Healty dog chews.......

croll326 · 09-30-2009, 11:24 AM

What is a healthy dog chew? I purchased my dog some raw hide dental chews before I knew any better. He doesn't really care for nylabones. He loves the raw hides but I want to give him something healthier. Any suggestion?

Indy · 09-30-2009, 11:32 AM

Bully sticks. Digestable, reasonably healthy (more nutrition than rawhide)... and most dogs love 'em.

They are sort of expensive, so our pup only gets them once in awhile.

Dreadog · 09-30-2009, 12:06 PM

any more suggestions? I have the same question, but Hoku does NOT tolerate beef at all. We do do kongs, but I would love another option.

rosemaryninja · 09-30-2009, 01:00 PM

Soak a small towel in water, twist and freeze.

Otherwise, I really like raw bones. Make sure they're not small enough for your dog to swallow whole, and avoid weight-bearing bones to prevent teeth from chipping.

Indy · 09-30-2009, 02:03 PM

We also do sweet potato chews. They are a hard packed, dehydrated pure sweet potato in a bone shape.

And Kong options are endless- frozen for extended chews. We use peanut butter, yogurt, canned pumpkin/sweet potato, and recently chicken/vegetable baby food which she loved.

croll326 · 10-01-2009, 11:23 AM

My pup loves Bully sticks but after he chews on it for a while they get pretty nasty.

What about antlers? There is a local health food pet store and they sell them.

jennhav · 11-06-2009, 11:33 AM

We give our dogs bully sticks (they are the natural kind and pretty inexpensive as bully sticks go) from this site: http://allnaturalbullysticks.com You can try these as a beef alternative:http://www.snookdog.com/

jesirose · 11-06-2009, 11:50 AM

Antlers are the best thing I've found.

SandyPuppy · 11-09-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy

We also do sweet potato chews. They are a hard packed, dehydrated pure sweet potato in a bone shape.

Where do you find sweet potato chews?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesirose

Antlers are the best thing I've found.

Everyone seems to love the antlers, but aren't antlers harder than any bone? Isn't there a danger of damage to the teeth?

Michiyo-Fir · 11-09-2009, 11:45 AM

I agree! Bully sticks are probably the best. Mess free and good for dogs.

You could try raw bones as well but those are a bit of a mess.

Labsnothers · 11-09-2009, 11:52 AM

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.

Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

croll326 · 11-09-2009, 09:49 PM

What bully sticks are mess free?! I want a trunk full of them. I purchased one and it turned while and gross really quick.