Beef Marrow Bones

Anyone have any thoughts on soup marrow bones? As a nurse, I cringe at the thought of giving such a fatty treat, although my vet has assured me that dogs are not effected by dietary fat as are humans. (i.e. heart disease, etc.) However, I have read that high fat diets in dogs can wreck havoc with the pancreas. They only get one each every month or so. It really occupies them, the "knuckle" is a very soft, non-shattering type bone, and once they get to actually eating the bone, I take it away from them. Also, can anyone expound upon "bloat" in dogs? The causes, prevention, etc. Thanks!

I give all three of my dogs marrow bones but I don't give them the knuckle because they end up eating it and it doesn't last long. I give them the long ones with the marrow in the middle they love them so much and it keeps them busy. They have never had any problems with them

Hi,
Your dogs will suffer no ill effects from the bones you give them as they are so infrequent. (Along with pancreatic problems a high fat diet will reduce your dogs ability to take up useful proteins.)
Bloat is the common name given to gastric dilation. This condition is very serious and requires veterinary attention FAST. It is often caused and complicated by gastric torsion. This is where the stomach has turned right over, sealing the openings to both ends.
Both conditions will need surgery and you must get your dog to a vet ASAP.
The gastric dilation is caused by excess gas and fermenting food in the stomach. Causes include a foreign body blocking the gut. Gastric torsion sometimes seems to happen with no cause but is usually seen when a dog has been vigorously excersised after feeding.
Symptoms begin a few minutes to several hours after feeding. A rapid bloating of the stomach is seen and the dog is restless. This quickly worsens to the point where the dog has trouble breathing and will be in extreme pain. The dog will become unconscious and the stomach will eventually rupture.
It is, however, normal to see some distension in the stomach after feeding. If this is worrying you try splitting the feed into two meals. Or measure the distension so that you will know if it abnormal.
These conditions are obvious as they cause such rapid bloating and such extreme pain.
To help avoid these don't excersise for half an hour before and an hour after feeding. If your dog is a wolfer of food try a raised food bowl and do not over feed in one large meal. Larger dogs are more prone but small older dogs are also presented.

This is pretty rare and is easily recognised so don't worry too much. If it does happen it is vital to telephone a vet, explain what is happening and be ready to take your dog to the surgery quickly. As I said, it is normal to see some distension and for occasional gas to make the stomach area feel a little hard sometimes.
If this emergency happens to your dog you will know!

Thanks for the responses! You would think as a nurse I might be a little less ignorant of this subject, but it is not a condition seen in humans by this name or precipitated by those events. After helping out at my friend's kennel, I unfortunately was witness to two cases of bloat where the dogs both died very suddenly. One was elderly. The other dog was overfed shortly after being released from our facility. Feeling guilty for having left their "babies" for a period of time, many clients often feel the need to "treat" their kids to anything and everything, even though have been fed prior to discharge. This was the case with one of the dog's and the cause of her unfortunate end. Since then, it has been a subject that has concerned me. I have a young lab who insists on playing, running, retrieving and swimming hard, from the moment I get home and it HAS worried me that too much exercise close to feeding might precipitate such an event. Your info. was very enlightening. Your clinical description makes me think you may have a medical background! Anyway, thanks again. Sandra

Hi again,
I used to work for Guide dogs for the Blind and veterinary nursing was part of our training. We had our own operating theatre and a fantastic vet who would let me watch surgery at his premises too. I also traveled to some of the major veteerinary research hospitals to watch a variety of canine surgery out of interest.