Bones?

[Guest rachel2025]

I would like to try to give Pike a raw marrow bone for his enjoyment and to help keep his teeth cleaner, but before I do so, a few questions:

 

1. Where should I get them? I usually order our own food from a CSA, and they do have bones (but how do I know if they're the right kind? https://www.freshpicks.com/store/mfgline/?id=2001)

2. How do I know it is big enough?

3. He is a VERY strong chewer. If he begins to chip off part of the bone, should I take it away?

 

Thanks much in advance!

[cleptogrey]

i like to buy bones that are at least 4-7" long, this way they won't get stuck on their lower jaw(there was a posting of a small bone that got stuck on a grey)

 

buy them at the local market($1.49-89 lb), talk to the butcher if they are too long and they gladly cut them in 1/2. when i buy them in china town they are really cheap, but i hate schlepping a bag of bones back.

 

i like remove most of the marrow, but not all (it's pretty rich)then freeze the bone

 

my dogs easily learn to eat them on a towel , they can initially be messy. if there is any meat left i refreeze it. once it's clean i just leave it out. once a year i throw out a bag of old bones! make sure they are the thicker middle of the bone,cheap, healthy treat- no chemicals to worry about. occasionally i freeze some bones w/ peanut butter in them.

 

emily was a strong chewer,(dainty 60lb girl) when they start gnawing at the edge, throw it out.

 

DO NOT COOK!

[Guest greyhound9797]

Marrow bones are typically too hard for a dogs' teeth and can cause fractures. If you're looking for something long lasting that your dog will enjoy gnawing on try bully sticks or antlers. If you do a search with those key words you'll find lots of posts with feedback on the products and where you can purchase them. They are a much better alternative to bones, are 100% digestible and won't cause any tooth fractures.

 

Sandra in FL

[krissy]

Marrow bones are typically too hard for a dogs' teeth and can cause fractures. If you're looking for something long lasting that your dog will enjoy gnawing on try bully sticks or antlers. If you do a search with those key words you'll find lots of posts with feedback on the products and where you can purchase them. They are a much better alternative to bones, are 100% digestible and won't cause any tooth fractures.

 

Sandra in FL

 

I have been on a bit of a quest for the healthy, safe, long lasting chew (which it is now my opinion doesn't exist).

 

Bullysticks are awesome, but I wouldn't call them long lasting. They last about 15 minutes here with a moderate chewer. I can see a strong chewer getting through one in about 10 minutes. Everyone I know with a greyhound that I've asked about antlers has said that their dogs have absolutely zero interest. Obviously, every dog is different, but it seems like many greyhounds don't like the antlers.

 

I did finally buy some marrow bones for Summit. I'm not a big fan of bones because I think they're tooth chippers. He chewed the meat off and then went at the marrow and some of the softer bone around the inside. Once he was done that and started trying to chew the outside edges I took it away. I'll give them occassionally, but they still make me nervous because they're bone.

[Guest Swifthounds]

What Sandra said.

 

If you have occasion to see a greyhound chipping off part of a marrow bone, you're either mistaking tooth for boe, or there's something terribly wrong with the marrow bones (like, they have been heat treated and are brittle). The leg bones of cattle are many, many times stronger than teeth. Probably the worse misconception about giving marrow bones is that you would notice any tooth damage and remove the bones before serious damage occurs. The truth is that in addition to painful enamel chips that are common and slab fractures that are somewhat less common and can require expensive oral surgery, there are ways that the bones damage teeth that aren't readily apparent and become noticeable months or years and years later.

 

Re: bully sticks not lasting...I wonder what size people use. I usually get the 6" size for the IGs and the 12" for the greyhounds. They do vary in length, thickness, additives, and come in other forms (curls, triple-stick braids, etc.). None of them would last for hours and hours with the average hound, nor were chewing items meant to last for that long.

 

When thinking about chews for hounds it's also important to remember that the average kibble fed dog is chewing to make up for the chewing exercise, relaxation and mental stimulation not present in his diet. My dogs all chewed far, far more when they were kibble fed than they do now. I do offer chews for entertainment and for extra teeth cleaning for my hounds with hereditary bad mouths, but nothing like what I did before.

 

Exercise-wise, though the marrow may be tasty and a big draw scent-wise, the large diameter of the marrow bone also offers limited jaw exercise. Things like bully sticks, antlers, and trachea offer a greater range of motion for the jaw. Over time, this does strengthen the jaw so that the dog becomes a more proficient chewer and goes through bully sticks faster.

[Tallgreydogmom]

I purchase femur bones cut to two inches from the butcher shop. I leave the marrow in it for them. I give it to them right from the freezer as we freeze them to store them when I bring them home.

 

I supervise them in their crates. I think I've had one chip on us. I give them the bones once a week to clean their teeth. The racing kennels I have worked with give their dogs marrow bones to help clean their teeth.

[Walliered]

I just gave each of my two greys a bully stick and they chewed on them for way over an hour. I still have about 1/2 of each stick left. I soak deer antlers in beef bullion for a couple of hours..bring to boil and drop antler in. Do not boil the antlers. They love them.

[Guest sheila]

I've given all my dogs raw bones for yrs with very few issues. The few issues I had were with either cooked bones (the kind the sell at the pet stores) that chipped easily, and a marrow bone that was cut too small and got stuck in my dogs mouth.

 

1. specialty meat stores, ask you local grocer, if there is hunting in your area check out the places that process the game.

2. 5-6" long and at least 1.5" in diameter is what I look for.

3. if the bone begins to chip then take it away.

[GeorgeofNE]

I give George bones from the supermarket every Saturday and Sunday. I keep them in the freezer, and I hand them to him and he has a ball.

 

George's teeth are already destroyed from his track days--looks like he was a crate chewer--and he LOVES his bones.

 

He has a cast iron stomach, so they cause him no gastro issues whatsoever.

 

He really doesn't chew the bone ones he's gotten the meat off and the marrow out. I NEVER leave him with the bones unattended.

[cleptogrey]

I give George bones from the supermarket every Saturday and Sunday. I keep them in the freezer, and I hand them to him and he has a ball.

 

George's teeth are already destroyed from his track days--looks like he was a crate chewer--and he LOVES his bones.

 

He has a cast iron stomach, so they cause him no gastro issues whatsoever.

 

He really doesn't chew the bone ones he's gotten the meat off and the marrow out. I NEVER leave him with the bones unattended.

 

 

yup, the crate does far more damage than the bones. it seems like chewing on the crate is just a bad habbit, like sucking a thumb! over the past 40+ years of dogs the only dog who has damaged his teeth is my crate chewer who does not like bones. i would be in the poor house if i gave out bully sticks- a med. sized one is good for a short amount of time and i always clean up loose stools after.

[Guest rachel2025]

Thanks for all of the feedback! Pike has a really sensitive stomach, which is why I've never tried marrow bones or bully sticks. I wonder if he'd be interested in antlers? He actually loves nylabones. And the wooden heels of my shoes. Grr...