I have a 6- almost 7 month old norfolk terrier pup who for his size is a monster chewer. he's got all his adult teeth now but still wants to chew pretty much constantly. i've been giving him bully sticks since i got him (actually the breeder gave them to him when he was tiny too) and he LOVES them but he can make an 8" bully disappear in about 15 mins. they are really expensive and despite being digestible, i cant imagine letting him eat an entire one every single day is healthy for him. the problem is that for every chew imaginable, i've heard bad things and i dont know what to do. I want to give him something that will be super long lasting. so here comes my slew of questions. any help is much appreciated.
1. is it bad for him to eat a bully everyday? he chews it all down but then swallows the last 2" or so once its all chewed up and gummy and white. can him swallowing that lead to an internal blockage or does it just pass because it's 100% digestible?
2. my neighbour gave him an antler which he seemed to like but i took it away from him after reading about dogs breaking and wearing down their teeth on them. it's a full round antler, not split down the middle. the breeder said that i should wait at lest 2 years before giving him antlers or raw bones because they are too hard for new teeth. thoughts?
3. with meat bones, cooked or raw, is the dog suppose to actually consume it or just chew on it? i'm weary of cooked bones because i know they can splinter but i've allowed him to chew on a BBQ'd bone from a steak before with close supervision. I just allowed him to eat the meat off and then removed it. could he actually eat the whole bone?
4. he has a couple nylabones which he doesnt really like, but same question- will he eventually chew down/consume the whole thing or should it be removed before that? going back about 10 years i used to give my dog nylabones and he would eventually chew down the whole thing i would just toss out the end. is that okay?
5. anything i am able to stuff in his kong, frozen or otherwise, he is able to clean out in under 10 minutes. i've heard horrible things about greenies and the likes so i've completely avoided them. thoughts?
6. i know all the commotion about rawhide being undigestible and have a few questions about that. is the danger present only because dogs tend to swallow big chunks? if i was to give him a large pressed bone and watch closely that he only made it all gummy and never swallowed a solid piece, is that safe? or is the entire thing just completely undigestible meaning any amount will stay in his guts and rot? what about the fact that they tend to all be made in china? should i be concerned about that? i have a hard time understanding how an animals skin could be undigestible. doesnt everyone eat the skin on chicken wings?
7. i've heard pig hide is better than cowhide because it is 100% digestible. is that true? what about the fact that it's very greasy? couldnt that set off his pancreas? and what about salmonella?
thanks, nicole
1. is it bad for him to eat a bully everyday? he chews it all down but then swallows the last 2" or so once its all chewed up and gummy and white. can him swallowing that lead to an internal blockage or does it just pass because it's 100% digestible?
2. my neighbour gave him an antler which he seemed to like but i took it away from him after reading about dogs breaking and wearing down their teeth on them. it's a full round antler, not split down the middle. the breeder said that i should wait at lest 2 years before giving him antlers or raw bones because they are too hard for new teeth. thoughts?
3. with meat bones, cooked or raw, is the dog suppose to actually consume it or just chew on it? i'm weary of cooked bones because i know they can splinter but i've allowed him to chew on a BBQ'd bone from a steak before with close supervision. I just allowed him to eat the meat off and then removed it. could he actually eat the whole bone?
4. he has a couple nylabones which he doesnt really like, but same question- will he eventually chew down/consume the whole thing or should it be removed before that? going back about 10 years i used to give my dog nylabones and he would eventually chew down the whole thing i would just toss out the end. is that okay?
5. anything i am able to stuff in his kong, frozen or otherwise, he is able to clean out in under 10 minutes. i've heard horrible things about greenies and the likes so i've completely avoided them. thoughts?
6. i know all the commotion about rawhide being undigestible and have a few questions about that. is the danger present only because dogs tend to swallow big chunks? if i was to give him a large pressed bone and watch closely that he only made it all gummy and never swallowed a solid piece, is that safe? or is the entire thing just completely undigestible meaning any amount will stay in his guts and rot? what about the fact that they tend to all be made in china? should i be concerned about that? i have a hard time understanding how an animals skin could be undigestible. doesnt everyone eat the skin on chicken wings?
7. i've heard pig hide is better than cowhide because it is 100% digestible. is that true? what about the fact that it's very greasy? couldnt that set off his pancreas? and what about salmonella?
thanks, nicole