naturally flushes healthfully over the gums and teeth, as an ideal way of reducing gum disease in older dogs, or dogs of any age.

• tooth decay AND wearing of teeth through general use

Raw and properly cooked bones help reduce tooth because by scraping tartar (and maybe plaque) off the tooth surface.  Raw bones have the potential to lower the risk of eating (because they don’t splinter) – but carry a much higher risk of bacteria and pathogen infection.

Hard core dogs, who choose not to chew before swallowing, are also the ones that often bite as hard as they can into bones to get to the marrow.  If you know how hard your dog chews, then selecting the right size bone can be a lot easier.

THE END

The use of appropriately sized dog bones for your dog carries many more benefits than negatives. Choose wisely and consult your vet if in doubt.