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I need some help. Two out of my four dogs have cracked molar teeth on durable Nylabones. I had a discussion with my vet today who was calling to check up on my youngest after her recent extraction. She told me no more hard Nylabones allowed and gave me the guideline that anything that hurts if you hit it against your knee is off limits for dogs to chew. I have been giving them mainly Nylabones and antlers as chew items. The antlers go fast in my house. They widdle them down to nothing in a matter of days, which is fine with me but maybe not so fine for their teeth? Anything softer than a durable Nylabone my two more aggressive chewers will shred and ingest. When I made this point to my vet she told me "well if they're going to eat what they chew, then make sure it is something edible." It was kind of an epiphany for me. I have heard horror stories about Greenies, raw hide, various brands of dental chews, but the basic premise does make sense and appeal to me - give my dogs something soft enough to not damage their teeth, but edible or even beneficial to eat since they're going to consume anything that soft.
So I'd like to know what edible chew items your dogs enjoy that you feel are safe for both teeth and overall health. It seems like every product, material, and substance out there you can find some horror story of a dog getting kidney or liver failure from it.. or seizures.. or impactions.. It can be discouraging.
I've heard bully sticks are supposed to be ideal for tough chewers. My husband has refused to buy any, because he says he doesn't want me teaching my dog to chew on that part of the male anatomy.
We buy rolled pigskin chews at Walmart and those take Ginger about an hour to eat completely, which is pretty good. She had a giant bone before that took a couple of weeks just because of its size, she couldn't get it totally in her mouth.
Yep. Sam and his brother, Colonel, had these toys for years. They can't destroy them. And they tried. Chewed em, dragged them around, played tug of war...these things last a long time. Just google "zoo toys" and buy toys for zoo animals. http://www.sanctuarysupplies.com/ite...partnum=TRB10R
Last edited by jasper12; 01-26-2013 at 05:45 PM..
Reason: added link
I had a TireBiter too - the reviews are correct - it stunk, and the rubber comes off in layers. Let's all guess what that would do to a dog's gastric tract....not to mention there are nylon threads that could obstruct the digestive system. It went in the trash within hours of arriving.
As far as the bobbins, I simply don't have $80-100 for "a" toy. I've used Jolly Balls for horses (tug and toss) or the teaser ball that is made for dogs.
My dogs chew pieces off the extreme kongs, starting around the hole for treats, but the kong balls (available at fewer stores for some reason) last a long time for them. As far as edible chews go, I can't say.
Bully sticks are great, if smelly...our WSD is a chewer, and she'll hunker down for an hour or so with one of those sticks. She came to us as a rescue with one broken canine tooth, so her teeth may be fragile and we don't want her to break any more! However, it probably isn't quite true that all dogs eat everything they chew. Our sweetheart loves to chew twigs and pine cones (we don't allow that, but she always manages to find some) and it doesn't look to us like she's swallowing any of it. Then again, some of it probably disappears down the hatch...
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She told me no more hard Nylabones allowed and gave me the guideline that anything that hurts if you hit it against your knee is off limits for dogs to chew. I have been giving them mainly Nylabones and antlers as chew items. The antlers go fast in my house. They widdle them down to nothing in a matter of days, which is fine with me but maybe not so fine for their teeth? Anything softer than a durable Nylabone my two more aggressive chewers will shred and ingest. When I made this point to my vet she told me "well if they're going to eat what they chew, then make sure it is something edible." It was kind of an epiphany for me. I have heard horror stories about Greenies, raw hide, various brands of dental chews, but the basic premise does make sense and appeal to me - give my dogs something soft enough to not damage their teeth, but edible or even beneficial to eat since they're going to consume anything that soft. 
