Can dogs eat cow hooves?
You’re at the right site if you have some questions regarding “can dogs eat cow hooves?”. We’ll also entertain you with questions like whether cow hooves are safe for your dogs, what are the safe chews, and how you can give cow hooves to your dog.
Can dogs eat cow hooves?
No, dogs can not eat cow hooves because there are many hazards of ingesting cow hooves, like choking, the danger of breaking a tooth etc. In this article, we will discuss everything about cow hooves. There is no debate that dogs live to chew on things. It’s their innate behavior.
Are cow hooves safe for your dog?
Cow hooves will not cause problems for every dog, but you should know the risks before giving them to your dog. You should keep the following points in mind while feeding cow hooves to your dog.
Stiffness:
Cow hooves are hard and stiff and difficult to chew on. It can cause broken teeth or teeth injury in your dog.
Chances of choking:
With chewing this complex, it is always possible that your dog becomes successful in taking a bigger bite and trying to engulf it and, in doing so, ends up choking on a cow hoof.
Gastrointestinal obstruction:
The hooves are high in complex protein that your dog’s gastrointestinal system can not digest and can obstruct your dog’s intestine. Left untreated and undiagnosed for extended periods, it can cause necrosis and many other health problems.
So, it is better not to give these chews to your dog. And dog parents need to be wise and take advice from vets before buying any chew for their dog.
Stuck in gums:
While chewing on it, some of the hoofs can get stuck in the teeth of your dog, and it can cause painful gum and might cause some infection. Then your dog will be sedated by the vet to remove the hoof.
How can you feed cow hooves to your dog?
Following are steps that will provide you step by step guidance on how to cook cow hooves for your dog:
- Take the number of hooves you want to feed your dog. One hoof is enough for a small breed, and 2-3 hooves are more than enough for a dog weighing 100 lbs.
- Clean the hooves with warm water. Make sure that all the dirt and hair are from them. Dirty hooves will not be adequately cooked to be soft enough for your dog.
- Put hooves in the pot and pour some water. Pour enough water, so you are left with half of it at the end of the boiling.
- Boil them carefully. Over-cooked hooves will become too hard to chew. Ten minutes of boiling is enough for 2-3 hooves.
- Remove the hooves from the pot and let them cool down.
- Once they are cool, give them to your dog.
What are the safe chews for your dog?
Following are the safe chews for dogs:
- Rawhide
- Chew toys
- Stuffed toys
- Products approved by VOHC
What chews should you not feed to your dog?
Following are some of the chews that are not recommended by some of the vets as they are not safe for your dogs and can have hazardous results:
Bully sticks:
Bully sticks are not as hard as cow hooves to cause broken teeth or mouth injury, but they can cause choking. Some dogs love their taste in a hurry and, they eat them as soon as possible, and end up choking on it.
Chew toys made of nylon:
Nylon can be too hard for your dogs to chew and have no nutritional value. Also, if your dog rips off some of the pieces from the toy and engulfs them, they can cause choking, obstruction and seizures, as some researchers claim that nylabones cause toxicity in dogs.
Pig ears:
Pig ears are high in fat. Foods that are high in fat can make your dog obese. High-fat foods cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs and pancreatitis too. Some of the pig ears are coated with toxic chemicals to preserve them. These chemicals are red flags for your dog.
Why is chewing necessary for dogs?
Chewing helps your dog in many things. If your dog is a puppy, it has developing teeth and chewing helps your dog in developing strong teeth. It also helps in strengthening the jaw of your dog. And if your dog is bored, it helps keep it occupied.
Chewing also helps in:
- Relieving anxiety
- Getting rid of boredom
- Cleaning of teeth
Conclusion:
Here we discussed “can dogs eat cow hooves?”. We also entertained you with questions like whether cow hooves are safe for your dogs, what are the safe chews for dogs, and how you can give cow hooves to your dog. I hope you learned everything you came here for.
