Raw beef bones

[sriley]

Hello BW members,

My boys like to chew and get into mischief when DH and I are not home. Our dog behaviourist/trainer suggested getting them some beef knuckle, shank, or marrow bones to gnaw on. I took the trainer's advice and I'm sure the dogs thought they'd died and gone to heaven when I gave them a raw beef knuckle bone to chew on. There's one problem: they got REALLY sick later that same evening (vomit and diarrhea). I'm guessing that the remaining fat and meat left on the bone was just too rich for them. I notified the trainer and he suggested boiling the bones and re-freezing them before giving them to the dogs again. Does boiling the bones make them more brittle and more of a hazard when they chew them? The butcher assured me that knuckle, marrow, or shank bones are virtually impossible to chew to pieces, but I'm not sure if this is still the case when the bones are boiled.

 

[Kaybie's Mom]

Cooked bones can splinter and are dangerous to give to your dog.....especially unattended. I would NOT follow that advice at all. Maybe just try trimming some of the excess fat off of them and scooping out the marrow if you can. It may just be that they need some time for their bodies to adjust to it. Good luck!

 

[gmacleod]

Indeed - I'd certainly second the suggestion of scooping out most of the marrow before giving the bones to your dogs, especially if they're going to have them daily.

Marrow is actually fantastically nutritious stuff, and good for dogs to have. But it needs to be in small doses. As well as being nutritious, it is incredibly fatty - so large amounts can cause exactly the problems you describe. If given often (like daily) it can also lead to pancreatitis - which isn't unexpected when we're talking about massive doses of fat like that. So - it's a case of moderation If you scoop most of it out so that they're only getting a small amount, you'll probably find that they have no trouble at all with the beef bones.

 

[sriley]

Thanks so much for your replies. I'll stick with raw bones, cut off the excess fat, and limit the marrow. DH purchased some bones from the butcher on the weekend and the lady behind the counter told him to boil them for an hour and let them cool before giving them to the dogs. She also said that she scoops out most of the marrow as it will make her dog sick. I just don't understand why she would tell us to boil the bones if they can splinter and hurt the dog. Needless to say, the bones I've since boiled and stuck in my freezer will now be thrown in the trash. Thanks again for the helpful advice. Chief, Sarge and I are most grateful.

 

[johann]

Do you have rib bones available as well? Our grocery store has them intermittently, and I always buy all the packages. Not as much meat on them and Johann tolerates them a bit better than marrow bones (ie, he'll get a big marrow bone once a week, but can have the rib bone daily).

 

[djheitz]

Before I knew not to, I always boiled the bones (and usually made soup, too). I never had any issues with them and some of those bones are still in the toy bin and get chewed on years later.

 

[sriley]

Do you have rib bones available as well?

I could likely get rib bones if I asked the butcher for them. You would think giving a dog a bone would be a fairly straight-forward thing to do, but there's a lot of conflicting advice out there. I read somewhere on the internet last night that rib bones pose more of a risk than other beef bones because they're thinner and more apt to splinter. I take it you haven't had any issues with Johann chewing on rib bones. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[sriley]

Before I knew not to, I always boiled the bones (and usually made soup, too). I never had any issues with them and some of those bones are still in the toy bin and get chewed on years later.

Thank you for letting me know. I had my doubts about boiling the bones, but when the butcher and the dog trainer suggested it (both of whom boil beef bones for their own dogs), I guess I just foolishly assumed they knew what they were talking about.

I called the vet clinic today to ask for their input and they do not recommend giving a dog any type of bone -- boiled or raw -- but, instead, suggested giving them pressed rawhide. I always thought pressed rawhide was a HUGE choking hazard. We used to give rawhide to Buddy and I'd be a rich woman right now if I had a quarter for the number of times I had to reach into the back of his mouth to dislodge a chunk of slimey rawhide. I tried Bullysticks with my boys too, but Sarge likes to eat a 6 or 7 inch Bullystick whole (which, IMO, can't be a good thing). Is there anything else I can give them to chew on aside from a stuffed Kong that won't pose any danger to them?

 

[johann]

I could likely get rib bones if I asked the butcher for them. You would think giving a dog a bone would be a fairly straight-forward thing to do, but there's a lot of conflicting advice out there. I read somewhere on the internet last night that rib bones pose more of a risk than other beef bones because they're thinner and more apt to splinter. I take it you haven't had any issues with Johann chewing on rib bones. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

We haven't had any issues with them. He's able to gnaw small pieces off and eats them, but no splintering. He's a strong chewer (just ask our coffee table ) too.

Our vet is pro-rawhide and anti-bone as well....but we always get compliments on how nice Johann's teeth are. Bones (raw) are way safer than rawhide or bully sticks- too many chemicals, not digestible, high risk of bacterial infections, etc.

If you don't want to do raw bones, you can always get the non-edible nylabones.

 

[djheitz]

Our weim was a huge chewer. The only thing that seemed to work for her were lacrosse balls. Seriously. She would sit for hours with one in her mouth just chomp on it. They were the only things beside real bones that she didn't destroy.