On Feeding Marrow (and other “recreational”) Bones vs. Raw MEATY Bones

Yes, we do sell marrow bones and other recreational bones, but when we do, the sale *always* comes with a heavy dose of education and a gentle warning that these bones are, indeed, the most dangerous ones that we sell and should only be fed to dogs for which you are fully confident can enjoy them safely.

What does “enjoy them safely” mean?  It means your dog will not bite down hard on them or chew vigorously on them. The right candidate for enjoying these bones is one that will carry the bone around for days (or weeks) and lick it gently. Be sure to select a bone that has been cut to a safe size for your dog’s mouth (not too small to become a swallow risk, and not a risk for getting caught on their jaw, as pictured here).

Weight bearing bones from large animals (like cattle) are very dense. They can fracture your dog’s teeth and will break up into sharp shards when broken/cracked, which is a safety issue. Marrow bones are usually cleanly stripped and well-trimmed of attached meat, then cut down to size, during the butchering process. The modern “fit for human consumption” butchering process removes the important, nutritious and useful meat, connective tissue, and hide attached to this bone (as nature provides) to safely and properly cushion the ingested bone fragments during digestion.

These bones can also get caught in your dog’s mouth or jaw – and if swallowed, they can do some serious damage.

Marrow, gelatinous and knuckle bones are all considered recreational bones — which are also referred to as WRECkreational bones because of the problems they may cause. We strongly recommend & promote the feeding of raw MEATY bones – which are different than the recreational bones.  Below you can find our feeding suggestions for raw bones. If your dog can safely manage marrow bones, that’s great, and we have them here for you — but please make sure that you are aware of the risks associated with these particular types of bones before offering them to your dog.

Here’s a good article that reviews the issues with marrow bones.

Other places to learn more about this issue can be found here and here and here.

The below list of raw bone suggestions was originally written & complied in 2005. Note: we have a lot of new products and producers available these days, but this gives you a good idea of things to try with your dogs & cats. The TIPS listed at the top are relevant & important to review, as this information applies to EVERYONE considering feeding bones.