Question..Raw bones from butcher...

[Doberooney]

Anyone know how long a dog can chew on one of these before you have to worry about bacteria?

thx

[makka619]

Was just reading this:

" ***8226; Bones are great for all dogs. They can beat boredom and prevent gum and teeth problems. Remember to only feed your dog raw meaty bones. Cooked bones can be lethal. If you are concerned about bacteria (as you don***8217;t know how long the bones have been sitting in the butcher) freeze them for five days. This will kill the bacteria (it will do the same with your meat products). However, if you buy your meat/bones frozen and they defrost on the way home, don***8217;t re-freeze as this can increase bacteria flora. Also remove the bones from your dog***8217;s area once the knuckles have gone as the remainder of the bone is of no use."
(From: http://www.dogslife.com.au/dogs_life...439&pid=146512)

Gordy's vet said not to let him bury his bones and pretty much get rid of them within a day.

[Doberooney]

Thanks for that info..

I usually let them chew on the bone for only a few hours.
I was told that it was ok to refreeze them.. THAT is what I am wondering about. Your info states 'no'.

[makka619]

^^Yeah, I personally have no idea and have never heard of re-freezing being good or bad. So I can't vouch for the info I posted, just something I came across. Would be interesting to get some more opinions on that.

All this conflicting info out there on food confuses me to no end.

Originally Posted by makka619

Was just reading this:

" • Bones are great for all dogs. They can beat boredom and prevent gum and teeth problems. Remember to only feed your dog raw meaty bones. Cooked bones can be lethal. If you are concerned about bacteria (as you don’t know how long the bones have been sitting in the butcher) freeze them for five days. This will kill the bacteria (it will do the same with your meat products). However, if you buy your meat/bones frozen and they defrost on the way home, don’t re-freeze as this can increase bacteria flora. Also remove the bones from your dog’s area once the knuckles have gone as the remainder of the bone is of no use."
(From: http://www.dogslife.com.au/dogs_life...439&pid=146512)

Gordy's vet said not to let him bury his bones and pretty much get rid of them within a day.

That is not correct. Freezing stops germs from multiplying, but they are still there when you thaw the food out....

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_freezing.html#8

the freezing is to kill parasites not bactT, freezing will stop most BacT growth. Dogs can handle a much much higher load of BacT than we can, its almost a non issue. Let them have them for a day or so, then toss them. My dogs usually have them gone in under an hour, so I don't have to worry.

[ToscasMom]

My dog really likes raw pork neck bones. Per the advice of people here, due to the potential of one type of bacteria, rare but possible, I freeze them for two full weeks before she gets one. She loves those raw bones and eats the entire thing. She also loves marrow bones. I buy them whole, not cut up, she ravages one for a day and I throw it out. Try giving her the raw things in her crate. Dogs don't have the sensitivity to raw meat and poultry bacteria that we humans have so the problem is contained to the crate for easy cleanup and I get to know exactly where the raw meat has been so as not to endanger myself with raw meat bacteria.