# Bones??



## Sweet Mammy (Jun 22, 2008)

Can dogs have steak bones? (Beef)
When I was a kid we gave our dogs bones all the time, just not sure if they are too sharp.... thanks for letting me know (yes cooked)


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

Raw - yes.

Cooked - *NO!!!!!!!!!!*


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## sgtmom52 (Aug 30, 2008)

I can get the large beef leg bones from my supermarket. Are these OK? Is it better to give these raw or cooked. They are very heavy, have a little meat on them and are filled with marrow. If you do give them raw, could you have a problem with the marrow getting rancid before they eat it?


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

ditto Lauri:

Raw- Yes

Cooked- No!!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

becarefull with the steak bones. they become small and sharp quickly.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i give my dog femur bones (leg bones). sometimes they're cooked sometimes they're raw. my most people say give them to them raw.
there's normally 3 or 4 of them laying around. i've never had a problem with them becoming rancid.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

Does the same rule apply to pork bones? I know not to give them cooked, but I am going to make pork chops tomorrow, can I cut around the raw bones before cooking and give them to Mandi? Up to now she has only had beef and chicken bones (raw, yes)


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## kanabp (Oct 1, 2008)

Maybe a silly question, but I can't think of the answer. Why raw bones and so emphatic with NO on cooked? Thanks


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Because cooked bones splinter. Large cooked bones can splinter even more easily than chicken bones, yet everyone knows never to feed cooked chicken bones. 

Also cooked bones are harder and can break teeth. Raw recreational bones can break teeth as well, but its more likely to happen with cooked bones. A friend of mine had to pay hundreds of dollars to get a teeth pulled from 2 of her dogs. The first time she had offered the cooked bone, the second time her roommate left one out even after being asked repeatedly not to.


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## kanabp (Oct 1, 2008)

See, I knew there had to be a sensible answer, other than they can be very sharp, especially when you "find" that bone in the dark with bare feet! Thanks for taking the time to respond. No more doggie bags for Tucker And he did so love the treat last Saturday night! I didn't let him keep the bone long after he got the meat off.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i think pork bones are to soft. they'll splinter.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: LinBecause cooked bones splinter. Large cooked bones can splinter even more easily than chicken bones, yet everyone knows never to feed cooked chicken bones.
> 
> Also cooked bones are harder and can break teeth. Raw recreational bones can break teeth as well, but its more likely to happen with cooked bones. A friend of mine had to pay hundreds of dollars to get a teeth pulled from 2 of her dogs. The first time she had offered the cooked bone, the second time her roommate left one out even after being asked repeatedly not to.


you can drive a nail with a raw femur bone. i've always given my dogs femur bones, cooked and raw. i've never had a dog splinter one. i think that cracking teeth has to do with how aggressive a chewer your dog is. i've given femur bones to very large dogs and Chihuahuas and i haven't experienced any teeth problems. maybe the dogs are lucky???? have you ever seen a dog splinter a femur bone???


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Soft is safe, its the hard ones that splinter. Thats why its perfectly fine to feed raw fully consumable bones, they're soft and easily crunched. Hard ones splinter off into shards. 



> Originally Posted By: doggiedadhave you ever seen a dog splinter a femur bone???


Yes. And the smoked bones sold at the petstores are the worst offenders. I've seen a min pin splinter those.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

steak bones: off the T or fillet become very sharp and small. it's sensible enough that you should know that. when i give my dog steak bones i keep and eye on them.


> Originally Posted By: Wisc-TuckerSee, I knew there had to be a sensible answer, other than they can be very sharp, especially when you "find" that bone in the dark with bare feet! Thanks for taking the time to respond. No more doggie bags for Tucker And he did so love the treat last Saturday night! I didn't let him keep the bone long after he got the meat off.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i find it hard to believe that you have seen a dog splinter a femur bone note i'm saying a femur bone. a smoked femur bone, i would take my chances with one of those. i wouldn't use a smoke bone from the pet store because they use chemical smoke in the process. the femur bones i use are fresh. they're cut from hanging beef. you can watch the butcher cut them out if you want to.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Yes a femur bone. I know what a femur bone is. In fact I might have the pictures somewhere of the min pin with it, my dad and his gf thought it was hilarious since the bone was bigger than he was. After cleaning up splinters repeatedly he finally trashed it. 

If they're fresh, they're not cooked. Unless you're cooking them. Cooking makes them brittle and prone to splintering.


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## kanabp (Oct 1, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadsteak bones: off the T or fillet become very sharp and small. it's sensible enough that you should know that. when i give my dog steak bones i keep and eye on them.
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Wisc-TuckerSee, I knew there had to be a sensible answer, other than they can be very sharp, especially when you "find" that bone in the dark with bare feet! Thanks for taking the time to respond. No more doggie bags for Tucker And he did so love the treat last Saturday night! I didn't let him keep the bone long after he got the meat off.


Lighten up, read my post again. I said that I took the bone away when Tucker got the meat off. I have had GSDs for years and have never had an issue with injury from bones. You don't have to be so condescending to a question that has previously been answered politely!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

misinterpretation, oops, sorry!!!!!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i do cook the bones sometimes. sometimes i'll bake them sometimes i'll boil them. i'm starting to have second thoughts about giving them to my dogs. i have a Grey Hound and a GSD.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I don't feed beef femurs to my dogs. Broken teeth are painful and expensive. Yes, I've had dogs with them. So have my friends with GSDs. My vet -- the dental specialist -- says that beef femurs keep him in business. 

A beef leg bone has to support 1000+ lbs of cattle. GSDs can bite with up to 300 psi. Something has to give. And that is the nice lovely enamel tooth that both you and your pup are very fond of. 

Once you've had your dog a loooonnnng time, if you're certain he's not an aggressive chewer at all, you _could _ try feeding femurs (recreation bones). I mean, I know people who do. I still wouldn't, but if you do: avoid saw-cut bones (which leave sharp edges and can cause damage), and try to avoid bones that are or have been frozen (they're harder). But for now, I'd stay away from all femurs. 

And no cooked bones ever. Never ever.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

what does S to fifth power for Obama mean??????


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## NitroBoy (Sep 5, 2008)

I give Nitro marrow bones from the meat deparment at the store. They are circular, have marrow in the middle and a little bit of meat on the outside. I give them to him raw, he cleans the bones of the meat and marrow, keeps him occupied and marrow is good for him. 
I am pretty sure if my antrhopology memory serves me correctly but that is how us humans survived back in neanderthal days.


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## James&Kaiser (Sep 11, 2008)

I am going to assume that the "S" stands for Socialism to the fifth power for Obama.


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## zipfreer (Dec 7, 2008)

I found feeding my dogs, large beef femurs bones are great way to keep their teeth cleaned my seven-year-old was starting to get plaque and Tartar started feeding the bones to him and his teeth are now white and it keeps my puppy extremely busy and keeps her teething in check and never had a problem with her chewing on anything else in my home. She always goes back to the bones and plays with them and feed it to them three times a week Sunday Wednesday and Friday.


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