Give a dog a bone, as the old saying goes—but we all know that not all animal bones are safe for your dog.
Goat bones are widely available at specialist butchers and farms, so you might be wondering whether they are a safe choice.
Can dogs eat goat bones?
You can feed your dog goat bones without any problem, but you should do your best to moderate the number of bones in their diet.
Goat bones are good for many reasons, so let’s look into some of them.
Are goat bones good for dogs?
Yes, they are, in a lot of ways.
Firstly, if you’ve ever seen a dog with a good bone, you’ll know how much fun they have with them.
They can keep themselves entertained for hours with a bone, even if they’re barely getting any nutrition out of it.
Don’t underestimate the value of a good toy like this.
Beyond that, though, the bones themselves can be beneficial to their diet.
Dogs, like many similar animals, are capable of digesting pure bone, in small amounts.
If your dog is lucky, there may even be some bone barrow in there, too, for them to get at.
Goat bones are a good option because they are sturdy and full of nutrients that your dog will enjoy.
They are rich in niacin, selenium, and vitamin B12, as well as a variety of other vitamins and minerals.
These serve a variety of functions in your dog’s body, from regulation of blood to heart health, to bone and muscle strength.
Eating goat bones can also improve the health of your dog’s skin and coat.
They also protect your dog by strengthening their immune system.
Finally, goat bones are rich in glucosamine and chondroitin, which are really important for your dog’s joints.
So, yes, goat bones are great for your dog—but there’s one or two caveats to this.
Are goat bones bad for dogs?
No, they aren’t inherently bad for dogs.
They are, as I’ve outlined above, packed with many beneficial nutrients.
However, as with anything, moderation is important.
You shouldn’t give them goat bones over and over, or they will become end up over-nourished on what the bones provide.
A goat bone should be a once-in-a-while treat.
Ideally, you should give them other kinds of bone in the meantime, to maximize the balance in their diet.
This will also keep your dog from getting bored of the same old treats.
The most important question around this, though, is whether the bones should be cooked or raw, or whether it doesn’t matter.
In fact, it matters a great deal—let’s clear this up.
Can dogs eat raw goat bones?
Yes, dogs can eat raw goat bones, and this is the only kind of goat bone they should eat.
Raw goat bones are as they would eat bones in the wild, unprocessed, and without any of the lost vitamins that would occur in the cooking process.
As I said, the best way to get hold of these bones is from any nearby butchers that happen to make use of goats.
If they do, see if they are willing to give you any bones.
Equally, if you are cooking with goat meat and removing the bones before cooking, this is another great way to give your dog a treat and not waste any part of the animal.
So, let’s look at why you should never feed your dog, cooked goat bones.
Can dogs eat cooked goat bones?
No, they definitely cannot and should never eat cooked goat bones.
Cooked bones become a good deal more brittle, and for one thing, this will just make it a lot less fun for your goat to gnaw on.
However, more importantly, brittle bones are far more likely to break down into sharp, jagged shards in your dog’s gut.
When this happens, they can cause massive internal damage by coming into contact with the gut.
Internal damage of this kind can easily be fatal, so it’s absolutely vital you do everything you can to avoid it.
Never give your dog cooked goat bones or any cooked bones for that matter.
A common question, especially from new dog owners, is about how dogs can pass the bones.
Can dogs poop out bones?
Yes, they can!
They naturally wouldn’t eat it otherwise.
Dogs are capable of breaking down raw bone in their gut and digesting it, so that they have no trouble at all passing it.
They generally chew it off in very small amounts, which is then quite easy to digest and pass.
So, if your dog seems to do away with an entire bone, don’t worry—it will be able to pass it no problem.
Cooked bones it will swallow in large chunks, though, as it is so much easier to chew, and these will not be able to be easily passed.
Again, no cooked bones for your dogs.
Bones are really great for dogs in a huge variety of ways, then.
They’re good enrichment, will keep your dog entertained, and make good nutrition, too.
Goat bones are a great choice of bone, always as long as they are cooked—as is the case with any kind of bone.