# Raw soup bone Q



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I've been sick this week, so Saber isn't getting out as much. I decided to give her a raw beef soup bone I got from the grocery store to occupy her for a bit. It has a little meat on it, not much, and has marrow in it.

Anyway, I threw it in the crate and she is in there going to town. A couple Q's:

Should I limit this at all, or just let her chew it as much as she wants?
Is this ok to continue when she is actively teething?
How much cleanup is necessary? I don't feed raw, and I have kids, so I was wondering about the raw meat bacteria. Just wipe down the inside of the crate when she's done?
How do you store a raw bone when not in use? Baggie in the fridge or freezer? Is it okay to use for a week or more, or will it go bad?

Thanks for helping with my newbie questions!


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

Not sure about the teething, but store in a freezer in a bag. The dog will usually tell you when he isn't interested anymore. Mine usually gives up when can't get any more marrow. No special clean up for me either.


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

We give our dogs knuckle bones and we try to limit the time, only because even the knuckle bones give both of them the runs. I suppose it depends on the individual dog. I've heard that marrow can loosen up their stools.

Ours get stored in a ziplock in the freezer. Even with limited time, I've never worried about them going bad, they don't last long enough!!!

Hope you feel better soon.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

We use raw marrow bones for chewing a lot. If it's a bone with a fair amount of marrow we do take them away after a while and don't let them finish on their own or they'd clean out the whole thing. Problem there is that marrow is very rich and very high in fat and eating a lot in one sitting is a perfect recipe for some serious diarrhea. So if or when to take it away would depend on amount of marrow there compared to size of dog, and how quickly she's getting through it.

We store in a ziploc bag. In the fridge if it's going to be finished within the next day or two, back in the freezer if longer than that.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

We give raw femur bones from the butcher weekly in the summer when they can enjoy them outside, and usually every other week or so in the winter in crates or outside if it's an unusually decent day. I always wipe down the trays of the crates with lysol or some other strong cleaner. Is it necessary? I'm not really sure. but I have a 7 mo old baby in the house so I figure it can't hurt...

I don't take them back and put them in the freezer, and we start pups on them around 3 mo old. We just give them smaller pieces. What they don't finish we usually just toss because I give them on days that I need or want them outta my hair  for a while, so they will have the bones for a good while. I wasn't sure how long they could be out before it wasn't safe to refreeze them and give another day, so just got in the habit of tossing them.

The adults eat their entire bone for the most part (when we give the end pieces of the femur which have been cut in half by the butcher), so nothing left to take away. The center pieces they don't or can't eat the actual bone, so I just pick all of those up and toss them when they are licked clean.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

My husband gets really upset when I give them bones in the house. I make them chew on "dog" sheets then I just throw the sheets in the wash. If they don't want to chew I take them back, bag them and put them in the fridge. I guess I do sometimes make them take a break if I think they may get too much marrow. I have been giving my dogs raw bones for years I have never had a health issue.


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

What I do with raw marrow bones after the dogs have eaten all the marrow out of them, is stuff the bone with raw hamburger and pop it in the freezer. My dogs really enjoy them ..Good for teething puppies.


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