My pup is 4 months and teething thing, I think....haven't seen any teeth around but he has gaps in his teeth at the back here and there. He is chewing everything in the garden and I just wondered (I do have some teething toys on order) if he would be allowed a raw marrowbone, or is that something that has to wait for his full set? Thanks again as always everyone xx
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? If you ask me, I would honestly say 'never'. They are just too hard for doggie teeth. If dogs break teeth then it's likely to be on marrowbones. The ones cut in halt lengthways are the worst as they can fit the cut edge between two premolars and split the side off the top tooth (speaking from experience). Other raw, meaty bones like chicken, duck, rabbit, lamb neck, lamb rib, whole fish, oxtail....all these are good. A good rule of thumb that I go by is 'no mammal leg bones'. Anything else is likely to be fine
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? I would also say never. I tried them with Tatze, the marrow gave her a runny tummy and the bone split into shards - it had to go in the bin :-\ You can get filled bones from the pet shop. I remove the filling (fatty horrid stuff) and stuff with soaked kibble, then freeze. They LOVE them and no amount of crunching/chewing causes any shards to come off. Tatze is 17 months and Gypsy 17 weeks - Gypsy is a Guide Dog puppy and all the puppy walkers use these. So I use them when the dogs can be supervised and kongs when I'm leaving them alone. They last much longer than a kong with the same amount of filling.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? I don't give Charlie hard things - so no nylabones, antlers and certainly no recreational bones. He is a determined chewer, and views hard things as a challenge. I fear for his teeth. I am though experimenting with switching some of his kibble meals to raw so I can feed some bones (chicken, rabbit, duck, turkey). We're starting small and working up though, so he hasn't had anything significant as yes.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? I've given all my dogs marrow bones for decades and have never had a problem. I have about a dozen that I continually rinse and reuse. I coat the inside with peanut butter and stuff a small bit of kibble into the PB, then put a very small bit of bacon grease as a cap. I freeze them and the dogs each get one a day. I check the bones for any cracking or splintering and those get tossed right away. When I need replacements (not often!) I buy the raw from the butcher, then freeze them. The dogs spend hours licking all the marrow out (no tummy issues for mine, yet), then gnaw on the bones. My dogs all seem to see the bones as more a source for good licking results, than an object that needs to be demolished by chewing. I also bought antlers recently for use in the house, since they're so clean. As always, supervision is key, at least at the start, and I'm always aware, in a subconscious sort of way, of the condition of the antlers. The first one I bought got returned right away since it splintered almost immediately. The packaging said "no splintering", so I was able to get a replacement at no charge (those things are pricey!). I've used rawhide chews in the past, but they're so stinky and messy, and the dogs go through them very quickly.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? Hard objects still wear teeth away. If you see brown spots in the centre of your dog's teeth this means that the enamel and dentine have been worn away and the pulp inside has been exposed (but is brown because it's dying). So just check for that if you give hard objects. The dogs that are at risk of actually breaking teeth are the 'power chewers', like Julie's Charlie. When power chewers meet a hard object their response is "I will defeat you. I will crush you in my mighty jaws and reduce you to powder". They're they ones who will break a tooth (sadly they're also the ones who are most likely get given hard bones). Other dogs, when they meet the hard part of a bone, will say "Oh, I've come to the hard bit. All the good stuff is gone. To proceed would be difficult and I'm not that interested. I'm finished now". Those dogs are less at risk.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? [quote author=Oberon link=topic=7919.msg111523#msg111523 date=1411246529] Hard objects still wear teeth away. If you see brown spots in the centre of your dog's teeth this means that the enamel and dentine have been worn away and the pulp inside has been exposed (but is brown because it's dying). So just check for that if you give hard objects. The dogs that are at risk of actually breaking teeth are the 'power chewers', like Julie's Charlie. When power chewers meet a hard object their response is "I will defeat you. I will crush you in my mighty jaws and reduce you to powder". They're they ones who will break a tooth (sadly they're also the ones who are most likely get given hard bones). Other dogs, when they meet the hard part of a bone, will say "Oh, I've come to the hard bit. All the good stuff is gone. To proceed would be difficult and I'm not that interested. I'm finished now". Those dogs are less at risk. [/quote] I know which one Bouncer is, the nutter will even chew on stones he picks up in the garden, I take them off him & throw them away, my dustmen must think we are wierd the amount of stones suddenly turning up in our bin.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? Unfortunately vets see quite a lot of fractured teeth in dogs that have had access to weight-bearing bones of large mammals. I don't know statistically what the risk is, but there is one. I also avoid all weight bearing bones from larger mammals, and antlers (which are also very hard). Though my dogs do get plenty of meaty bones as part of their diet.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? Folks mentioning Antler chews, do you mean all antler chews or just the horn type? Kenzi will not chew the horn type as they're way too hard, however, flat fallow antler chews which are much softer and actually seem to get softer when wet/chewed she will eat (under supervision). Generally Kenzi isn't a mad chewer she will only chew soft items, but for some reason she loves the fallow antlers.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? I have a power chewer here too, Benson will attempt to crunch and gnaw through anything given half a chance! So marrow/mammal weight bearing bones are definitely out. Instead to satisfy his enjoyment of a good gnaw, we give him chicken wings/legs/backs or sometimes a meaty rib. He also enjoys the occasional "smartbone" expensive so he only has them as a big treat, he goes loopy for eh peanut butter ones! Frozen cow hoofs are good, we mix some Bob and lush wet food with kibble or just smear with peanut butter and freeze. Not sure how good they are on teeth, think they are OK because the don't splinter, and the edges get softer when he has been gnawing for a while.
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? [quote author=Beanwood link=topic=7919.msg111933#msg111933 date=1411387556] He also enjoys the occasional "smartbone" expensive so he only has them as a big treat, he goes loopy for eh peanut butter ones! [/quote] What's a smartbone? Thanks Jan
Re: What Age Can I Give My Pup A Raw Marrowbone? [quote author=teapot57 link=topic=7919.msg112767#msg112767 date=1411683359] [quote author=Beanwood link=topic=7919.msg111933#msg111933 date=1411387556] He also enjoys the occasional "smartbone" expensive so he only has them as a big treat, he goes loopy for eh peanut butter ones! [/quote] What's a smartbone? Thanks You can buy them from pets at home, probably the cheapest place, the internet works out more expensive! They are I think 99% digestible unlike rawhide. I pop them in the freezer to make them last a bit longer. Benson goes mad for them! http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/searchterm?searchTerm=smartbones Jan [/quote]
