# Does eating too many bones wear down their teeth?



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

I read somewhere that too many bones can wear down a dogs teeth, is this true?

I give Sydney about one bone a night, should I stop? She normally goes for rawhide, compressed bones, or the natural ones like smoked ribs, kneebones, femurs etc.


----------



## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

We give our dogs large leg bones and in takes them a few weeks to get them down to where they need replaced. They don't chew every night, but it is always there for them when they want it. I hope it's not bad for them and I certainly don't think so.


----------



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

I'm kind of in the same boat. It doesnt seem to effect her and her teeth are really healthy, but I just heard this rumor and need clarification so I can prevent problems down the road.


----------



## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

if they are pups yes 
It happened to Brady he wore down his lower K9's


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

IMO, it depends on the dog's teeth. Just like with people, some dogs have stronger teeth than others. That means some dogs are going to be more prone to their teeth wearing down than others.

All of our dogs have been pretty hefty chewers and they have a constant supply of nylabones and recreational real bones (usually marrow bones). Some have teeth that are more worn than others. Doesn't seem to be related to how much they chew or what they chew so much as it is the teeth of the individual dog.

Our 12 year old female is a bigger chewer than our 10 year old male, yet her teeth aren't particularly worn, especially for her age. Whereas his are pretty much just little nubs now. His sire also had very worn teeth in his later years. So I suspect it's really just due to genetically softer teeth.


----------



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

So my next question is, would my GSD Sydney who is 8 months old be in danger of this?


----------



## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

what about wild animals like lions and tigers...i don't think they have a problem


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

How do you know? I wouldn't get that close to check it out!







I think if a dog is constantly mouthing a hard object, their teeth will wear. But soft bones, (not the knuckle or weight bearing bones) just get crunched up. Lions and tigers chew to eat and probably not just knaw a bone out of boredom. So a knuckle bone maybe left for the younger ones to teethe on, but I don't think in the wild there is much time to be bored while searching for the next meal.

I just asked this question about Schutzhund training and the bitework, do they wear down while training?
I agree w/ Chris' answer, it is the genetics that are in play.
I feed raw, and I don't have the nylabones or the larger marrow bones laying around ~ Onyx would get snarky, as she thinks everything belongs to her. In the past I have given the longer lasting bones outside and Kacie will bury hers for later, dig it up after a few days of aging. Onyx stole it everytime. But they get their chew time in thru eating a meal. When I get a puppy, though this may become an issue as I know I have to have a few teething things for the baby. This is where the crate will be a godsend!


----------



## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Raw bones made my Papillon mix's teeth *sharper*.


----------



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: littledmcif they are pups yes
> It happened to Brady he wore down his lower K9's


What about when they are adults? I'm debating if I should give Sydney as many bones as I do. She likes chewing them and it keeps her busy, but I don't want her to be left with worn teeth.


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Rawhide bones are bad - they can get stuck in their intestines.

Yes a marrow bone will wear down their teeth. 

This is Luther when he was about 4. He loved bones. If you look closely, you'll see his teeth are slightly flat. IMO, Better flat teeth on my arm wetnursing that giant pokey teeth. 









Morgan is the younger dog in this picture with good teeth. She loves bones too. She's 7 now, her teeth are slightly round but I haven't seen the wear that Luther had. So it definitely depends on the dog an dhow strong their teeth are to begin with


----------



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

So if rawhide are bad and marrow wear their teeth down, what should I give Sydney to chew on?


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

nylabones have little bits of plastic they can ingest. Some dogs (like mine) don't like them anyway and will pick something wood if nothing else is provided.

icecubes get your house all soggy

rawhide can cause pricey medical bills

Shepherds like to chew so I guess you need to pick the lesser evil. 

I'll take the rounded teeth.


----------



## bdavis86 (Jun 9, 2008)

Guess there is no better option then


----------

