Anyone give their dogs pig's ears? (barking, odor, bones, chews)
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Eh, I was concerned when I first learned their origin but I got over it when a friend pointed out that I don't have such qualms about liver. Really, it doesn't get more disgusting than liver and kidneys when you get down to it considering they filter all of the trash in the body (ours as well as in animals). Of course, Mojo doesn't like liver but I do! lol
Do any of you give your dogs pig's ears? Artie loves them. Recently, I've started giving him one per day, while my husband and I eat dinner. (It keeps Artie from giving me those puppy-dog eyes that say "I want what you're having. Please share.")
Anyway, so recently -- yes, once again my life revolves around Artie's poop -- Artie's stool has been soft.
So, for those of you who give their dogs pig's ears, how often do you dole them out? (Probably not every day, right? My bad.)
If you do give them one per day, do you find their stools are soft?
I found that the only way to guarantee a hard poop is to give him cheese too, but that's fighting fire with fire, so if I shouldn't be giving him a pig's ear every day, I won't.
PS. I know it's not his food that's the problem because, well, we've been through that on other threads. He's grain intolerant and eats Wellness Core and TOTW combined.
So, what say you all re: the pig's ear daily feast of 2009?
Thanks,
Dawn
Pig's ears are loaded with fat. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think a daily diet is advisable. I give my dogs one or two pigs ears per week. They also get a handful of Yummie Chummies once a week as well. The good news is that they are very digestible. Unlike the rawhide chews, you do not have to worry about intestinal blockage caused by pigs ears.
If your dog is already overweight, I would not give them pigs ears. However, since you are feeding him top quality kibble, I doubt he is overweight. You may want to cut back to two or three times a week, or just cut each pig's ear in half with a pair of kitchen scissors and give him half each day.
I just did a little research on pigs ears. they are of course not recommended as daily food but as treats they are ok. I give my dogs for year pigs ears as special rainy day treats, which means neither daily nor weekly. Just once in a while for extra special treats. Never had a problem with them.
As for bacteria, dogs handle bacteria different from humans you need not take such extra caution with you dog. Face it dogs eat bugs, dirt, grass and a variety of other oddities when are looking and in my current dogs case even when I am looking.
As for the soft stool I would suggest a stool test at the vets, some dogs just have a habit of picking up stomach virus's from time to time. Our Golden Lab was always having a stomach virus. I could suggest a good plain (non flavored) yogart from time to time to help clean and maintain digestive tract (this came from my vet).
back onto the pig ears. only buy well known brands and stay away if they look old and oily.
I could suggest a good plain (non flavored) yogart from time to time to help clean and maintain digestive tract (this came from my vet).
Both Wellness Core and Taste of the Wild, which he feeds Artie, contain the exact same probiotics that you find in yogurt. Not only will they aid digestion but they also manage lactose intolerence, prevent colon cancer, lowers LDL cholesterol, prevents colitis, lowers blood-pressure, improves the immune system, reduces oder, and stiffens stools.
The most common probiotics in dog food are Lactobacillus acidophilus (also found in humans) and Lactobacillus casei.
Our Vet told us never to give our Samoyed any form of beef, corn, rye or wheat. Pig ears are a definite no. She came down with a terrible stomach problem last summer from eating a cricket and had to be on Antibiotics, she only gets bottled water and Holistic food and treats.
Just a word of caution. Depending on your dog, from personal experience and many thousands of dollars in vet bills - do not feed your dog pigs ears, hoofs or any other body parts. Not all dogs can digest this and it winds up blocking them - not a pretty picture AND it can kill them.
10 years ago, dried items like pigs ears and rawhide were very popular. I used to give them to my dogs as a once a week treat.
Then three dogs belonging to friends died of intestinal blockage when they ingested large pieces of these products. Most of them were eventually taken off the market and you can only find them in pet specialty stores now.
I stopped using them and switched to generous amounts of milk bone type products and once a year at Christmas when I traditionally cooked prime rib, they each got a bone loaded with meat. At the end of the day, I always collected the remains so they wouldn't eat the bone slivers. I was the pack leader, so there was never a struggle even though they were very big dogs.
The safety of rawhide products depends on the habits of each dog. Some will chew and chew and some will tear off pieces and swallow them whole. The swallowers are at risk and as my friends found out the hard way, by the time you discover the problem, it is probably either too late or you are faced with expensive surgery.
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