We have a 10 year old lab and gave her a rawhide bone. It made her gums bleed is that normal?

Question

We have a 10 year old lab and gave her a rawhide bone. It made her gums bleed is that normal?

Answer 1

yes especially if it is her first, her teeth/gums are not used to it.my dogs have natural hard bones around 24/7 and from time to time they still bleed if they hit the right spot.

Answer 2

when the dogs get older they tend to get gum disease (same as humans) and hard things like rawhide will cause irritation & bleeding.

The dogs still enjoy the taste & won't quit chewing because of this, so its up to you to not give treats that can harm the gums or teeth further.

I have several dogs who are in their senior years. I have two who are 14 and one 15 and several younger. All of them get "Alpo Snaps" as treats daily and once in awhile I give the smooth dentabones by Pedigree. These taste good to them & easier on the teeth and gums.

Good luck - your dog has many more years of love to offer you :)

Answer 3

Normal if the dog isn't used to that kind of hard chewing. I would switch to something other than rawhide though. Rawhide is heavily treated with chemicals and is not digestible. A raw meaty bone or a Kong toy filled with kibble would be much healthier.

Answer 4

It is if she isn't used to chewing rawhide.

Answer 5

Not really, I would definitely have the vet look at your dog's teeth and gums, she likely need a dental very badly, that's certainly not unusual.

Meanwhile, don't give her hard rawhide, it's dangerous anyway, can swell and block airways or intestines.

Give her CET chews, you get them online (do a search) or from your vet - ebay sellers offer them too.

CET chews dissolve when chewed, plus they have an enzyme that keeps tartar from building up on the dog's teeth - which may be a problem your dog has.

Dental is definitely in order, however, vet can scrape the tartar off your dog's teeth and give antibiotics for any gum infections.

Answer 6

Yes, especially if she's not used to chewing on things like that.  She must have been really enjoying that bone!

Answer 7

yea

Answer 8

This has happened to my older dog also. I'm sure that she may have some gum disease at this age but would be leary of putting her under to get them cleaned. See her vet and have him/her take a look.

Answer 9

Perfectly normal, don't worry about it.

When they chew small amounts of blood can be seen on the bone. The gums can get get pushed a little when chewing on the meat and this can cause them to bleed.