Can dogs have bones: a dentist's honest answer
Many owners believe that gnawing a bone is natural and good for a dog: it supposedly cleans the teeth and exercises the jaws. Some plaque is indeed rubbed off the crowns while the dog gnaws. But the price of this “cleaning” is the risk of a fracture — and a broken tooth does not grow back.
Dogs' enamel is much thinner than ours, and the force a dog applies when it clamps down on a hard object is concentrated on a small area of a single tooth. If the object is harder than the tooth, the tooth gives way. The dog does not sense that something is “too hard” and keeps gnawing, so a fracture can happen on the first bite or after many days of chewing the same bone.
So for teeth, the key question is not “raw or cooked” but “how hard”: a large raw bone can break a tooth too.
Which bones and chews should dogs not have
These are the items that most often lead to broken teeth:
- hard bones — cooked or raw, especially large weight-bearing beef bones: femurs, shin bones, marrow-bone rings;
- antlers from deer or elk, including split antlers;
- hooves and dried trotters;
- nylon and hard plastic “bones”;
- hard cheese chews — cheese dried until it is rock-hard;
- stones, ice, metal objects, cage bars;
- tennis balls — they do not break a tooth outright, but the rough felt together with sand gradually wears the enamel down.
Marrow-bone rings carry a separate risk: they can slip over the lower jaw and get stuck behind the canines. Sometimes such a ring can only be removed under sedation or anaesthesia.
Which teeth break most often and why
The typical bone injury is a fracture of the upper fourth premolar. It is the largest cheek tooth of the upper jaw: the dog uses it to crack hard things, so it takes the greatest load. In the Triadan numbering system these are teeth 108 (right) and 208 (left).
Often a slab breaks off the outer (cheek) side of the tooth — this is called a slab fracture. From the outside it may look like a small chip, but the fracture line frequently extends below the gum, and the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth with nerves and blood vessels) is exposed.
Canines break when a dog grabs, holds and pulls hard objects, chews cage bars or catches stones. The tip of a canine can snap off so that a pink or dark dot is visible in the centre — that is the exposed pulp.
How to choose what your dog can chew
No chew is entirely risk-free, but the risk can be reduced considerably. Here are some simple rules:
- Thumbnail test. Press your nail into the chew: it should leave a dent. If it does not, it is too hard for teeth.
- Kneecap test. If it would hurt to be hit on the knee with it, it is too hard for your dog's teeth.
- Flexibility. Choose toys that bend in your hands and chews that soften over time.
- Size. The chew should be big enough that the dog cannot swallow it whole; take away small leftover pieces.
- Supervision. Give chews only when you are around.
- VOHC seal. The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) assesses chews and home-care products for their claimed effect on plaque and tartar. The seal is about effectiveness, not hardness, so the thumbnail test still applies.
No chew replaces daily tooth brushing. I explain how to get a dog used to a toothbrush in the article “How to brush your dog's teeth properly”.
How to tell if your dog has broken a tooth
Dogs usually do not show dental pain openly, so fractures are often noticed by chance. Look out for these signs:
- a chip or a flat, sharp surface on a tooth that was not there before;
- a pink or dark dot in the centre of the broken surface — exposed pulp;
- the tooth has darkened: it has turned grey, purple or brown;
- the dog chews on one side or drops chews it used to love;
- drooling, blood on toys, pawing at the face;
- swelling below the eye or on the cheek — possibly a root abscess of the upper premolar.
How a tooth's colour changes after an injury and what it means is shown in the diagram below. I cover swelling below the eye in more detail in the article “Can a bad tooth cause swelling below the eye?”.
- Soft yellowish plaqueComes off with a toothbrush. If not brushed, it gradually hardens into tartar.
- Yellow-brown or dark tartar at the gum lineHard and rough, cannot be removed at home. The gums underneath are often inflamed.
- Pink toothBleeding inside the pulp, usually after a knock. Needs an examination within days.
- Grey, purple or brown toothOften a sign that the pulp has died. Only dental radiographs show the state of the root.
- A chip with a dot in the centreA pink or dark dot means exposed pulp. Such a tooth is painful and can become infected.
- Chalky or brown patchesEnamel defects that formed while the tooth was developing. Exposed dentine is sensitive and collects plaque faster.
What to do if your dog breaks a tooth on a bone
Take away the bone and other hard objects, switch to soft food for now and photograph the tooth from the side with the lip lifted. Book an examination within a few days — or as soon as possible if you can see a pink or dark dot in the centre of the tooth. Bacteria enter the tooth through the exposed pulp, and over time this can lead to inflammation and death of the pulp and an abscess at the root.
Whether the tooth can be saved is decided after an examination and dental radiographs. Depending on how fresh the fracture is, whether the pulp is exposed, how deep the fracture line goes and the condition of the root, the options are:
- restoration — if the pulp is not exposed and the tooth needs protecting and reshaping;
- vital pulpotomy — for a fresh fracture with an exposed pulp, to keep the tooth alive; for example, the case of a saved broken tooth in a Jack Russell;
- root canal treatment — if the pulp is already inflamed or dead, but the root and surrounding bone are healthy;
- extraction — when the fracture extends deep below the gum, the root is broken or the tooth cannot be saved.
A broken tooth can look “quiet” for years, while a radiograph reveals an abscess at the root — as in the case of a Spitz with a hidden periapical abscess. A step-by-step plan is in the articles “What to do if your dog breaks a canine” and “Can a broken tooth in a dog be saved?”, and the signs of injury are on the “Broken tooth” symptom page.
How much does an examination for a broken tooth cost
The place to start is a consultation: I will assess the fracture, explain which treatment options are possible and whether dental radiographs under anaesthesia are needed. If you are not in Kyiv, send a photo of the tooth for an online consultation — I will tell you how urgent it is.
When to see a vet
- A pink or dark dot is visible in the broken tooth — this is an exposed pulp, and it needs examining as soon as possible.
- Swelling below the eye or on the cheek — possibly a root abscess.
- After cooked bones — vomiting, lethargy, a painful abdomen, refusal to eat — see a general practice vet immediately.
- Blood from the mouth after gnawing a bone, or the dog suddenly refuses hard food.
- You notice a chip, even a small one, or the tooth has changed colour.
- The dog chews on one side, paws at the face or drops favourite chews.
What you can do at home
- Check all chews and chew toys with the thumbnail test and remove any that are too hard.
- Replace bones and antlers with flexible rubber toys or VOHC-sealed chews of the right size.
- Give chews only under supervision and take away small leftover pieces.
- Brush your dog's teeth daily with a veterinary toothpaste — it does more than any bone.
- If you suspect a fracture, photograph the tooth and feed soft food until the examination.
What not to do at home
- Do not give cooked bones — of any kind.
- Do not give antlers, hooves or nylon “bones” “for healthy teeth”.
- Do not leave your dog alone with a bone or a hard chew.
- Do not file down or “smooth” a broken tooth yourself, and do not try to remove a fragment.
- Do not give painkillers from your medicine cabinet: ibuprofen, paracetamol and other human medicines are dangerous for dogs.
- Do not put off the visit because the dog “keeps chewing and doesn't complain”.
Frequently asked questions
From a veterinary dentist's point of view, no hard bone is safe for teeth: raw and cooked bones can both break a tooth. If you want to give your dog something to chew, choose items that dent under a fingernail, are the right size and are given under supervision. Raw bones as part of the diet are worth discussing with your general practice vet, and cooked bones are best avoided entirely.
Cooked bones from any animal, large weight-bearing (marrow) bones and hard dried bones, as well as antlers, hooves and nylon “bones”. These most often break the upper fourth premolar and the canines, and cooked bones also splinter into sharp fragments.
Partly: some plaque is rubbed off the crowns during gnawing. But a bone does not clean below the gumline, where periodontal disease develops, and the risk of a fracture outweighs the benefit. For dental care, daily brushing combined with VOHC-sealed chews is a better choice.
I do not recommend them. Antlers are very hard, do not dent under a fingernail and are one of the typical causes of broken canines and premolars. A safer alternative is flexible rubber toys and chews of the right size.
Remove hard objects, switch to soft food and book an examination within a few days. If a pink or dark dot is visible in the centre of the tooth, the pulp is exposed and the tooth needs to be seen as soon as possible. Depending on the radiographs, the tooth can be restored, given root canal treatment or, if it cannot be saved, extracted.
Sources and professional guidelines
- VOHC — Accepted ProductsHome-care products carrying the VOHC seal
- AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and CatsClinical guidelines for dental care
- WSAVA Global Dental GuidelinesGlobal guidelines for veterinary dentistry
- AVDC NomenclatureAVDC nomenclature and terminology
© dr.vetstomat. Original content.
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