# bones



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

My dog loves to chew. He used to love raw hides, however, I suspected that was the cause of his explosive diarrhea for 4-5 months and stopped those. He had a marrow bone and another kind of bone, but I read John's post about that and took those from him. He currently has a dinosaur that he likes, it's like a nylonbone, but it's almost gone and will go faster now that I've taken everything else from him - I have bought all the nylonbones for him in every flavor and texture and he won't even touch them. He's just a year old and I've had VERY good luck, knock on wood, with him NOT chewing the couch, walls, stuff like that. What can I give him to chew on in between meals that is okay for him to have during the day while I'm at work???? Is there some kind of bone that is okay/safe for him to have that he won't eat in minutes?


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Have you tried raw beef ribs?


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

No. I'm new to raw - just a couple days into it. Though he seems to be adjusting without any issues at all! And, I don't know that I like the idea of him roaming the house with raw meat - is it possible to clean all the meat off of them??? I have only seen pictures of ribs on this site!! When I feed them though, they stay in the kitchen. During the day he is not crated and from the amount of dog hair on the couch, he doesn't follow that "stay off the couch" rule when I'm not sitting there in front of him!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Raw beef ribs are for sure the way to go. :smile:

If your dog isn't transitioned well enough to tolerate a beef rib with the meat still attached you can trim some of the meat off.

Once your dog is fully transitioned you can feed ribs as often as you like. I will give my dogs ribs often, usually 2-3 still attached as a small meal. Then I just let them have the bones to chew on until I feed ribs again.


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## Alayna (Jan 9, 2011)

Lol @ the couch comment. Sneaky sneaky dog.

Have you tried taking him into Petland, Petco or PetsMart to let him pick out a chew toy? Maybe there's something about the nylon bone that just doesn't interest him. If you take him into one of those stores, the staff may be able to help or recommend a good toy. Never know, you may get in there and he goes straight to a particular chew toy and falls in love. Haha. Stranger things have happened!


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm willing to bet that his system will take to them just fine, however, I don't want raw meat all over my house. He is not crated during the day and is home alone. 

Are you saying that you give the ribs as a meal and they just eat the meat off them and then you let them "play/chew" on the bones for a few days???? I'm not really sure I'm understanding what you are saying. 

Since he is home alone and not crated, he will take his toys on the couch, on my bed (which is where he sleeps) and I'm sure everywhere else. So that's kind of what I'm looking for...something NOT messy other than his drool, that he can have during the day in between meals.


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Alayna said:


> Lol @ the couch comment. Sneaky sneaky dog.
> 
> Have you tried taking him into Petland, Petco or PetsMart to let him pick out a chew toy? Maybe there's something about the nylon bone that just doesn't interest him. If you take him into one of those stores, the staff may be able to help or recommend a good toy. Never know, you may get in there and he goes straight to a particular chew toy and falls in love. Haha. Stranger things have happened!


Yes, he has a toy box full! He loves all stuffed things - doesn't tear them up, just squeaks them and throws them around, he has ropes and tug toys, he has a kong, he has a tire, he bores with those though. He doesn't like anything with a bell, it freaks him out - weird dog. So he needs something super tuff, because he is amazingly strong and I'm guessing after the raw diet kicks in fully, he will get even stronger.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

lmgakg said:


> I'm willing to bet that his system will take to them just fine, however, I don't want raw meat all over my house. He is not crated during the day and is home alone.
> 
> Are you saying that you give the ribs as a meal and they just eat the meat off them and then you let them "play/chew" on the bones for a few days???? I'm not really sure I'm understanding what you are saying.
> 
> Since he is home alone and not crated, he will take his toys on the couch, on my bed (which is where he sleeps) and I'm sure everywhere else. So that's kind of what I'm looking for...something NOT messy other than his drool, that he can have during the day in between meals.


Yes. I give the ribs for a meal one day. They strip the meat and clean the bone to where there is nothing left on it. Then, yes, I let them have the bones to chew on until I feed ribs again, and then I pick up the old ones and let them have the new ones. I cycle out the old and new ribs every time they get a meal of them.

I feed my dogs outside, so once the bone is cleaned I have no problems letting them bring a couple inside to chew on. 

I think you would be surprised with how good they are at cleaning up the bone. :biggrin:

Another thing you could try is some deer/elk antlers. I recently ordered some for my dogs and they love them. They are safe to leave out all the time and you wouldn't have to worry about any mess with them....:smile:


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Okay - I guess I assumed that they would crunch up the rib bones like they do the chicken. I had no idea that they don't. And I don't have to worry about them choking him? He's big, like 65 pounds, rott/shepard. Sorry - honestly I have no idea how big ribs are!!! I just know his mouth is big!


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## Alayna (Jan 9, 2011)

saraj2878 said:


> Another thing you could try is some deer/elk antlers. I recently ordered some for my dogs and they love them. They are safe to leave out all the time and you wouldn't have to worry about any mess with them....:smile:


Antlers?  *writes down* Hmmm... would have never thought of that. Didn't know they were edible for dogs. lol


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

I always have a handful beef ribs in the house. They aren't raw meaty bones though, they have a bit of meat left on them and seem to be smoked. My two love them and they last decently. However the deer antlers are amazing. I bought them back end of November/early December and are now just down to the last little bit. Woof is a mega chewer, even the ribs don't last long with him but the antlers have been amazing.


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Alayna said:


> Antlers?  *writes down* Hmmm... would have never thought of that. Didn't know they were edible for dogs. lol



Yes, I also got that tip. Okay, where the heck would I even begin to look for those though?????


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Best chance of finding them is probably online.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

lmgakg said:


> Okay - I guess I assumed that they would crunch up the rib bones like they do the chicken. I had no idea that they don't. And I don't have to worry about them choking him? He's big, like 65 pounds, rott/shepard. Sorry - honestly I have no idea how big ribs are!!! I just know his mouth is big!


Beef ribs are much, much more dense than a chicken bone. A raw chicken bone (I think) is the softest, easiest bone for a dog to eat. I think that may be a big part as to why it is recommended to feed chicken first to a dog new to raw. So, they have the "easiest" bone first to learn with....how the chew it and digest it.

My 75 pound BRT pup can't get through a beef rib. He does take small chunks off to crunch up while he chews on them, though. 

So, more than likely you'll buy a slab of beef ribs. You'll need to cut them apart. Since your dog is pretty big, I would be sure that you give him the biggest ribs from the middle area of the slab. Sometimes, the ribs on the side of the slab can be a bit too small. Those ribs I would let the smaller dog strip the meat off of, and then throw them away. I would only be sure to keep around the bigger ribs, so that your bigger dog doesn't end up getting ahold of one of the smaller ribs.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

lmgakg said:


> Yes, I also got that tip. Okay, where the heck would I even begin to look for those though?????


Antler Chews Website Update in Process

This is where I got my antlers. He sells them whole sale, so they are much cheaper than buying them in pet stores.

Of course...his website says it's being updated! Doh! :tongue:
I would keep checking back.....


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

Some pet stores sell them. But even then it is probably cheaper to buy online like saraj said.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

bestbullysticks.com --- get the thickest ones they have....the untreated ones. they stink to high heaven but keep many dogs busy...plus they are natural....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I agree with Sara...beef ribs and elk/deer antlers are the best for dogs who love to chew and gnaw on things. They are both species appropriate and good at cleaning teeth.

I don't think you should worry about your dog taking them on the couch, none of our dogs bring them on the couch (they are couch dwellers...). I think this is because they just can't get the leverage on the couch like they do on the floor to really chew hard on them. Our dogs don't even really chew them on their dog beds....and its amazing how quickly dogs pull the meat off. There isn't a single trace of raw beef after they are done with them. You'll be surprised at the cleanliness of them.....

We give a fresh rack of ribs every week or so. Throw out all the old bones, and give fresh ones. They will crunch on those for a while, then kinda leave them once they get tired of them. Very rarely do our dogs actually consume the bone. I consider beef ribs "inedible" bones because *most* dogs don't consume the bone. Just gnaw on them. 

I'd find a fresh rack of antlers off of ebay to be honest, its even cheaper than getting them online....That's where we got ours and the girls have only made a small dent in one half of the rack!

elk antlers items - Get great deals on Sporting Goods, Collectibles items on eBay.com!


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

I would not leave a dog alone with any bone. Ever. A bored dog might try to break up the bare bone and eat it. I would leave a dog alone with a stuffed kong of proper size possibly if the dog had never ever pulled a piece off one. If he has the nylabone in front of him and he needs to chew then he can chew that. Antlers come in more than one grade apparently, 20 pound iron dog Artie polished 6" off in one good chew session. I wouldn't want to have left him alone with it and have him swallow the small bit.


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

sassymaxmom said:


> I would not leave a dog alone with any bone. Ever. A bored dog might try to break up the bare bone and eat it. I would leave a dog alone with a stuffed kong of proper size possibly if the dog had never ever pulled a piece off one. If he has the nylabone in front of him and he needs to chew then he can chew that. Antlers come in more than one grade apparently, 20 pound iron dog Artie polished 6" off in one good chew session. I wouldn't want to have left him alone with it and have him swallow the small bit.


I have a kong - it's our 3rd one maybe and it's the biggest, he can chew through it. And unless there is stuff in - which he can get out in a few minutes (and I'm not huge on snacking) or you are there throwing it for him to run and get, he doesn't really like it. And he won't chew on nylonbones, I bought them all!!! Well the hard ones he won't chew on, the softer ones, he devores in a matter of minutes...so I don't let him have those - they say safe to consume, however I don't like that idea. I have no choice but to work - therefore he will be alone. And a bored dog with his chewing ability will eat a couch without a second thought. I frequently come home to him having chewed things, so he definitely needs something that he's allowed to chew while I'm gone.


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

danemama08 said:


> I agree with Sara...beef ribs and elk/deer antlers are the best for dogs who love to chew and gnaw on things. They are both species appropriate and good at cleaning teeth.
> 
> I don't think you should worry about your dog taking them on the couch, none of our dogs bring them on the couch (they are couch dwellers...). I think this is because they just can't get the leverage on the couch like they do on the floor to really chew hard on them. Our dogs don't even really chew them on their dog beds....and its amazing how quickly dogs pull the meat off. There isn't a single trace of raw beef after they are done with them. You'll be surprised at the cleanliness of them.....
> 
> ...


I LOVE the photos of your dogs on the couch!!! I showed my daughter over the weekend, and now she wants a dane and a husky!!! I will check out ebay tonight - I love a deal!


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Oh my gosh!!!!!!!! I ordered some antlers, but they won't be here for awhile. I also just ordered a dehydrator, so I can make my own treats!! But I was downtown this weekend and stopped in a shop and got a bunch of beef ribs, they are huge, I cut most of the meat off and just made little chunks to give as a treat, but I gave the boys each a bone to chew on last night while we watched a movie, they didn't come up for air once!!!! It was hilarious, they were panting and exhausted after 2 hours!!!! Raja didn't want to touch the bone at first with his paws, but after a few, he didn't even care anymore and was holding it like a sucker!


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## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

and Raja finally gave in and laid down while still chewing!!!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Awesome news! I am glad they were a hit! :thumb:


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Mine would. She doesn't get really dense hard bones because she will just break her teeth.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

monkeys23 said:


> Mine would. She doesn't get really dense hard bones because she will just break her teeth.


Raw beef ribs are not hard dense bones. They are perfectly safe for a dog to chew on. The bones that you do want to stay away from are large marrow bones. The big weight bearing bones from large animals, like cows, are too dense and can break teeth. :smile:


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