Preparing Marrow Bones

I have told many of you how to prepare marrow bones for your dogs that we do not want to give raw bones to. I have added this quick guide to help make preparation easier for those who have never done it before.

Step 1. Get marrow bones. The pictured bones are about six to eight inches long. These are from Oma's Pride.  Your supermarket or butcher may also carry them.

Step 2. Boil the bones until the marrow can be pushed out, about 10 minutes. I use a stock pot or lobster pot, with the water level just over the top of bones.

Step 3. Push out the marrow. I use a butter knife for this, and aim to get most but not all out. If it does not free up easily, just slip the bone back into the water. Standing the bones on end in the boiling water also helps. If you can twirl the knife inside the bone, the excess marrow should slide out fairly easily.

Step 4. Cool completely and serve. Be sure the bones are cool -- one owner I know thought the bone was cool, but the center was hot, and her puppy suffered a burned tongue. Bones should last a long time -- if your dog loses interest just smear a bit of peanut butter inside. Or add flavor to the old bones by placing them in the water when you make new ones.