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Are any bones good for GSD's? I hear so many different things I don't give mine any. I've heard ham bones are safe because they don't splinter. I really like the idea of giving my dog a bone once in a while, if I knew that they were safe. And what's the deal with rawhide? My first GSD ate some rawhide and from the look of her stool (it looked like raw, runny egg whites) they don't seem to digest it at all. That was the last piece she got. Any advice would be helpfull. Thanks
Craig.

Hi there :^)

Bones and rawhide, as far as I'm concerned are the same for all dogs. Bones: I usually stick with the processed bones you buy such as the sterilized bones or large knuckle bones.(Although some vets say they are to hard and your dog could chip or break a tooth) I've used these for over 30 years with various breeds and never had a problem. Any home cooked bones can become brittle and splinter. I do occasionally give my dogs a large beef soup bone (uncooked) Rawhide: Ack this stuff really scares me. Most if not all rawhide comes from overseas and at one point in time was contaminated with harmful bacteria. And if by chance your dog should swallow a large enough piece it could swell and block the intestines. Rawhide in my book is a real big NO NO

Thanks for the info. I'll look for some of those knucklebones. Rawhide should be against the law. I'm trying a new food with my 3 yr. old GSD. Wellness Super5Max. I had been using Iams for a long time and I think I was a bit out of date on options for our dogs. She's been eating it for 3 days now. She does seem to eat a little less of this vs. the Iams but it's way to early to tell. Whao do you feed your dog? Thanks again.
Craig

Hi Craig...I don't have a GSD, I have three Shiba Inu's but will give them what I call knuckle bones as well. They are also called Marrow bones and can usually be found in the meat section of supermarkets. I feed my three Wellness Simple Solution venision formula and will also switch to the duck every once in awhile. I also used the Wellness Fish and Sweet potato for a period of time. I had switched to the Wellness brand due to my female Shiba developing allergys and I trust Wellness to inform me of any ingredient changes.
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BOB
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Are you switching over gradually? Wellness is excellent food, much better than IAMS, but with any food, it has to be a gradual transition, otherwise they are likey to get diahrea. I like to start off with a 75/25 mix, the 75% being the old food. Keep it at that for two weeks, then switch to 50/50 for two weeks, than 25/75, 75% being the new food for two weeks, and then finally all the new food. It will take a couple of months but this is the best way to go about it.
I don't give Cookie any bones or rawhide. Just Nylabones and Booda bones and greenies and she is perfectly happy with this.

I've always made the kibble switch within a week or so without trouble. To be honest, it was usually about 3 days because they would usually refuse to eat the old food and pick out the new food .

Really? Interesting. When we first got Cookie, she was on Science Diet, and when we started to switch her (75/25%) she got really bad diahrea so we slowed down the transition. Personally, I would rather it be gradual just to be on the safe side, but if she was just picking out the new food, then I guess I wouldn't have a choice but to give her just that.
Thats great that you never had any problems switching! We're switching Cookie over to adult food now and so far she's doing fine with it. The first day we started it, she got a bit of diarhea, but nothing like when we switched her off the Science Diet. She seems fine now.

Hmmm, very interesting.

I've never had a problem switching food. With any of the breeds I've owned including my semi new GSD Biff (she just turned a year old) Was just wondering if any of you include table scraps?
All my dogs and pups were given table scraps in addition to a high quality kibble. I was wondering if the table scraps some how may have made their digestive system stronger and less apt to get upset. Only a thought though. Oh the breeds I have had over the years are Beagles, German Shorthaired Pointers, Spaniels, Brittney and Cocker, English setters, Labradors, and a few mixed breeds and of course GSD's. The youngest of all my dogs bassed at the age of 13 the oldest 18. I consider that pretty good. Maybe not the best record but passable in my book.
I may be just fortunate but I've never had a dog with stomach, tooth or allergy problems. Just had the routine well dog visits to the vet for shots and a check-up except for one Collie, Shepherd, Husky mix, poor little thing tangled with a wasp at about 14 weeks old, got stung inside her lip and she began to swell up. By the time I got her to the vet (within less than 45 minutes) she looked like a shar-pae (excuse the spelling please) she got there in time, got a shot and some meds and all was well for the rest of her 15 years on this earth. I'm rambling so I'll stop now.

actually my dogs get homecooked food because they both have digestion problems. BUT, when they were kibble, each change was for the better and we made the switch quickly and easily.

I do agree with your thoery on the table scraps, although dogs with sensitive digestive system aren't very robust -- they are quite sensitive to most changes and it can take them a long time to recover from the smallest indiscretion

Hmmm, that IS interesting.
No Cookie never ever gets table scraps. All she gets is her food, her treats, that kong liver paste stuff, nylabones, booda bones, and greenies. Oh she got a Munchkin from Dunkin Donuts once lol.
You are very lucky that you have never had any serious issues with your pets. I had a cat that almost died from a urinary blockage, and a hamster with mange, and Cookie had tape worms when she was a baby. I think those are all the out-of-the-ordinary vet visits we've had. And I think 13 is a very good age for a dog. Think of Great Danes, they only usually live to be like 7 or 8 I think.
But back to the point I would love it if there were more things I could give Cookie that are really truly ok for them. I am definitely going to look into getting her a nice knuckle bone.

I try not to make blanket statements about feeding and dogs because every dog is different in what they will and will not tolerate, etc. However, in some fundamental truths (which may actually be more opinion than fact depending on how one interprets scientific data), I am pretty stringent in my beliefs and will make such statements.

Here's an example about how a blanket statement can be damaging.....you've got a dog on a food that is terrible and is inducing symptoms. You take a very gradual switch, so the dog stays in reaction mode and carries that to the new food. In this case, that new food is more than likely going to be the "sacrificial kibble" because sensitivities have already been developing during the transition.

I always try a slow transition, but let the dog determine the speed by monitoring dog's response.

I stay away from all processed bones and chewing treats. Rawhide bones, nylabones, etc. all have the potential to cause damage and/or stomach upset.

I've never used the knuckle bones or steralized bones from the petstores, I've always bought bones at the supermarket. Cut marrow bones for our smaller dog, and larger cut pieces or knuckle bones for our GSD. After I buy them, I do store them in the freezer for awhile to cut down on possible bacteria, and then I thaw them and feed raw (cooked bones splinter).

Both our dogs have digestive problems, but the bones keep their teeth clean so they don't have to undergo anesthesia to have them cleaned, and as long as I give them a digestive enzymes when I give them the marrow bones (which are higher in fat), they don't have problems with the extra fat.

Could you tell me exactly what they are called in the super market? Are they soup bones? Are they just called Marrow bones and knuckle bones? I don't want to end up getting her the wrong thing, thanks!

that's exactly what our supermarket calls them. When they are cut, you see the dark stuff in the bone, and that's the marrow. It can be pretty rich. The knuckle bones which a different supermarket carries (actually I have to ask the butcher -- they love helping and will also save bones, or cut what you need), haven't been cut so they chew mostly bone and don't get the marrow

Thanks! I will keep my eyes peeled for them the next time we go to the pet store! And thanks for the discription, I would be so worried about getting her the wrong thing.

my 20# dogs eat RAW chicken necks/wings & turkey neck/wings & cornish game hens, gizzards, & beef rib bones. some quail & rabbit too.

its my experience that the soft bones are eaten, the rib bones chewed on after the meat is eaten off & that the bones 'clean' teeth & change the ph so less plaque. have never given 'support' bones like leg bones? have heard that these can chip a tooth

it was hard for me to take the plunge, I feel like a zoo keeper, doling out the fresh meat to my 7 'beasts'.

But after a long day, having a pack of dogs all on their cushions gnawing contentedly away, is music to my ears.

BTW there is a photo in Pharoh Hounds of a hound with a whole deer torso.
as long as its raw, I believe you should go for it.

I did learn that if I feed kibble & the raw bones on same day, dogs get gassy, so on raw-bones day, they only get raw meat.

I thought Chicken bones, and other bird bones can splinter because they're hollow and cut their insides. Is this false information?

I would never give any of my dogs chicken or any other type poltry bones raw or otherwise. They can splinter and cause a great deal of harm. For that matter I wouldn't even give them to my cat. I personally had to remove a splintered bone from a cats throat. It belonged to a friend and was choaking to death on it. I never want to go through that again

I know alot of my "barf" friends do feed, raw chicken necks, turkey necks, wings..THese types of bones will splinter when cooked but raw are normally safe. Me? I'm to paranoid to feed them just the same, just my preference. My dogs can be real "hogs", and would most likely try and swallow them whole.

I do feed marrow bones, knuckle bones which I get at the supermarket in the meat section or a local butcher. And yep, you can run the risk of chipping a tooth on the bigger harder bones, if you have a real aggressive chewer.

For "snacks" I also give raw carrots, peeled apple, other veggies. The carrots are a big hit even tho carrots have sugar in them.

Diane

Yea I think I'll steer clear from the poultry bones just to be safe. Cookie mows when she eats and we have to soak her kibble in warm water before we give it to her because she just inhales it, she doesn't chew at all. If I give her small hand fulls at a time she is better, but if I give her the whole bowl, she swallows it all without chewing.
The thing with Cookie's chewing, she's a very tough chewer, but won't chew anything she can't destroy. I think she thinks, whats the point? We tried giving her the really hard nylabones but she wants nothing to do with them. She prefers the puppy bones (Even though she's 6 months) cause she can go through it in about an hour. She feels like she's actually getting somewhere. I had to buy her the greenies meant for dogs 50-100 lbs, even though she's only 30, because the smaller ones would be gone in about 5 minutes! Even the big ones only take her about 15 min to go through.
I haven't tried giving her veggies yet, but we put baby food in her kong. Usually chicken vegitable so she does get some veggies.
If I had more experience/time/money I would probably try feeding her raw, but I don't know enough about it and don't want to risk screwing it up. I can barely afford meat for myself let alone her lol. First apartment...

Jessie have you tried filling her kong with peanut butter or yogurt and freezing it? This seems to keep pups satisfied and also helps sooth the gums. I also used a frozen hand towel for Biff that really worked well. Just wet a hand towel, wring it out and freeze it.

Actaully, she doesn't like peanut butter. She doesn't even care for peanut butter flavored stuff lol. I haven't tried yogurt yet. Any specific kind, just plain? We use baby food usually.
Thanks for the tips!

About the hand towel. Does your dog shred them? I am afraid Cookie would shred it, or worse think that all towels were ok for her to chew on.

I've only used the frozen hand towel with Biff. And she didn't shred it, but she never really distroyed anything except my son's head set for this x-box. She demolished 2 of those. In fact she still has the squeeker pig we brought home with her from the breeder. I don't think using the towel would make her think all towels were fair game since other towels usually aren't frozen.

Petsmart also carries canvas spounges that you can freeze. I just bought one for my pup. I think I paid $6 for it. My girl isn't a rough chewer but she still has those needles for teeth and it's a good alternatative to a towel.

I have read all sorts of information on this subject.

I've had GSDs since I was little and we always gave them bones and rawhides. They never had any stomach problems and lived long lives..no ER etc..

However, that being said I do understand rawhides cannot be properly digested and can and do cause problems.

I'm not sure if this is true or not but my trainer/behaviorist said to buy marrow bones at the Jewel/Dominicks Butcher (about $2 a piece) They last a long time. Do not cook them because she said that is what causes the splintering.

Also, she said any blood/raw meat is not a problem for them as they don't have the problems with ecoli etc that humans do.

She is very well educated and works at vet specialty clinic and was trained at a behavior modification center where she worked for 7 years and also does rescue so I have no reason to believe she is incorrect even though I am no expert either!