# Recreational bone or raw meaty bone to clean teeth?



## amz155 (Apr 20, 2007)

I've never given bones to my dog before. He is a 4 year old 27 lb Miniature Schnauzer. I brush his teeth regularily but he still has plaque build up on his rear teeth. I am considering give him some bones to help clean up his teeth.

I gather that recreational bones are just for chewing/knawing on but not for eating. And that raw meaty bones are bones that are a bit softer that the dog can actualy chew and swallow and digest?

So which type is best for cleaning the teeth? Since I've never given Simon bones before, I'm a bit nervous to give him ones that he'd be able to chew and swallow. I guess I hav emore reading up to do, but these sofeter bones are surely safe for them to swallow?

I've read some stuff about cracked teeth when marrow bnes have been given to dogs. So I'm not sure what a "safe" beginer choice would be for my dog. Someone suggested Healthy Paws to me and they are sold near me. From what I understand they are frozen marrow bones; not sure if marrow bones would be my best choice. Person told me they were "safer" than getting bones from a butcher. Does this hold true?

What's my best option to help with teeth cleaning?

Thanks!


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## amz155 (Apr 20, 2007)

Looks like I some answers to my own question 

Seems like beef and pork ribs are a good choice, beef being a better choice and pork ribs requiring supervision. Weight bearing bones seem to be a no-no. Marrow bones seem okay if given with supervision and the bone is taken away once the marrow is gone.

I'm still not clear on softer bones like chicken bones, drumstick or chicken backs for example. Maybe I'm a scaredy cat, but I feel uneasy about my dog chewing and swallowing bones. I know they are softer but I still get visions or perforated tummies or something. Terrible, I know.

Can anyone give more info on the softer bones?

And from beef, pork ribs or marrow bones, which have the best effect on getting teeth clean?


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

sometimes the problem with recreational bones is that people give bones that are too hard....and therefore create a situation whereby the dog can damage its teeth....and that results in a dental bill of gigunda proportions....

marrow bones are fatty....and they are too hard...so are femurs and knuckles...

if you give rib bones....and you just want the dog to have a bone to chew, i suggest stripping that rib bone of any and all meat and fat....and give the dog the bone...chances are, though, he will be able to eat or gnaw some of it down...

pork ribs, he will probably be able to eat and swallow...nothing wrong with that, but if you're uncomfortable, then you may want to rethink that one.

my pug can down pork ribs....and we give them to him in two to three ribs at a time and really make him work ..BUT.....it also means your dog will eat the pork and fat attached and for a dog who is not used to raw, that can result in cannon butt...so be prepared.

as to the softer bones, like chicken parts, many of us started a raw journey using those parts and turkey wings and necks....thing is...i would not recommend them for recreational bones....because your dog can eat a chicken back, wing, neck, thigh, etc....easily....

the cleaning of the teeth is from the diet, not JUST the 'feed fido a bone'....it's the absence of carbs and starches that cleans their teeth...that and working their teeth into the meat and bone of an animal....which strips their teeth of tartar and placque..

but it's the diet as a whole.....even though a bone is better than nothing....


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Stripping the meat and all from beef ribs does a great job cleaning teeth, then remove the bone if the dog tries to break and eat it, Max will take enough bone for his needs and then stop at this point but it was a long time before he figured it out. It is really fun to watch Max with a rack of beef ribs, he has to *touch* them to pull them apart, he strips the membranes off and folds the rack up so he can nibble the meat between so they can be separated. I think these are your best, easiest to find and right now cheapest choice.

Pork ribs will probably be eaten completely, up to you if you want to try them. Pork feet are very hard to chew up due to the tough skin and huge number of tendons and connective tissue in them, if you can find them you may want to try them. My two old dogs think they aren't worth the effort. Effort is the whole point! 

Chicken bits don't take long to eat so don't do much for teeth cleaning. Some people find turkey necks to take long enough and some think they are a swallowing hazard. Chicken feet need quite a bit of chomping up though as they are so poky. Still don't take more than a couple minutes to get into the tummy though.

You might want to try out a fish head, lots of small soft crunchy stuff there. 

Be sure any bone is a size he won't be tempted to swallow whole. At first dogs think you have lost your mind and try to get fresh food safely in the tummy so you won't take it back so bits need to be big enough.

Which ever you try be sure to stay within sight and sound when the dog has it and have a really good trade handy in case you need to take the bit away. I don't have to give Max bones especially to clean his teeth since he is fed raw but one beef rib a week when he was on cooked food did a pretty good job keeping his teeth clean. Tastier, cheaper and safer than bones from the pet store too.


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## Tavi (May 21, 2010)

Hmm while I do give rib bones to my puppy, he loves chewing on frozen ones we get from our local puppy store, I don't give those to him for his teeth care. While I'm sure they do some good for his teeth in the long run they do tend to give him horrible doggie breath! LoL What I like to give my dogs are a product called Greenies. They're one of my dogs absolutely favorite treats and they help clean the teeth and help clean his breath. My last dog adored them so much that you just had to say the word Greenie and he would go through every trick he knew to tempt you to open the box that held them! Now of course you do have to be careful to get the right size and watch your dog to make sure he chews it and doesn't try to swallow it in big chunks. But I do the same thing with every treat I give my dogs so I don't mind that part. Now my new puppy Buddy isn't as obsessed with the Greenies, mostly because I think he's still teething and they can be a bit much for him to chew on. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love sitting with us watching TV and slowly working his way through one!!


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