Raw Marrow Bones

With so many risks associated with feeding a commercial pet food diet, and recalls hitting every part of the animal nutrition industry – from canned food to kibble to treats – it’s comforting to know there are some natural ways to reward your pet. The raw food movement has really infiltrated the pet market, and I have considered on numerous occasions switching Milly to a raw diet, but ultimately I have decided not to change her diet, because I have finally found a food that works for her itchy skin. I do however feed raw marrow bones, and want to tell you a bit more about these. They are a wonderful treat, and you will be amazed at how white your dog’s teeth will become after eating them. They really are great for promoting healthy teeth and gums.

For most dog owners they’ve heard their entire lives never to feed a dog bones, as they not only pose a choking hazard, but can also break and splinter and cause severe damage to a dog’s esophagus and entire digestive tract. Well, this old idea is true to an extent – never feed a dog COOKED BONES. Raw bones are an exception to the rule, and a wonderful, natural chew treat to give your dogs.

I have spent the past year reading up on the wonderful qualities of treating with raw marrow bones. I searched high and low, but could not find a butcher in my area, and instead decided to try Nature’s Variety raw bones – they come in a variety of sizes, and you can chose from many different animals. I’m sure they are a bit more expensive than just going to your butcher, but they are only a couple of dollars a bone, and I thought they were worthwhile. I bought lamb, bison and beef marrow bones and serve them frozen one at a time – each bone will last months, I’m told.

Milly has so far only tried the bison marrow bone, but she LOVES it. She happily chomps away for a solid hour when I give it to her, and when she’s done, I simply rinse the bone and pop it back in the freezer in a baggie for next time. I highly recommend trying raw bones with your dogs, but if you do decide to try this make sure the bone is large enough that your dog cannot swallow it (this could be a choking hazard). You want to stay away from raw soup bones (often found in the frozen section at the grocery store), because these tend to be cut small, and can easily cause your dog to choke. Also, for the most part stay away from joints like elbows and knees (these also can easily break). I always supervise Milly when I give her a raw bone to be on the safe side. I also recommend giving the bone outside, on your porch, in your garage, on-top of newspaper, etc. so you do not get raw marrow all over your house.

You can see in this photo the bones come shrink wrapped, which in my opinion reduces the gross factor of buying raw bones, and storing them in your freezer beside the Ben & Jerry's!

The easiest way to find these bones would be to look for a retailer on Nature’s Variety’s website, and then call the retailers to see if they sell the raw, frozen bones.

Do not forget there is still time to enter the second PUPCAKE GIVEAWAY!!! The drawing will take place on July 24th using a random number generator!! Good Luck!! :)