Question about raw bones & feeding

[BecksDad]

We gave Beckham his first raw bone last night, a big beef marrow that he absolutely loved! I didn't let him finish the whole thing because he had just finished his dinner 30 minutes before it. I plan to give him the rest tonight (I re-froze it). My question: When we give meaty bones, do we decrease his dinner portion? We are currently feeding him 5oz at each meal. Would we decrease that a little or just limit other treats that are given to him?

Thanks!

[Chris&Eti]

There's not enough meat on a marrow bone usually to warrant adjusting his meal quantities-but the marrow is very rich (its fat and blood) so it would definitiely replace part of his treat allowance. The richness of the marrow can also affect his stool- ranging from making it soft to runny/upset tummy-if this happens tomorrow you'll know why. Some people scoop out some of the marrow because of this (and replace it for a later time). I just restrict the time Eti has the bone- a couple of hours, keeping an eye on whether he's making too much progress with the marrow-and then take it from him and put it back in the freezer.

[gmacleod]

When we give meaty bones, do we decrease his dinner portion?
Totally depends on the bone ;) If it is indeed a meaty bone, then you should decrease his food by about the same amount. Most marrow bones don't have a huge amount of meat left on the thugh (unless you've a generous butcher).