Marrow Bones (large)

[ILFC]

Local butcher (being a dog expert of course ) that too many marrow bones make your dog sick. As in, leave a bone out for at least a week as say a fresh one every two day is too much marrow for a dog. Then the marrow will make the dog sick. Is this true? I don't like old bones out in the yard.

[kendall]

The only thing I know about the marrow is that it is high in fat so too much marrow can add fat to your dog with all the resulting problems there. I sometimes scrape out the marrow so Diesel doesn't get it all the time but then he doesn't get more than half a marrow bone maybe 2 times a week. Saying that though, Diesel has put on weight anyway cos of the other treats he gets and not as much exercise Isn't there also a problem with old sunbleached bones in that it makesthem like they are cooked (ie can splinter and be harder to digest)?

[ILFC]

Yeah- I kind of thought fat wise- and adjusted diet wise accordingly. But I am wondering....I really don't know about bones.

[blacklabrador]

I think the popular recommendations are for marrow bones once a week. I am not sure of the problems that they can cause if given too often.

I only know that my house gets filled up with toxic gas if they have one two days in a row

I usually get the butcher to cut a big one into four pieces for me (lengthwise and across) and they each get a piece. I do that every fortnight or so. I always do it on a day that I am home so I can supervise them. I also love sitting around with them while they are so happy and content.

[Rappie]

It's the bone marrow, rather than the bone that is the big concern. It is very high in fat, and along with eating large quantities of sausages / christmas hams and left over pieces of fat, it is one of the common causes of pancreatitis in dogs.

[kamuzz]

It's the bone marrow, rather than the bone that is the big concern. It is very high in fat, and along with eating large quantities of sausages / christmas hams and left over pieces of fat, it is one of the common causes of pancreatitis in dogs.

wonder why? that sounds like a perfectly reasonable diet to me

[ILFC]

It would be a quarter of a marrow bone every second day. At the most- he usually gets one if we go out at night.

[rugerfly]

Im with BL.....house is usually full of gass by the end of the day. Mine actually eat the whole knuckle at each end continuously till its gone....Ruger might bury his for a minute but the paranoia kicks in that fly will steal it (he is correct to be paranoid) and eats it dirt and all.

Personally i cant stand the bone dropping on concrete sound all night and the gas...

[Poodle wrangler]

It's the bone marrow, rather than the bone that is the big concern. It is very high in fat, and along with eating large quantities of sausages / christmas hams and left over pieces of fat, it is one of the common causes of pancreatitis in dogs.

I've read that, too.

Raw chicken frames instead of a marrow bone on a couple of days?

[ILFC]

I'd love to but his LP is a concern-the marrow bones are great because they don't really splinter as such. He has to "grind" them down to eat them. Also, I worry about old, dry bones in the sun- as they may splinter. All comes back to managing his LP (laryngeal paralysis) and avoiding the dreaded AP.

[SALTWOOD]

I feed one large marrow bone at a time cut in half so the marrow is exposed.

When the bone is fresh my smaller dogs get a few hours turn each.

After than it gets passed on to my Dobe boy.

He proceeds to reduce its size by about 2/3rds then I take it away. This takes about a day.

Naturally a bone that has been unrefrigerated for several days will get pretty stinky if there is any marrow/fat/meat left on it and perhaps cause excess bacteria in the gut. Also dogs that have a poor tolerance for fat may get sick from it.

By the time my crew are finished with it, there isn't much life left in it!! :D

We get our moneys worth out of marrow bones around here!!

[Sagittarian]

Almost without exception, our customers with pancreatic dogs report having fed marrow bones as a regular part of the diet. Possibly removing most of the marrow first might reduce the risk, but for our own dogs, I won't chance it.

JMO

[ILFC]

What is this pancreatis thing? I'll now feed one about once a week. But what is it?

[Rappie]

What is this pancreatis thing? I'll now feed one about once a week. But what is it?

Simply put pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. Under normal circumstances the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes, in addition to secreting other endocrine products like insulin. A sudden influx of fat into the digestive system can lead to a situation where the pancreas actually starts to "self digest", causing acute (or sometimes chronic) inflammation. Some of the most common clinical signs are vomiting, diarrhoea and acute abdominal pain, you will often see dogs stretching into a "praying" position to relieve discomfort. It doesn't happen to every dog that eats a lot of fat, but it is recognised as a common trigger.

It is a very painful condition, and anything more than a mild cases usually requires swift medical treatment in hospital. It's often recurrent and some dogs need to be managed on a very strict low fat diet to prevent recurrent bouts, and it can also occur simultaneously with diabetes.

All this doesn't mean that you shouldn't feed bones, but feed them (especially the marrow) in moderation and preferably whole or with the marrow removed. Also, aside from the recreation aspect, I feel that the main teeth cleaning action is from pulling the meat and connective tissue away from the bone - which has a "flossing" action. It's quite common for me to see dogs with fractured teeth from being too enthusiastic with a large bone - weight bearing bones from cows are very solid, more so than canine teeth so I would suggest that they get taken away once there is nothing left on them.

[ILFC]

Cheers- will be cutting down on bones then. What else can I give him that takes a long time to eat- like a bone. I've got Kongs etc.

[berly]

I recommend putting some chicken necks or wings into kongs, sealing with some peanut butter and then freezing it.

Takes them ages and isnt so damaging to the teeth - I give the kong 3 days in a row and then a bone..