Desmond CGC

Are marrow bones dangerous for teeth?

I noticed Desmond has one chipped tooth, the incisor directly in front of his top right canine. Could this have been caused by chewing on a marrow bone? Is he at risk of chipping more teeth if he continues to chew on these bones? He loves them, and they help clean his teeth, but I'm worried about him chipping any other teeth.

If it was unlikely that a marrow bone would chip a tooth, what do you think could have caused it? He doesn't really chew on much, tbh. Just food, treats, and stuffies. He's not a "chewer". He only chews on things that are meant to be chewed by him, never chews anything inappropriate (household items, etc)

Asked by Desmond CGC on Jul 23rd 2010 Tagged chipped, tooth, bones in Dental Care


  • Cast your vote for which answer you think is best!


Cookies 'n' Creme (1998-2011)

Depends. Are they "wreck" (weight-bearing) bones from a pig or a larger animal? Those can chip a tooth, only some dogs can handle them properly.
When feeding bones, the best are generally raw, edible ones with lots of meat and/or bone. Like chicken, turkey, some pork bones, etc.

Cookies 'n' Creme (1998-2011) answered on 7/23/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


my daughter gave my dog a weight bearing bone and broke her tooth. Now it is worn down from the episode back then. Weight bearing bones like leg bones are teeth wreckers. And no dog should chew on any cooked bone that includes smoke bones.
Inappropriate items such as hard plastic and wood can also be tooth wreckers. It might start out as an exterior tooth fracture, but the tooth will slowly fall apart on the outside then on the top in time.



Mom recommends and feeds us Greenies to help clean our teeth! We love them and always do a 'Greenies' dance when Mom starts opening the box! They are easy to digest and 100% water soluble. They come in all sorts of different sizes so you can pick the size that is perfect for Desmond. Feeding a Greenie a day helps keep teeth cleanings away! :D

Check out their website at:



I have used the marrow bones, if i am thinking of the same thing they really are not that hard. But if the dog had bad teeth it may have done it. I also use greeneis because they are hard but not so hard they break teeth. May want to have the dogs teeth checked out next time you go to the vet.

Ty answered on 7/28/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer