Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

Is it safe for my 7-month-old boxer to chew on a bone marrow bone?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Female | unspayed | 6 months and 22 days old | 45 lbs

Is it safe to give a 7 month boxer a bone marrow?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 6th, 2017

Great question! I personally don't recommend giving dogs any bones, even though with bone marrow in it, because they break teeth, and can cause choking and obstructions in the GI tract. I don't feel it's safe and it's not worth the risks to the dog. If you do decide to give one to Maya, I would monitor her the entire time she is chewing on it, making sure she doesn't swallow large pieces of it whole. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 2nd, 2018

    I wouldn't worry about him being too young, but bones like this can be problematic to a dog of any age. Below is a link to a great article that explains the risks of giving bones. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-be-safe-when-giving-bones-as-treats-1/ After that, I would not worry about the bone being toxic or overly concerning. Pepe Le Pew is super cute by the way. I hope that helps and all is well.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Thank you for your response to my question regarding Brownies leaky eyes! I will try the Angel Eyes ASAP. While browsing through the question/answer forum I came across your advice regarding giving dogs cooked bones. It was DON'T do it! I'm feeling l
I would not recommend feeding cooked bones, and it’s best to avoid raw bones as well. Cooked bones can splinter and cause an obstruction, constipation or diarrhea. Raw bones could cause an obstruction as well and could result in food borne illness.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 1 year old Rottweiler was neutered yesterday. He’s doing great today, lots of energy. Can I give him a beef marrow bone? I give them to home periodically for a reward and I monitor him.
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Vinny. I do not typically recommend marrow bones as I have seen dogs break off and swallow large pieces. This can become a surgery to remove them. I have also cases of gastrointestinal upset after chewing on them. That being said, if this is something he is accustomed to and you plan to monitor him with it, it should be fine. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My puppy is only 8 weeks old. At what age can I introduce a dog bone?
I personally never recommend giving dogs bones. They too often break teeth, and can and do lead to obstructions in the GI tract. Now there are rubber bones that Stormy can chew on, and you can give her one designed specifically for puppies. They are a bit softer and will help her when she starts teething in a couple of months. The Kong brand has a great range of puppy rubber bones, and I would get her one of those from a pet store. Just make sure to watch her when she chews on it to make sure she doesn't bite off and swallow any parts. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Can dogs have raw beef marrow bones, or will this crack their teeth? my dog loves to chew so I'm wondering if this is ok for some mental stimulation. Thanks!
No it won't crack any teeth (or at least it is very unlikely to do so), but I would suggest not to give any bone at all (neither cooked or raw) to avoid any risk of secondary gastrointestinal complications. A KONG would be a good alternative, providing both a game and a chew with food. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/brand/kong Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Are split elk antlers safe for dogs? The split antlers look like the contain a good bit of dried marrow. Would dried marrow be fatty? Thanks!
I'm not a fan of these types of chews. They can be swallowed whole and could cause internal injuries or obstructions. Dried marrow would regain its "texture" once moistened with your dog's saliva. If you do decide to get these, make sure they are of appropriate size and monitor Echo when he is chewing one. Replace it if/when it becomes small enough to fit entirely in his mouth.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it safe to give my dog bones to chew on?
No! Dogs should NEVER be given raw or cooked animal bones for several reasons. Raw bones run the risk of transmitting harmful bacteria, including Salmonella or Campylobacter, both to your dog and any exposed people. These bacteria can be transmitted through a dog’s stool and saliva. Bones can also pose hazards for foreign body obstruction in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. Poultry bones are inherently filled with air and cooked bones become more brittle, both of which can splinter leading to perforation of the stomach or intestines. Bones and antlers are also quite hard and can lead to tooth fractures. Instead of offering bones, alternative products such as Nylabones, Kongs, or the dental treats approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (www.vohc.org) are safer and more effective alternatives for dogs that like to chew.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
I just gave my puppy, Pepe a marrow bone. Then, I thought...”is he too young?” Did I make a mistake. He is 7 months old, approximately March 3rd.
I wouldn't worry about him being too young, but bones like this can be problematic to a dog of any age. Below is a link to a great article that explains the risks of giving bones. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-be-safe-when-giving-bones-as-treats-1/ After that, I would not worry about the bone being toxic or overly concerning. Pepe Le Pew is super cute by the way. I hope that helps and all is well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi so i bought a pack of 2 ham bones at petco about 2 weeks ago.I gave him one of these smoked bones,I think, 2 weeks ago and now he's really started to eat it and so my question is, are these bones good to be eaten fully? He doesn't seem to struggle
As with any bone or hard chew toy, there are concerns for tooth trauma. In my experience, I've seen many broken teeth from dogs chewing on deer antlers, hard bones, etc. I would usually recommend against giving these for that reason. As Rocky is a larger breed dog, the pieces of bone that he is chewing off of the main bone should not be a problem and they should pass through his intestines just fine. However, if given a large enough bone and he eats it whole, this could lead to a GI foreign body obstruction as the bone tries to pass through and gets stuck. There are alternatives you can use such as Kong toys that you can put treats in or put peanut butter in that would keep him busy. Hopefully this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns you may have.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My boston terrier loves to chew. Is it safe to give her beef knee cap bones I found on Amazon?
I do not recommend giving bones to pets as there can be a variety of problems that can arise from this, including broken teeth, choking, or intestinal obstruction. You can read more about these risks at: https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm A safer option would be a kong toy https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-classic-dog-toy stuffed with canned dog food and popped into the freezer or filled with peanut butter or another treat if you want something as a treat for prolonged chewing for your pup.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We just our new puppy (8 months old) Daisy yesterday, and she found one of our older dogs rawhides. Is it ok to let her chew on it? She really seems to like it.
Daisy is super cute! The decision to give a dog rawhide is always a tricky one. Some dogs never have any problems with rawhide while others get bad stomach upset from them. Some dogs can even swallow a piece that's too big and end up with an intestinal obstruction. Intestinal obstructions are serious and require surgery to correct. I'd monitor Daisy to make sure she doesn't bite off a large piece of rawhide and swallow it as this would make her prone to intestinal obstruction. Remove the rawhide when it gets small as she may swallow it. I'd also watch to make sure she doesn't develop any vomiting or diarrhea. If you see this she should be examined by a veterinarian and rawhide should no longer be given If you want to err on the side of caution then I wouldn't give Daisy rawhide in the future. A Kong or another type of safe chew toy may be a better option for her. Thanks for using Boop by Petco and good luck with Daisy!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored