Raw bones..

[pol0]

Hey everyone, i decided to try to give my dog some femur bones last night to clean his teeth but he doesn't care for them at all. has anyone ran into this problem? is it because he's not on a raw diet so he's not use to it? is there any suggestions for him to at least try the bone? thanks.

[flyballmom]

If he's never had one before, he may not quite know what to do with it. Try lusting over it yourself. Try offering it to him by hand, even tug on it a little, that's what finally got Omen gnawing. (CAUTION: Only do this if you know your dog doesn't have any food/possession guarding issues!) Try scuffing it up with a fork a little.

[chuck2969]

He might like them better if they had a little meat still attached - femurs rarely do. If you must use beef bones, knuckles are probably a little safer. Their bigger diameter makes it harder to really bite down on, and beef bones can break teeth. I feed raw myself, but I stay away from beef bones. Since you're in San Diego, you might check out Creston Valley MeatsCreston Valley Meats He delivers to SD (and other major points in CA) at least once a month. You can get ostrich, lamb, pork and beef bones and raw feeder supplies. I have gotten several friends (who don't feed raw) to try the ostrich ribs and knuckles. They are much softer than beef, the dogs love them and the owners are happy with the nice clean teeth.

[Bucky's Mom]

I buy marrow bones with meat still on them (labeled soup bones) from the meat department - then I freeze them

Bucky gets one almost everyday. He thinks the freezer is his own special major appliance

[pol0]

thanks for the all the suggestions everyone. my dog didn't seem to know there was marrow inside the bone so i had to scoop some out so he would know it was there. he seems to enjoy licking the marrow but ignores the meat on the bone... so i don't know if his teeth will get cleaner if all he does is lick marrow.

[darren-uk]

Hey watch out for that marrow if your dog isnt used to it. Its a natural laxative lol

[livertw]

I was just going to mention the marrow/laxative factor. Daisy cannot, never, no way, nada, nicht, nyet, no how, ever eat a marrow bone. Explosive diarrhea. Everywhere. 'Nuff said.

[spoiledbabies3]

Originally Posted by livertw

I was just going to mention the marrow/laxative factor. Daisy cannot, never, no way, nada, nicht, nyet, no how, ever eat a marrow bone. Explosive diarrhea. Everywhere. 'Nuff said.

So my boy is NOT the only one with this problem, huh? LOL...not any fun either...so NO BONES in our house....substitute the good ole kong filled with goodies instead.

[MyPuppyDakota]

Originally Posted by livertw

I was just going to mention the marrow/laxative factor. Daisy cannot, never, no way, nada, nicht, nyet, no how, ever eat a marrow bone. Explosive diarrhea. Everywhere. 'Nuff said.

good to know! iam NOW nervous to even experiment with this kind of bone! Lol

[VANCOUVERISLANDROT]

Definitely try out a knuckle bone. Oscar loves his marrow bones but once the insides all gone, he could careless about the actual bone. Now give that dog a knuckle (we buy Buffalo ones so they're huge) and you won't see that dog for hours. He likes them so much we have to hide the bone at night or we listening to bone scraping while trying to sleep. haha! They like the "knuckle" because it's softer and they can really get their teeth in there and knaw on it. It will last for several days too. I buy the buffalo bones (no chemicals, free range etc) at a local pet store frozen and always have a supply in the freezer.

He's 15 months old and has beautiful pearly whites and we don't use a tooth brush, only raw bones.

[VANCOUVERISLANDROT]

Originally Posted by MyPuppyDakota

good to know! iam NOW nervous to even experiment with this kind of bone! Lol

Every dog is different, you just need to experiment for sure. I can give a large buffalo sized marrow to Oscar every 3 days and he'll be just fine. If they're closer together, he'll get soft stools but nothing really crazy. If your dog gets the runs from one you've either given them too close together or next time hand scoop out some of the marrow before giving it to your dog.

Also, a quick 'runny poop' fix = a tablespoon of PURE pumpkin puree (no sugar/no pie filling) and it'll stop. The stuff works miracles...seriously! I open a can and then freeze the rest of it into ice cube trays, once frozen I pop the pumpkin cubes into a ziplock and always have a supply in the freezer. Strange enough they also help if your dog is constipated.

[Ayoka]

Originally Posted by VANCOUVERISLANDROT

He likes them so much we have to hide the bone at night or we listening to bone scraping while trying to sleep. haha!

Same Deal at our house...

Friends of mine swear their dogs only get the runs with Frozen bones...so maybe trying a raw fresh one at first would be a good idea. Also you can scoop out most of the marrow and see how your pooch does with a little bit of it.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by pol0

... decided to try to give my dog some femur bones last night to clean his teeth but he doesn't care for them at all. has anyone ran into this problem?

This is often the case with some of our foster boys the first time or 2 or 3 they get a frozen raw beef marrow bone. Some of them take to them like a duck to June bugs. Others need time.

Our current foster is one of those who took a time or two to get the hang of the fact the thing is a treat; that it's to be gnawed, chewed, sucked, buried, or otherwise enjoyed. None of my dogs--either personal or fosters--have had their stomachs upset by the richness of the marrow.

I do not enjoy listening to our youngest girl work her marrow bone. She'll hold it upright between her front paws and make this LOUD sucking sound as she works on getting out the marrow. Mox gets a rhythm going and that sucking sound is dreadful, but she gets that marrow out! My DH and I joke she could suck a golf ball thru a garden hose.

I think you should give your boy time--if he's anything like the dogs in my house, he'll figure out bones are a great thing!

[ACERSMOM]

Try beef ribs, more meat less fat.