Does anyone have any advice on giving roast bones from the pet shop as a treat? My 10month old goldie had one yesterday and loved it!  Would it be better to give her a raw bone?

Yup :) I only ever give large raw marrow bones to my dogs but I never leave them alone with them. Everyone comments on how white their teeth are as well ;)

I'm told these so called 'roasted bones' are actually deep fried - and we're always told that booked bones splinter dangerously :(  These two factors - high fat content and the risk of splintering mean my dogs only get raw meaty bones - which they seem to enjoy just as much as bones from the pet shop and they're cheaper!!!  :)

Thanks, I'll do as you suggest.  Sorry, I know it sounds silly, but being a veggie myself, I never go to the butcher's - do you just ask for large marrow bones?

Yup :) If you have a friendly butcher they will probably let you have them for free :)

I shall smile and ask nicely! 

NEVER,EVER give COOKED bones,which is what the smoked ones at the pet shop are,they are cooked,therefore dangerous for our dogs.They can splinter,cause a blockage,perforate the intestines,all because they are cooked :) Cooking changes the whole structure of the bones,it makes them indigestable and just down right dangerous!!

Your friendly butcher will be able to supply you with all the RAW bones your dog needs.

I dont mean to come accross as agressive,but i have seen the horrendous damage cooked/smoked bones can do to a dog and i dont ever want to see another dog suffer,yet i have never seen any complications from a simple raw bone.

How can these suppliers get away with selling something that clearly has health hazards?  I give my dogs raw bones but when I went to the butcher to ask he told me never to feed raw bones to my dogs.  There ensued a debate where I said "never feed cooked bones" but he was adamant.  I felt an absolute fool.  I knew I was right!!!

Suppliers get away with it because there are no rules and regulations to govern anything other than dog food - although I'd argue that they are not 'fit for the purpose' under Trades Description legislation......

I really didn't know this. Our family has always given the dogs the bones after a roast dinner and they love it, and have never suffered any adverse problems, but I never realised this could be dangerous. I shall let people know, but what if your dog has never had a raw meat diet and then you start giving them raw marrow bones, will this cause digestive problems?

The marrow in the bone may be too rich for your dog - that's the only common problem with raw marrow bones.   I scoop most of the marrow out before I give them to my dogs. 

Stacey

Stacey what do you do with the marrow? My dogs wouldnt eat a marrow bone without the marrow :p

Sometimes i scrape some of the marrow out and store it in the fridge to mix in with their vegie glop,as theyr'e not too keen on their veggies :(

The extra marrow I usually throw out. I'm not that organized.  I leave some marrow in the bone - but in the middle only where it's much harder to reach.  I have small dogs, Cairn terriers, and the marrow in the average "knuckle bone" is way too much for them.   A bit too much lubrication for their systems at once, if you know what I mean. :-) 

Mine love veggies.  Actually, apart from mushrooms, bananas and prawns I have not found anything they will not eat.  They don't call Cairns the "labs of the terrier world" for nothing. 

Stacey