Bones

by **rockermom** » May 17th, 2006, 11:39 am

Ok as a first time dog owner I need to be educated on bones please.
Rocky only has a nyla bone and loves to chew on it.
I wanted to start giving him some real bones since he just loves to chew.
I know nothing about where to even buy them and what to ask for.
So far I have been told to get cooked hambones. Are they in the supermarket at the butcher? What about marrow are they also found in supermarket at butcher. Do you have to ask for them. How much should they cost. Darn nyla bone is like 10.00 or more for the one that is best for him which lasts months. But he only has one needs more variety.

by **Maryellen** » May 17th, 2006, 11:41 am

you can get marrow bones at the butcher or the supermarket. go to the meat guy at the supermarket and ask him to cut you large marrow bones, as they usually have small ones ... the butcher will make up what he wants to charge for them..

i use marrow bones over and over again.. you can also get them at the petstores, and take the junk out of the middle too...

by **rockermom** » May 17th, 2006, 11:53 am

Are they not suppose to eat whats in the middle. How long can you keep marrow bones? Do you have to wash them out?

by **Maryellen** » May 17th, 2006, 12:02 pm

if you get a marrow bone at a pet store, they are filled with junk.. if you get a marrow bone at a butcher, they can eat the marrow, its just rich...

mine dont do well on junk filling, so i take the stuffing out.. i never wash thte bones, they get chewed on then forgotten,then chewed on,.. do not cook marrow bones as they will splinter.

by **dogcrazyjen** » May 17th, 2006, 12:32 pm

I use the big marrow bones, raw. When the dogs start getting bored, you can recharge them by slathering a bit of peanut butter, or bacon fat on the inside of them.

Ham Hocks are good, big ham bones.

by **katiek0417** » May 17th, 2006, 1:46 pm

You can also ask a butcher for chicken/turkey necks....

My girls get diarrhea if I don't clean out the inside of the marrow bones...

If you really want it to last, take regular old dry kibble (that you know your dog can eat)...crush it up (I usually have to use a hammer) so that it's crumby...mix with some water (or chicken/beef/veggie broth)...make it into a paste, put it inside the bone....then freeze it...

Also works for kongs (and makes them more entertaining for a longer period of time)...and since you're using dog kibble, you don't need to worry too much about them getting crap :wink:

by **pitbullmamaliz** » May 17th, 2006, 2:47 pm

NEVER EVER EVER EVER NEVER feed a cooked bone. And be cautious with the marrow bones - from what I've been reading on the rawfeeding yahoo chat, marrow can 1. be too rich for some dogs, and 2. the bones can very easily chip teeth. You're not supposed to feed weight-bearing bones off of large (damn, can't remember the exact word!) hooved animals.

by **rockermom** » May 17th, 2006, 3:05 pm

I thought I had been told hambones are suppose to be cooked?

by **pocketpit** » May 17th, 2006, 5:27 pm

You're not supposed to feed weight-bearing bones off of large (damn, can't remember the exact word!) hooved animals.

Tell that to my crew! The love the cow legs they get. Sometimes I hand them over with everything on them (hooves, hide, etc).

You take a risk of teeth chipping feeding any bones and even giving them artifical things like Nylabones. So it's a personal decision you have to make. And no, bones should not be given cooked. The heat from cooking causes bones to splinter and of course that can tear up a digestive system, perforate a bowel, get lodged in gum tissue, etc. One of my parent's dogs had a sizeable sliver pass all the way through the dog until it came time to get pooped out. Then the very sharp tip of it caught on the edge of the anus tissue and pierced it. The poor dog couldn't poop. OUCH!

by **SisMorphine** » May 17th, 2006, 6:42 pm

Everyone in my house eats raw marrow bones straight from the meat section at Stop'n'Shop (the nearest butcher isn't so near). Halo gets the big ones since he has a tendency to fully inhale them and Wally gets the small ones because he's not much of a chewer and just likes the marrow on the inside. For yours I'd probably go with the bigger ones.

The packages usually saw "beef bones" or "soup bones" on them. They usually have them, give it a shot! Just remember they can make a mess. And if there is a lot of white yuck on the outside (usually found on the knuckle bones) take that off before you feed as it can give them diarrhea because it's too rich.

Have fun feeding bones. They're the best!!!

by **rockermom** » May 18th, 2006, 7:24 am

When do I take it away from him? Is it ok for him to knaw of little tiny shavings like he does to the nyla bone? Or do I take it away as soon as he starts getting tiny pieces?

by **turtle** » May 18th, 2006, 9:27 pm

If he's never had a raw bone before, I'd only let him have it for about 30 to 40 minuted depending on how fast he chews it.

I found I had to start my dog slowly on raw bones since the raw marrow and fat was a bit rich for her and often gave her the runs. Now she is fine with them. I think they just need to build a tolerance for that type of food.

You don't want ham bones at all, those are cooked. No cooked bones should be given to any dog.

I buy beef knuckle bones at the local grocery, they are also called soup bones and marrow bones.

I also feed big raw veal knuckle bones when I can get them.

The raw bones are kind of messy so you might want to feed them outside.

If he likes the Nylabones, maybe get him a big Galileo bone too. Those are like Nylabones and last forever.

by **turtle** » May 18th, 2006, 9:29 pm

houlabulla? wrote:When do I take it away from him? Is it ok for him to knaw of little tiny shavings like he does to the nyla bone? Or do I take it away as soon as he starts getting tiny pieces?

And he can eat the small pieces of raw bone that he might chew off, those don't do any harm!

by **rockermom** » September 7th, 2006, 6:57 am

Thanks all. Now that the kids have gone back to school I started giving Rocky marrow bone. I kept it frozen and would let him have it a little at a time. One day I was busy so he had it for hours untill it was cleaned out. He did get some soft poop but no big deal. I have one more question about these bones... After he cleaned out marrow I washed the bone with some soap and water. The bone has been his buddy for about 6 days and does not have a smell. How long can he have this bone? do they go bad? He has gotten small shavings off and some has worn off but it is still much the same as it was 6 days ago which is great since Galileo bones did not hold up and were ruined in a couple of days. There is only one nylabone I buy for him which is one of the big bones with a twisted knuckle ends. That one is the only one that holds up.

by **Magnolia618** » September 7th, 2006, 5:01 pm

I just hand my dogs a morrow bone and thats it

They have never gone bad and I have never had any problems with them. I have random bones scattered all over my house lol

by **mnp13** » September 8th, 2006, 12:11 pm

You washed it? Yuk! Bones are pourous and will absorb the soap. I wouldn't worry about it, just don't wash it again. If anything you can rinse it.

I don't have bones in the house because Ruby hords them and goes after Riggs and the cats if she has one and they get near her. She doesn't chew them, she just takes them and lays on them. She generally doesn't like Nylabones, so they aren't an issue. The last time she felt like chewing on them she had one and Connor had one - she walked over to him, took his, then layed on it and continued to chew hers. Bitch.

by **chewbecca** » September 8th, 2006, 6:31 pm

Michelle,

Would you post pics of your dogs, please?
Which dog is in your avatar?
I've only seen pics of one of your dogs and that was in the skinny thread.

by **mnp13** » September 8th, 2006, 8:55 pm

chewbecca wrote:Michelle,

Would you post pics of your dogs, please?
Which dog is in your avatar?
I've only seen pics of one of your dogs and that was in the skinny thread.

Ruby is in my avatar. The most recent picture of Riggs is at the end of the "skinny" thread.

I'll find one of Ruby.

by **chewbecca** » September 8th, 2006, 10:17 pm

He is a GOOD LOOKING dog!
Very muscular.

by **Knomad** » September 9th, 2006, 9:29 pm

I give my two recreational bones. I get them from the carniceria (butchers). Big shoulder bones, or get bones with the knee cap.

The pups adore them. Personally ive never had any problem with teeth chipping in any dog ive had and ive always given big weight bearing bones for recreational chewing.

I get them fresh, with meat and blood still on them. I let them chew the bones for about 24 hours. Giving them one day and trhowing them the next. I get them free as the butcher has no use for them really.

They pups will spend hours chomping and grinding away on them, for me its what dog teeth were designed for really isnt it?

all I know is that they LOVE them with a passion, they are free and disposable and good for them in nutrients. Cant be bad surely?

Bones

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