When it comes to giving your dog a bone or a bone like treat there are many different choices to consider. NEVER EVER should one of these choices be chicken bones! Jet and I’s bone of choice is the raw marrow bone. Raw marrow bones (also known as soup bones) are relatively cheap and can actually be purchased from your butcher department at your local grocery store. Marrow bones are called as such because of the raw juicy marrow that is still inside these bones, often times they also come with some meat and tissue still attached as well which is a plus for your dog. I purchase Jet’s marrow bones from A Place For Paws because they are affordable and we simply freeze them for future use. When Jet needs some one on one time with his bone to get those teeth sparkling clean I simply pull a marrow bone from the freezer and give it to him on a towel. I taught Jet to keep his marrow bone on a towel so that the carpet doesn’t suffer when the bone starts to defrost and leak all those tasty juices! You should keep in mind that your dog may have a sensitive stomach when it comes to rich nutrition like the marrow inside marrow bones, if this is the case you can simply take a spoon and scoop out some of the marrow to prevent stomach upset.

So why raw marrow bones? Why not cows hooves, pigs ears, cooked/bleached bones, Nylabones, Greenies, rawhide or anything else? There certainly are a lot of choices when it comes to bones but my choice is always the marrow bone for the reasons below:

Cow hooves splinter and can tear at the intestines as they go down the digestive tract. Cow hooves also chip teeth. Not to mention the gas they create in your poor dog’s stomach!

Pig ears smell awful and they cause diarrhea and gas, they can cause blockages in yoru dog’s intestines and sometimes carry bacteria such as salmonella which can prove harmful to both you and your dog.

Cooked and bleached bones splinter terribly and swallowed splinters of cooked and bleached bones tear at the intestines causing ruptures which can eventually cause death. Cooked bones are much harder and splinter much more easily than raw marrow bones.

Nylabones…Jet can tell you from experience that although these seem like safe alternatives for chew toys they often crack dog’s teeth. Nylabones are also one of the leading causes of blockage in dogs intestines.

Greenies, Greenies are on my NEVER feed list and if you do a Google search yourself for the horrifying results of dogs who have eaten Greenies and experienced intestinal blockage from undigestible pieces you will see why these are on my bad list.

Rawhide? I will admit to being guilty of giving Jet a rawhide once in a while; however, I really try not to as much as possible and when I do give Jet a rawhide it is always under close supervision. Rawhide, when chewed, becomes slippery and easily choked on and it is important that if your dog begins to choke you be in the immediate vicinity. If you pick rawhide as an option for your dog’s bone make sure you pick rawhide that is larger than your dog’s mouth to prevent the piece from being swallowed whole. Also make sure that your rawhide is made in the USA as many other countries include additives in their rawhide such as arsenic! Rawhide like many of the treats listed above can be swallowed in larger pieces which can cause obstruction or tearing of the intestines so always keep a close eye on a rawhide eating dog! You also want to keep an eye out for unbleached (non-cream and non-white colored) rawhide as this is the better choice, bleaching uses chemicals which are not necessarily safe for your dog! Finally too much rawhide can cause diarrhea so once your dog has chewed for a little while remove the bone and keep it out of reach – do not attempt bone removal is you have an aggressive dog.

Cooked bones in general are all a terrible choice for your dog and will result in horrific if not fatal consequences. If you wish to embark on a raw diet for your dog including whole foods with bones intact contact your vet and do your research in to how to optimize your dog’s nutrition and feed him/her whole foods safely.

Please keep in mind that all bones and like treats should be fed to your dog with supervision!