Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 11, 2008 at 3:11pm

I used to give rawhides to my dogs, but not anymore. Mocha had an accidents where the rawhide swell inside of him and blocked him, he had the toughest time going to the bath room for days, he was bleeding out of his anus, miserable. Ever since then, we stay away from rawhide.

Permalink Reply by Niki on April 11, 2008 at 3:20pm

oh geez..thats horrible. Yeah I think I am gonna stay away from it too. It was soo sad seeing my little Kirby sick like that. Do you have any recommendations for something he can chew on to keep him teeth strong and clean them at the same time? I tried getting him the denta bones and he wont even go near them :(

Permalink Reply by Apryl on April 11, 2008 at 7:46pm

My suggestions are
a) greenies - I know some people are hesitant, but Oliver eats these up in about 2 minutes and I make sure he chews thoroughly, and he LOVES them.
b) brush his teeth - I got this rubber bone that has bristles and when I put toothpaste on the bristles, he chews at it and brushes his teeth at the same time. I only do this for about 5 minutes but it works wonders for his teeth.
c) I don't know if this works, but I do this more for breath - but I get some stuff to mix in his water like some sort of breath freshener or something. I've tried a few brands so far and I think I'm using one by simple solution. It's okay, but I'm not sure I notice a huge difference.

Permalink Reply by Charlie on April 11, 2008 at 3:35pm

Rawhides are fine if the dog doesn't tear off big chunks and swallow them. The chunks if swallowed can result in a $3000 vet bill for blockage surgery to remove a $3 rawhide bone piece. Charlie does not get them.

Charlie can have any of the tough rubber Kong toys and the hard Nylabones (and anything else he can't tear chunks out of). I also brush his teeth at least twice a week. He loves the poultry flavored doggie toothpaste which has enzymes to keep plaque and tartar from forming.

Permalink Reply by Eruc on April 11, 2008 at 3:47pm

Emma is like Kirby. She loves to chew. I started by buying her rawhides, but once her adult teeth came in, she would devour one designed for big dogs in 5-10 minutes. Often afterwords she would either vomit or have accidents in the house. I tried several other things and the best I have found is the Nylabone. It lasts quite a while, and doesn't upset her stomach.

Permalink Reply by Ginny and Diggory on April 11, 2008 at 3:50pm

If you go to one of those pet boutiques, they usually have what are called Bully Sticks. As far as what I've heard, they are much safer than rawhide bones in terms of digestibility. They're a little more expensive than rawhide bones, but they seem to last a while and most dogs really like them.

Permalink Reply by Mochi The Corgi on April 11, 2008 at 5:04pm

Mochi totally loves bully sticks. Don't ask what part of the cow they are from... its kinda gross if you think about it but she loves them. and they clean her teeth pretty well... I'll still brush her teeth every so often.

Mochi only gets rawhide if i'm there wither her and only for like 2 hours because i don't like how it can cause blocking so we try to stay away from them as much as possible.

Permalink Reply by Ju Lo on April 11, 2008 at 6:13pm

LOL! My husband is so against bully sticks because of what they're made out of, but Theo LOVES them! He goes batty whenever I saw "do you want your bully?" They smell disgusting, but as far as I've heard and experienced they're totally safe. I usually give him a bully stick about 10 inches in lengths for a few hours at a time, and it takes him several sessions to finish it off.

Permalink Reply by Lauren on April 11, 2008 at 3:57pm

As for yummies:
greenies?
just the old fassion bones? My dogs LOVE bones.
What about pigs ears?
or denta bones?
or the Dingo Brand Rawhide Chews?
all these things are better for your dogs. My vet said rawhides can get trapped in there intestines or ubstruct somthing or other...if your dog is a real rawhide chewer the last thing is good. it is just shredded rawhide presses together so it cant get stuck anywere however it is really easy to chew and gone with in (literally) minutes!

As for toys:
Nylabone® Double Action™ Dental Chew™
Kong® Dental Stick for Dogs
Spearmint Fresh N' Floss
There is also this other think that i found at my local grocery store but i forget what it is called. of you are interested i will take a picture of it for you...hope this helped

Permalink Reply by Niki on April 11, 2008 at 4:24pm

Wow..thank you for all your suggestions. After work I think me and my lil Kirby will be taking a trip to petsmart for some Nylabones and doggy toothpaste. I am really happy that the rawhide he ate last night did not obstruct anything in his stomach. My poor little baby. But from now on no more rawhides for him! Thanks again! I love mycorgi.com!

Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 11, 2008 at 7:00pm

The chicken flavor tooth paste is a hit in my house, they love to get their teeth brush because of it. The regular minty flavor they didn't like it so much.

Permalink Reply by Winj on April 11, 2008 at 6:06pm

For some reason, Super Bun Bun is real picky and won't even go near his Nylabones. He's pretty fussy with his chews and toys. :\ But we have a vet-tech friend that gave us some bags of Virbac C.E.T chews for Bun Bun's christmas one year. (http://www.1800petmeds.com/C.E.T.+Enzymatic+Oral+Hygiene+Chews-prod...) We give Bun 1 every day to chew on in the crate while we're at work. From what our friend told us, the chews don't break off and get lodged because it turns all gummy rubber-like and makes them chew, chew, chew!