# marrow bones



## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

I brought home a marrow bone from the butcher yesterday for charley and he absolutely loved it. it wasn't that big but he chewed it for hours. Are marrow bones ok for dogs? How often can he have one of these? I loved the hours of freedom that I had and he was happy as can be.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

hi , I have a gaurded opinion on bones. They can be good and bad. Here's a quote that Sabine mentions in some of her info. Its source is noted at the bottom of the quote.

""Raw bones are the best thing you can provide for your dog's oral health, but some are more
problematic than others.
You can save quite a bit of money by buying bones from your local grocery store or butcher as
well. Turkey and chicken necks, chicken wings and leg quarters, beef, lamb and pork neck bones
or ribs, lamb and veal shanks and oxtails are all suitable options. These are more or less
consumable, depending on how aggressive of a chewer a dog is.
You can also give recreational bones that are not fully consumable, for example beef or sheep
knuckle bones, but please do not give the tube shaped or sliced middle parts, "marrow bones"
that have the knuckles already removed, like those sold at grocery stores:
The fact that these bones are weight bearing affects the texture of the bone, and the older the
source animal is, the longer and heavier the weight compressing the bone matrix. I'm sure you
have heard of this before when learning that broken bones in young humans and animals heal
much faster than in adults, so it's not exaggerated when I'm telling you that these center parts of
marrow bones are the hardest, most durable bones in the body.
Extremely hard bones like that wear down the teeth and can easily cause slab fractures. An
added problem with sliced, "o-shaped" marrow bones is that they can get stuck in the jaw very
easily. There are much better, safer options available, and the joint knuckles of these large bones
are a great example.
Even wild wolves and African wild dogs (two species who hunt and kill large prey animals) were
observed to only chew off the ends of these bones[1] - their teeth guarantee their survival and
broken ones put them at a disadvantage."
[1] Source: "Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health", Tom Lonsdale, DMV: pp 324 and 325

here's another article that is interesting ...http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm 
you will have to be the judge. If you decide to give bones ,strict monitoring is a must .


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## Selma (Sep 16, 2011)

I give Zoe the Zbones from Zukes. they are grain free and it takes her a good 40 minutes to an hour to chew it. I give her the crispy apple flavor.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

davetgabby said:


> hi , I have a gaurded opinion on bones. They can be good and bad. Here's a quote that Sabine mentions in some of her info. Its source is noted at the bottom of the quote.
> 
> ""Raw bones are the best thing you can provide for your dog's oral health, but some are more
> problematic than others.
> ...


well that answers that question. I gave Charley a circlular marrow bone but it sounds like there are risks and he won't be getting it again.

Is there any bone out there that doesn't carry risks? Charley loves to chew. He chews nylabones but I'm concerned about the plastic. The bully sticks he went threw way too fast and therefore weren't good.

Any suggestions?


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

Barbara - Has Charley tried the Himalayan chews? I just tried them with Beau a couple weeks ago and he LOVES them!! It takes him over a week to get one down to a little piece (then I throw it away because I'm afraid of the choking risk). They are pricey, but I was quite relieved when I found out how long they last!!


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## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

Charley loves the himalayan chews. He just goes threw them so fast that iot gets expensive. He'll finish one in 1-2 days! But I think I will go back to them b/c they sound like the best option.


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## Zarika (Dec 16, 2012)

Don't forget that himalayan chews are quite high in calories. They're probably not a good every day treat if he finishes them that quickly.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

My manager's dog was in the office one day and she got ahold of a himalayan chew that was Cey's (he comes to work with me sometimes). She was literally eating it before we noticed, and had chewed up and swallowed quite a bit of it. I couldn't believe it! I was actually a bit worried that she might have hurt her teeth or swallowed a sharp piece, but she was fine. Lesson learned to keep an eye on those things though! Some dogs will take weeks to go through them, some obviously just a few minutes!


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## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

I forgot about the calories. that's a good reminder.


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## Buzzys Mom (Sep 28, 2010)

What about moose antlers from Arcadia antlers? I bought 2 for $5 from them back in November and we still have 1.5 of them- I just bought 2 more larger ones, and my guys LOVE them (and argue over them).


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## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

I wish charley loved the antlers. he has one and sometimes chews on it but gives up in a minute or so. I think I'll go back to the himalyans


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## steveoly (Jan 27, 2011)

Charleysmom said:


> I wish charley loved the antlers. he has one and sometimes chews on it but gives up in a minute or so. I think I'll go back to the himalyans


For our dogs, these have been hit or miss. They take to some a lot quicker than others. The store where I get my antlers has a few different kind - elk, deer, moose?, which come in different shapes. One was a flat cross section and the dogs loved it because they got into the marrow part a lot easier than the others. On the flip side, I think we've had one particular antler for over two years now that doesn't get a lot of love.


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## Buzzys Mom (Sep 28, 2010)

Buzzy never touches the deer antler... Oscar does once in a while. But they argue a lot over the moose ones. I try to keep 4 in the house- 2 upstairs, 2 downstairs. Buzzy doesn't care which one he gets. Oscar always wants the biggest one (and he's a little 10 pound guy, so it's funny to see him with it sometimes).


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## Charleysmom (Dec 6, 2011)

didn't realize their were different antlers out there for dogs. i will check into it. thanks


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## gertchie (Jan 28, 2012)

Beau's mom said:


> Barbara - Has Charley tried the Himalayan chews? I just tried them with Beau a couple weeks ago and he LOVES them!! It takes him over a week to get one down to a little piece (then I throw it away because I'm afraid of the choking risk). They are pricey, but I was quite relieved when I found out how long they last!!


When they get down to the end, just pop it into the microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute....it will puff up into a crunchy cheese treat! Ozzie doesn't get them often but he loves them! He loves his bully sticks too, I get him the 12" ones and it takes him forever to finish them. Deer anter though, not so much so I might try the moose.


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