We don't feed raw however our dogs get raw knuckle bone, raw shin bones - these large bones are suitable for dogs even heavy chewers like our male dog.

However be wary if you let the dog take the bones outside in case they are contaminated by slugs and snails and thereby the dangers of lungworm Best to keep dog and bone inside.

Not such a good idea Hannah had one of these as a Christmas gift. It vanished & her poo was decorated with pink blobs for several days

I used to feed my dog raw marrow bones for 6 years until he had a near fatal episode of acute pancreatitis last month. The marrow bone itself is probably OK but the marrow inside is very fatty and can over-burden the pancreas. I thought I was doing the right thing by feeding raw bones (and he certainly has great teeth) but I didn't realise how fatty the marrow was. It's so important to scrape it out.

Portion control is really important too. I used to laugh at the sight of my JRT carrying a giant marrow bone around the backyard, but in hindsight I realised the portions I was giving him were WAY too large and WAY too frequent.

My local butcher used to laugh and say: it's always the little dogs that get the biggest bones! And while it was funny to watch my JRT wrestle with a bone the size of him - it was absolutely heartbreaking to see him on life-support (and in agonising pain) because of my mistakes.

He's not allowed to have bones anymore because his pancreas can't tolerate the fat - so we've switched to nylabones and dental chew toys which have zero fat. I've learned to treat him with toys these days rather than food and he will have to remain on a canine pancreatitis diet for the rest of his life. But he's doing great since he's been out of hospital and thriving on the new diet! Loves his poached chicken in water!

If I ever got another dog I would probably feed raw bones again, BUT definitely in much smallar portions and with all the fat/marrow removed.

Oh dear your poor little JRT glad to hear he pulled through though, it just goes to prove the old saying 'all things in moderation'
My dogs dont have bones very often but when they do its the big marrow bones once may be twice a year, other than that they have the nylabones to chew on.

my dogs have bones 4 times a week, marrow as well and have never had a problem but as with everything there is always a risk

thanks - milk maid - he was a very sick boy (and mum is still in shock ) your kind words mean a lot to me right now...

about a year before he got sick my vet told me to scrape the marrow out - but I didn't listen to her - I actually said: (indignantly!) But - that's his favourite part...

She sighed and shook her head saying: it's very fatty...

I cannot begin to tell you the guilt I felt when he was on life-support The thing is - you can't SEE the effect of fat on the pancreas - outwardly he seemed fine - until he collapsed and started projectile vomiting bright yellow bile. But, the worst part was the sound of him whipering in pain. I will never forget the sound of that as long as I live.

Well meaning neighbours still want to give him food treats because he looks 'recovered' but the only way to prevent future recurrences is a very low-fat diet (with no bones).

Could your dog not have been predisposed towards this particular problem, i have researched quite a lot and i cannot find much negativity towards marrow in bones, of course i am not doubting your words just trying to balance things up.

It's not a question of negativity (which implies a mind-set, a stance, or a political position). It's a fact that marrow is very dense in calories and very high in fat. It's also a fact that a single fatty meal can trigger the onset of acute (and potentially fatal) canine pancreatitis.

Interestingly, human anorexics have:

strikingly high levels of fat within their bone marrow (Source: Science Daily)

So - outwardly it seems they have no excess fat, but internally their marrow has a higher fat conent than people without eating disorders. I find that fascinating.

But - we are talking about dogs. In wild animals experiencing starvation the marrow:

is one of the last fat sources to be utilized.

Source: Bone Marrow Fat Analysis as a Measure of Starvation in Animals. Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry Section - Dr. Steve Hooser, Section Head, Dr. Robert Everson, Analytical Chemist, Christina Wilson, Assistant Chemist, Kim Meyerholtz, Laboratory Technician. Purdue University, Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

Not only is bone marrow fatty, it's the fattiest part of the body in underweight humans and animals. Their bodies hang on to fat in this area as a final reserve.

You asked if my dog was genetically predisposed to canine pancreatitis and that's a really good question. However:

Statistically, obesity and the ingestion of fatty meals are the two main predisposing factors in the dog.

Source: Ettinger: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine 7th Edition - Acute Pancreatitis in the Dog & Cat - Michael Schaer (regarded as 'the bible' of canine pancreatitis and highly recommended reading).

And - even if Eddie was genetically predisposed to what Schaer calls this 'dreaded disease' I can't change his breed, nor can I change anything about his genetics. So, in terms of his treatment - genetics are irrelevant.

The one thing that I can do to manage his pancreatitis is to be aware of the fat content in commonly fed dog foods and NEVER feed those that are high in fat.

Marrow bones are filled with fat and should be avoided. Knuckle bones also appear to be too high in fat to use safely. Source: Healthy Low-Fat Diets For Dogs With Special Dietary Needs - Mary Straus.

Please understand that my dog nearly died. I felt utterly powerless when he was in hospital. So - when they told me a low-fat diet was imperative to prevent a recurrence, I embraced that with everything I had. For my dog, a single marrow bone is potentially lethal. That's not 'negativity' it's the daily reality of keeping my dog alive.

I do appreciate your question because it helps raise awareness about the role of fat in the genesis of canine pancreatitis, and that's gotta be a good thing!

Finally, there does seem to be some evidence that Cavaliers, Daschunds, Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels are prone to this terrible disease, but I've done very little research in this area and I could not verify that information conclusively. I have read that:
Miniature Schnauzers are the poster-children of pancreatitis

so a low-fat diet may be particularly important for these little angels. I've tried to include references wherever possible so you can follow this up if you're interested in this topic. Forgive the long post!

This thread is about raw bones. Not all bones are full of marrow. Pancreatitis is not necessarily caused by fatty marrow in bones. I suffer from chronic pancreatitis but it was not caused by eating fatty food or anything else I ingest. It is a condition with no known cause.

It is most unfortunate that your dog suffers from pancreatitis, but that does not mean that all bones are bad for all dogs.

Just what I was about to say Malka.

Lot's of dog's develop pancreatitis, a high fat diet isn't always the cause.

High levels of sugar and grains are also implicated.
As are, metabolic disease, obesity, viral and bacterial disease, trauma, as well as some medications.