# Are the bones in chicken thighs marrow bones?



## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

I'm feeding my other dog RAW and this is his first week on raw. We started yesterday and today I gave him a RBM along with his meat. For the first week, he's getting just chicken thighs, so I was wondering if the bones in chicken thighs are marrow bones. If so, I won't give him another RBM from the chicken thighs; I don't want his teeth ruined.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

All raw chicken bones are fine to feed your dogs. They are a staple of my dogs raw diet.


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Thanks.







My grandma doesn't approve of chicken bones, even uncooked (she had a dog die from eating chicken bones she says, but they were probably cooked ones). But she doesn't know anything about the raw diet besides what I told her (and that's not much), so unless she had a good idea I don't listen to what she says about the raw diet.


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## aaron.whitney (Oct 7, 2007)

> Quote: My grandma doesn't approve of chicken bones, even uncooked (she had a dog die from eating chicken bones she says, but they were probably cooked ones).


 That is always a possibility, I know a local veterinarian whose dog choked to death on a piece of kibble. The vet free fed kibble and came home to find her dog next to the food bowl. I know that with my dogs raw feeding poses less of a risk of that happening. The meal is instantly eaten and the dog is supervised during meals.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Chicken thigh bones are WONDERFUL for their teeth!!







Chicken thigh bones will not ruin your dogs teeth, but IMPROVE them.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> Quote:I was wondering if the bones in chicken thighs are marrow bones.


Yes, chicken thigh bones are marrow bones, as are rib bones. 

RMB's, which stands for raw meaty bones, should make up the majority of your dog's raw diet, up to 60%. A raw meaty bone is a bone such as a chicken thigh quarter, that includes both a bone as well as muscle, ie. a good meat-over-bone ratio. Bones such as chicken necks and backs wouldn't be considered RMBs because there's little meat on them - of course, they're still great to add to the diet in moderation, and they do clean the teeth quite nicely.



> Quote:My grandma doesn't approve of chicken bones, even uncooked (she had a dog die from eating chicken bones she says, but they were probably cooked ones).


It is absolutely possible for a dog to die from an uncooked chicken bone. There are a couple of scenarios in which this may happen, but I think it would be most likely that the dog would choke on a large, not properly chewed-up, piece of bone. A lot of people are careful giving chicken drum sticks for this very reason, because they are small enough that some Shepherds may try to swallow them whole.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

When I think of marrow bones I think of cow legs. Google 'beef marrow bones' and you will see what I'm talking about. Large, very tough bones with marrow inside. Usually not edible - more of a recreational bone.

The reason they are not edible is because these are bones that have to be strong enough to hold up the weight of the animals for years.

Chicken leg bones are NOT strong. Commercial broiler chickens grow FAST - they are usually at butchering size by 8 weeks of age. Their leg bones don't get enough time to grow strong. In fact, if you take a commercial broiler chicken and let them go past the butchering age, most likely their legs will break under the weight of their body.

So, the RAW chicken bones - ALL of them - are soft enough for a dog to consume and digest.


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