Marrow Bones

I usually have a few marrow bones in the freezer that I get from Wholefoods but I have certain criteria before Eti gets to enjoy one. The first one is activity. When the weather is inclement or my schedule conflicts with taking long walks in the park a marrow bone is a lifesaver. It is a couple of hours of intense concentration and activity, further enhanced by the fact that I only let him eat it on his daybed which requires him to step on and off it like a pro from an eighties step class (bone aerobics?).

The second is it cleans the teeth and works the jaw and related muscles so it provides some necessary health benefits that his pre made ground food doesn't offer. He also gets some whole raw meaty bone like chicken breasts and backs which are actually better for teeth cleaning.

There is a little meat on the marrow bone, not sufficient to really take into account in terms of calculating his daily intake but the marrow, which is fat and blood, is extremely rich so I remove the bone after a couple of hours -which usually allows him to get about half of the marrow. I wrap the bone in cling film and its put back into the freezer until next time. I'm careful to remember that he's eaten something rich and will perhaps make sure the next meal is not the same-like say lamb or pork, as it does affect his digestion-he gets loose stools.

In fact it upset his digestion enough once to create a reaction called Conditioned Taste Aversion where he refused to eat one thereafter, much to my disbelief. This was resolved by not giving him any for a while and then reintroducing one with a little cream cheese smeared in the hollow. In fact I do this sometimes if the bone is straight out of the freezer and he can't quite smell it.

There are some concerns also about the gnawing wearing the enamel of the teeth. Limiting the time moderates this. I may give the bone one more reincarnation stuffed with banana and peanut butter and then frozen after which its disposed of. Leaving it exposed increases its brittleness as does cooking it which is potentially hazardous.