Teeth cleaning~ I'm amazed!
 

I think I found (thanks to other YT members) just about the best thing for dental care for our Yorkies.

I'm ashamed to admit (not as much NOW;) )that Max's teeth were really looking bad. When I first got him, I didn't realize that I actually needed to clean his teeth; I thought his kibble would take care of that.
I found out when he went to the vet once for something when he was a little over a year, that his teeth shouldn't be so "dirty".....and I just dreaded to have him put under a gen. anesthetic to have his teeth cleaned. So I started trying to brush his teeth with one of the enzyme toothpastes and a finger brush....Max was pretty unhappy with that, and I could never get to his back teeth (which were the worst)anyway. I wanted to try PetzLife, but with his prior bout of pancreatitis, I was concerned about how it would affect him, and I resolved to be more assertive in doing his teeth brushing. I tried using the gauze on the finger idea.....that worked a little better, but I still didn't see much improvement. I was getting to the point where I was going to schedule him for a tooth cleaning appointment when my friend told me that she'd just bought her Yorkie some MARROW BONES.....and she brought one over for Max when she dropped by.....I scraped the marrow out (he doesn't need the fat) and gave him it and he went CRAZY! He loved it, so I bought a package of them and gave him one every couple of days.

I WISH I had thought to take before and after photos...the difference is incredible! His teeth really had so much tartar and plaque on them; his back large tooth was totally brown....his teeth are all practically completely WHITE now.....there is hardly ANY tartar or plaque on them anymore! I am just amazed that it worked so well! And I'd say it's not been over a month that I've been giving him these bones!

I just wanted to share this with everyone b/c it's something that's so CHEAP to buy, you can freeze them and just take them out when you want them, the dogs adore them and they work so well and so FAST!

I have to say, that there must be a lot of people who much already know about them, b/c they're often sold out of them at the grocery store...and the last 2 pkgs I got, the bones are cut about twice as wide as the original ones I was getting; the poor dogs have to lug them all over the house, LOL.

Sounds like something I'd like. Are they healthy. Ingredients? Who makes them? Do I just look for Marrow Bones. Any pet store carries them? I will check my grocery store. Are they diff. sizes? Sorry so many questions. But you got me a little excited here.:D

Marrow bones can be purchased from your butcher or even supermarket. They are sometimes called "soup bones" :D

these are good bones for chewing on but make sure you get one big enough for the size dog so that they can't get their jaw caught in the marrow hole and so that they can't swallow it (bigger dogs). Freeze the bones and give them frozen as a treat.

great tip!

what exactly are they? I have seen oxtails in a package, but I am not sure about marrow bones?

Thank you.

I will have to try them. Thanks I just had Pixie in to the vet for her bad teeth and gums and she is only 2. So we decided that I should brush them daily, I wasn't doing this, and check back in 6 weeks. I have been using dental wipes daily and brushing and using Petzlife and in one week I noticed a difference in her gums, but her teeth are still not so good, so I will try the marrow bones. How do you get the marrow out?

I've been "preaching" beef marrow bones instead of certain snacks and bully sticks, for months now, but no one seemed interested, and if they were they never said anything. I have them cut about 1/2" thick. They are about 2 inches in diameter. Glad you found out just how good they are for the dogums. ;)

These bones don't splinter, do they? :icon5: My Rudy is such an agressive chewer that I'd be worried about that.

Thanks so much for that great Dental hint. :)

I thought beef bones were too big?? :confused: Hmmm, I'm gonna have to try this. Thanks for the info!

I'm afraid that they will splinter.... Are they really fat? Bikini had almost a deadly pancreatitis? Beef?

Can you give us more details?

I always taught that real bones were really dangerous for dogs?

Thank you :):D

I'm going to try this. Thanks!!

I thought bones were the #1 thing on the list of things a dog should never have??

I do not know about this- I am sure they are good for the teeth- but if a splinter comes off and gets lodged - it is not worth it- to me ! i never give Banjo ANY BONES!!NEVER- that is just me!

Maybe I am wrong, but I know I have seen a list- and BONES OF ANY KIND ARE #1!!!?????????

???????????????????????????

Cooked bone are very bad. Those can splinter and break off.

Raw bones however do not splinter. many hear feed a raw diet that involved soft bones that can be consumed. The marrow bone is not meant to be consumed because its too hard. my personally i see no harm in letting them chew on it for a bit as long as you watch them and they aren't going crazy with it.

YorkieDaze- OK - so you can get this at any Grocery Store in the meat department & just ask the Butcher to cut them 1/2" thick? Right?

Well, maybe you're the one I heard it from, LOL:D . I had no idea what they really were until my friend brought one over.

I prefer giving these over soup bones for a couple of reasons:
1. I don't like the fact that there's so much raw meat on the soup bones (which is great if you're making soup, but not so great if you're giving it to a dog who's going to be dragging it all over the house)

2. The marrow bones are round (if they cut them well) so when they chew on them, they really give all the sides of their teeth a workout....where I live, I haven't found a place who cuts their own....but I'm going to find one and ask them to cut them so that they're about 1-1 1/2" thick....the ones I got last time were already packaged and they only had 2 pkgs which I had called ahead and asked them to hold them for me til I could get down there....and they are HUGE!!! Way too big really, but both my Yorkies seem to be able to take them wherever they want them...still, I'd prefer that they be a more manageable size).

I always take all the marrow out; Max isn't supposed to have too much fat in his diet b/c of a prior pancreatitis event and I thought it would be ok to give my little rescued guy one with the marrow in b/c he was so skinny .....he ate it and then had a few upchucks and I think it's just too rich for his little tummy...so no more of that stuff for him either.

It's very simple to just scrape it out. I put them into the freezer when I bring them home and defrost them first before giving them to them (b/c I need to get the marrow out...maybe I should do that first BEFORE I freeze them.....then I could give them frozen). If I take them out and they have to defrost before I can dislodge the marrow, Max can think of NOTHING else until I can get it out so he can have his bone!

I can't say enough about them. I guess the only thing that would be harmful about them is if you left them out for too long and they were growing bacteria. They play with them for a couple of hours and then when they're no longer interested in them, I toss them.

Yes, you get them at the meat counter. Some stores have them shipped to them already cut, but some places will cut them for you. And some places cut them every morning. But they seem to sell out fast. When I picked up my last 2 packages the butcher told me that a man came in right after I had called to ask them to hold them for me and he wanted them and was really mad that they were being held for me. If they'll cut them for you, 1" or even 1 1/2 inch thick is pretty good.

The bones look like vertebrae would look....sort of like a doughnut and in the hole, there's the marrow...it's basically just lard or fat, so it's soft and is easy to push out. I just use a knife and scrape it out, or usually, most of it will just push out when you stick a knife in it.

Sophie loves those bones. She just chews and chews. I would highly recommend them.

Ive been to 3 grocery stores and none of them have them!!:( The last store I went to say they rarely ever have them.

If your butcher will cut them for you, you can have them cut into almost any size you want I would imagine. I've seen them already cut from about 1" thick to 1 1/2" depending on how big/small your Yorkie is.

I think I'd call around to see first. I finally realized that b/c there's only one store here that usually has them and a couple of times that I went they were out (and that was the only reason I drove there). With gas prices the way they are, I call first even if they usually have them. Or maybe you can put in a special order and they'll save them for you.

They don't splinter. You don't cook them; that's what causes bones to splinter. They are beef.
Max had pancreatitis once too and we are FASTIDIOUS about what he gets to eat.....I scrape ALL of the marrow out and if there's any meat on the outside of the bone (most of them are pretty devoid of much meat on them), I cut most of it off.

From what I've read marrow bones (these aren't the ONLY type of marrow bones, but I think they're probably the safest b/c they're so hard and thick) are the only type of bones you can safely give your dog. I would def. watch them while they've got them though.

Marrow bones are ok as long as you pay attention to them....these bones are extremely hard and do not splinter. Maybe a big dog would be able to chew them up, but I don't know about that. I've read in many, many places from vets that marrow bones are safe to give to dogs.

And BTW, for anyone who feeds Merrick canned foods, they've got a few varieties that have chicken bones that have been cooked under some special process that supposedly makes them ok for dogs to eat. I almost FREAKED out the first can I opened and it had all these bones in it; I actually CALLED them, upset that they'd do something so dangerous:eek: , and how could this have passed their inspection:confused: ....the lady was very kind to me, but I'm sure she wanted to say "TRY READING what's printed on the can"....oops...it's right there:embarasse

I too would be worried about them eating the bone.... my boston terrier went to get spayed and the vet showed us a bag that apparently was filled with some bones she had chewed...while staying at grandmas.. anyhoo.. he said NEVER to feed dogs ANY TYPE of bones... they cannot digest them and when they swallow the bone pieces it SCARS their intestines! But I don't know how these would affect them....

Hmmmm......I may have to try these....Mojo just went to the vet today and the vet commented again about how GREAT his teeth were for a Yorkie. We just brush and use petzlife spray and gel each day. LG, on the other hand, never had an oral care plan, I guess, so we are working on getting her teeth in tip top shape....she is a pretty aggrassive chewer, so this may not be the best for her.

I just called around also and everyone says the dont have these, I may have to try to find a butcher. The closest is about 45 mins. Izzys canines are comming in and the first set are still in :( so I was hoping these bones would help loosen those on out, that is if I could find some lol.

What a fantastic idea!! Do you just remove the extra fat? Or do you cook them too? I have given the to our Dalmation for special occations but I have cooked them first and the fat comes right off.

Thank you so much guys for posting all this info! I was wondering about the marrow bones for a while. I am gonna go and find a butcher store in my area. Maxi will be thrilled getting this kind of treat, he is a chewer:rolleyes:

No...don't cook them! I remove all of the stuff in the middle of the bone (it's soft and comes right out) and I try to remove any of the fatty stuff that's left on the outer side of the bone; usually they don't leave much but sometimes there will be a little bit still on. Mine don't need the fat and if you've got carpeting or rugs, it will get grease marks on it.

Oh...and I'm not sure how often it's ok to give these to them, but I usually give them a new one every couple of days (but I toss the old ones an hour or so after they get tired of them).

I know they shouldn't be cooked but I remember reading somewhere that certain raw foods should first be frozen and then thawed because of some bacteria that can be dangerous to dogs. Don't remember all the details or if this applies. Should these bones be frozen first? Does anyone know?