marrowbone

[picklesmum]

Hi there. Just wanted to guage opinion on marrowbones. Pickle's trainer said he'd benefit from getting a bone once a week, as it would be good for his teeth, and help him build up extra immunity. I personally don't like bones (am a bit squeamish!) but would go and get him one if it was going to be a great health benefit to him. Do you give your cockers marrow bones? Does it make any difference that he's still a pup?
He's not really interested in Nylabones, and prefers a nice carrot to chew on.
We'd love to hear your opinion on this.
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[Jane S]

Our lot often get a raw marrowbone - they love them! I do trim off as much fat as possible before they get them as I've found this can cause upset tums. They are excellent for keeping teeth clean - much better than the commercial products on the market :wink:                    

[milo's mum]

Hi Jane,

Milo loves a bone. We have been giving him one every second week but have been a bit worried about it because we find that
a) he is a bit "loose" for a couple of days
at the same time he only picks at his meals

He is 7 months old and almost fully grown. We give him the baked ones from 'pets at home'.  

Should we be worried or should we just continue asis because he enjoys them so much?

Jackie                    

[picklesmum]

Hi Jackie. Dont know if Jane is around (crufts) but I can tell you that
a) apparently it's quite normal for dogs to be a bit 'upset' when they have a bone, as the bones often carry quite a bit of bacteria. I think it is good bacteria (like Yakult!) as it helps to build up the dogs immunity system. And I was told that if Pickle gets a bone, it should be instead of one of his meals, as it has quite a lot of nutrition in it, and would fill him up!
Hope this helps - I'm still a bit squeamish about the whole bone thing to be honest, so havn't got one for P yet. Is it really gory?
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[milo's mum]

Thanks Emma.

We only every gave him one raw bone. He loved it but it was a bit messy, especially when he tried to eat it on the sofa!

Since then we've been giving him roasted bones which are 'dry' and keep him amused for hours.

Jackie and Milo.                    

[Jane S]

Yes a marrow bone does fill a dog up so you need to adjust the food accordingly on the day you give your pup one. Loose motions can be caused by the bacteria (not likely with a "cooked" bone though as the processing will have killed off all bacteria good & bad) but some dogs take a while to get used to proper meaty stuff (if they are normally fed a complete food). I prefer to feed raw bones from the butcher but have to admit they can be a bit messy                    

[Mary]

Lottie adores bones (no surprise there though :roll: ).

Jim buys her them from the butchers and she's in the garden for absolutely hours.  It's interesting to watch her with it.  She keeps moving it around the garden, repositioning it and it's amazing how much marrow she can actually get out of it :shock:

I would say the only downside is that her ears are in a right mess afterwards so I try and give her one when I know she's due for a bath :wink:

As she eats hers in the garden though, I do have concerns over what it may pick up as she shifts it around.  It gets covered in grass which does not seem to bother her though :wink: