Raw bones

Just got some raw beef bones from the supermarket. Is it ok to give these to a 6 month old? Do they need cooked?

No.1 NEVER give cooked bones EVER!
No.2. It depends what sort of bones they are.
No.3. At 6 months not all the new teeth will be in,although most will be. Don't give 'hard' bones such as leg or any other weight bearing (marrow) bones. Spines, (lamb mainly) chicken wings etc are fine but must be supervised.

Do you know what bones you have? How old are they & have they been frozen at any time?

Definitely not cooked!! As Gilly said no marrow bones yet. Wings, feet or ribs would be best at his age.

I have no idea what they are.. It just says "Meaty beef bones, ideal for stock" on the wrapper. I'll just bin them and get something more suitable.

Don't bin them - use them!

If they're large bones, then no, don't give them to your pup. But you can still use them.

Boil them up at a low temperature & plenty of water for about an hour, or even two. Then drain them, reserving the liquid. Throw the bones away & freeze the liquid in ice cube trays. Great for adding to your dog's dinner or for cooling him down on a warm day.

Mind you, the way the weather is here at the moment, that could be a while away!

So next time I'm out, chicken wings and feet or ribs from what?

Pork ribs

Lamb ribs are better - pork contains proportionally more fat.

If you have a Morrisons near you, you might be able to pick up some lamb spines. They are softer and easier to 'crunch' than some other bones & are good for starting a dog on raw bones.

my local butcher has a plastic dustbin outside full of bones for a pound a chuck maybe worth asking your local butcher if you have one long gone are the days when they used to give them away

channi wrote:my local butcher has a plastic dustbin outside full of bones for a pound a chuck maybe worth asking your local butcher if you have one long gone are the days when they used to give them away

If they're outside & not refrigerated, then I wouldn't touch them!

their all bagged and no runny tummy 2 years on them so i think they must be ok to carry on buying them don't you think

I still wouldn't trust them personally - you only need one bone to carry Giardia or similar & you'll have a very poorly dog.

But you're right - it's your decision.

i don't think the family run butcher would of lasted the 85 years of trading if they did'nt know how to treat their goods

I'm not arguing with you - just saying that I, personally, wouldn't give bones that have been left outside & unrefrigerated.

Gave Neeko a lamb rib yesterday, he wasn't sure at 1st but he sure enjoyed it.

He'll be looking for them all the time, now!