what type of bone from the butchers

I would like to give our beloved Trigger a real bone from the butchers, like i used to with my other dogs i've had in the past. BUT a local vet has said to me just because its a dog doesnt mean you have to give them a real bone, that is why they sell rawhide bones! and has recommended we only give him these. I obviousely know about the dangers of the bones that are brittle and those that splinter, but i would love to give him a 'real bone'. Can anyone help or recommend what i can give him please.... Thankyou

Knuckle bones are awesome and really good for hard mouthed dogs like Staffies really hard to get into them and they don't splinter as much.

Thanks MissRogue, much appreciated. Is that ANY knickle bone from the 'butchers' or local supermarkets. I just want to buy him the best and the safest....

Caryll is our expert on bones as she feeds her dog RAW bones and meat as it's diet. Im sure she will be able to suggest the bones best for your dog

The thing to look for is that they are raw. It's the cooked bones that splinter. I use bones as part of my dog's food, so I don't give the large, weight bearing (marrow) bones. Dempsey gets spine, neck or ribs every day & eats the whole lot within a few minutes! However, if you're looking to just give him an occasional treat then a marrow bone is fine. The beef bones tend to be the biggest, obviously, but lamb's ok too. There are two things you should be careful of 1. Once the bone has been around for a day or it's down to a really small piece (whichever comes first) throw it away. As it's raw it'll go bad quite quickly, and 2. Try to get bones that have been sawn rather than chopped (you'll need to speak to the butcher about this) as the chopped ones can get 'fault' lines & are more likely to splinter.

Phew, hope you managed to keep reading to the end!

P.S. Your vet is talking nonsense! Dogs can & do eat bones very effectively. They satisfy their chewing/grinding needs and add natural calcium & minerals to their diets.

Great advice Caryll, something I haven't a clue on

Milly loves a bone from the butchers and it keeps her quiet for hours. We give her 1 a week and have not had any problems.

Logan has about 2 bones a week. We got a massive bag form the butchers. Lamb bones. Only cost us £1.50 (because i didnt buy anything else otherwise im sure they are free in most places) Our freezer now has a dedicated Logan drawer full of bones, lamb heart, etc.

Molly has mainly beef bones, she doesn't like lamb bones that much.
But make sure it's something pretty big so he can actually gnaw on it, rather than just gobble it all up and not chew or gnaw on it.

I think vets forget that dogs were once wild and what they would of ate then

I'm glad I found this post
I was also told by a Vet not to feed bones, chicken necks etc....

There's so many varying opinions, but it's nice to know that it's ok to give a raw bone now and then

I'm no expert but what a load of rubbish!! Recommending that dogs dont eat bones??? How ridiculous. Dogs love bones and they're good for them. Charlie gets one a few times a week and loves them. I told my vet when he was younger that I was planning to feed raw or at least give him some nice meaty bones, my vet said it was a good idea. Like Vikki says, I think some people just concentrate on the fact that they are now domesticated and are pets more than anything else, but they're still dogs, and should be allowed to eat like dogs.

Yes any raw knuckle bone will do their really big btw. I think the vet means that a dog doesn't need to eat bones not that a dog shouldn't and its true they don't need to eat bones to get everything they need unless on a raw diet any good dog food will have everything a dog needs init a bone should be given as a teat unless on a raw diet.

So much conflicting advice, I was told to cook my bones, which, I have been doing. Now it's been mentioned it does make sense that cooked ones will splinter. I got him a marrow bone( only one he had) and he sawed it in half, only cost 40p. Am I right in what I've read that they should form part of the diet if feeding a raw meet diet. Do you give you give any veggies apart from pots and broccoli?

Cooked bones its not just that they splinter its also that its no goodness in it for them. I'm not sure about the raw diets though a few raw veggies won't harm a dog though but they don't get much out of them if anything really.

Karen and Max wrote:So much conflicting advice, I was told to cook my bones, which, I have been doing. Now it's been mentioned it does make sense that cooked ones will splinter. I got him a marrow bone( only one he had) and he sawed it in half, only cost 40p. Am I right in what I've read that they should form part of the diet if feeding a raw meet diet. Do you give you give any veggies apart from pots and broccoli?

Bones should never be cooked! The cooking can make them brittle & splinter into needle sharp pieces. If you buy raw bones, though, try to freeze them for a couple of days before giving them to your dog so that you kill off most of the bacteria that may be present in raw food. Bones can be given to a dog as a treat (ie the large weight bearing bones such as beef shin or knuckle - the marrow bones) or as part of a raw diet in which case they should be easily digestible, such as chicken wings & carcass, ribs, necks, spines etc and are an esseential part of a raw diet.

Veg can be given if you want, but bear in mind that dogs can only digest veg (and fruit) if it's cooked (in which case you cook most of the goodness out) or pulped (ie in a food processer). If you want to give whole raw food such as carrots, cabbage etc it isn't a problem, but they won't actually do your dog any good - they won't do any harm, either. Dempsey often gets carrots & cabbage because he likes them!

Sorry for reviving an old old post just wanted to clarify something.

I decided to get a raw bone from the butcher however I didn't ask for a specific type of bone. So he gave me what I believe is a beef knuckle bone.

I'm sure I read somewhere that you shouldn't give knuckle bones due to how hard they are.

Is this true???

Cheers

Alot of people don't give knuckle bones as they can and have broken dogs teeth.

I'd personally give a few chicken wings or some really meaty lamb ribs for them to chew on as they can consume everything bone included

AzzynCav wrote:Sorry for reviving an old old post just wanted to clarify something.

I decided to get a raw bone from the butcher however I didn't ask for a specific type of bone. So he gave me what I believe is a beef knuckle bone.

I'm sure I read somewhere that you shouldn't give knuckle bones due to how hard they are.

Is this true???

Cheers

There's a lot of debate about this. Too many marrow bones can wear down the teeth, and have been known to crack/break the teeth. But I personally haven't known any dogs this has happened to. If you're giving a marrow bone as a treat, it should be raw. It it's raw, it should be thrown away after 24 hours as it'll go bad otherwise. To be honest, if a dog's having a large bone, once a month for 24 hours or less, then I doubt the teeth'll come to any harm.

Agree with Caryll here. I also have given beef feet (they don't last as long) but always make sure they are raw.

"If you're giving a marrow bone as a treat, it should be raw. It it's raw, it should be thrown away after 24 hours as it'll go bad otherwise. To be honest, if a dog's having a large bone, once a month for 24 hours or less, then I doubt the teeth'll come to any harm."

Thats pretty much what I was going to do, just give her it as a treat.

Thanks for your help

So glad I have found this forum, I was concered about what bones to give my staffy, I was told by the blue cross to give her a lambs shank bone? I did buy some roast Pork bones from the pet shop, and from reading the above, I take it those could splindler and harm her, am I correct, or are they ok to give her till I get the real thing?

I won't give any cooked bones at all, I don't want to take the risk. I suppose if you constantly watched to see if she's splintering it, then it would be ok, but I wouldn't risk it.

A lamb's shank bone's ok as long as it's raw.

Thank you for the reply, I will not be giving Pixee those bones. Better safe than sorry. Will pop down the butchers and get her the beef or lamb ones, raw. She is in for a real treat

And I am back with some beef bones, and free too Will give her one later, as she has had her dinner. Cos she is still underweight she is on 3 feeds a day. Looking forward to seeing her face when she gets her treat

You usually find bones only splinter if they are cooked, try giving your dog rib bones nice and soft for them...

Chicken wings are also good. Raw of course

Breast of lamb (bone in) is also good - a bit fatty, so you wouldn't want to give it too often, but a real treat for your dog. You'd have to cut his food down accordingly, though, cause there's usually quite a bit of meat left on it.

Never give a dog a raw hide bone or similar.

They are mainly made in China.

Raw hide is not naturally white as it is when you buy them.

The hide is the left over bits after tanning, then then use bleach or other hazardous chemicals to make them look clean and white.

Like others have said, a bone from the butchers is fine. Buy a marrow bone and have the butcher saw it down the centre, then your pet can munch happily at the marrow. <:-P

I give my american staffordshire terrier dog a toy bone with meat flavors. She loves it more than any toy she got. I suggest this if you're not sure with a real bone.

oldsalt wrote:Like others have said, a bone from the butchers is fine. Buy a marrow bone and have the butcher saw it down the centre, then your pet can munch happily at the marrow. <:-P

The bone should be sawed across it, not along the length of it - this reduces the chances of it splitting/splintering. Also, too much marrow all at once can upset some dogs' stomachs.

my questions is you are talking about chicken wings/bones? chicken bones splinter horribly is what I've been told so you should use them?? caryll what are youthoughts on this?

Someone bought a bone for Troy. It is one of them cooked Ham bones I think they are called. The ones you get from pet shops and supermarkets.

Are these not okay then?

wentzer wrote:my questions is you are talking about chicken wings/bones? chicken bones splinter horribly is what I've been told so you should use them?? caryll what are youthoughts on this?

I'm so sorry, I missed this one! Chicken wings/legs/carcasses are fine as long as they are fresh & raw. They are quite bendy when they are fresh & raw, but get very sharp & splintery when they are cooked or old.

Gee wrote:Someone bought a bone for Troy. It is one of them cooked Ham bones I think they are called. The ones you get from pet shops and supermarkets.
Are these not okay then?

I won't give them myself. I think if you supervise it very carefully & take it away the minute you see any cracks etc, then you're probably ok, but I still don't like them much. I know people do give them, though, and have very few problems.

I would always stick with raw bones.

Heston knows when its Bone-day and prances around the butchers door when I go in to get them! ATM the butcher gives us beef ribs and he saws them into pup sized portions. He is not yet capable of fully devouring the bone, but he strips it right down and chomps down over a 3rd of the bone. We throw it away at bed time as it goes quite hard & dark by the next day and its only a treat.