# Raw Cow Leg Bones



## Nick wathen (Feb 26, 2012)

I was wondering if it is safe to let dogs chew on raw leg bones. Our local butcher gives them to us for free. He will cut them to what ever length. Is the leg bone to hard and wear a dogs teeth down quickly? If so what raw bones from a cow are safe for a dog?
thanks!


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## Edward Egan (Mar 4, 2009)

It's been reported that weight barring bones from large stock animals are to hard, depending on the dog way break teeth.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I threw some raw bones from a friends farm bonepile in my back yard and my female actually wore her premolars down to the gumline in a few weeks. I was blown away.

Not so bad with the male who is not as agressive a chewer and seems to have harder teeth.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Nick
r u talking about giving a big bone to chew on for fun and hang around with to kill time and enjoy, or r u talking about a bone used for nutrition as part of a meal...big difference

don't bones that get left in the weather and/or buried, etc., eventually get dried out and become harder over time ?

for me i never let any dog have a boner for more than maybe 30 40 min to "work on" ... then they go back to me for "inspection" as to using em again


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

damn...another senior moment 
just hit the keyboard without reading what i wrote; my bad
.....talking about "bones" of course


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## Nick wathen (Feb 26, 2012)

rick smith said:


> Nick
> r u talking about giving a big bone to chew on for fun and hang around with to kill time and enjoy, or r u talking about a bone used for nutrition as part of a meal...big difference
> 
> don't bones that get left in the weather and/or buried, etc., eventually get dried out and become harder over time ?
> ...


We keep the bones in the freezer that have meat on them and give them to the dogs just for fun/killing time. And them we take them away and put the bones up. They like to get the marrow out of the inside.
So what other bones can you give besides rib bones?


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

I think raw knuckles are good. Clean the teeth. Dogs will usually spend time with the front teeth picking meat and stuff off, as well as just crunching on the bone.

Anything can wear a dogs teeth down, it is kind of an individual thing, depending on the dog, and the time allowed to chew. 

This dog will chew a knuckle bone to pieces, in one sitting sometimes. It is rare that I give her one, but I do occasionally.

Just remember, something is gonna give, either the dogs teeth, or whatever it is chewing on...sometimes both..so be careful and monitor all chewing..

I think the elk antler (super hard) and nylabones wear the dogs teeth more than the beef knuckle, at least here...


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Nick wathen said:


> We keep the bones in the freezer that have meat on them and give them to the dogs just for fun/killing time. And them we take them away and put the bones up. They like to get the marrow out of the inside.
> So what other bones can you give besides rib bones?


And Rib bones shatter into little daggers.


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## Betsie Janson (Jan 2, 2012)

With large animal leg bones, the long diaphysis or shaft is compact bone and the hardest part. I do not like to give these, I prefer to give the epiphysis or knuckle. This is mostly cartilage, meat (if not cleaned) and spongy bone, which because of its structure does not shard and does have some give. I have had some species, like venison whose shafts shard something nasty. I usually let dogs chew this down to the beginning of the compact bone at the neck. My current dogs will usually stop at this point. I have also fed rib bones quite successfully. No shards, a lot of give.


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## JOHN WINTERS (Mar 5, 2010)

I personally give mine frozen beef neck bones (fair amount of meat on them), he works them over for awhile and he can break down the ridges fairly easily. I've also given him deer legbones, but those I monitor his chewing on because they can splinter out. So far, no teeth issues, just bright whities....:mrgreen:


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

I like knuckle, rib, back neck bones and the like - the shaft of the leg bone can be real tooth crackers for alot of dogs.


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Safe as long as the cow is DEAD!


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

My Lab is an extreme chewer...no more marrow bones for him. He's cracked them straight in half before, on several occasions. Had to get two teeth removed last year because of a training accident (he bit the thick clasp on the long line) and took him to see a dentist. I was told not to worry about micro-fractures (or whatever I was told was the cause for concern) caused by marrow bones, but that he sees more problems (fractures, breaks, ect) because of those hard nylabones than anything else.

I still give and recommend marrow bones, just not for my Lab. And I stay away from the nylabones all together.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I prefer lamb bones for this reason. My dogs don't get beef bones anymore pretty much at all. For any raw bones, the moisture that is naturally in raw bones is one of the things that keep it from splintering and keep it a little softer, so in any case, pitch any bone that has not been chewed by 24 hours.


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## Sara Waters (Oct 23, 2010)

My dogs have been getting cow leg bones for 25 years sometimes daily, mainly weekly. Never had a problem. Dogs have had nice white teeth into old age. Sometimes they stay in the garden for months. The dogs eat them right down to the hard bone. My cattle dogs in particular are aggressive chewers and only stubs are left. I get them cut lengthwise and then into quarters.

I dont like lamb bones as much although they do get them when I kill a sheep, but with lamb leg bones they eat the whole thing, hooves and the actual bone. They just crack em open and demolish the lot. They particularly like the head, eyes and all ew!

So far only tooth damage is sometimes losing the tips of the canines when they get older.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> I prefer lamb bones for this reason. My dogs don't get beef bones anymore pretty much at all. For any raw bones, the moisture that is naturally in raw bones is one of the things that keep it from splintering and keep it a little softer, so in any case, pitch any bone that has not been chewed by 24 hours.





Lynn Cheffins said:


> .... the shaft of the leg bone can be real tooth crackers for alot of dogs.


Yes. I've learned that a lot rides on the dog's "style" with recreational-type bones. 

One Tufts root canal to save an fractured tooth for a young dog pretty much ended my big-beef-bone-giving habit forever. 

Healthy young dog with a "crack that thing OPEN!" mindset ended up costing a bag o' money.

I never had a problem with big cow bones either ..... until I did. :lol:


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## Sara Waters (Oct 23, 2010)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Yes. I've learned that a lot rides on the dog's "style" with recreational-type bones.
> 
> One Tufts root canal to save an fractured tooth for a young dog pretty much ended my big-beef-bone-giving habit forever.
> 
> ...


Well I reckon in the 30 odd years of owning dogs, probably around 40 all up and never having to ever pay any dental bills for cleaning or anything I am probably ahead if something happens. The dogs most likely to have a problem are insured anyway. 

I agree about the recreational style, but then my real bone crackers have never had a problem. Now I have probably jinxed myself LOL. I aint gonna stop anyhow.


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## Nick wathen (Feb 26, 2012)

Thanks for all the info!


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