# Knuckle and Marrow Bones -- How Often?



## Finnegan (Jun 18, 2010)

How often can a dog have a marrow bone or knuckle bone as a treat? They're pretty easy to come by and Finn loves 'em, but I'm wondering if he should just have them once a week - more, less, etc.? 

Thanks!


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

In my house.... NEVER

Why I’ll NEVER give a dog a marrow or knuckle bone | Prey Model Raw


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

never. 

weight bearing bones of large animals are very risky because they are more dense than your dog's tooth... and for a powerful chewer, they can easily break their teeth on them. 
These are bones designed to hold hundreds-if not thousands- of pounds.


A more appropirate choice would be raw rib bones. They are still pretty strong (I recommend beef or venison ribs) and can withstand a power chewer, but without that risk factor.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

my house is a no no too...for the same reasons as above....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Never....get beef ribs for rec chewing.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

For us it's a no-no too. But if you already have a bunch of marrow bones, you could always push the marrow out and feed it once in a while.


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## bumblegoat (May 12, 2010)

I used to give them to my dog, a choice I regret now. My dog has fractured the same tooth as the dog Shiloh posted about above. However, my dog has fractured that tooth on both sides of his mouth. All thanks to those stupid marrow bones that I was recommended to give to my dog. This was long before I even knew about raw diets.

If you already have marrow bones, then I suggest you just make soup with them instead.


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## Newfdad (Sep 6, 2010)

Just to add one more reason not to feed marrow bones. A friend and fellow newf owner had their dog put it's tongue into the inside hole of the bone where it became stuck and during the dog's struggle to loose the bone the edge of the bone cut an artery located right below the tongue. There was lots of blood. If the owner hadn't been right there and figured out was happening, the dog would have bled to death fairly quickly. Luckily they live close to their vet's office. This might be a one-in-a-million occurance, but certainly something to consider.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

It's never at my house also.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Ditto to the above. Not in my house. Beef ribs are the way to go. :smile:


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Beef ribs, lamb legs, and now venison legs!


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## ubershann (Jul 29, 2010)

I think I'm the only one here who does give my dog knuckle and marrow bones. She's not an aggressive chewer so we haven't had any problems. I know the argument for not giving them (possibility of breaking a tooth) but I also know plenty of people on the other side of the argument who feel marrow bones are fine for dogs. 

So I choose to go with what works for us. 

I didn't feed them on a regular schedule. Sometimes she got a few a week, sometimes only one. The thing I would be careful of is not overfeeding the marrow because it could cause the stools to become loose. In some bones she wouldn't get a lot of marrow out and in others she managed to clean them pretty well.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What people have to realize is that you could go five years without a problem with marrow or knuckle bones, but one day they do. It's just that you have to keep that in mind when giving these to dogs. Is the risk worth it? In my opinion no, because there are lower risk rec bones to give that are fairly reasonably priced.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

No marrow ("soup") bones for my dogs either but I did discover that the kneecap bone (patella) if really soft and they love them. They are hard to find but if you have smaller dogs and can get your hands on these, you'll probably get a bark, a wag, and a dance from your dog for one. They may be too small for larger dogs though.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

ubershann said:


> I think I'm the only one here who does give my dog knuckle and marrow bones. She's not an aggressive chewer so we haven't had any problems.


YET... Shiloh wasn't an "aggressive chewer" and didn't have any problems til she broke her tooth. 

Painful lesson to learn. I hope luck holds out for your dog...


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

No weight bearing bones at my house. Ever. Get beef ribs, pork ribs are great too!!


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