# Deer bones for dogs: Cooked or Raw?



## Daniel J Simoens

Being my first deer season as a dog owner, I was given the idea to give my dog some deer leg bones based on another dog owner in the group. I took 3 large femur bones and was told to put them on a grill for a bit before giving to the dog. Not so much that it turns brittle/ash but just to cook it for a bit. 

Was wondering what the thoughts were of everybody here? I figure it'll give him something to do while I'm working in the garage (aka he will not be unsupervised). 

Note: This is my first dog, I'm not a trainer, he will not be doing trials, he's a house dog that will be trained to find antler sheds. He is currently 8 months old.


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## 1st retriever

If he hasn't had them before, he very well could get the squirts. Personally I would boil them for a few minutes.


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## Rick Hall

Pretty sure cooked bones are much more apt to splinter. Gave mine raw deer bones for years without problems but have since switched to beef knuckles.


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## P4PLABS

Raw for sure... they do at times get the big D!!


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## 1st retriever

Rick Hall said:


> Pretty sure cooked bones are much more apt to splinter. Gave mine raw deer bones for years without problems but have since switched to beef knuckles.


 
Yes they are. I just meant to boil just to get the tissue (if any left) cooked a bit. Nothing wrong with raw at all, just might help with any output.


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## Daniel J Simoens

Yeah I'm aware of the likely squirts issue. I'd only give it to him a short period of time. I know one of the bones has some extra meat on it.

Just when he thought he couldn't love me anymore!!


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## David Eaton

A few years back I was helping a friend gut a deer. I saw some type of a worm swimming around in the blood. I mentioned it to my vet. I was wondering if it was a heart worm. He told me what it was, but I can't remeber. The point is, I would not give my dogs raw deer bones.


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## David McCracken

I give mine the whole foot (from the knee down), hoof, hair, and all. The next day only part of the leg bone will be left in the pen.


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## LokiMeister

I have been told that you can give most any bone to a dog if it isn't cooked, yes, including chicken bones. After all, when was the last time you saw the local fox walking off with one of your chickens to cook it over a fire before eating it?


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## Todd Caswell

Mine get them raw, they don't get them for along time and they are suppervised, and they occasionally have loose stools but nothing major.


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## dorkweed

My BLM can bust open most any leg bone. I just gave him a raw. fresh elk femur, and inside of 3 hours, he had it busted into splinters eating the marrow. Be careful y'all!!!


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## Tman22

Deer can get nasal bot fly worms. Blue tougue disease, CWD. I'd go with beef knuckels. 
You not saving that much money. My yellow puppy got under the truck while I was cleaning a deer this season. A yellow lab covered in blood running around was somethign funny.


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## KEITH L

Bones of any type are not good for any dogs.


Keith L.


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## FOM

KEITH L said:


> bones of any type are not good for any dogs
> 
> 
> keith l.



Huh? Please explain...


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## LokiMeister

KEITH L said:


> bones of any type are not good for any dogs
> 
> 
> keith l.


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## Daniel J Simoens

Tman22 said:


> Deer can get nasal bot fly worms. Blue tougue disease, CWD. I'd go with beef knuckels.
> You not saving that much money. My yellow puppy got under the truck while I was cleaning a deer this season. A yellow lab covered in blood running around was somethign funny.


These were free deer that we killed in our hunting camp. I don't think we've had any reports of CWD up by us (Shawano, WI area). They've been sitting in my garage a couple weeks now so I'll look them over and see if there's anything wrong with them.


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## Julie R.

Daniel J Simoens said:


> these were free deer that we killed in our hunting camp. I don't think we've had any reports of CWD up by us (Shawano, WI area). they've been sitting in my garage a couple weeks now so I'll look them over and see if there's anything wrong with them.


Not sure about bot fly stuff but most deer diseases don't cross over to dogs, especially not CWD. My dogs eat deer bones and do fine, although as others have mentioned they'll get the squirts (and paint-peeling gas) unless you introduce gradually. Dogs' saliva/digestive systems kill a lot more harmful bacteria than ours; if we ate the germy rotting stuff they love, we'd probably keel over dead. So it's not necessary to 'sanitize' them first. That's for our benefit, not theirs! Cooking does make the bones more brittle/more apt to splinter.


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## dorkweed

KEITH L said:


> bones of any type are not good for any dogs
> 
> 
> keith l.




Would you care to try to explain the "raw" diets for dogs????? The proponents of these diets feed bones all the time.


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## Margo Ellis

I am not a fan of the knuckle bones having had a dog get into them too quickly before I could take it away from him.

I would prefer the femur bones from beef that have been frozen, this limits the amount of marrow the dog gets and limits the digestive "issues" that can go along with too much of a good thing


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## Daniel J Simoens

Julie R. said:


> Not sure about bot fly stuff but most deer diseases don't cross over to dogs, especially not CWD. My dogs eat deer bones and do fine, although as others have mentioned they'll get the squirts (and paint-peeling gas) unless you introduce gradually. Dogs' saliva/digestive systems kill a lot more harmful bacteria than ours; if we ate the germy rotting stuff they love, we'd probably keel over dead. So it's not necessary to 'sanitize' them first. That's for our benefit, not theirs! Cooking does make the bones more brittle/more apt to splinter.


Do you give them to your dogs raw then?? Ill prepare for the squirts but cant imagine Blue's gas getting any worse than it already is!! Lol


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## saltgrass

Got a buddy of mine that feeds his dogs raw deer meat and bones this time of year. if not every day atleast every other. they love it and he has never had a prob. of any kind.


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## ssramage

I give mine the raw bones and have never had a problem


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## wheelhorse

Most of the damage dog dentist see in dogs are fractured premolars (the big chewing teeth), usually due to bones. A big increase since more people have started feeding the BARF diet (raw diet)

It is a love/hate relationship for them. Love 'em because it gives them alot of business, hate 'em because of the pain a dog has to go through with fractured teeth and the subsequent dental work that needs to be done.

I won't ever give my dogs bones to chew on.


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## Mtai13

David Eaton said:


> A few years back I was helping a friend gut a deer. I saw some type of a worm swimming around in the blood. I mentioned it to my vet. I was wondering if it was a heart worm. He told me what it was, but I can't remeber. The point is, I would not give my dogs raw deer bones.


Dogs are regularly dewormed for this reason.


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