# Raw Beef Bone question



## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

I bought two beef necks at the store today thinking it would be okay for my dogs. However I read somewhere that the beef bone would be too tough for my 15 week old pup. Is that true?


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I will probably be to hard for him to actually eat but i would give it to mine to strip and gnaw on.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

does the beef neck have a lot of meat on it? if you're feeding kibble, and there is a lot of meat on the bone, they could get diarrhea...

might want to try beef bbq ribs with most of the meat stripped off...


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## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

I'll watch out for that, MagicRe. I've been feeding them raw chicken for lunch and so far so good. Thanks for the advice you two!


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## KuroSaya (Jun 3, 2011)

I've given lamb necks before I made sure it was really meaty so it'd be a nice meal for her to work on striping and tearing the meat off. She worked on the meat and then gnawed a bit of bone off then once the meat was gone and she had enough bone I took it away.

With beef neck I'd let the dog eat the meat and take it off, but dunno on the bone part since it's a cow..

I've given meaty ox tails before and Saya trips the meat and does gnaw a bit of the bone off, but I'd take away when she had enough..

Never fed beef ribs before if I did I'd leave all the meat on so she got a work out striping the meat off.

Depends on the dog don't give something if it's too big or if the dog thinks crunching the beef rib is the way to go..


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

As I worked in my school meat lab during college we always had a HUGE supply of cow legs and ribs and such that we cut up into dog sized pieces and sell. My dog and my boyfriends dog loooove them and they last for forever. Sydney usually ends up burying them somewhere and I usually toss them once they come back from being dug up, a little too gross for inside lol. I usually pick the leg bones where they can hollow out the marrow and chew and chew til their little hearts content. I didn't start giving them real bones until their real teeth came in, if you do, don't panic when a little blood gets on the cleaned off bones, they chew hard and the little puppy teeth give a little. 

I also love giving them frozen bones, it makes them work harder to get the meat off and cools them down on hot summer days. Definitely an outside treat though!


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

amosmoses89 said:


> As I worked in my school meat lab during college we always had a HUGE supply of cow legs and ribs and such that we cut up into dog sized pieces and sell. My dog and my boyfriends dog loooove them and they last for forever. Sydney usually ends up burying them somewhere and I usually toss them once they come back from being dug up, a little too gross for inside lol. I usually pick the leg bones where they can hollow out the marrow and chew and chew til their little hearts content. I didn't start giving them real bones until their real teeth came in, if you do, don't panic when a little blood gets on the cleaned off bones, they chew hard and the little puppy teeth give a little.
> 
> I also love giving them frozen bones, it makes them work harder to get the meat off and cools them down on hot summer days. Definitely an outside treat though!


i won't feed weight bearing bones of cows....it doesn't happen to everyone, but it's more likely to cause a fractured tooth with these kinds of bones than any other.....

we feed either edible bone or beef barbeque bones that we know they can't eat, at least ours can't, because they are small dogs...but it gives them an incredible workout.

the larger the bone fed, in my opinion, the better....especially things like lamb necks...they are bigger than my pug's head and he has to get a bath once he's done with it....but he loves them....

deer legs maybe...goat legs, lamb legs.....maybe...but cow legs...that hold up 1000 lb beasties...the bone is too dense and hard...no matter who the dog is.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

I run into another Giant Schnauzer person occasionally in the Park-- his is a 95 lb 5 year old male-- who apparently exists on ONLY raw MEATY beef necks.
We bought from the same breeder who does a complex BARF diet -- I ended up transitioning to dry food with lots of raw chicken necks, gizzards, liver and gound beef (when I can get really cheap stuff down in the Mission) and beef marrow bones ... 
I have seen this other dog on more than 1 occasion over 2 years and he seems fine--
Maybe he gets scraps or something. The dog is well fleshed and looks healthy.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

Candydb said:


> I run into another Giant Schnauzer person occasionally in the Park-- his is a 95 lb 5 year old male-- who apparently exists on ONLY raw MEATY beef necks.
> We bought from the same breeder who does a complex BARF diet -- I ended up transitioning to dry food with lots of raw chicken necks, gizzards, liver and gound beef (when I can get really cheap stuff down in the Mission) and beef marrow bones ...
> I have seen this other dog on more than 1 occasion over 2 years and he seems fine--
> Maybe he gets scraps or something. The dog is well fleshed and looks healthy.


i won't get into the complex barf diets. it's a matter of what you believe...

but a human, a dog, a cat all need variety of proteins because each protein offers something different. so a dog who only lives on beef necks is truly missing nutrients....that are in other animals....i'm glad he is doing well, but he's young.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> i won't get into the complex barf diets. it's a matter of what you believe...
> 
> but a human, a dog, a cat all need variety of proteins because each protein offers something different. so a dog who only lives on beef necks is truly missing nutrients....that are in other animals....i'm glad he is doing well, but he's young.


Thats why I feed a high quality dry-- to cover the nutritional gaps... But I do try to vary the meats -- and if we are cooking fish they always get the skin, and the odd egg or two as well cottage cheese (2 tbsp each daily)...
I was just giving an example of what a dog could do with beef necks....


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> does the beef neck have a lot of meat on it? if you're feeding kibble, and there is a lot of meat on the bone, they could get diarrhea...
> 
> might want to try beef bbq ribs with most of the meat stripped off...


I have a related question (sorry if this is off topic!). For years I've been trying to feed my dog raw bones but he has had very mixed results from them. Pork bones almost always give him the WORST squits and sometimes it pains him to poop the next morning. Beef bones have been better but the results have not been consistent. I've always fed raw bones in the middle of the day, what I believed to be long enough from when he gets his kibble in the morning and night. 

For a while we tried to give him one raw bone per week, but every week bathrooms were just a disaster! So we cut raw bones out of his schedule till now. I'd love to figure out what the deal with all of this is because my dog LOVES raw bones and they are the absolute best for cleaning his teeth. He's been fed raw beef (cuts from when we're trimming the beef before we marinate it) and has been fine.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

Canyx said:


> I have a related question (sorry if this is off topic!). For years I've been trying to feed my dog raw bones but he has had very mixed results from them. Pork bones almost always give him the WORST squits and sometimes it pains him to poop the next morning. Beef bones have been better but the results have not been consistent. I've always fed raw bones in the middle of the day, what I believed to be long enough from when he gets his kibble in the morning and night.
> 
> For a while we tried to give him one raw bone per week, but every week bathrooms were just a disaster! So we cut raw bones out of his schedule till now. I'd love to figure out what the deal with all of this is because my dog LOVES raw bones and they are the absolute best for cleaning his teeth. He's been fed raw beef (cuts from when we're trimming the beef before we marinate it) and has been fine.


your dogs are not used to eating raw...so giving them raw bones....any red meat, especially, including pork....we only think it's the other white meat....marketing..ya know? 

what you can do is strip as much beef as you can off the beef bbq rib....and feed them that. gives them a nice workout without the blatts....because they are only getting a little of the raw meat.

other people give their dogs wings...but if you have a dog who isn't raw fed....well, i just don't recommend it.

i do know that some people feed half kibble, like one meal of kibble in the morning, and raw boney meat in the evening....again, there may be an issue down the line as to how much calcium the dog is getting, and phosphorous and other things....because kibble is a whole food and contains all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs, whilst raw feeders give separate parts of animals and organs and bone to make a complete diet.

i'd go with a stripped down beef rib.

and the raw trim is fine...as long as he can handle it....nothing worse than the squirts 



Candydb said:


> Thats why I feed a high quality dry-- to cover the nutritional gaps... But I do try to vary the meats -- and if we are cooking fish they always get the skin, and the odd egg or two as well cottage cheese (2 tbsp each daily)...
> I was just giving an example of what a dog could do with beef necks....


i think, and i could be wrong, i was saying that feeding a dog only beef necks is not good for the dog. what you're doing with kibble has more variety than this dog is getting....raw fed dogs need variety in protein, bone, and organ..no dairy necessary to get a complete diet....whereas just one protein can't cover it all....


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Canyx said:


> I have a related question (sorry if this is off topic!). For years I've been trying to feed my dog raw bones but he has had very mixed results from them. Pork bones almost always give him the WORST squits and sometimes it pains him to poop the next morning. Beef bones have been better but the results have not been consistent. I've always fed raw bones in the middle of the day, what I believed to be long enough from when he gets his kibble in the morning and night.
> 
> For a while we tried to give him one raw bone per week, but every week bathrooms were just a disaster! So we cut raw bones out of his schedule till now. I'd love to figure out what the deal with all of this is because my dog LOVES raw bones and they are the absolute best for cleaning his teeth. He's been fed raw beef (cuts from when we're trimming the beef before we marinate it) and has been fine.


I try to avoid pork. Maybe its the bones arent fresh enough? Not sure but both dogs get raw beef bones and it doesnt appear to bother them though they are messy we are in a condo so it is inside on moving blanket (one of those $7 dealies you get at UPS-- u can do 10 or 15 washes with them too)....
And they get bits of raw beef too-- although too much fatty hamburger does loosen the stool....

Although I have to say once we witnessed a car accident and got out to help and left 2 boxers in the car with FIVE POUNDS of raw hamburger (neither one was on Raw anything at the time)-- it must have been good and fresh and lean b/c I was really worried and they were fine not even any runs or anything.
Back to the raw beef bone question I also have to say they seem to cut down on problem chewing issues as well -- since switching to raw bones (3-4 times per week) I dont have the same destructive chewing issues I had in the past....Lets just say we had a bad Christmas one year!



MagicRe said:


> i think, and i could be wrong, i was saying that feeding a dog only beef necks is not good for the dog. what you're doing with kibble has more variety than this dog is getting....raw fed dogs need variety in protein, bone, and organ..no dairy necessary to get a complete diet....whereas just one protein can't cover it all....


Yes I was agreeing with you. I think it is completely sketchy to try to restrict a dog to beef necks... The guy does not look like he takes advice though-- if he asks me I will give him an opinion though....


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

i wouldn't necessarily give a kibble fed dog pork ribs....or any other pork bone...not because it's not fresh, but depending on the size of your dog...the bone is edible and can mess with a kibble stomach....

i like beef ribs...for recreational chews....

it's a shame that he's only feeding beef necks....hopefully he will listen to you.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> i wouldn't necessarily give a kibble fed dog pork ribs....or any other pork bone...not because it's not fresh, but depending on the size of your dog...the bone is edible and can mess with a kibble stomach....
> 
> i like beef ribs...for recreational chews....
> 
> it's a shame that he's only feeding beef necks....hopefully he will listen to you.


Right no pork. Not sure why. It just seems different thats all and not even the Breeder mentioned pork as an option although everything else seemed ok (goat lamb chicken beef-- we dont have access to much wild game here or I would try that too -- the larged hoofed creatures anyway)
I was saying maybe the beef bones were not as fresh as they could be and maybe that is why it was upsetting the dogs stomach.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

if the OP is talking about beef bones, most likely they are too fatty for a dog who is fed kibble...the digestive tract is different in a kibble fed dog than a raw fed dog.

so as you've said, the fat content can cause diarrhea when you were talking about hamburger...the same would hold true with beef bones or other animals....

there are many who still believe that pork is just not a good protein....i'm not one of them, although i only eat the loin, which is the least fatty....
but many believe raw pork is still too filled with parasites, even after freezing...to feed a dog....

we freeze everything even though pork has been trich free for fifteen to twenty years now....

i don't know about freshness...as part of a huge raw feeding group, i've seen people feed raw fed dogs all kinds of things without issue.

having said that....everyone has their reasons for feeding or not feeding.....but i think the OP was asking about a bone to give so his dog could have a recreational chew...if said beef neck is cut into pieces by a band saw at the store, i would not feed it, because of the sharp edges. if it is a real beef bone, again, it might be too much meat and the pup can get runs...

that's why you and i agree on beef ribs...and i just think you strip most of the fat off....


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> if the OP is talking about beef bones, most likely they are too fatty for a dog who is fed kibble...the digestive tract is different in a kibble fed dog than a raw fed dog.
> 
> so as you've said, the fat content can cause diarrhea when you were talking about hamburger...the same would hold true with beef bones or other animals....
> 
> ...


Yes we agree! And we buy cheap at the local Butcher and you can bet they strip almost everything off of it before they sell you that Bone--


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks everyone!
Any reason to feed beef ribs and not cuts of beef leg bone? (assuming you strip both)
Though I've fed cuts of raw beef before without any problems so I don't think it's the meat. I do try to get rid of as much fat as possible.

And I've heard others say not to feed pork bones either; though I'm still not sure why. I'm pretty convinced as my dog doesn't do well on them, and also one of the worst food poisoning experiences I've ever had was from pork bone as well.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Canyx said:


> Thanks everyone!
> Any reason to feed beef ribs and not cuts of beef leg bone? (assuming you strip both)
> Though I've fed cuts of raw beef before without any problems so I don't think it's the meat. I do try to get rid of as much fat as possible.
> 
> And I've heard others say not to feed pork bones either; though I'm still not sure why. I'm pretty convinced as my dog doesn't do well on them, and also one of the worst food poisoning experiences I've ever had was from pork bone as well.


I actually mainly do the beef leg bone from bet the foot (I find the hooves stinky for indoors) and / including the knuckle, cut into cross-wise sections. I dont mind ribs but find them more expensive....The marrow is fine (the bone is Natures stuffed Kong that way!)...
I think MagicRe had a good explanation for why no pork ....


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## Maggie Girl (Feb 27, 2011)

Canyx said:


> Thanks everyone!
> Any reason to feed beef ribs and not cuts of beef leg bone? (assuming you strip both)
> Though I've fed cuts of raw beef before without any problems so I don't think it's the meat. I do try to get rid of as much fat as possible.
> 
> And I've heard others say not to feed pork bones either; though I'm still not sure why. I'm pretty convinced as my dog doesn't do well on them, and also one of the worst food poisoning experiences I've ever had was from pork bone as well.


The beef leg bones are very hard and dense and can break teeth, though I've given these to mine w/no problems. The leg bones aren't fully edible since they are so hard. Well, not for my dog anyway. He "cleaned" it, and ate the marrow and now it's all dried up and petrified looking and he sleeps with it  The ribs are more bend-y and can actually be fully eaten since they aren't completely dense like a soup/leg bone. 

I buy my beef ribs from a meat packer and they come stripped w/very little meat on them at all. They are $1.19/lb.

Idk why pork has such a bad rep, b/c IMO chicken and turkey is a nastier meat (bacteria wise) and people (raw feeders) give that stuff all the time. I've given pork necks to my dog and he loved them, but they are more meaty than boney so I really prefer the beef stuff.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Maggie Girl said:


> The beef leg bones are very hard and dense and can break teeth, though I've given these to mine w/no problems. The leg bones aren't fully edible since they are so hard. Well, not for my dog anyway. He "cleaned" it, and ate the marrow and now it's all dried up and petrified looking and he sleeps with it  The ribs are more bend-y and can actually be fully eaten since they aren't completely dense like a soup/leg bone.
> 
> I buy my beef ribs from a meat packer and they come stripped w/very little meat on them at all. They are $1.19/lb.
> 
> Idk why pork has such a bad rep, b/c IMO chicken and turkey is a nastier meat (bacteria wise) and people (raw feeders) give that stuff all the time. I've given pork necks to my dog and he loved them, but they are more meaty than boney so I really prefer the beef stuff.


Right - I dont really expect the dogs to eat the leg bones-- its more to supplement their diet, keep their jaws working etc-- the breeder was big on "raw meat enzymes"-- so hopefully it gives a dose of these from the bits of meat/ marrow....
I get em for 79cents/lb but the ribs sound like a better deal since the dogs can consume more of them....
I did try lamb ribs once when I got them cheap (they were about to expire) and the dogs loved them and were able to crunch those up pretty good....


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## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

For lunch yesterday, they both had a chicken back. My pup ended up throwing it all up, however my 9 year old terrier was completely fine. What happened? I trimmed off all the skin. The only thing she hasn't ate yet would be the bone. Did I do too much too soon?


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## Maggie Girl (Feb 27, 2011)

Idk, maybe a puppy's digestive system just isn't developed enough for very much of that stuff yet. There are plenty of raw feeders here that will surely have some insight, hopefully some will be able to help you out. How old is the puppy?


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

ember said:


> For lunch yesterday, they both had a chicken back. My pup ended up throwing it all up, however my 9 year old terrier was completely fine. What happened? I trimmed off all the skin. The only thing she hasn't ate yet would be the bone. Did I do too much too soon?


That happens with my 2 dogs -- but opposite-- my older dog will bolt down larger chunks-- in her case turkeys necks whole and then vomit them back up so I usually cut them into chunks for her-- or just feed little chicken necks(I think I steered clear of backs while the pup was young for that reason). My young dog (14weeks to now 2 years old) grew up eating raw so never had a problem-- she tends to chew-- vs bolting down whole....


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## canine nutritionist (Jul 16, 2011)

Keep an eye on the dog and if the gums start to bleed then stop and do again another day. The biggest problem is getting them to stop when it soesn't feel good any more.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

Just a side note on giving raw bones (I've made a post about this regarding the situation we had recently), just watch for guarding issues. The ONLY thing we've had a real guarding issue with was a beef bone (a couple of toys and chews she tries to run away with, but no real aggression). They can be considered really high value. I'm absolutely not saying to not feed a dog these because of this potential issue, I'm just saying watch for it so it can be corrected before it has the chance to turn into a problem. Just wanted to put this in here since it has been on our minds lately, and this thread is somewhat related.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

ember said:


> For lunch yesterday, they both had a chicken back. My pup ended up throwing it all up, however my 9 year old terrier was completely fine. What happened? I trimmed off all the skin. The only thing she hasn't ate yet would be the bone. Did I do too much too soon?


how long have they been eating raw?

did you feed too much to the pup?

the friends i have who have puppies, wean on to raw. how old is your pup?



Candydb said:


> That happens with my 2 dogs -- but opposite-- my older dog will bolt down larger chunks-- in her case turkeys necks whole and then vomit them back up so I usually cut them into chunks for her-- or just feed little chicken necks(I think I steered clear of backs while the pup was young for that reason). My young dog (14weeks to now 2 years old) grew up eating raw so never had a problem-- she tends to chew-- vs bolting down whole....


my pug is a gulper.....probably because he was older when switched..he horks things up and then re eats them. disgusting, but normal. as he continues to eat raw, he doesn't hork as much.



Canyx said:


> Thanks everyone!
> Any reason to feed beef ribs and not cuts of beef leg bone? (assuming you strip both)
> Though I've fed cuts of raw beef before without any problems so I don't think it's the meat. I do try to get rid of as much fat as possible.
> 
> And I've heard others say not to feed pork bones either; though I'm still not sure why. I'm pretty convinced as my dog doesn't do well on them, and also one of the worst food poisoning experiences I've ever had was from pork bone as well.


it's not that pork is bad. my dogs eat pork all the time....nice fatty pork ribs...keep their stools stable and the fat keeps their fur wonderful.

legs from weight bearing animals are very dense and therefore can break teeth. if it hasn't happened, the chances increase that it will happen, so we avoid cow legs...

edible bone and the meat on the edible bone can give a kibble fed dog the runs. they do not have the digestive set up to handle raw, so therefore, they won't.

but to give a good workout, barbecue beef ribs with most of the meat and fat stripped off works wonderfully .



Candydb said:


> Right - I dont really expect the dogs to eat the leg bones-- its more to supplement their diet, keep their jaws working etc-- the breeder was big on "raw meat enzymes"-- so hopefully it gives a dose of these from the bits of meat/ marrow....
> I get em for 79cents/lb but the ribs sound like a better deal since the dogs can consume more of them....
> I did try lamb ribs once when I got them cheap (they were about to expire) and the dogs loved them and were able to crunch those up pretty good....


thing is about dogs...they will try to eat those leg bones....and the chances are good they can and could break a tooth. not worth it, in my opinion.


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## jkliveng (Jul 7, 2011)

So if i call the butcher up the street, what exactly do I say I want for bones? Should I just say I am looking for stripped beef rib bones to give my dog?


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

jkliveng said:


> So if i call the butcher up the street, what exactly do I say I want for bones? Should I just say I am looking for stripped beef rib bones to give my dog?


you want barbecue beef ribs....you should be able to find them at your local krogers or other grocery store....

tell your butcher, if you go that route, you want the least meaty.

if there is meat on them, you strip them and add to your own stir fry.


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## Maggie Girl (Feb 27, 2011)

MagicRe said:


> edible bone and the meat on the edible bone can give a kibble fed dog the runs. they do not have the digestive set up to handle raw, so therefore, they won't.


My dog is kibble fed, but gets an edible bone once every week or two and has never had any digestive issues, so I wouldn't say that's an absolute truth.



jkliveng said:


> So if i call the butcher up the street, what exactly do I say I want for bones? Should I just say I am looking for stripped beef rib bones to give my dog?


Yep, that's exactly what I asked for. Uncooked beef rib bones, stripped if possible, and they fixed me right up.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

Maggie Girl said:


> My dog is kibble fed, but gets an edible bone once every week or two and has never had any digestive issues, so I wouldn't say that's an absolute truth.


every dog is different. that yours doesn't have digestive issues doesn't mean another dog won't.

dogs are unique, like people...that's all i'm saying. there are no absolutes.


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