All Things Dog Blog

Showing posts with label dog chew toys. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Ask the Vet with Dr. Mark:
Safe Dog Chews

by Mark Nunez, DVM

Dear Dr Nunez,

My dog is a chewer. He has always enjoyed rawhides and pigs ears and anything tasty he can naw on for hours. I have been told that rawhides and pig ears have dangers. What about deer antlers and Bully sticks? No one I have asked seems to be sure if they are safe. Chet is important to me and he needs something to keep him busy while I work. What do you think?

A. Morton

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In general, I recommend that my clients stay away from rawhides, pig ears, pig hooves, deer antlers, sterilized marrow bones, and bully sticks. Most veterinarians follow along with this recommendation. We are practicing defensive medicine (for the most part) by doing so. If we say, “Sure, it’s fine to give your dog a rawhide chew,” and your dog ends up with an intestinal obstruction, we are afraid of a lawsuit. Intestinal blockages are a problem for some dogs, but not all dogs.

The most important question that must be answered when deciding what to give your dog to gnaw on is “is my dog a gulper?” If your dog likes to swallow things as quickly as possible and in large pieces, you really need to be careful with what you give him. Even “good” chew toys can be a problem for these types of dogs. Dogs can very easily swallow things that are too large to pass through their intestinal tracts. A dogs’ stomach is very acidic and can breakdown lots of things that our stomachs cannot, but they can’t break everything down.

The best rawhide chews are C.E.T. Hextra Dog Chews. They are much less likely to cause intestinal issues and they contain Chlorhexidine, which is an oral antisepitic that helps to control dental disease (the most common disease my patients have).

What I usually recommend for my clients are Kong toys (there are MANY shapes and sizes) to keep their dog busy chewing. These can be stuffed with food, frozen, and given to your dog at times when you want to keep him busy. If you do this, be sure to decrease the amount of food that you put in his bowl. You can also rub a LITTLE BIT of peanut butter inside to get him interested. There are different colored Kongs. The red ones are the softest and can be destroyed by dogs with strong jaws. There is a potential for intestinal obstruction in this case. Next are the black Kongs, and the hardest are the blue ones. I have yet to see a dog be able to totally destroy the black ones, but I’m sure they are out there. There are also MANY rubberized chew toys made by various companies that will not only keep your dog busy and satisfy his need to chew, but they are specifically designed to help clean his teeth.

C.E.T. VeggieDent are great chew treats that are made to clean teeth. VeggieDents are like a cross between Greenies and Listerine. They get consumed quickly, so they are not a good option to keep your dog busy. However, they are one of the best options for cleaning your dogs’ teeth.

Nylabones work well. You can drill holes in them and rub peanut butter on them to get your dog interested. Nylabones can be hard on their teeth, so use these with caution.

The item you really want to stay away from is the sterilized marrow bone. These are the hollow white bones that are so hard you could probably demolish a house with one. These are the most common cause of slab fractures in the teeth of dogs.

The bottom line here is to be careful and always supervise your dog while allowing him to chew on things. When whatever chew toy is getting down to the size that he may be able to swallow it whole, it is time to throw it out and get a new one. Thanks for the question!

Dr. Mark

Dr. Nunez is a practicing veterinarian while also assisting patients through The Balanced Canine blog and his own online veterinary pharmacy. Have a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. You can also follow Mark on Twitter.

Read More By and About Dr. Mark:
Water Safety for Dogs
Dog Care: Do's and Don'ts for First Time Dog Owners

A Changing of the Guard Dog: Meet Your New Ask the Vet Columnist

Are Amoebae Dangerous to Swimming Dogs?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Halloween Dog Toy Handout Fun:
Enter Here to Win!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

This toy handout is designed to surprise and delight you all for Halloween fun. I've got a toy for every size dog out there:

TINY (under 8 lbs.): A Crocheted Mouse by Hip Doggie, made of organic cotton for the tiniest of our fur-ends. NOTE: This is not intended for a puppy; it is meant for an extra-small breed, adult dog.
SMALL (8-24 lbs): A complete collar, harness and leash set from Planet Dog. This set is sized for small to medium-small pups, and comes in a beautiful, season-specific ORANGE!
MEDIUM (25-49 lbs): Medium sized dogs such as Cockers may enter to win the traditional Red Kong.
LARGE: (50-80 lbs.) Large Dogs have a chance at the Black Extreme Kong.
EXTRA-LARGE (81 lbs.+): For our super-sized Fidos, I have a Fur Tug toy from Petmate with a huge ball on the end and a handle just for you. Good luck winning against your big Bowser!

In order to keep this as simple as possible, I'm going to ask you to leave a comment/entry that specifies your dog's size category, based on the weights I've outlined above. I will draw each toy separately, seeking a winner that has the appropriately sized dog.

If you don't see the Rafflecopter entry form below, simply click on the post title to refresh and it will appear. Remember, you must tell me the weight of your dog and, as always, leave a contact method in order to win.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Ask the Dog Trainer, with Terry Lynn Cuyler: Help for Teething Puppies

by Terry Lynn Cuyler, APDT, CPDT-KA

Dear Terry,

Oreo, my toy poodle, is teething. When I come home for the day he's very excited and just chews on your toes or fingers. I was told that when he does this, you're supposed to put your finger down his throat. This doesn't seem right to me, but again we tried that with no luck. Any other suggestions? We yell "no" but then our other dog gets scared and thinks she's doing something wrong.

Elizabeth

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Dear Elizabeth,

Teething puppies are little sharks with those razor teeth, aren’t they? Your puppy needs plenty of teething toys like hard rubber Kongs that have been stuffed and frozen, Nylabone durable products, and even sterilized hollow bones from the pet stores. There are some teething keys made for puppies that look like the teething rings we give human babies. Dogs explore so much with their mouth that the behavior you see is very normal – but painful.

The stuffed toys we humans find so adorable won’t do much to help him through this teething. Limit the stuffed toys and use toys that even dispense his daily ration of dog food to keep him motivated to chew on those-not you. When he does put his mouth on you, cry OUCH? (natural enough) and leave him abruptly for a nano-second. Replace your fingers or toes with a teething toy.

When that doesn’t work, leave the room for 5 seconds and then return. If he still doesn’t get the message, calmly put him in his crate or confinement area with a chew toy until he settles down. Note the times of day he is the craziest and don’t play then. Wait till he is more settled.

PawsProf

Our ASK THE DOG TRAINER Column can be reached at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. For more information on Terry Lynn Cuyler and her training, you may find her at Paws Prof. A personal appointment with a trainer will likely provide more specific information on your dog's issues and your questions.

Related Reading:

Managing Your Puppy's Endless Energy