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Sophie loves to chew.. what lab doesnt? My vet told me no raw bones but buy the beef ones that obviously are cooked... the crusty ones... and once she cleans it off and it looks like it may break, take it away. But I hear from other vets.. that raw beef thigh bones are the way to go. Sophie gets the crusty ones and we watch her chew.. once she breaks off a tiny piece.. we take it... we never leave her alone with one. Looking for input...
Thanks,
Sophie's mom
Don't give bones or heavy chew items with Mardi's old teeth and Archie's lack of teeth. He will chew on the rim of his Frisbee and loves his rope for a chew.
My vet advises against Nylabones and it proved true when one of ours got a slab fracture. Have not asked her about raw bones since we don't offer them.
I don't feed bones other than raw. Never ever had a bad experience. I did buy rawhides when my dog was younger and never had a bad experience, but he lost interest in them.
I have one of those bones that has cheese and bacon in the middle. It isn't cooked and Oliver has licked out as much of the stuff from both ends as possible. He chews on it but can't break any of it because it is hard and loves that bone. We did raw hide for a while but Oliver doesn't seem to care for that anymore. He would rather chew on stinky bully sticks. I just got him a 24 inch bully stick and he loves it. I tried a ham bone with the flaky stuff on it that I think you are describing...I didn't realize that I shouldn't have given it to him all at once...well, he loved it but his tummy sure didn't. I have been too scared to try it again. If I do, I will definitely let him chew on it for a bit and then take it away, and give him a little bit more the next day until it is gone. I believe that was raw too though.
We use only the raw marrow bones.
Never cooked or smoked bones! Only raw marrow bones. I really like antlers also, I would look into those. Remember when giving raw marrow bones to do it a little bit at a time. Marrow is VERY rich and can cause diarrhea and if you're really unlucky like Luna, pancreatitis. So scrape out all the marrow you can and give it in tiny increments (5, 10, 15 minutes) in the beginning.
Most vets are against raw bones. I know they sell those smoked looking ones specifically for dogs, but I would not feed them personally. I feed raw, but honestly I do not like to give raw marrow bones as I don't like the risk of tooth fracture with them being so dense. And Tux has fractured the tip of an incisor on one. However if you are not feeding raw and want something to keep the teeth clean, just kind of have to decide if the benefits outweigh the risk. Another option that would be safer regarding teeth fractures, would be a raw turkey neck, you could even give it frozen to make it last longer.
Does it make a mess though? Do you have to confine them to specific spot to chew on it so it doesn't get all over? Oliver likes to wander with his bones when he chews so just wondering if he would need to be monitored (to prevent mess) if I gave him something like this.Quote:
Originally Posted by shellbell
It's not like bloody messy especially when they are frozen but I don't really like them carrying raw meat all over the house so I either restrict them to the kitchen or put them out on the patio. My dachshund is really bad about this, she want to curl up on the carpet with chicken necks (chicken necks are too small for labs but perfect for the little pipsqueak).Quote:
Originally Posted by beth101509
I would either feed outside or in a crate if you think he might wonder around. But no, it's not like there is blood dripping all over or anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by beth101509
Quote:
Originally Posted by shellbell
I obviously don't feed raw so I was imagining the worst! Lol. I would like to start raw though. Just need to get that deep freezer first.Quote:
Originally Posted by arentspowell
o.k.
1. why do you feel raw bone is better than cooking it first?
2. I buy USA rawhide from amazon, probably other places have it , I just don't want any china stuff here.
Amazon.com: Good Buddy USA Rawhide Braided Sticks for Dogs, 7 to 8-Inch: Pet Supplies
Cooking makes bones brittle and more likely to splinter, thus more dangerous.Quote:
Originally Posted by jertom
Bones Can Kill Your Dog So Find Out which Ones are Safe
You can find many, many credible sites that say much the same thing. Whether to provide bones for recreation or as part of a meal is another debate but the bone should not be cooked.
I have fed all kinds of stuff to my dogs over the years -- rawhide, bully sticks, smoked bones, raw bones, nylabones, etc. and have not had any issues. I guess I got lucky.
For recreational bones, I now feed them just the raw knuckle bones and sometimes weird stuff. Like once I bought a pork leg, skin, hoof, and all. And, since I have venison, I will feed a shoulder bone, rib bones (they are soft, like pork versus beef), and some other things from the deer. The leg bones are a little sharp, IMHO, so I will let them chew the meat off and eat the tendon then take it. I wouldn't buy deer leg bones, but I get them for free, so... I generally don't get marrow bones though because they are awfully hard and the knuckle bones are not. Oh, I also feed them raw, frozen, beef trachea. All of these things can be messy, whether crumbly or slightly bloody, so it's often an outside deal. I have taught Linus to eat on a towel -- it was easy. Sam, however, always wants to take his stuff to his bed if it takes more than a few moments to eat. I haven't been able to break that habit yet.
after all my years and five dogs that's the first time I heard that. makes sense though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowshoe
I've never given poultry bones but have seen ham bones eaten completely. my logic has always been to not encourage them to eat the neighbors cat or....?
We did too. Also grapes. The dog we had when I was a kid only got the cheapest kibble on sale if there were not enough of our own scraps to fill his dish. Truthfully that was most days. But those scraps had cooked bones in them. Healthiest dog I've had, longest lived too. It is really hard to discount first hand experience of one for what's been learned second hand from many others.Quote:
Originally Posted by Labradorks
We feed the raw beef marrow bones as a treat. The DH taught Gabby to 'keep it on your towel', which is an old beach towel. We tuck a corner under the dining room table, and she'll stay there with it. I'm amazed at how well the bones clean her teeth, but we're careful to take them away when she really begins to grind on the bone. We did buy her a cooked bone once. She had it splintered in less than 5 minutes - never again.
I prefer American made rawhide retriever rolls for chewing. I found an awesome one on Amazon that is huge and thick, it takes Zoey quite a while to get thru it and shes a power chewer. Every once in a while I will go to the butcher and grab some raw bones. I would never give them any type of store bought bones at all. No smoked, no cooked, etc.
I grew up giving dogs all sorts of cooked bones including bones from steak but these days its considered dangerous. It makes sense, cooking does make bone brittle which increases the chance of splintering or breaking off easily
Only raw, and I only feed them outside on the patio. I have two with slab fractures. Fortunately I don't have a pushy vet. When I say that I will deal with the teeth when there is a problem, she lets it go. Grace has had her broken tooth for about 2-3 years and NO change. Dogs need to chew. Preventing it or giving rubber toys isn't going to help the need to chew. I would rather take the risk with a raw bone. The smoked kind with the weird crap inside can sit on the shelves at petstores for years....GROSSSSSSSSS
Have you smelled them? So disgusting.Quote:
Originally Posted by JenC
This is like my vet, she won't even suggest doing anything with a fracture until it is a problem. And she told me when I freaked about Tux's fractured incisor, that they need to chew (which I knew anyways).Quote:
Originally Posted by JenC
Any vet worth their salt will tell you not to feed a dog cooked bones of any sort. Cooked bones have the potential to splinter and cause gastro-intestinal blockage, perforated intestines or much worse. Painful for the dog and a very costly condition to fix. You may get away with feeding a dog cooked bones for a while, but sooner or later they will bite off more than they can chew and the inevitable happens. Why take the chance? Raw weight bearing bones can also be dangerous for the same reason. Knucle bones are a less dangerous option. Unless you are feeding raw, my advice is to stay away from these bones and brush your dog's teeth. He/she can exercise their teeth with a strong rubber bone.
We also give Lola raw frozen bison marrow bones that we buy from a couple of different pet food storess that specialize in raw food. We normally go for the smaller size, which Lola can finish in about an hour She's restricted to the deck, but we're constantly checking on her.Quote:
Originally Posted by arentspowell
I have always and will continue to feed my Labs raw bones, but I tend to avoid the large hard marrow bones. The types of bones, I feed my boys are brisket bones, lamb neck bones, chicken frames, large chicken wings, turkey wings and turkey drumsticks. This is despite my youngest boy when he was a pup ending up at the emergency vet after swallowing a big chunk of bone instead of chewing on it. Greedy little bugger and luckily after vomiting and diarrhoea, he was able to bring the bone up before I took him to the emergency vet which I had phoned when he was having issues and I took him up anyway to get checked out and they gave him an injection to help with pain of all the vomitting. Luckily no surgery intervention was required, but it did give me quite a scare and I gave bones a miss for about a month with him and then restarted him on them always under my watchful eye and he has never had a problem since (he is now 5 years old). All my Labs absolutely LOVE their bones, does them wonders to be have a good old chewing session and of course does wonders for their teeth.