labs and bones

Question
My black lab is 8 months old. Is it a bad idea to give her a ham bone that we cut the meat from?
Thanks,
Autumn

Answer
Yes.  The dog guide school we raise puppies for forbids all real bones.  At 8 months her powerful jaws could crush it into a sharp shard that could puncture her digestive tract, break a tooth, or gnaw it down to a size that could choke her or cause a bowel obstruction.  Look at her front teeth.  Do they show 3 distinct peaks?  Our Aster never had a real bone in her life.  Her teeth still had the texture at 15 years old.  Look at a dog that has had real bones to eat.  The teeth will be a straight line from one canine to the other and shorter.  

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.

Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.