Re-visit the question about bones to chew on

[maggiefromnj]

I responded to a very old post which turned out to be in the health and diet thread. I don't know how many people are active on that thread, so I'd like to open a discussion here hoping for some advice. I am going to post here what I wrote on that thread. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...afety-all.html

I wrote: I liked the idea of bison bones when I read they have less fat than marrow bones....until I saw the pictures of some raw bison bones. YUK!

I don't want to give Maggie messy bloody yuk. I don't want to give her raw chicken bones either (can dogs get salmonella or e-coli?--although the e-coli bacteria "shouldn't" be in bones unless the butcher cross-contaminates)

She doesn't chew in one place. She got a bone this week from a friend. I guess its what you'd call a marrow/leg bone. Someone gave my neighbor some bones she got at our grocery store (which I doubt carries bison!) I'd say they were leg bones.. She had them cut into about 1.5 inches long and the center where the marrow was is about 1.5 inch diameter or so. The bone itself, surrounding the marrow, is probably .25-.5 thick. My neighbor said she had boiled the bones for about 20 minutes then froze the ones she didn't give her dog (larger shih tzu).

Maggie carried it everywhere she went for 2 days without actuallyl chewing it. Up the stairs, on the bed, back down in the family room, to her front door lookout, everywhere. Finally after about 2 days she decided to start actually chewing it! She always takes her treats off somewhere to eat them, and if its not worth eating right then she will carry it around for a while. Anyway, considering she goes on my bed and sofa I don't want her bringing anything raw or bloody. I also worry about germs/bacteria for her to ingest and to contaminate home surfaces.

I don't want to continue giving her marrow bones if they will make her fat. Maybe I will do what someone suggested and remove a lot of the marrow.
Should I boil them? They are plenty big and hard and don't seem like they would splinter despite the boiling. The boiling makes me feel better about the germs. I didn't know what to do about refrigerating it once I gave it to her, but it's been several days now and she seems fine. Shes been chewing it tonight for a good session, there seems to still be some color on the inside so I guess there's still flavor. She chews bully sticks sometimes too.

Any insights and suggestions are appreciated!

[McheleM]

Cooked bones are a no-no. They can splinter and even the smallest sliver can be a danger for your pet.
Raw bones even carry risks.

They have no nutritional value, so why risk it??? (The nutrition would come from the meat, connective tissues and cartilage attached to the bone in the wild).

I don't feed mine bones at all.

[mimimomo]

I remember Teegy saying marrow bones are very fatty. Def no cooked bones of any kind. This link also has good info on what kind of raw bones are safe to give.

Bones Can Kill Your Dog So Find Out which Ones are Safe

Dangers of Cooked Bones

The cooking process makes bones more brittle, increasing the likelihood they might splinter and cause internal injury to your dog.
Cooking can also remove the nutrition contained in bones.
In their April 20, 2010 Consumer Update, the FDA lists the following risks associated with giving your dog a cooked bone to chew:
Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian. Bones also contain a lot of calcium, which is very firming to the stool.
Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

[Wylie's Mom]

Remove most of the marrow. Btw, you could put some peanut butter in the place of some of the marrow too. I wouldn't recommend cooking them, due to splinter possibilities.

I use bison bones, and I don't know what you mean by them being really bloody or anything, at all. Mine are just bones w/ a bit of meat still on them. Maybe try the ones from Whole Foods, where most of the stuff is removed?

[Lovetodream88]

Yes dogs can get salmonella and some did get sick from it when multiple dog foods came out with a recall because of it. Cooked bones are a big no no. I don't give any bones because Callie has broken her tooth on a bone and it seems to much of a risk for me. I give her the get naked chews that are chewy and clean the teeth.

[Teegy]

stay away from weight bearing cooked and smoked bones, I'd avoid marrow bones as it's a lot of fat, pork or lamb neck are good, never leave your dog unattended when chewing a bone