Is eating marrow bones Ok??

[KRISSIE]

I'm not sure if I am posting this in the right place but I know alot of you feed your dogs Bones & raw diet, so I figured someone would know...

My question is, I have just given my rott a marrow bone, this is the first time I've ever given her one & she ate part of the bone, not just chewed it but actually broke part of the bone off, chewed it up & swallowed it, as if she was eating dog food.....IS this Ok ??

My mother used to give our dogs marrow bones years ago but I don't recall them ever eating the bone just chewing on it..... I took the bone away & now she is upset but I just don't want it to get lodged in her throat or cause any stomach or digestive problems so before I give the bone back to her I just want to be sure that it is not dangerous for her to actually eat the bone.

Thanks.....

[Soapie&Buddy'sMom]

My dogs have been able to get a few bone chips off their marrow bones but I usually take away the bone at that point. It's never hurt them but I don't think it's good for them.

How big are your marrow bones? I've found the smaller the bone, the easier it is for my dogs to chew off pieces.

[KRISSIE]

Thanks Soapie...


The marrow bone I gave her is 3-4 inch's long & it doesn't appear to be to very thick. From now on I will try to get the thick one's. They are kinda hard to find around here, there is only 1 butcher near me & everyone goes to him for the bones, so it's first come first serve....

[Rottnlove]

Krissie,

I agree with the above poster that if you are selecting marrow bone, make sure it is larger and thicker. I have read some posts in the past about marrow bones that were quite interesting. You'll have ot check them out in the archives. Some poeple like to stuff the bones with food (like peanut butter)and re-use them. One person even washed the marrow bones in the dishwasher and re-filled them! IMO, I would make sure the bones were safe and strong, not brittle and small. I would never leave my dog unsupervised with a bone. As with any chew toy or bone, it would be very dangerous for a dog to bite off and swallow a large piece of it. Many have had to have surgery to remove large particles launched inside.

Lisa

[KRISSIE]

Thanks Lisa, I will definitly keep an eye on my dogs when I give them these bones, I figured the bones would be a nice treat for them, especially my puppy because he is at that age where he is chewing everything... but I will be more selective about the marrow bones I give them. I am gonna ask the butcher if he will put the long, thick ones on the side for me, I'll explain that I have Rottweilers & they need the real strong ones, hopefully he'll do it for me ..:D

P.S. I like the idea about the peanut buter, I'm gonna try that one....;) .

[DixieGrl113]

If you don't have any luck getting a hold of the larger bones, you could try the knuckles. Mine usually work on these longer. With the marrow bone they suck out the marrow and then try to steal each others to finish the job. I don't have a preference because mine do fine with either. I hope everything works out for you!

[AngelBunny]

KRISSIE:

Many people here give their dogs raw beef marrow bones as treats & usually give them frozen so they last just a little bit longer.

Our dogs each get a frozen raw beef marrow bone 1-2 x/week. I'll give each bone a quick look to make sure I don't see anything on the bones that look dangerous to me. I've given my dogs each a bone before leaving the house on occasion. I've never had a problem.

I've also never had a problem w/ the dogs fighting over the bones. They do rush around & steal bones from each other after awhile, but they don't fight over them.

In the nice weather the dogs go outside to enjoy their treats; in the bad or cold weather, they all go to a blanket. (All the dogs--including the fosters--are trainined to stay on a blanket to enjoy these messy treats.)

We have many old chewed bones lying all around our house. We pick them up & throw them away after we trip one too many times over them on walks to the bathroom at night.

[rottnkidd]

Hi Krissie - The marrow bones are strictly a recreational bone. They're not part of the "raw, meaty bones" that would be part of a feeding. I wouldn't give them too often either. They're a weight-bearing bone, therefore they're really hard and will wear a dog's teeth down to the gumline if you allow them to gnaw on these too long, or too often. I'd never give them frozen, that only makes them that much harder. When I give any bones, rmb's or recreational, they're at room temp or rinsed under warm water. Pork neck bones or beef neck bones are great for snacks, but some dog's have trouble digesting them. I feed alot of beef back ribs for snacks and treats.
kathy