Do You Give Your Hounds Beef/bison Bones?

[Guest Eyeblaura]

Title pretty much says it all. We used to allow our previous dog an occasional raw bone from the butcher, it would take her days to get all the marrow out of it and then she was done with it. Never really had much interest in chewing on the actual bone too much.

 

Someone told me if I am going to do this I need to cook the bone first? Any thoughts on cooking versus raw?

 

Sorry just realized I put this in the wrong section.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Eyeblaura

[vjgrey]

Nooo! NEVER cook the bone. It causes it to splinter. We occasionally give our hounds (raw!) marrow bones or partially frozen turkey necks for their teeth.

[Guest Geostar]

No

[Guest Eyeblaura]

Nooo! NEVER cook the bone. It causes it to splinter. We occasionally give our hounds (raw!) marrow bones or partially frozen turkey necks for their teeth.

 

 

Thanks, I had thought I had read not to cook them at some point but didn't remember why. Went off to google it after posting and found exactly what you said.

 

I think a raw bone as a treat would be nice to offer.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Eyeblaura

[tbhounds]

I don't give bones-- I don't want the risk of a broken tooth.

[Guest Eyeblaura]

I don't give bones-- I don't want the risk of a broken tooth.

 

Do you give them something else firm to chew, rawhide, bully sticks etc?

 

I tend to shy away from rawhide, I was always afraid my other dog would choke on them. She would get it all slobbery and soft and then try to swallow big pieces.

[GeorgeofNE]

I give my dog a bone every Saturday and Sunday.

 

Plain old marrow bones from the grocery store. I don't let him chew them unattended. He loves them.

[Guest Tiptons_Mom]

I have given raw marrow bones from the local butcher and my dog loves it. He spends hours trying to get the marrow out, not much work on chewing the actual bone.

 

I give it for a time, and then take it and put it in the freezer to keep for the next time.

I don't want the marrow to spoil or smell.

 

It's a great way to keep them busy, but only if you are around to supervise.

[Guest Eyeblaura]

I have given raw marrow bones from the local butcher and my dog loves it. He spends hours trying to get the marrow out, not much work on chewing the actual bone.

 

I give it for a time, and then take it and put it in the freezer to keep for the next time.

I don't want the marrow to spoil or smell.

 

It's a great way to keep them busy, but only if you are around to supervise.

 

 

This is what we would do too, let her have it for awhile and then put it back in the freezer, she also didn't have much interest in the actual bone but getting the marrow out was hard work!

[MaryJane]

I don 't give bones -- it's a good way to get a broken tooth.

[Time4ANap]

Rocket gets one about every other day. He won't let us brush his teeth, so I give him a frozen marrow bone, about 2-3 inches long. I've found that he has no stomach issues if they are frozen - not sure why. He is a master, never takes him longer than an hour to clean it out no matter what size.

[Guest Vers]

No to weight-bearing beef bones (do a search here for slab fractures... root canals for dogs are... quite pricy). I give turkey necks, chicken quarters, chicken feet, duck feet, extra thick jumbo bully sticks and dried tripe sticks. No rawhide either -- it isn't very digestible and can cause blockages.

 

ETA: No cooked bones of any kind, unless you're using a pressure cooker to soften the bones.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Vers

[tbhounds]

I don 't give bones -- it's a good way to get a broken tooth.

Tis true-- I wish I could give you an accurate count of how many carnassial teeth I have seen broken from bones (most are slab fractures).

Brushing should be performed daily--there are no substitutes.

[Guest sheila]

I've been giving my hounds raw marrow bones for yrs and I've never had one crack a tooth. I'm not saying it can't happen, it's just never happened to any of my hounds. I also don't brush hounds teeth and my vet inspects their teeth yearly during their checkups and says, 'Whatever you are doing, keep on doing it. Their teeth look great.'

[Guest Eyeblaura]

I'll take the teeth thing into consideration. I am not looking for it as a substitute to teeth brushing but more as something that he might enjoy and keep him occupied for a bit.

[Guest verthib]

I don't trust bones. I give bully sticks which don't chunk or splinter off. Or we give antlers which never splinter.

[Trihounds]

No to weight-bearing beef bones (do a search here for slab fractures... root canals for dogs are... quite pricy). I give turkey necks, chicken quarters, chicken feet, duck feet, extra thick jumbo bully sticks and dried tripe sticks. No rawhide either -- it isn't very digestible and can cause blockages.

 

ETA: No cooked bones of any kind, unless you're using a pressure cooker to soften the bones.

 

We do the exact same thing - no weight bearing bones, but necks of all kinds, feet, chicken backs, wings, etc. It's part of a meal so it isn't what you would use to 'occupy' the hound, but it is great for chewing and teeth cleaning, though some may feel differently. We haven't done a dental in 3 years and have some pearly whites, thanks to the grinding action of the bones.

 

Our newest addition, collected last week, came with a marrow bone that she doesn't chew, though quite enjoys. No question some dogs will do just fine with weight bearing bones. She's had chicken backs thus far and loves them and the turkey necks are coming...!