How often to feed raw bones...

[Jamilupine]

I'm just wondering a few things about feeding Lucy Raw bones:

How often can I give them to her?
Should I take them away after a few hours so they don't rot?

She loves them, and I wouldn't mind her always having one outside, but I don't want it to go bad and make her sick either. Just wondering what everyone's opinion is and how you all handle the raw bone thing!

[Novel]

When you say raw bones, are you talking about chicken wings and necks, or the cut beef leg bone type?
If it's the later, I usually throw them away after a few weeks. They've gotten all the marrow off after an hour or so, but they enjoy chewing on them after the fact. The ones that are nice and clean I run through the dishwasher without soap and then refill with Peanut butter for a quick treat.
As far as how many to feed, again, if it's the latter, I feed them like treats, when I want them to be quiet for a bit, so maybe one in the afternoon, and one if they have to go in the crate while I go grocery shopping. The marrow holds lots of nutritional value, but not many calories. Not enough to disrupt their diet.

[Jamilupine]

Cut beef leg bone types.

I didn't know that there was little nutritunal value in marrow! Good to know.

So, they won't rot?

[Novel]

The marrow is the part that produces the blood cells for the body, very very good nutritionally, plus the dogs love it!

As far as rotting... you and I wouldn't be able to eat it, but a dog has no problem with it. They'll finish it before it stinks. Sometimes they can't get into the very middle, and you'll see some marrow in the middle. Some are just shaped where they can't get it all out, those I throw away. The others I keep, the house is already decorated for halloween with all the bones laying about!

I don't let my guys have them outside, but not because it's unsanitary, but because I don't like to see them eat all the sand and dirt along with it.

Note: I keep all my bones in the freezer, and then give them to the dogs directly from the freezer. This keeps down on the mess. Because it is marrow in the middle, as it thaws, if it hasn't been finished, it will leave blood on the carpet. That's why I like to feed them in the crate. Those blankies are already al natural color!!

[gaddylovesdogs]

I feed marrow bones once a week to clean teeth. They chew on them for a few hours and I leave it outside for them to chew on for a day or two, then I throw it out. They dry up and can splinter.

[Miss. Chi]

I've used marrow bones for my chi b4. I find that you get a lot more bang for your buck in terms of what you can buy from the pet store. I didn't know you could leave the marrow in though. Good tip.

The other type of bone I've tried before is a knee joint. My butcher recomended and based on the size of my dog and bone the thing just got to stinky and picked up all the dirt on the floor (reminding me I had to vaccum). And then Charlie just started smelling like meat which isn't very plesant for me anyways.

[Jamilupine]

Novel -
doesn't feeding them inside on the carpet make it smell anyways?! Even from the freezer? I do freeze mine to- they keep longer. I just don't want my apartment all smelly and stuff! Yeah, the dirt was bothering me a little too, but I figured it was better than the stinky smell of rotten meat on the carpet!

[Jamila]

I think I'm confused on what kind of bones you all are talking about. Does someone have a link to a pic or something so I can see...

[Jamilupine]

I don't have a picture...but I usually get them from the grocery store and they are labeled - soup bones. the best ones, the marrow bones, are long tubes filled with marrow. The other parts are usually cut up peices of knuckle bone....does that help any?! I just picked some up from the butcher shop today! I could take a picture I guess and post it for you!

[Lexus11]

Originally Posted by Jamila

I think I'm confused on what kind of bones you all are talking about. Does someone have a link to a pic or something so I can see...

I didn't post a link, but the kind I feed Lex that others are talking about are just regular cow leg bones. Soup bones is what they are called at the grocery store.

I feed them to Lex usually about 3 times a week, usually the days when I haven't been able to do anything for exercise with her and she can be a little bit of a "pest"! It keeps her busy for HOURS and HOURS. I usually use a butter knife to scrape the marrow in the middle she can't quite reach to the outter edges after a while.

They've devoured every bit of anything edible on them WELL before they could ever even start to smell! I just leave them around for them to chew on for a few days until they get the next one, or someone breaks their toe in a mid-night bathroom run!!

Hey awesome idea on the PB in the bones!! I never thought of doing that! Lexy thanks you!!!

[Novel]

Jamilupine-
Lexus11 already answered the question, but there's never any smell from the bones, at least not that I can smell. Our first Weim was taught to eat his only on his blankies, and so that kept the floor clean, but these guys all play musical bones, switching every few minutes, so the blankie thing just wouldn't work.

Lexus11-
Besides PB, I've also used a mix of yogurt and cream cheese, put in the freezer for an hour. And I like to wash them in the dishwasher, again, with no soap, because that definitely disinfects them... I hope no one ever comes over though, because, who knows what they'd think... LOL!
And yes, the bones usually get thrown out on a particularily bad night of toe stubbing!!!

[elegy]

these are pretty used, but luce with two recreational marrow bones.

[Jamila]

thank you Elegy for the picture. So I get these in the meat section at the store right?

[Jamilupine]

Originally Posted by Jamila

thank you Elegy for the picture. So I get these in the meat section at the store right?

yep - say:
"could I get some marrow bones for my dog?" They *usually* know what you mean. My self, and aparently some others, have bugged our supermarket so much for marrow bones that now they are cutting, packing, and placing them out in thier own spot! I was so excited today when I went grocery shopping and the meat guy came out to show where they put them. Lucy is much smaller than your guys, so she gets the marrow bone cut into one inch slices - I got 7 of them today! That'll last a while! (by the way, she's working on a bigger one that I got last week for her right now by my leg!)

[Owned by Lucy]

Pigs feet are Lucy's favorite treat. They have editable bone and cartilage to clean the molars and since the skin is left on that is good for cleaning the canines