imported_Kat Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 what sort of bones do you folks give to your dogs? I'm very wary of bones in general but I gave Kes her 1st bone-a parma ham bone and shes loving it! :D I'd like to give her other types like ham bones that wont splinter too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 We used to get rawhide bones, but lately we've been getting beef soup bones from the butcher. I throw them on the barbeque for 10 minutes or so to cook them. The boys LOVE them. They pull the bits of meat off the outside, then they dig into the marrow. They'll work on them until they get all the marrow out, which is usually a good 45 minutes. We have to make sure we get 4, otherwise fights break out. [quote name='Kat']what sort of bones do you folks give to your dogs? I'm very wary of bones in general but I gave Kes her 1st bone-a parma ham bone and shes loving it! :D I'd like to give her other types like ham bones that wont splinter too.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canis erectus Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 We tend to get rawhides. Not very often though because if she she wants China will have fully ingested a proper sized rawhide by the end of a day. Thought about trying Nylabones or something similar, though I don't think the dogs will go for something artificial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Chaos Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I hate rawhide, my last GSD choked on a large piece. Luckily she hacked it out pretty quickly. I've heard lots of stories of pigs ears making dogs sick, we don't give those either. The dogs love marrow bones, but Lucky has a sensitive tummy and the marrow gives him the runs. By far my favorite bones are knuckle bones. They're hard and almost impossible to break, and theres no marrow. Fresh raw bones are the best, but if you can't get those the ones at the pet shop should do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Chaos Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 [quote name='Michele']Eric: so, I can go to my butcher and ask for beef bones. Then, I cook them and give them to my dog?....he won't choke on them?[/quote] I wouldn't even cook them. Cooking makes them softer, meaning the dog can splinter them easier and maybe choke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I buy them at the supermarket in the meat section. They are fairly substantial bones, about the size of a can of pop. We let them chew on them until they get all the meat and marrow off, then we take them away. [quote name='Michele']Eric: so, I can go to my butcher and ask for beef bones. Then, I cook them and give them to my dog?....he won't choke on them?[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Didn't think about that, but I'm nervous about giving them the bones completely raw. You never know if they've come into contact with chicken or pork at the butchers. I just throw them on the BBQ for 5 - 10 minutes. This cooks the meat on the outside and kills any potentially harmful bacteria, but leaves the marrow nice and juicy. I don't think the bone becomes that much softer after only 5 -10 minutes. They love that marrow! They start sticking their tongues to get it all out. It starts to sounds like a bad porno in our place after a while. BTW, Michele, the marrow can be fairly messy and greasy so careful where you give them the bones. We never let them chew it on carpet. [quote name='Lucky Chaos'][quote name='Michele']Eric: so, I can go to my butcher and ask for beef bones. Then, I cook them and give them to my dog?....he won't choke on them?[/quote] I wouldn't even cook them. Cooking makes them softer, meaning the dog can splinter them easier and maybe choke.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I'd stick with beef. Raw pork can contain trichonosis, a type of parasitic worm, which can lead to death in humans and presumably dogs as well. [quote name='Michele']just beef bones? no other kind of raw bone?[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 My dogs pretty much get any type of bones I can find. They get; Beef marrow bones Lamb bones Pork bones I’m no expert but they all seem to come from various parts of the body, i.e femur bones, sections of rib or backbone, sections of neck etc. I just go to the butcher and ask for a bag of bones and get a bag full for $2.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 The butchers here won't give out bones now. They used to but with CJD and BSE scares they won't have bones now at all, so they have to be all bought from the petshop. I give her pig ears but they are gone in about 20 mins flat. I'm totally against raw hide because there are links and research that shows it can trigger cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I have always heard that you should not cook the bones at all, it does not make them softer by the way, it makes them more brittle. The excecption to that is if you put a whole chicken in a pressure cooker with water and veggies and slooooow cook it for many hours, then you can simply mash the whole mess up. I sure wish we had a butcher shop around here, I can get beef bones at the supermarket but they are $1.50 per lb! Used to be about .49 a lb til the supermarket owners got wise to the fact that people really WANTED these bones! I have, in the past, given my dogs raw chicken wings. All 3 would settle down and chomp away. Jesse is the only one who had a problem with them, MANY hours later, he'd puke the whole mess back up, usually it was about 3am. Nothing like waking from a sound sleep to a stinkin evil mess to clean up. As for the bigger beef bones, another thrill is to step on one that has been snuck into the house, that'll bring a tear to your eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 We regularly give our 3 [size=6]large [/size]marrow bones - 3 for $10.00 at a place called Cowtown in NJ. They love them. They have all different types and sizes. It is with the trip to Jersey!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felicia Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 ok, now i feel bad. i didn't know rawhide could cause cancer, nassa loves rawhide, she eats those beef basted rawhide from smackos and she loves the big smoked rawhide bones, she also eats pig ears and pig snouts. she loves raw chicken wings and i buy bags of lamb offcuts for her, she also gets giant raw bones bigger than my arm, they are sawn in half so she can get to the marrow. i have heard you shouldn't feed them cooked bones because they splinter too easily so i don't feed her those. her favorite thing of all is roo tails, they have a lot of lean meat on them and the bone in the center is like a carltridge (spelling?) so she can't choke on it, they last her ages and are great for her teeth, there has been a problem with the kangaroos for a little while now though and they are dying so there aren't so many around, hopefully soon though. felicia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooeydog Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Far as I know, it isn't rawhide itself that causes cancer, it's the chemicals its treated with to bleach it out, preserve it, etc (one of the chemicals used by some is formaldehyde(sp?). There are some types that have been done up with safe chemicals, some that have not, you have to check them out individually. Even so, there is a chance of choking or intestinal blockage with rawhides, especially if your dog does not chew properly, because they tend to bloat and get slimy with spit as the dog chews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felicia Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 [quote name='gooeydog']Far as I know, it isn't rawhide itself that causes cancer, it's the chemicals its treated with to bleach it out, preserve it, etc (one of the chemicals used by some is formaldehyde(sp?). There are some types that have been done up with safe chemicals, some that have not, you have to check them out individually. Even so, there is a chance of choking or intestinal blockage with rawhides, especially if your dog does not chew properly, because they tend to bloat and get slimy with spit as the dog chews.[/quote] thankyou, she does chew them completely so that's a good thing but how can i find out which ones are treated with bad things? i have noticed the rawhide swelling up after a while but she kind of sucks on it for a while after that and chews it pretty slowly, she never hogs it all down but she eats them inside too so i can watch her. felicia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 it's not safe to give any form of heat treated (cooked/roasted/barbecued/sterilized etc.) bone. the process doesn't make them "softer", but more brittle and likely to splinter. the changed bone structure from heating also makes the bone less digestible and more likely to cause impaction in the intestines. bacteria aren't an issue for normal, healthy dogs, they have the digestive tract built to deal with it. they ingest more bacteria from licking their own butts or snacking on cat poop etc. than from chewing on a bone. knuckle bones/femurs (beef, veal, pork, lamb etc.) are great as recreational bones for bigger dogs, neck and rib bones (also beef, veal, pork, lamb) are much softer and suitable for smaller dogs. stuff like chicken necks, backs and wings, turkey necks and wings, pig's feet is more meaty and considered a meal rather than just a recreational chew bone. it's true that pork can possibly cause trichinosis, the incidence is very, very low in the U.S. tho, and freezing pork and pork bones to be fed to dogs for a few days will take care of the parasite. the pet industry has done a great job brainwashing people, telling them that raw bones are "unsafe" for various reasons, but the truth is that they are cheap, widely available and healthy - but of course not as great of a source for profit than all the junk especially marketed for dogs. i've been feeding raw bones to my own dogs for 25 years (even when i wasn't feeding a raw diet) and never had a single incident. my grandparents on my dad's side of the family had GSDs for over 60 years, they were also given raw bones and never had any problems. anyone who wants more professional advice on the topic, read the book "raw meaty bones" by dr. tom lonsdale. he's one of the vets the pet food industry doesn't have in their pocket so he truly offers an unbiased opinion. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Chaos Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 [quote name='Carolk9s']I have always heard that you should not cook the bones at all, it does not make them softer by the way, it makes them more brittle.[/quote] Sorry, thats right. I knew it was something about splintering anyway. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thornbirdskkk Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 I heard never give a dog chicken bones because they are small and could lodge. I usually give my dogs, greenies, milkbones, and marrow bones from the grocery store. I boil them also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisysmom Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 [quote]I heard never give a dog chicken bones because they are small and could lodge[/quote] My three used to be on the BARF diet - think it stands for bones and raw foods - and, they ate mostly raw chicken. Some think its great others are a little afraid of it due to choking, but personally my dogs loved it and I never had trouble with any of them. The only real reason I stopped giving it to them was the cost. Now I just feed them a top of the line dry food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroura Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 I feed practically any bones, except beef if they have stron jaws (we've had dogs break teeth on beef bones). Today they had a rabbit that Josh shot for them a while back, rabbit is their favourite :D They also get roo, turkey, plenty of chicken, lamb - anything I can find fresh and cheap. There are particular types of bones that I am more cautious with than others - things such as lamb neck for larger dogs, ox tail for smaller dogs, and turkey necks for mid sized dogs, these are all sizes that can get lodged. If you watch your dogs eating then it shouldn't be a problem, if anything happens you're there to make sure they don't choke, to date I have never had a problem with any of my dogs and bones... HOWEVER I always watch them extra careful when they are eating unsoaked kibble, because my dogs have nearly choked on the stuff on numberous occasions. My conclusion? Raw bones are not only healthier, but also (believe it or not) safer than kibble :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekymunkee Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Mine get raw bones as part of their meal. They eat RAW so they get chicken bones, beef bones, pork neck bones. Whatever I can find on sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Mine get chicken bones in their daily food... they are boiled until mushy. I also give them each a beef bone once a week. They dont get any pork in any way, meat or bones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Irena Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 mine get or pig ears, cow bones and ham bones, they geting crazy only from smaling the bones :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 As in snacks? I don't get him so much bones anymore. I get him little peices of grilled chicken, and beef bites. When I do get bones, I get a big box from a local store. It's only a dollar, and it' a big box. It comes with beef, bacon, chicken, liver, and vegetable flavors. He even eats the veggy flavored ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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