# Marrow bones



## SkyyMax (Apr 5, 2012)

May be a silly question - how often can I give our dogs raw marrow bones?

Both of our dogs are on kibble, so the bones are given as chew treats.

Max in particular is crazy about them. I give him a bone every other day, they are not very big, about 2" in diameter and 2" long. 

Thanks in advance!


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Beats me! 

No, really, I'm not sure. A previous trainer gave her dogs frozen marrow bones twice a week. Jasper usually gets one or two a week, but they're bigger than the ones you're giving your dogs. The ones I get from the butcher are more like 4 inches long or so, and vary in diameter.

I guess my concern would be the caloric intake from eating the rich marrow. THe marrow can be pretty high in fat content. Maybe just cut back a bit on food those days? Jasper's never very interested in dinner after he's had one of those bones. Although with the way these dogs can run, it probably doesn't make the biggest difference. 

I have also been told that raw knuckle bones are the best for helping keep a dog's teeth clean, since the dog can really scrape their teeth on those bones. I've been meaning to check with our butcher about that, but they're always so busy when I go in!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Mine get bones almost every day. My dogs have always had a daily bone and I have never experienced any issues with them.


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

We give our two girls bones (mostly marrow) almost every day, too....or whenever we make it to the store : For my youngest V Pacsi, they help to keep the weight on but for my oldest V. Sophie I have to adjust her kibble otherwise she could turn into a "barrel"


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

If I could I would give a raw marrow bone everyday. Before I knew about Boris being allergic to beef I used to give him a 3" frozen marrow bone every day - he loved them. I had never heard about giving frozen food to a dog before, but the company that I buy my frozen dog food from said it is fine and a good way to keep them occupied.

As Suliko says just watch their weight and adjust accordingly.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Have you tried a stag antler, they are quite expensive but they last for months, safe to leave in the crate and keep the teeth really clean, and I think they are very low in calorific value...


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## DougAndKate (Sep 16, 2011)

Elroy gets one every couple of days. We freeze ours and they last a little bit longer. Although he demolishes the smaller ones in like 10 minutes now, they used to last him a half hour.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Neither of my dogs are interested in Antler, but I have friends that have dogs that go crazy for them.

Just watch they don't crack a tooth on them.


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## SkyyMax (Apr 5, 2012)

Thank you for the replies!

We freeze our bones too  It makes me feel better, knowing that there is no harm in giving the bones or regular basis. 

Neither Max or Skyy like antlers, we tried 2 different kinds, but they have no interest.

We did not have problems with weight yet - both dogs get plenty of exercise.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

The person that sold me my elk antler suggested soaking the thing in chicken or beef broth if the dog is uninterested at first. Don't know if it will help anyone, but if you have an unused antler sitting around the house, it can't hurt?

Jasper's definitely less interested in his antler than the raw bones, but he likes it well enough if it's all he has. It's the only chew thing I'll leave in his crate when I leave for the day. 

On a side note, I did find knuckle bones. Jasper chewed on one for an hour and his teeth were fabulously clean afterwards!


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

redrover, I was also told to sock the antler in chicken or beef stock so the flavour seeped in - but it didn't make any diffference. In fact I soaked it several times, and ended up by throwing it out as neither of the boys were interested.

Wonder what some find to like that others don't?


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Bang on with the knuckle bones ...

http://www.sojos.com/learn/articles...-bone-conversation-canine-coach-keeping-your-


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## Vida (Dec 26, 2011)

Mine rarely have bones.
I stick with Nylabones then there are no arguments. With visiting dogs you can't be too careful.
Mine don't often chew anything,I think they're too tired.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

hotmischief said:


> redrover, I was also told to sock the antler in chicken or beef stock so the flavour seeped in - but it didn't make any diffference. In fact I soaked it several times, and ended up by throwing it out as neither of the boys were interested.
> 
> Wonder what some find to like that others don't?


Ruby wasn't crazy about her antler at first. They're very expensive so I was frustrated that she wasn't interested. What I did was spread a little bit of peanut butter on it. That was all it took, now she loves them. She eats all the marrow (or whatever it is?) out first, then slowly chews away at the rest. They last her months.


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