I have heard conflicting things about giving marrow bones. On the one hand, I’ve heard that they’re healthy, mentally stimulating, great for cleaning teeth…nothing but beneficial. On the other, I’ve heard that they shouldn't be given because they will wear down and even crack a dog’s teeth because they are so hard.
I give one per week to each dog, raw. I’m not a raw feeder - this is just a treat for them. My dogs are small, so they cannot get their whole mouths around any part of the bone, so they can’t really chomp down on the bone the way a bigger dog might, which hopefully means their teeth aren't really being stressed. They just scrape the meat off, lick some of the marrow out, and then I take the bone away, and they are always supervised while they have them.
They do get "regular" chews, of course. Bully sticks, pig snouts, cow tracheas, bison and beef cartilage, etc…but these marrow bones are a nice change of pace for them, they love the taste, they're natural, they take a lot of effort so they are more stimulating than an average chew, they last a few hours (longer than most chews), easily found (my local grocery store has them in the meat section), and they’re inexpensive.
They absolutely love them and I want to keep giving them, but not if it’s going to cause them dental problems. Does anyone have any addition info, or first-hand experiences with giving marrow bones? Is there any harm in them, or should I continue to give them without worrying?
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If you are supervising them, I see no harm in giving marrow bones. You sound like you are doing the right thing by taking them away when there is nothing but hard bone left.
My dogs are very enthusiatic chewers and so may break teeth on a weight-bearing marrow bone so I don't give these to them.
Marrow bones absolutely do not harm the teeth. They may be a bit rough on the gums, but still, they do help cleaning the teeth.
In fact marrow bones are the most effective way of cleaning a dog's teeth, so I think you should continue feeding them!
(I would give them to my dog, but where I live, they are really pricey.)
My guys love a good bone from time to time. They are usu
ally free if you shop a a market with a butcher. Remove any excessive fat and get the butcher to cut off at lest one end so they can get to the marrow. I thrown them away before they get the change to "stink" I feel like I'm disposing of a dead body....wrap it up and hunt a commercial dumpster in the middle of the night...ha.
My guys also love a few chicken wings, raw for a special treat, Outside of course. Raw chicken bones are safe; cooked chicken bones NO NO!
sure a dog could crack a tooth on any bone if they bite on it hard enough. with marrow bones and antlerz, they usually just scrape their teeth on them.
as long as the bone is large enough that they cant fit their mouth around it, it should be fine. my guys have been chewing on antlerz for a couple of years with no problems.
I give them to my small dogs without problems,one does not get them because she tends to get panceatitis with marrow bones