How Long to Boil Marrow Bone for Dogs: Safety First

I like to feel self-sufficient—at least to a certain extent. I grow some of my own food and have learned to make many healthy meals from scratch. Ironically, I did so after my kids left for college, when I had a little more time on my hands and fewer people at home to enjoy scratch-made meals.

So, when I learned about the benefits of marrow bones for dogs, of course, I found myself in the kitchen one Saturday morning trying to figure out how to do it myself. Like you, I wondered how long to boil marrow bone for a dog. Here's what I found out about this popular dog bone treat!

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Beef Bones?

Yes! Cooked beef bones can be a very healthy dog bone treat. However, they must be prepared correctly to avoid the many risks of cooked bones you see online. They must also be the right size for your dog so they can't swallow them.

You should always supervise your dog while it chews on marrow bones to prevent accidents, however rare. Take the bone away if it breaks to avoid the swallowing of sharp edges.

Now, I know that some dogs will not part with their meaty beef bones no matter what. My lab mix is this way.

So, I use beef lung bites to create an agreeable exchange with my dogs. They drop the bone immediately for these healthy all-natural dog treats. I scoop up the bone fragments and dispose of them.

Then I give a new all-natural bone next time I want to spoil my pup.

How Long to Boil Marrow Bone for Dogs?

When people ask how long do you boil marrow bones, they usually have a few priorities in mind. First, they want it to be safe. Next, they want to retain the health benefits. And finally, they want it to taste good for the dog. It's supposed to be a treat, after all.

With these 3 goals in mind, I'll answer. You can rapidly boil marrow bones for at least 10-15 minutes to kill off bacteria that could harm your "furry extra child". But here's the thing—can dogs eat cooked beef bones safely? Should you be doing this? Before you turn your stove dial to max and throw in some beef bones, there's more to know.

Free Marrow Refill Recipe Guide

Risks of Cooked Bones for Dogs

The reality is, the risk of cooked bones for dogs is real. Particularly with boiled bones, my concerns outweigh the benefits.

When you boil a dog bone, it becomes brittle and can splinter. These splinters can lead to choking and damage my dog's sensitive digestive tract.

This may even require surgery if that sharp bone fragment gets stuck or tears the intestines.

To add insult to injury, boiling foods can reduce the nutrients in the bone marrow. Some nutrients leach out into the water. That's great if you're making bone broth. But it's not good for preparing a marrow-filled dog bone.

Vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B12, and E are reduced through boiling. The key minerals, sodium, magnesium, and calcium, also escape the bone into the water, as well as some of the collagen, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

Now, you can give your dog the water to reclaim some of this, but that defeats the purpose.

Dogs chew on dog bones because it's an instinct. Gnawing on marrow-filled dog bones relieves stress, entertains dogs and helps them keep their teeth clean, among other benefits. On top of that, the meaty bits and marrow taste good when the dog bone is prepared correctly.

I'll take pan-roasted Brussels sprouts over those mushy boiled ones any day.

The bottom line is that boiling dog bones provides less nutrition and increases risk. It's not worth it!

So the question becomes, can dogs eat cooked bones safely? If I don't give my dog boiled bones, how do I make them safer to eat?

Don't worry. I won't leave you in suspense.

How to Prepare Beef Marrow Bones for Dogs

You have two good options here. But one I like more than the other.

First, there is the raw dog bone. Raw bones retain all the nutrients, are less likely to splinter, and I'm sure they taste good. But I have a few worries about raw dog bones.

They are raw meat. Even if it was frozen, it has not been sterilized. As soon as it's at room temperature, that bacteria is going to grow.

My dog walks all over my house and jumps on my bed. I wouldn't drag a raw steak all over my house. Even if I give it to my fur babies in the backyard, they are still coming inside later to lick my face and walk raw meat all over.

So, they are healthy treats for dogs. But not the best dog bone treats.

Instead, I prefer dog bones roasted or smoked at a slow and low temperature. This method is how to prepare beef marrow bones for dogs. The process kills the pathogens I'm concerned about while retaining the nutrition and those tasty meaty bits my dogs love.

When beef bones are roasted or smoked correctly, they also have the perfect density and are not brittle at all.

How to Smoke Beef Marrow Bones

Don't. I mean, you can if you want. But I don't trust myself with the more delicate cooking process, especially when I can buy smoked beef marrow bones.

I would need to get the temperature and time just right. And that's a lot harder with a home smoker. You can just ask the Boston Butt my partner tried to smoke last year. It's not as easy as it looks for those of us who don't cook this way all the time.

My 3 dogs are like my kids—especially since my human ones left for college. So, I prefer to let a professional take on this task.

If there's one thing I've learned while trying to become more self-sufficient by growing some of my food and cooking more meals at home, it's that there are some things I'd rather buy because it's too hard to make them at home—and in this case, too risky.

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Bones?

To sum things up, yes, dogs can eat cooked bones, but it's important to know the risk of cooked bones for dogs. I don't want to deny these healthy treats for dogs. But boiling bones is not the answer.

And despite how much I can do for myself, I don't trust myself to prepare bones because they need to be cooked just right to be safe. I source my bones from a business that takes dog safety seriously. They only get their bones from grass-fed cattle on USA farms.

Now, could you walk into the kitchen at this moment and boil that dog bone? Sure.

I'll just leave you with this last thought. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you always should—especially when the safety of someone you love is at stake. This is one of those times.

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