? for medium or large dog owners...

[PapaBear]

<p>I've mentioned Buddy on the board before...</p><p><img height="320" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/snowmaninva66/DSCN0789WinCE.jpg" width="237" border="0" /></p><p>From time to time, I buy him a Jumbone for large dogs.</p><p><img height="248" src="http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/products/jumbone.jpg" width="482" border="0" /></p><p>I've heard that rawhide and pig ears can be very bad for a dog's digestive tract. He loves these things, but here's the problem. It says to give him 2 or 3 of these a week. That would lead me to believe that each one should last him at least a little while.</p><p>Not with Buddy, though. He makes one of these things dissapear in less than 10 minutes! Is this normal? Does anyone have any good suggestions on something tasty he can chew on for an extended period of time that's not bad for him?</p><p>At least I know what to do, if I have a body to get rid of.</p>

[spoon]

<p>I have a few smaller pooches right now but when I had OE sheepdogs and G. Shepards, they ate those things fast like you mentioned.&nbsp; The rumor you heard is in fact true due to the bleeches they use to whiten the hides.&nbsp; Try some large greenies or kong balls with treats inside they have to work to get out.&nbsp; Yet they always find a way to put those things away fast as hell too.&nbsp; Cute pup PB.</p>

[Coach]

<p>Yes The Pig's ears and rawhide can reak havoc on your dog's tract...think really bad farts!!!! and poops.</p><p>Try Nyla Bones...took a few months for our dog to tear it apart.</p><p>The pedigrees are usually to clean the dogs mouth...plus they too can upset your dog's stomach and cause shit's and farts that would make you run for the hills. </p><p>My Dad got our Golden some once for Xmas and both were gone in 24 hours...she farted after that and looked surprised, smelt it and ran for the back door...then she gave me that &quot;Help Me&quot; look as I let her out the door..</p><p>Actually I believe Nyla Bones have products that actually kill dog breath and make it smell like mint.</p><span class="post_edited">Also..every once in awhile it is actually good to give a real beef bone to your dog..other than a t bone...</span>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by Coach on 8-8-06 @ 2:20 AM</span>

[spoon]

<p>Those breath products only work for about 10 minutes though.&nbsp; Anyone know something that actually helps long term?&nbsp; My pooch has worse breath then Snoogans after making out with Justice.</p>

[PapaBear]

I'm going to try the Nyla Bones, Coach. Thanks. I know about the things that Spoon mentioned, but I'm looking more for something that he can chew on for long periods of time. I'm still kind of weirded out by the idea of using a&nbsp;nylon product for him to chew on, but the teeth cleaning aspect (along with the long lasting chewing fun) is right in line with what I'm looking for.

[Coach]

<p>Heh he actually, You can brush your dog's teeth..takes awhile for them to get used to it..but after awhile they actually like it (something about it is primal to them).</p><p>Don't use conventional toothpaste..It can kill them. There are dog toothpastes, but short of that try an all natural one from a health store. I have heard of people flossing their dogs.... but might be a bit much...</p>

[PapaBear]

<p><span class="post_edited">Also..every once in awhile it is actually good to give a real beef bone to your dog..other than a t bone...</span> </p><p>Though I've been tempted to give him real bones, I never give him &quot;people food&quot;.</p>

[Coach]

<p>If your dog is a chewer, try those rubber bee's nest shaped things....put a treat inside it and plug the holes and see the dog spent alot of time trying to get at the treat. (I used Peanut butter)</p>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by Coach on 8-8-06 @ 2:33 AM</span>

[Coach]

<strong>PapaBear</strong> wrote:<br /><p>&nbsp;</p><span class="post_edited">Also..every once in awhile it is actually good to give a real beef bone to your dog..other than a t bone...</span> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Though I've been tempted to give him real bones, I never give him &quot;people food&quot;.</p><p>Don't forget that some &quot;people food&quot; is also Dog food..Any bones except for fish and birds, are actually beneficial to a dog's overall health. They clean the teeth and actually give minerals that aid the dog. don't give it at the dinner table....give it as a treat at it's outside hangout or nest... It helps in chewing behavior if you have woodwork...</p><p>Also, if he is chewing up the house, it might be some sort of abandonment issue...get a stuffed animal and have every person in the house rub it over themselves, and in the armpits and bottom of their feet, Acts as a soothing aspect for the animal</p>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by Coach on 8-8-06 @ 2:50 AM</span>

[sr71blackbird]

<p>I occasionally give the dogs Moozles:</p><p><img height="400" src="http://www.pet-expo.com/images/ss/mp33024.jpg" width="533" border="0" /></p><p>They are freeze dried cow noses.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Or, and these will likely last you longer, hooves:</p><p><img height="350" src="http://www.pet-expo.com/images/ss/chew1509.jpg" width="228" border="0" /></p><p>They are hard and good for them and they love them.&nbsp; <br />There is also unbleached rawhide out there too..</p>

[Don Stugots]

vegas only chews on chewlotta bones.&nbsp; she loves them, they dont make for gassy nights and clean her teeth and breathe.

[HeyGuy]

<strong>spoon</strong> wrote:<br /><p>Those breath products only work for about 10 minutes though.&nbsp; Anyone know something that actually helps long term?&nbsp; My pooch has worse breath then Snoogans after making out with Justice.</p><p>See people he can be funny even when hes insulting. </p><p>As I was reading this I just starting laughing and couldnt stop. That was great spoon</p>

[HeyGuy]

<strong>Coach</strong> wrote:<br /><p>Heh he actually, You can brush your dog's teeth..takes awhile for them to get used to it..but after awhile they actually like it (something about it is primal to them).</p><p>Don't use conventional toothpaste..It can kill them. There are dog toothpastes, but short of that try an all natural one from a health store. I have heard of people flossing their dogs.... but might be a bit much...</p><p>I have 2 huge, fat, lazy black labs. Their breath smells like ass, but there is no way in hell im opening their mouths and brushing those nasty fangs. What else you got because I just aint doing that.</p>

[landarch]

Heavy duty rope toys can be good for keeping the teeth clean, but it's best to get them young and train them to have their teeth brushed.&nbsp; For a while we did our dog's teeth weekly, but like anything else,&nbsp;that sort of fell off after while.&nbsp; Rawhides can also cause blockages in the intestinal tract if the dog gets it soft enough (but not small enough) to swallow and munches it down anyway.&nbsp; We heard the praises of the nyla bones for weeks from our friends and thought they may be good for our boxer.&nbsp; He had the whole thing gone in about an hour, and the shapes of the splinters he was swallowing down from this made us very nervous.&nbsp; Real bones are good but be careful of those that can splinter (rib bones are no good, especially pork ones).&nbsp; I have gone to the butcher in the past and gotten marrow bones from pork shoulders and boiled them for him.&nbsp; He gets the marrow out of it almost immediately, then has a bone to chew for a few weeks, and they're cheap if not free.&nbsp; I boil them so he's not leaving raw meat residue all over the rug, otherwise he would get it raw.&nbsp;

[TooCute]

What is your goal? Keep your dog's teeth clean? Keep him entertained?

If you're worried about your dog swallowing stuff, take a kong, cover one
hole, fill the thing with water and some kibble, and freeze it. It lasts a really
long time; much longer than if you just fill it with peanut butter or kibble or
whatever, which can be gotten out relatively quickly. If your dog likes
gnawing on bones, those are good too. My dog usually won't unless I put
some peanut butter or something in it. Usually I actually will stuff it with
peanut butter/cheese/kibble and water and freeze it - again, it lasts like half
an hour - hour. My dog won't eat nylabones, and greenies are way too
expensive and don't last more than ten minutes. My dog loves the cow
hooves, but they can smell REALLY bad, so watch out. Also, I take them
away when they get pretty small, because my dog has a tendency to
swallow the last bit and eventually puke it up. No biggie, but you don't want
it getting any further than the stomach, and getting stuck. I do have to say
that while rawhides etc. can theoretically be bad, I've never seen a dog
come in to the hospital because it had a blockage from one - so I suspect
that while it CAN happen, as long as you keep an eye on your pooch, it
probably isn't that bad - I mean, your dog CAN get a blockage from nearly
anything, after all.
Bad breath? Brushing your dog's teeth is great and can help prevent it, but
if they've already got it - get your dog to the vet for a teeth cleaning. You
should be getting your dog's teeth cleaned about every year, anyhow; more
often for some smaller breeds and those prone to bad teeth. If you don't,
there's a fair chance that eventually your dog's going to have cavities/
abcesses/etc. which will need to have teeth removed - or even lead to bone
disease in the jaw. I saw one dog whose owner had never brought it in for a
cleaning - its jaw actually broke in half spontaneously because there was so
much bone loss! Getting those teeth cleaned is as important as your annual
vaccinations... you don't want to have to put your dog down a year or two
earlier than you otherwise might have had to because of bad teeth - but it
could happen. Please take care of them!

[crb1]

<p>We give one of our dogs Dingo bones.&nbsp; They have a pressed one that takes him forever to chew through.&nbsp; They are made of a thinner, more digestible type of rawhide and some sort of chicken jerky.&nbsp; He's never had any problem (puking, etc.) after eating one of them, but other types have made him sick.&nbsp; They also make one with &quot;double meat&quot;&nbsp;that just crumbles as he eats it, which keeps him from swallowing large chunks of rawhide.&nbsp; </p><p>As far as bones go, it's actually healthier to give a dog raw bones.&nbsp; Since they haven't been cooked, they are much more flexible and less apt to splinter.&nbsp; From what I've read, raw chicken wings are actually the best type of bones to give to dogs due to the ratio of fat, protein, vitamins, etc.&nbsp; I haven't been able to work up the courage to give him raw chicken wings though.</p>

[ShelleBink]

My dog practically inhales anything you give her.&nbsp; I stick to large bones ((we nickname them dinosaur bones)) or the hooves which last longer than pig ears, etc.&nbsp; Good luck and he's adorable!!!!<br />

[KC2OSO]

<p>&nbsp;</p><strong>Coach</strong> wrote:<br /><p>Yes The Pig's ears and rawhide can reak havoc on your dog's tract...think really bad farts!!!! and poops.</p><p>Try Nyla Bones...took a few months for our dog to tear it apart.</p><p>The pedigrees are usually to clean the dogs mouth...plus they too can upset your dog's stomach and cause shit's and farts that would make you run for the hills. </p><p>My Dad got our Golden some once for Xmas and both were gone in 24 hours...she farted after that and looked surprised, smelt it and ran for the back door...then she gave me that &quot;Help Me&quot; look as I let her out the door..</p><p>Actually I believe Nyla Bones have products that actually kill dog breath and make it smell like mint.</p><span class="post_edited">Also..every once in awhile it is actually good to give a real beef bone to your dog..other than a t bone...</span>&nbsp;<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thanks for the chuckle.&nbsp; Same here, the Pedigrees are gone in a few hours and we get the same worried look from the massive toots.</p><p><img width="64" height="81" border="0" src="http://www.njmikec.com/Sue.jpg" /> No More Pedigree!<br /></p><p><br /></p>

[ShelleBink]

Yes, the farts from chewy sticks are horrendous too<br />

[terry1979]

<p>You could feed him my dog.....</p><p><a href="http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/replytotopic.cfm/Forum/52/Topic/47341/currentpage/4/?action=view&current=untitled.jpg"></a><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/terryc35/untitled.jpg" border="0" /></p>

[ShelleBink]

That's not a dog, its a muppet.<br />

[Skellington]

<p>don't give your dog greenies.&nbsp; i've been reading far too many articles about dogs dying from those not digesting.</p><p>I have a 14lb minpin (small, i know), and he goes through rawhides that are double his size in about an hour.&nbsp; I get the newpaper roll looking rawhide, freeze it, then give it to him. it lasts a whee bit longer.&nbsp; otherwise, the giant rope toys are great. </p>

[SinA]

<strong>wbskellington2</strong> wrote:<br /><p>don't give your dog greenies.&nbsp; i've been reading far too many articles about dogs dying from those not digesting. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>all of those &quot;bones&quot; made from compressed corn starch are a choking hazard, and so is rawhide. especially since the dog chews them&nbsp;up so fast.</p><p>i don't worry about giving my dogs real bones, sometimes with a little peanut butter smeared on the inside.&nbsp; i throw the bones away if they get too small or start breaking up</p><p>don't they look like happy girls?</p><p><img height="374" src="http://webpages.charter.net/s_a/blog/A&R.jpg" width="500" border="0" /></p>

[PapaBear]

<p>Sina... It looks like you put a doggie treat on top of your camera, for that pic!</p><p>Thanks for the advice about teeth cleaning, Too Cute. Since he doesn't have bad breath, I hadn't given it much thought, but I will now. I'm also starting to lean toward the rawhide thing, too.</p>

[ShelleBink]

<p>&nbsp;</p><strong>SinA</strong> wrote:<br /><strong>wbskellington2</strong> wrote:<br /><p>don't give your dog greenies. i've been reading far too many articles about dogs dying from those not digesting. </p><p> </p><p>all of those &quot;bones&quot; made from compressed corn starch are a choking hazard, and so is rawhide. especially since the dog chews them up so fast.</p><p>i don't worry about giving my dogs real bones, sometimes with a little peanut butter smeared on the inside. i throw the bones away if they get too small or start breaking up</p><p>don't they look like happy girls?</p><p><img width="500" height="374" border="0" src="http://webpages.charter.net/s_a/blog/A&R.jpg" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>soooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!&nbsp;</p>

[Sheeplovr]

<p>My Chim Cham loves loves Jumbone's she downs it in seconds </p>

[PapaBear]

<strong>Sheeplovr</strong> wrote:<br /><p>My Chim Cham loves loves Jumbone's she downs it in seconds </p><p>Hot.</p>

[Don Stugots]

<strong>Sheeplovr</strong> wrote:<br /><p>My Chim Cham loves loves Jumbone's she downs it in seconds </p><p>you need to date a women and stop having your way with the dog.&nbsp; you animal.</p>

[spoon]

Any links to that greenie theory?&nbsp; Those things are the only solution to one of my pooch's breath problem.&nbsp; I do in fact get my dog's teeth cleaned once a year and I specifically asked him about Bender's breath.&nbsp; He stated his teeth look great, the gums are fine so I guess it's nothing serious.&nbsp; I really think he doesn't drink enough water, but I may be wrong.&nbsp; I've pretty much done everything I've heard might help.&nbsp; Any others?

[PapaBear]

<p>Just did a quick search. Here's some links to info on bad breath that include non-dental causes.</p><p><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2446_prevent-breath-pets.html">http://www.ehow.com/how_2446_prevent-breath-pets.html</a></p><p><a href="http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=180">http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=180</a></p><p>And some on greenies...</p><p><a href="http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/greenies.asp">http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/greenies.asp</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/14/dangerous.dogtreat/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/14/dangerous.dogtreat/index.html</a></p><p>*edit* I just read the CNN story. What really bothered me was this quote from a Greenies spokes person.</p><p>&quot;Our product is safe. It is used every day by thousands of dogs, millions a week and it is <strong><font style="background-color: #ffff00">basically</font></strong> a very safe product.&quot;</p>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by PapaBear on 8-9-06 @ 1:46 AM</span>

[spoon]

<p>Use this to watch the report:</p><p><a href="http://www.kirotv.com/video/5330356/detail.html">http://www.kirotv.com/video/5330356/detail.html</a></p>

[TooCute]

<strong>PapaBear</strong> wrote:<br><p>Just did a quick
search. Here's some links to info on bad breath that include non-dental
causes.</p><p><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2446_prevent-
breath-pets.html">http://www.ehow.com/how_2446_prevent-breath-
pets.html</a></p><p><a href="http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/
article.aspx?id=180">http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?
id=180</a></p><p></p>

Aaah! That second article recommends feeding your cat Friskys... please...
for the love of god... if it's a pet food you can buy at the supermarket, or
worse, at 7-11 or the gas station... pleasepleasepleaseplease don't feed it to
your pet... please!

[WhistlePig]

[/quote]<p>all of those "bones" made from compressed corn
starch are a choking hazard, and so is rawhide. especially since the
dog chews themÿup so fast.</p><p>i don't worry about giving my
dogs real bones, sometimes with a little peanut butter smeared on the
inside.ÿ i throw the bones away if they get too small or start breaking
up</p><p>don't they look like happy girls?</p><p><img
height="374" src="http://webpages.charter.net/s_a/blog/A&R.jpg"
width="500" border="0" /></p>[/quote]<p></p>

What darlings!!

[CallmeQtie]

If your pup has bad breath, try changing the food. I did that and it fixed the problem within a day or two. As for bones, go to the butcher and get some beef bones with the marrow still in them. Dogs can have real bones as long as they aren't cooked. Once you cook bones they can splinter and really hurt the dog. My dogs like real bones the best.

[spoon]

Never tried that really Q, I'll give it a shot soon.&nbsp; Thanks.