Eating pieces of bone

[Vivianne]

I have a question about the bones I give my dog. They are the sterilized natural meat bones with a smoked flavoring. Some look like a shank others like a knuckle. She has started to bite small pieces off and eat them. I don’t want anything to injure her stomach or intestines so should I take the bone away when she does this or is it okay for her to eat the pieces?

[JoJo]

Vivianne this is just my opinion and others may say differently, but I myself do not give my dogs those bones. I had a bad experiance with Reba when she had a bone and a "small" piece irritated her lining of her intestines. I noticed something was wrong just by her stool and got her to the vet immediately. We were lucky, but it could have been alot more serious. Had her on a bland diet for alittle while so her insides would "heal", but it sure beat having her cut open and operated on with the possibility of losing her. I'm just parinode of giving any of my dogs bones.

Hopefully someone else will enlighten me on this topic also, for I know alot of people who give their dogs those big smoked knuckle bones without any problems. Was my experiance just a freak incident?

JoJo

[CarolineS]

I have always been a little suspicious of the sterilized bones. I figure if you truly are sterilizing it, then the heat is high enough to cook the bone and cooked bones aren't good for dogs. No one has ever been able to tell me how much heat is used in the "smoking" process either. I had a pet shop employee call the distributor for me and they didn't know, so I stay away from the smoked products as well.

I have given raw knuckle bones to Maggie and she does eat the knuckle part. It breaks down into little crumbly pieces though, not into anything that looks remotely sharp. I watch her like a hawk with it and when it gets small enough that I figure she could break off a large piece and swallow it whole, I take the bone away from her. I will admit that bones do make me a little nervous and I don't feed very many of them.

Some people swear bones are just fine and others say never, ever feed your dog bones. Personally, I go with what I feel comfortable with...an occasional bone, but watch the dog closely the whole time she has it.

[Vivianne]

JoJo and CarolineS thank you for your replies. Although it’s not the news I wanted to hear, my girl will just have to go without. These are some really good pacifiers for her incessant chewing and they did a good number on her pearly whites. Guess it’s back to the drawing board to find an alternative.

[laurlitt]

Vivianne,
You can buy marrow bones at the grocery store. They are the same as these sterilized bones, except they are not sterilized and have a little bit of meat on them (and marrow in the middle).... Your meat dept. might have them in the section where the liver, tripe, and other weird meats are...

I buy them in bulk and get the shank and the knuckle portion... The little puppy loves them but Blaise just guards them in his crate for the whole day and never eats them!!!

Hopefully these would work better for you.

[rottnkidd]

Originally posted by laurlitt
Vivianne,
You can buy marrow bones at the grocery store. They are the same as these sterilized bones, except they are not sterilized and have a little bit of meat on them (and marrow in the middle)....

....and please, feed these raw! Cooked bones of any kind, are brittle and dangerous.
kathy

[moondog]

I guess having an intestinal disease (protein-losing enteropathy) might make Luna a good test subject for bones! :)

I tried a raw knucklebone, but she went through it too fast and it went through her too fast! :D So, I only give her raw, center cut femur bones, marrow and visible fat removed. After she's cleaned off the outside, she starts to nibble on the edges and does chip away at it and swallows little pieces of bone.

Funny thing is, her stools tend to improve after a day gnawing on a bone. I'll let her have it for a few days and when it starts to get more brittle, out it goes. Even though she does fine with them, I'm not willing to push my luck too much, so she's limited to about 1 a month. I keep my eye on her while she has it and put them up while I'm gone, just in case she snaps a large piece off and decides to try and swallow it.

She really enjoys an afternoon with a raw bone and I haven't seen any ill effects, just firmer stools and cleaner teeth so far! :D

[Carolina]

I also give Iby marrow bones, straight from the frezer and she just loves them :D .. I let her have it for about 3 to 5 days depending on how much she chews it , and after it is clean I take it away and give her another one.. she just loves them!! it is so funny to hear her sucking the marrow :D :D

Carolina :)

[rottnkidd]

Originally posted by moondog
I guess having an intestinal disease (protein-losing enteropathy) might make Luna a good test subject for bones! :)
Funny thing is, her stools tend to improve after a day gnawing on a bone.
She really enjoys an afternoon with a raw bone and I haven't seen any ill effects, just firmer stools and cleaner teeth so far! :D

Moondog - If there's one thing that will firm up the stools, it's raw, meaty bones! Hey! Another 'benefit' to raw feeding; with the added bonus of the anal glands being drained with every
"elimination"! ;-) Oh, such joy feeding our dog's brings! lol

[moondog]

Originally posted by rottnkidd
Hey! Another 'benefit' to raw feeding

Luna doesn't eat raw...she eats my super-delicious, wholesome, well-balanced, home-cooked meals! ;) She has little tolerance for raw foods and difficulty digesting them. Raw marrow bones are the exception for her and I'm glad she is able to enjoy them! :D