Real Beef Bones vs the Rawhide stuff and all the rest.

[reinhard1]

my wife and my two daughters surprised me sunday with a chocolate lab 9 weeks old. never thought i would have another dog because of the pain i felt when my wife and i lost our dogs a few years ago. never owned a "pure bred" dog before just what was at the humane society [but we loved them all].

both my daughters have lab pups. i gave them center cut marrow bones awhile back. cooked them and took the marrow out. well one lab got sick and the vet said it was probably the marrow bones. all my other dogs have always had "real" marrow bones and have never had a problem. so, have anyone else had a problem with real beef marrow bones with labs or is it the rawhide fake bones the way to go when they are a pup and maby graduate into real bones later? thanks. good luck.

[LABS4ME]

Real Bones for me. I NEVER gove rawhide. To each their own, but my dogs will never have them. A good raw beef bone or cow hooves for my dogs. They got the bone for an hour at a time when young and kept in the freezer in between chews.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Glock]

I think you will have to try them and see. I have had dogs that could eat anything (well almost anything) and everything would come out solid. But with my current lab both real and rawhide will cause her diarrhea. Ended up giving her the nylon bone. She can chew on it for hours and get little off them. Whatever you choose keep an eye out so that it doesnt break off too big of chunks and swallow them.

I understand the feelings about past dogs but I'm sure it wouldnt take long for your new puppy to steal your family's heart!

Glock

[Jmnhunter]

I use real bones also, just started buying raw bones then boiling them myself and taking off all the meat and marrow that i could. I used to buy the dog bones from the meat market that were smoked, but the bones were too brittle. I leave him with his bone all day in the kennel and noticed the bone is lasting alot longer.

[reinhard1]

i also used to boil the marrow bones and take the marrow out for our two dogs we had before. they never got sick. after a year or so i put the bones in the back yard for them and they chewed on them for years. i'm just a little more touchy now with having a lab and her being a pup. i think i will get her a center cut marrow bone and boil it and scrape it out inside and out and give it a shot.

i just wanted some input from those who have had experience with real or fake bones. i saw pork bones for sale also in the pet section. when i was still in the meat buisness the only bone i would reccomend for dogs would be beef bones and only marrow bones at that. knuckle, rib, and neck beef bones in my opinion are too brittle for my comfort. also i would never give dogs chicken bones. i had a friend that put a turkey neck in the trash in his kitchen and his dog somehow got it out and chocked to death on it. and he was a large dog. good luck.

[BLACKJACK]

I'm really surprised to hear people talk about giving their hunting dogs bones!!! Aren't you worried about them splintering and eventually hurting your dog when they swallow them?? I don't care what kind of bone it is, eventually they're going to break them down into smaller pieces and swallow them.

Sometimes after doing a CRP burn I'll find small sheds and let me dogs chew on them, they seem to like that smoky taste. Last winter I noticed that they almost had one pont chewed off to where they would have had a 2 inch chunk, imagine swallowing and trying to pass that!!! That was a deer antler!! If they can chew that up, a bone is going to eventually break down!!

I do give them a rawhide now and then, doesn't take them long to chew it down. Key is to make sure its not too big and don't give them too many, they'll get bound up.

[deerminator]

Once in awhile, we buy the stuffed shin "bones" from the Farm when they're on sale. More a special treat when we need the dogs to keep themselves entertained and away from house guests during gathering. Mostly, though, I've been buying those rawhide chips that look like pig's ear's and are beef or chicken flavored. It's only 5 bucks for 1lb bag and it lasts quite awhile. They get one almost every night when its time to settle in and relax for the evening. A tip on those, though, no eating on the couch as they can make a mess!

[reinhard1]

i'm assuming your dogs are no longer pups. the reason i say this, it's been a long time since i had a pup. like i stated before our two dogs lived to be almost 15 and it's been almost 5 years since they passed. but i do remember giving our dogs just beef center cut marrow bones around 6 to 8 inches long that were cooked and the marrow cleaned out. just cant remember if i gave them the bones when they were 9 weeks old like my chocolate lab pup is now. guess i was always more leary of the rawhide and the pig ears type stuff. maby have to wait till she is a little older for that stuff right now. good luck.

[deerminator]

DOH! Yes, I guess my dogs aren't pups. Got the 4 year old when he was one from the pound and the 1 year old from the breeder as an 8 week old. I can't remember when I started him on rawhide but it wasn't too long after we got him if I remember correctly. He more knawed on it, though, and I supervised and didn't let him keep it. Funny, they're both "purebred" beagles from what I can tell but we got the nice, calm relaxed one from the pound (found him abandoned at local trailer park) and got the hyper, goofball from the breeder. Good luck with your pup and have fun!

[Todd Caswell]

Go to the butcher and get RAW beef shank bones, there really big, and will not break or splinter if there raw, if you cook them in any way they will soften and break. I give them for 15 minutes twice a week and there teeth are nice and shiny. When done put back in the freezer and your good to go.

I don't care what your giving them , the key is supervise, don't let them have anything alone ever and you'll be safe..

[pokerface]

My lab will consume just about anything that has a scent. Have given him beef bones, smoked bones, knuckles, rawhide, pig ears, etc. One day when walking him he found fresh deer leg (front). Couldnt get that away from him to save my butt, so he chewed on it until it was completely gone hoof,fur, bone, everything. Made sure he took a dump to see what came out. It looked perfectly normal and he appeared well the next couple of days as well. My point is all dogs are not the same. I dont think wolves and coyotes are all that picky about what food they eat, its just natural to them. But I suspect they get some indigestion occassionally.

[reinhard1]

Welcome to HSO!!! thanks for the input. maby i'm being a little overprotective of my little pup at this point. i'm out in the backyard with her and she seems to pick up everything thats not attached to the ground. i know she swallowed a few acorns and so far so good. i try to get to her and take stuff out of her mouth as much as i can. it's been so long since i had a pup i feel like a rookie at it all over again. good luck.

[BLACKJACK]

You'll learn in a hurry to put everything up that you don't want chewed on, she'll be customizing everything that she can get her teeth on!!!

[reinhard1]

she has delivered my shoes already a few times. my backyard is fenced in, however i have a garden, trees, bird feeders, bushes, lawn, and a third of that is left natural. so there is plenty for her to find to chew on outside. constatly following her around and taking wood out of her mouth. i know my last two dogs had the same run of the backyard when they were pups and they survived pretty well. so far the squirels are not that scared of the pup. i think that will change in time. good luck.

[Scott K]

RH, I just got a new pup a few weeks ago as well. She is 10 weeks old now. I just give her many different options for her to chew on, toys, Kongs, throwing dummies, bones, and smoked cow hoof, etc.. She doesnt tend to get into my stuff since she has som much to play with, and chew on. I think a bored puppy, is a troubled puppy. Those smoked cow hooves are my dogs favorite, and even the older dogs can chew on them for weeks without taking much off of it. Enjoy your puppy, because they do grow really fast!

[Kyhl]

Our dogs get all versions and as Todd said, with supervision.

We use chicken flavored hard nylabones available 24/7. We haven't had and issue with them. We toss them out when they get small enough to be swallowed. We go with chicken because it's the only chicken flavor our dogs get because they are allergic to chicken. So no other chicken based treats or foods.

Rawhides, for about an hour at a time once every few weeks and only under supervision.

Butchershop smaller smoked bones with marrow. The dogs pick them clean, including the marrow. Again only with supervision and maybe once a month or two. Our dogs ignore the bones once they are picked clean.

And I let them clean up the rib bones after I smoke a rack. I hold on the the ribs while they pick them clean. They are not allowed to bite the bone. They are pretty good at peeling off the meat and gristle like we eat corn off the cob.

[reinhard1]

thanks guy's for the information. i just bought her another toy while shopping at wallyworld. your right about the pups growing fast. every other week when i pick up the grandkids i could see my two daughter's lab pups grow like crazy. they feed their pups science diet large breed puppy food. that's what i have now. half a cup in the morning and the same in late afternoon. some treats in between. good luck.

[JustLOVEit]

I have been feeding my lab everything right off the dinner table (only exception is chicken/turkey bones) and real beef and beef bones. I won't feed my dog any cheap rawhide or rawhides at all. Spent way too much money on her to go cheap.