BPO Food Forum > Food Discussion & Information
Rawhide
jabear:
Thanks for the info. Glad to know we are doing alright by our Bear.
Carolyn:
Im curious why raw bones would be bad, they don't splinter & the marrow is good for them. Cooked is BAD those are the bones that splinter. Everyone has thier own ways. Thats why I like this site & stick my 2 cents in once in a while.
Carolyn
BOBI:
THE REASON THEY TELL YA NOT TO GIVE RAWHIDE IS IN ESSENCE IT IS LEATHER......A ND THE REASON IT IS HARD TO DIGEST IS THAT WHEN IT GETS INTO THE DIGESTIVE TRACT, IT CAN FROM THE GASTRIC JUICES, SWELL IN SIZE, WHICH CAN CAUSE BLOCKAGES OR CAUSE CONSTIPATION. AND IT IS SOFT ENOUGH AS TO NOT REALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO A TEETHING PUPPY. THE BEST AND SAFEST THING FOR TEETHING PUPPIES AS WELL AS ADULT DOGS IS NYLABONE AND GUMABONE PRODUCTS. THEY ARE SPEFICALLY DESIGNED TO SHRED INTO SMALLER MORE PASSABLE PEICES, AND TO WORK AS A TOOTHBRUSH WOULD. THE PROBLEM IS, NOT ALL DOGS LIKE THEM, OR NOT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY CHEWED THEM. IN A MULTI DOG FAMILY, THEY WORK WELL AS ONE WANTS WHAT THE OTHER HAS.
WITH THE REAL BONES, DOGS THROUGH YEARS OF PROCESSED, SELECTIVE BREEDING, AND NOT HAVING THE NATURAL DIET AS A WILD DOG, THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE NATURAL LAYERS OF ENAMEL ON THIER TEETH THAT A WILD DOG HAS. COOKED BONES FROM YOUR TABLE ,I WOULD SAY ARE NOT SAFE. BUT I THINK THE TREATED COOKED, STERILIZED BONES ARE FINE, THAT YOU CAN BUY IN THE STORE.
I USED TO GIVE MY DOBES THE WHOLE KNUCKLE BONE FROM PIGS THAT I GOT FROM THE BUTCHER.AS A TREAT ON OCCASSION. (THEY ARE REALLY MESSIE)
BUT AFTER YEARS IN THE PET INDUSTRY, I HAVE LEARNED THE DEFINITE BENEFITS AND RESEARCH THAT STANDS BEHIND THE NYLABONE PRODUCTS.
Bear:
Thats very good information Bobi. It's nice to have you guys with the experience around here. Are the Nylabones what the Greenies are?
Anybody know anything about ribs? Beef ribs to be exact. I happened to give our Bear a really big rib not (really) knowing he would eat so much of it. It was like, I gave it to him, and then he gave back like 3 inches of the bone. Jaime and I looked at eachother like "what happened to the rest of it". Anyway, we were pretty worried so we watched his stools closely for the next 3-4 days and it never passed. This was no small bone. Anyone know what happened to it?
mixedupdog:
I used to be a vet tech, surgery assistant in fact, and have seen perforated intestines from COOKED bones, and obstructions from rawhide. On another board I belong to, one member, even after a lot of warnings, decided rawhide was safe as long as she supervised the dog, and took it away when it got small. The dog came very close to choking to death, she got a piece of rawhide stuck in her throat. Luckily the owner was able to grasp a corner and draw it out. She posted about her close call, as a warning to those who still were using it.
You also have to be aware that some rawhide, (mostly the cheap ones not manufactured in the US) can be processed with toxic chemicals, or harbor salmonella. It's just not worth all the risks.
Nylabones are great and long lasting (the non-edible kind) Kongs work well for some dogs (there's an Ultra size strong one for big dogs)
I have given my dogs RAW whole beef femurs (cow leg bones from the hip to hock) from the butcher, for 20 years or more, and NEVER had an issue. Never saw a problem at work either. Raw beef bones just kind of crumble. I freeze them solid and give them frozen, by the time they thaw the dog has worked off all the messy stuff. Some dogs need to be introduced to bones slowly, the marrow is very rich and can give them diarrhea. You can either scoop some out before freezing (that would be on a bone with the ends "knuckles" cut off) or limit the time at first, putting it back in the freezer in between.
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