# Sticky  Why I'll NEVER give a dog a marrow bone



## jdatwood

We talk about this all the time but I wanted to post up pictures so our story feels a little more real.

A year ago we had to have one of Shiloh's main chewing teeth removed. Natalie noticed that Shiloh was getting tartar built up on the left side and upon further investigation we found her upper carnasial tooth was horizontally fractured. We had to have the entire tooth removed.

I think seeing it makes it a little more realistic










Fortunately Natalie works as a vet tech and we get our services at a discount. I would have hated to have had to pay full price to have this tooth extracted. Marrow bones are NOT worth the risk to me, EVER. Without even taking the cost into account, Shiloh now has to suffer the rest of her life not being able to chew as well on one side of her mouth.


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## wags

Nice Information! Thankyou !


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## DaneMama

Awesome post babe! About time! Its sticky worthy!!!!


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## kevin bradley

danemama08 said:


> Awesome post babe! About time! Its sticky worthy!!!!



you guys could sell your photos to Hollywood to pay for tooth replacement for Shiloh. 

Christ, could there be a better looking couple on our forum? You guys look like you belong on a Sweetest Day card :wink::biggrin: 


kidding(well, not really)... thanks for the heads up.


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## DaneMama

Aww! That's nice of you to say Kev! It's funny though really...when Jon and I started dating he told me he fed his dogs raw and I knew it was meant to be LOL :biggrin: :wink:


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## magicre

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## DaneMama

magicre said:


> next up...
> 
> VIDEOS


Of what? Dogs eating raw? We've got plenty of those!

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


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## jdatwood

danemama08 said:


> Of what? Dogs eating raw? We've got plenty of those!
> 
> YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


I think you meant to post this link babe :wink:
YouTube - jonatwood's Channel


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## magicre

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## jdatwood

Can you show me some examples of complicated videos? :wink:


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## magicre

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## magicre

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## SerenityFL

I'm partial to a recipe link I saw on one website about raw meat feeding. 

Basically it said:

Recipes:

"Get half a chicken. Hand it to your dog."

"Get a turkey neck. Hand it to your dog."

"Get an egg out of the carton. Hand it to your dog."

It does not need to be as complicated as these people are making it out to be in the videos. And yes, I couldn't believe that boxer taking the food like that. We don't roll like that in our house.


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## Ania's Mommy

SerenityFL said:


> I'm partial to a recipe link I saw on one website about raw meat feeding.
> 
> Basically it said:
> 
> Recipes:
> 
> "Get half a chicken. Hand it to your dog."
> 
> "Get a turkey neck. Hand it to your dog."
> 
> "Get an egg out of the carton. Hand it to your dog."


That sounds like one of my favorite websites! Raw Feeding Recipes | Raw Fed Dogs


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## SerenityFL

Ania's Mommy, that's the one! :biggrin:

I laughed and laughed when I first read it.


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## Shamrockmommy

They sure go on long enough. Blah blah blah...

One of my dogs gets a good amount of veggie mush (otherwise she will spend much of the day outside tearing up the lawn eating grass, roots and all) but the others just hand them their meat/rmbs and dinner's over in a matter of seconds.

I also learned the hard way with marrow bones with both my bichons on the same day broke their molars on the right side of their mouths. Never again...


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## Rebecca

*MB*

I am now at this very minute never going to give 'Finnigan' a marrow bone. I have been giving him one once a month since he got his adult teeth in. After seeing this photo I ran to my dog to look at his teeth. They look fine but that doesn't mean there isn't a hair line fracture..
So thank you for this gift!
Rebecca


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## coolstorybro

r these treats?


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## jdatwood

Are what treats?


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## coolstorybro

jdatwood said:


> Are what treats?


i saw a bag of treats called 'marrow bones'. or are you talking about the real marrow in bones? i give my puppy chicken quarter, do they have marrow bones on there??


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## Ania's Mommy

coolstorybro said:


> i saw a bag of treats called 'marrow bones'. or are you talking about the real marrow in bones? i give my puppy chicken quarter, do they have marrow bones on there??


THe bag of treats you saw were probably just regular treats with a cutsy name. Not actually marrow bones. Those aren't usually sold in bags like I think you're talking about.

And yes, all bones have marrow in them (I'm pretty sure, at least). But the bones being discussed here are weight baring bones from large animals. Many people just refer to them as marrow bones or soup bones.


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## Mia

Yea I was new to raw feeding when someone suggested to give them and never told me the caution side of it. Then I saw this post I actually got rid of all my marrows/soup bones.

I won't risk it


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## jdatwood

If it looks like these, don't feed them





































These things should be banned for sale for our pets. The companies that produce them are making a quick $ and don't care about the damage done to our pets.


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## lmgakg

Thanks for the photos!!! I've been reading this post and didn't really know what a marrow bone was, just figured I would never ask for one, therefore I wouldn't buy one! Didn't even realize that my dogs ALREADY HAVE ONE!!!! I often put peanut butter in it (just small pieces of pb throughout) and then freeze it. It gives Raja something to do rather than irritate Jivago. However, I'm throwing it away now!!!!


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## KC23

Hi. Sad thing is, the meat market sells "dog bones" so we thought they were fine. The ones we bought looked like the 3rd picture down that Jon posted. One of our dogs ended up with a fractured tooth. We took him in when we noticed his breath smelling weird, and the vet said that it was starting to cause a sinus infection as well. We learned our lesson, but unfortunately it cost my little dog his tooth, and it cost us about $400!!


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## doggiedad

i give my dog center cut femur bones all of the time. my dog had them 
starting at 9 weeks old. my dogs have never had a problem with femur bones.
i've given them to Chihauhaus, Irish Wolf Hounds, Shepherds, St. Bernards,
Dobbies, etc. i've been told it depends on how the dog chews. an aggressive
chewer might have a problem. my neighbors just adopted/rescued a Chihauhau-Dachund (sp) mix. the pup is 12 weeks old. i gave him a marrow bone. i scooped the marrow out of the bone because it might be to much
for a puppy that's never had a marrow bone.


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## doggiedad

when you give your dog peanut butter does it have sugar in it???



KC23 said:


> Hi. Sad thing is, the meat market sells "dog bones" so we thought they were fine. The ones we bought looked like the 3rd picture down that Jon posted. One of our dogs ended up with a fractured tooth. We took him in when we noticed his breath smelling weird, and the vet said that it was starting to cause a sinus infection as well. We learned our lesson, but unfortunately it cost my little dog his tooth, and it cost us about $400!!


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## KC23

Hi. I think you meant to quote the person who posted above me---lmgakg, re: the peanut butter question. When I used those bones, I just gave them to the dogs as they were. We never had a problem with them in the past either, but once I found the fractured tooth on my dog, I never bought them again.


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## Chocx2

My dog has a slab fracture on his tooth. I stopped giving marrow bones I had no idea....lucky for me he didn't destroy the whole tooth


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## luvMyBRT

doggiedad said:


> i give my dog center cut femur bones all of the time. my dog had them
> starting at 9 weeks old. my dogs have never had a problem with femur bones.


You never have a problem, until you have a problem. :wink:
There is always a first time for everything....and a broken tooth is not something I want to mess with. :smile:


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## Kofismom

jdatwood said:


> If it looks like these, don't feed them
> 
> 
> These things should be banned for sale for our pets. The companies that produce them are making a quick $ and don't care about the damage done to our pets.


Thanks so very much for those pictures! I was ordering Kofi beef shank bones like the ones pictured from a local butcher. I'm so glad to know of the dangers.


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## Steph

I have been feeding my dogs marrow bones since I got them. I will NOT anymore. Thank you for this thread


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## mjoy07

Thanks for the information... I was planning to give my dog a bone marrow 
this is a big help...


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## Kat

I give my dog the ''reindeer antlers'', should I not give those anymore either?


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## jdatwood

Kat said:


> I give my dog the ''reindeer antlers'', should I not give those anymoreeither?


Antlers are GREAT to give dogs as a chew toy or "rec bone". I bought a full Elk rack on Ebay 2 years ago and the 6 dogs are STILL working on finishing it


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## Kat

Yay thats good to hear  her antler bone is literally her favorite thing, but I took it away from her when I read this thread until I got a reply. She runs into her crate at night looking for it lol, so I know she will be really happy when I bring it out from hiding  Thanks for replying!


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## leilaquinn

I'm feeling torn about this. i've been giving raw marrow bones to my pup for a while, not knowing they could be a risk. I love the hour of peace i can get a few times a week when my nut job teenage meathead actually sits still. so i've been reading now that they can fracture teeth, and paranoid mom that i am would of course imediately stop giving them to him, BUT, here's the thing. he is a very aggresive chewer, he is the only dog i've ever seen crack a nylabone right in half, but with these, and also with stuffed kongs, he does ZERO chewing. he slowly licks at each end (with a weird blissed out look on his face) until he has gotten everything out that he can reach, then he abandons them. he is always suppervised closely when he has one, and I've never once seen or heard him use his teeth on one. he almost sucks the marrow out like a nursing puppy. i realize it's also a lot of fat, and i should probably cut his calories a bit on days when he gets them, but he's never had any digestive issues. Do you think this is ok, as long as i keep an eye on him and cease and desist if he descides he wants to try chewing instead of sucking?


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## malluver1005

leilaquinn said:


> I'm feeling torn about this. i've been giving raw marrow bones to my pup for a while, not knowing they could be a risk. I love the hour of peace i can get a few times a week when my nut job teenage meathead actually sits still. so i've been reading now that they can fracture teeth, and paranoid mom that i am would of course imediately stop giving them to him, BUT, here's the thing. he is a very aggresive chewer, he is the only dog i've ever seen crack a nylabone right in half, but with these, and also with stuffed kongs, he does ZERO chewing. he slowly licks at each end (with a weird blissed out look on his face) until he has gotten everything out that he can reach, then he abandons them. he is always suppervised closely when he has one, and I've never once seen or heard him use his teeth on one. he almost sucks the marrow out like a nursing puppy. i realize it's also a lot of fat, and i should probably cut his calories a bit on days when he gets them, but he's never had any digestive issues. Do you think this is ok, as long as i keep an eye on him and cease and desist if he descides he wants to try chewing instead of sucking?


I never gave marrow bones to Aspen knowing how dangerous they are. I always gave him deer antlers and beef ribs, but I really don't see the difference. Antlers are a lot harder and beef ribs are pretty hard too. He broke his lower molar cracking the antler in half and he easily cracks through the beef ribs. I don't give either anymore because he's a powerful chewer. We were able to save his molar...

In your case, as long as he sucks the marrow and you supervise, you should be fine.


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## Slayer Girl

I never knew not to give marrow bones....I know not to give cooked ones....but the marrow is new. Ty.


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## taem

I'm glad I found this forum. Reading through threads here have made me cut down on the list of bones I will give my dog. Can't be too careful, especially since I'm getting a small dog. I really appreciate folks taking the time to relate their experiences, especially when they make extra effort to include pix or vids. Thanks a bunch.


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## sandra0606

OMG I didn't know this might happen if we give marrow bone to a dog. Thanks for sharing. Will think twice before giving marrow bone to my chihuahua.


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## jdatwood

Greatshot86 said:


> Try a toothbrush, like the one Zututh makes


Thanks but I'll stick with natures toothbrush... raw meaty bones :wink: :biggrin:


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## sapphos

*which bones are okay then?*

Just put my 14 year old bull mastiff mix to sleep recently. We never had any problem with him or his sister that we know of with the marrow bones but we just got a beautiful pit from a rescue and I've been enjoying getting her new goodies and she likes the deer antlers that my other dogs never really got into. Today I got her a couple of marrow bones from our local store from their raw section and now I'm wondering if I should try to exchange them for another type of bone or something else. 

What are the things that are the safest for them to chew?


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## magicre

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## PunkyPug

I would of never thought those bones could damage Emma's teeth.
I've been buying the short meaty ones from publix and she gets a new one every coupla months.


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## Tahlz

Well, this sucks to read.. My girl gets a bone everyday because it helps her separation anxiety. She will continue to get them but I hope I can wean her off them at one stage.


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## PunkyPug

Tahlz said:


> Well, this sucks to read.. My girl gets a bone everyday because it helps her separation anxiety. She will continue to get them but I hope I can wean her off them at one stage.


have you tried giving her a stuffed kong?


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## Tahlz

PunkyPug said:


> have you tried giving her a stuffed kong?


Yes  It works to no effect, sadly. I do hope to wean her off the narrow bones one day though, I need to.


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## Caty M

Why not give beef ribs instead of marrow bones? Much much safer.


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## Tahlz

I didn't even think about that. Thanks for the idea! I'll give it a try.


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## Grey

I saw this thread last week. To be honest, I thought: "that's not happening to my dog and she absolutely loves her marrow bones filled with peanut butter from PetSmart, so I'll just watch her with them and give them to her less."

Today, we went for her year check-up and one of her back teeth had a minor chip. So, don't think it can't happen. I IMMEDIATELY thought of this thread when my vet pointed it out.

I'm going to be giving her the West Paw Tux filled with peanut butter *frozen* to get the similar effect of her chewing on these bones.

Our vet recommended C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews as an alternative to rawhide and marrow bones. She commented that the cow hooves that Quinn enjoys would be a better pick than the marrow, as well.

Here's a link to the C.E.T. -- C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Large Dogs, 30 Chews: Amazon.com: Pet Supplies

What's everyone's thoughts on alternatives?

And THANK YOU for this post!


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## PunkyPug

Grey said:


> I saw this thread last week. To be honest, I thought: "that's not happening to my dog and she absolutely loves her marrow bones filled with peanut butter from PetSmart, so I'll just watch her with them and give them to her less."
> 
> Today, we went for her year check-up and one of her back teeth had a minor chip. So, don't think it can't happen. I IMMEDIATELY thought of this thread when my vet pointed it out.
> 
> I'm going to be giving her the West Paw Tux filled with peanut butter *frozen* to get the similar effect of her chewing on these bones.
> 
> Our vet recommended C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews as an alternative to rawhide and marrow bones. She commented that the cow hooves that Quinn enjoys would be a better pick than the marrow, as well.
> 
> Here's a link to the C.E.T. -- C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Large Dogs, 30 Chews: Amazon.com: Pet Supplies
> 
> What's everyone's thoughts on alternatives?
> 
> And THANK YOU for this post!


I now give my pug frozen beef rib bones. She loves em, they clean her teeth and I feel they are much more safer than marrow bones.


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## StdPooDad

Ignorant question time. What's the difference between a marrow bone and a raw meaty bone? I'm talking about the frozen raw bones you buy at the pet store or grocery store. I thought that those were raw meaty bones, but apparently there is something different.



jdatwood said:


> Thanks but I'll stick with natures toothbrush... raw meaty bones :wink: :biggrin:


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## Liz

Most marrow bones are weight bearing bones (legs) which are extremely dense. They hold up several hundred pounds of cow. Raw meaty bones are more like whole chicken, turkey, duck, pork/beef ribs, pork/beef necks, turkey necks. Generally a softer or more porous bone a dog can actually eat.


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## BrownieM

DaneMama, as you know my Millie is having that same tooth extracted on Tuesday. How has Shilo adapted to having that tooth gone?


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## PunkyPug

Is it me or do those "oral chews" look like rawhide?

Grey, I think your vet was just up selling you a product. That product could do as much harm as a regular rawhide bone. It is made of "select beef hide" in other words, rawhide.


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## thegoodstuff

PunkyPug said:


> Is it me or do those "oral chews" look like rawhide?
> 
> Grey, I think your vet was just up selling you a product. That product could do as much harm as a regular rawhide bone. It is made of "select beef hide" in other words, rawhide.


My thought exactly.


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## Jan Fred

I'll try to avoid marrow bone this time. Since I don't brush my dog's teeth often, tartar could build up fast. Thanks for the infor jdatwood


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## rogerharris

Awesome information. Thank you.


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## leaveittoweaver

I'm still kind of confused about what were talking about, I see the pictures but that seems like a lot of different body parts to me. 

I know legs, basically anything labeled a "trotter" is not a good idea because of how easily broken they are, but I didn't realize the stuffed bones are an issue? 

My dog gets hooves and knee caps and crown knuckles, thoughts on these?


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## Piglet44

Gir gets a cooked marrow bone once in a while when I make Osso Buco but its been slow cooked for hours with the meat so its not as hard as a raw one would be (the edged can be slightly dented with a thumb nail). That and hard bones end up leaving little sharp chips everywhere like cracker crumbs.

Normally his "bone" of choice is antler of some sort. Its not going to chip his teeth and all it leaves is a little shmutz on the couch cover that washes off. Tried hoof but once it got slobbered on it started to release a cow patty like odor.


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## Snowflakes

OMG! Your Shiloh must have been in great pain fracturing his teeth.  Whoa! and that tartar build up are home to not so nice bacteria that might lead to infection. But I couldn't help myself recommending a product I recently discovered. Its actually a new Dog Treat which was advertised in Amazon called Milkotein. The label says its as hard as a bone but without the risk of disintegrating into sharp splinters. What is good about it is that it helps in maintaining dog's teeth by preventing tartar build up. And its healthy too with the highest levels of protein than any other dog treat. It is also long lasting since it can be reheated on microwave lasting for days. My Vet actually recommends it too as a healthy, risk free dog treat.


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## doggiedad

elk antler can do the same damage as a femur bone. elk antler's are very hard. 



jdatwood said:


> Antlers are GREAT to give dogs as a chew toy or "rec bone". I bought a full Elk rack on Ebay 2 years ago and the 6 dogs are STILL working on finishing it


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## DwayneTaylor

Each dog is different and I know there are plenty of people who feed ribs and other non weight bearing bones from large animals with no problem. Becuase I have had my dogs both crack teeth on beef ribs I will never feed any beef bones unless ground into muscle meat. It is not worth the risk when there are so many other softer bones that they can have.


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