cow hoof

[Dixieandme]

My puppy Dixie is 13 weeks old and she chewed on her first cow hoof today and she loved it but after she spit up some so I'm not sure what the deal is............... Could she be too young or what do you think the problem could be, she never spits up so I don't know if I should not let her chew on it or what.......... I sure would like your advice... I feed her Wellness puppy food and also wellness treats... Thanks for you help!!!

[Malcolm's Dad]

I gave Malcolm a cow hoof and at first it was great. He really enjoyed chewing on it, although there is a barnyard odor when he was chewing it. Then I noticed he was eating it. I wondered where the end of the hoof had gone, then realized he ate it. It didn't make him sick and he is fine, but I don't like the idea of him eating the thing. So maybe Dixie ate some and her tender little puppy stomach couldn't handle it. I don't think they are harmful, Malcolm had no trouble, but I'm not giving him a hoof again. If he is going to eat something it should be food or treats.

[bradl]

We used to give hooves but heard they can break teeth. We've never had a tooth breakage problem with bully sticks, which seem equally attractive to the dogs and just as foul smelling. For dogs the more foul smelling, the better

[Cairnmania]

I used to give cow hoofs with no problem for 2 German Shepherds, a Cairn and a Yorkie.

But .... now I have Rudi. I swear he could chew through a steel girder. No way would I give him hoofs, sterlized bones ... the list goes on. I thought he would be okay with bully sticks, but last week a couple of hours after eating one he went outside to eat a bunch of grass in order to throw up a two-inch hunk of it.

Abby is a gnawer, but I can't give one without giving the other the same thing.

So my advice is if you have a gnawer then hard treats are fine - if you have a dog that chews off and swallow large chunks - than stay away from things like cow hoofs.

... and re smell. If you want a whiff of something that can make grown men faint - try dried tripe sticks!

[Sandi16]

Blech even Louie will turn his nose up to tripe!! It must be bad if the dog won't touch it. LOL

[bradl]

Hah. Tripe is tops with the dogs around here. Whenever tripe comes up in the food rotation I make sure I'm busy elsewhere come dinnertime

Another thing you do not want to see is a hunk of bully stick that's been buried in wet ground for a week or two, and then dug back up.

[jodi0553]

cairnmania...do you have anything that Rudi can and does chew? Currey has lost interest in a number of things he used to chew on lately. I used to be content to spend an hour working on a smoked bone or a beef tendon, but lately, he's been really disinterested. He really enjoys bully sticks, but I think he'd swallow a big chunk and I feel like I really don't get my $$ worth having to throw a huge amount away at the end. He also likes sweet potatoes but gets through them so fast it is not really a good distraction!

[TazTalk]

I buy bully sticks online for a pretty good price ($1.09 each). Now, the same company is selling "antlers" which are supposed to last a very, very long time. We've used them for a few hours so far. Any one had any experience with those?

[maggie]

This might be a stupid question but....to those of you who give bully sticks, do your dogs chew on it until it's all gone or do they just chew and not eat it? If they do consume it how long does it take for them to go through a 5" one? Those with multiples...do you have squabbles over it or do you separate them when they have them?

[Dixieandme]

Thanks for all of your input, today she has been fine... She has enjoyed her hoof with no problems but I'm going to look into the other options....... most treats are gone fast and I like the idea of her being able to enjoy something that last more that 10 minutes . I'll try some bully sticks next, not really sure what they are. Thanks again

[Greg P]

I'll try some bully sticks next, not really sure what they are.

Who's going to volunteer to tell her what "bully sticks" are????

[bradl]

We have multiples and although we are in a phase currently where they are not getting them regularly (just like toys, they seem to go through cycles of what they are interested in) when we did give them there was often a lot of stealing and trading going on. With four dogs we often put five sticks down. So even if Haggis went to take one away from Echo, she could either steal from Stella in turn, or just go grab the spare. Sometimes Haggis would gather the extra one in, but would still let someone else sneak away with it. He was just making a point, I guess.

If we thought there was going to be real trouble, we'd just give them in separate rooms or whatever. The easiest way to stop a fight is to never let it happen in the first place.

As to what they are: stretched, dried large tendons from bull penises. Also known as pizzles. You may be thrilled to learn that there are pizzles made for human consumption, such as the Scottish deer pizzles eaten by Chinese athletes during the Olympics (pizzles being thought to increase stamina).

[Dixieandme]

Thanks Brad , maybe I'll pass!! Just kidding think I'll try one anyway...................... should of , could of figured it out by the name................Thanks

[TazTalk]

This might be a stupid question but....to those of you who give bully sticks, do your dogs chew on it until it's all gone or do they just chew and not eat it? If they do consume it how long does it take for them to go through a 5" one? Those with multiples...do you have squabbles over it or do you separate them when they have them?

We give each dog a 5 or 6" bully stick. The 10 month old can destroy one (down to 2") in about 30-45 minutes. The 13 year old takes a lot longer. We take them away when they get to 2". Although, one time Taz hid one and then swallowed it. We didn't know he had until he coughed it up one morning (it was only about 1 or 1-1/2"). So, it's best to not let them fiinish them.

Yes, I was grossed out when I found out what they were -- after I bought some. The lady that recommended them in the pet store didn't explain what they were. Gee, wonder why.

[jimnconnie]

I buy bully sticks online for a pretty good price ($1.09 each). Now, the same company is selling "antlers" which are supposed to last a very, very long time. We've used them for a few hours so far. Any one had any experience with those?

TazTalk, could you post that web address, I'd like to try the antlers. Bailey destroys a bully pretty quick, and I'd like to find something that would last longer.

Thanks, Jim

[jodi0553]

since we are talking about what a bully stick is...does anyone know the difference between the light colored ones and the darker ones (can't help thinking about the old commercial...chocolate milk comes from chocolate cows)? Currey absolutely loves the darker brown ones but will not chew on the lighter, rawhide colored ones. I've noticed that my local privately owned pet supply store only has the dark ones while big national chains tend to sell lighter ones. Is the dark one smoked or "flavored" somehow? just curious....

bradl...thanks for sharing that invaluable piece of sports history trivia!!

[TazTalk]

jimnconnie --

Here's the link to the Antlerz:

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/bbs/se...eywords=antlerz

Also, their pricing on bully sticks is great - the last time I tried the thicker 6" and they are $1.09 each. The standard are thinner and they run $0.95 each. I told a manager in a Petsmart about this online pricing and his jaw dropped.

[Cairnmania]

cairnmania...do you have anything that Rudi can and does chew? Currey has lost interest in a number of things he used to chew on lately. I used to be content to spend an hour working on a smoked bone or a beef tendon, but lately, he's been really disinterested. He really enjoys bully sticks, but I think he'd swallow a big chunk and I feel like I really don't get my $$ worth having to throw a huge amount away at the end. He also likes sweet potatoes but gets through them so fast it is not really a good distraction!

Rudi is fine with the Kong Dental Stick. Not sure about posting links - but if you google the name you will find it easily. It looks like a fat stick with grooves sliced into the sides. I shove low-fat cheese into the grooves and end of it and both Abby and Rudi love them.

[sheila and Misty]

I agree with peices breaking off- mine cant even eat chicken grizzle they will throw it back up. anything hard larger than a pea -up it comes!