I just ordered 20# of raw knuckle bones for my dogs for Christmas and I need to know if they always need to be refrigerated after they chew on them or is there a point that they can be left out for them to chew them at their leisure???
Good question. Come to think of it, I've left their chewing bones out. They remove any remaining meat quickly, then that just leaves the marrow. They don't smell or anything, but I'd like to know from the shipper. Could you check their website if there is a FAQ or email contact? I'd like to know what they have to say about it.
Geri,
I ordered mine fresh from the local butcher shop....that's why I have to wait a week to get them....I doubt that they get requests for such thing so I don't think they will know! I was thinking about the same thing that Kerry answered!
Kerry do you get your knuckle bone cut? I asked him to cut them at least in 1/2 and told him they were for a 30# dog...I don't have any idea what I will end up with.
We got some from our local butcher too. They were already cut, but I don't know if they were 1/2 or 1/4 or what have you. They are disc shaped, about 1 - 2 inches thick. The dogs just love them!
I also found a local pet store that sells some bones (frozen). The next time I'm there , I will ask about if it is ok to leave them out.
Correct..the raw one's won't splinter, but don't ever give them poultry or pork rib bones. We give them beef knuckle bones from the butcher shop, or marrow bones from the pet store. The ones they are enjoying today (a rainy San Diego afternoon) are buffalo marrow bones.
There's no danger in raw bones; I feed chicken rib cages every day and have for a decade. I wean puppies on them, feed them to pregnant bitches, you name it. I've fed deer ribs, whole quail, lamb ribs, buffalo, cow heads, the list is incredibly long.
I DO know a dog who died from eating cooked bone; the issue is not so much the splintering as it is the fact that the cooked bones form a cement-like stool that can obstruct and cause major problems.
What I don't feed, and this is based on the experience of hundreds of raw feeders, is any weight-bearing bones of cows or sheep. "Marrow bones" cause slab fractures of the teeth and can be very hard on the mouth too, because the dog tries to eat the bone (chew through it) and cannot. I do feed knuckle bones (all cartilage) and anything non-weight-bearing, like neck bones or ribs.
To answer the original question, if the dogs don't completely eat the knuckle bones over a couple of days you should toss them. You don't want the bone drying out and becoming brittle; that's when it gets more dangerous.
Right now I get it from a restaurant supply place. In the past I've gotten it from small butcheries, big supermarkets, private slaughterhouses; whatever has the best price for a good product. I try to not go over fifty cents a pound (right now we pay twenty-five cents a pound, woo!) and I use chicken backs as the base of the diet. To that I add whatever organs (lamb tripe and lung, liver, heart, gizzards, etc.) and veggies and supplements they need. I also feed other raw meaty bones, but not as often as I feed the chicken.