Giving raw bones

Hi everyone,
Okay, i have gotten some positive information from some people i know and a few trainers about giving dogs raw bones. It was suggested that i get some raw beef femur bones cut into little "circles" with the marrow still inside.
I wanted to know if anyone here has given these to their dogs and are they safe? Do you give them frozen or let them thaw out? Is there a health hazard with raw food handling? And is it okay to give these kind of bones to Riley at 9 mths old, as far as his chewing ability and safety for his teeth?
If anyone has any information on this, i would greatly appreciate any responses. Thanks.
Laura

those are good questions that im interested in the answers to, which i don't know.

i recently saw a couple of books recommended which i haven't read, "Give Your Dog A Bone" by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, and "Raw Meaty Bones" by Dr. Tom Lonsdale. i don't know if they address those questions. but i would more like to hear from 'live' people on the forums who are experienced.

i gave zack bleached femur bones (not cut in circles) and the noise his teeth were making scared me, loud cracking noises, and i took the bones a way because i was afraid he'd break a tooth. someone at the pet store said that could happen.

i do hear many good things about the nutritional effects of raw bones.

I give my Chester the raw beef femur circles and he loves them. He has 2 right now that's he's been working on for about 4 months. When I bought them I cut as much of the raw meat off the bone as I could since Chester wasn't that interested in it, but I left the marrow and he ate that out in about an hour. I keep the extras in the freezer to preserve the marrow until I'm ready to give them to Chester.

Once the meat and marrow are removed you're left with a nice, sturdy chew bone that is great for keeping their teeth clean and keeping them occupied. PLUS, raw bones will not splinter like cooked ones do, do not smell and are the most natural of chews you can give a dog AND they're dirt cheap. I know that pet stores sell alot of the bleached bones but I'm not sure exactly how they've been cooked or otherwise treated. I imagine they bleach them just so humans feel that they're cleaner and more sanitary.

Hi there! i give my dogs raw bones and they absoulutely love them! they sit them and gnaw away. i usually let them defrost for a bit before giving them the bones.

raw bones

I have always given my dogs raw bones. When I was breeding Griffons, that was there base diet. I fed them on raw chicken carcasses and they always have fresh breath and clean teeth. Thier coats are always shiny and their overall health is fantastic. You really need to make sure that the bones aren't so small that they can just swallow them and then get stuck in the throat. I always gave them thawed as I was concerned that the bones might splinter like cooked ones do. And I never ever feed cooked ones to them either.

I would discuss this with a vet before trying it. I'm not sure how safe raw bones are, so I have not tried giving them to my dogs. I'm thinking there would be lots of bacteria on raw bones, and I wouldn't want them tracking it around the house.

How old should the pup be before raw bones?

My Willow is almost 12 weeks. Is this too young for the beef femur bones or would it be ok?

I would'nt - at that ages their tummies are all other the place - and the puppy food will have most of the ingredients, etc. they need. Most of the treats in the UK recommend 4 months and above.