Chew bones?

[Mama Kim]

I have been looking for a good bone for Piper since she loves to chew so much. Today at PETsMart I saw something called "Dentley's Ultra Sterilized Bone" filled with beef or peanut butter or just hollow for $4.99. Is anyone familiar with these? I always hate to try something new unless I get a recommendation. Thanks for your input!

[bubba]

If it looks like a long roast bone, about 6-7" long, that is what I bought for Cooper. My daughter had gotten one for her pit bull and Cooper would always steal it when we would visit. To this day, I don't know how Cooper got all the filling out of that thing, but he did in about three days....he probably had tongue cramps for days! He still chews on this bone daily, several times a day. There are grooves in it from his teeth, but not pieces have ever broken off of it. I figure if they can withstand a cairns jaw and a pit bulls jaw, they can withstand about anything!

pat.

[Mama Kim]

Thanks for your reply. Guess no one else is familiar with these bones??

[bradl]

OK, I'll bite. If these are the bleached white hollow leg bones, I don't like them. I don't like that they've probably been cooked at high heat for sterilization and I fear they are harder than a raw, natural bone. That said, I think ANY bone can break a tooth and wear it down - there are no guarantees either way, so even though I don't like them, my preferences are possibly just as bad! If only there were clear answers

[Toto times 2]

Hi: We use the sterilized bones and have for years but I wouldn't bother with the stuffed bones just look for a sterilized bone at your local pet store without the filling Just stick a little piece of cheese or a dog treat in one end and your dogs will be entertained for hours. We always give the boys a bone when we go to bed as a settle down time for them and they will pick them up through the day as well.

[fancypants]

Today I bought Ox tail bones. Emma is actually chewing on one outside right now. Do any of you use these? The thing I like about them is that they are very "grisly" and not brittle. She's in heaven! I didn't cook the bones and I froze them separately so I can take out just a tiny section at a time.

[Guest Carrie Armitage]

We give Pippin Ox Tail, Beef ribs, veal bones (sold at butchers shops for stew I think - I don't even eat meat myself!) , all are given to her raw and meaty and recommended by our holistic vet as an excellent way to clean her teeth. She has one problem tooth on her upper left side because she tends to chew on the right but with the rib bones she gets them right up in there and it's helping with the plaque and saving us the expense of a cleaning. Take a good look at your dogs teeth, especially once they are 3 and older - you have to pull their lips right back and make sure they are all white and not getting infected.

Pippin is fed the barf diet which also has bone meal but it doesn't provide the crunchy kibble which is good for the teeth. Bones are a perfect treat for dogs and supply them with entertainment, nutrients and a good tooth work out. The only ones we avoid are the marrow bones because the marrow gives her the runs but our bigger dog eats the marrow out and then Pip steals them from him.

Hoping this helps!

[fancypants]

Carrie, can I ask - what is the barf diet? I'm so curious! I suppose it's an acronym but I can't decipher it! Thanks!

[Guest Carrie Armitage]

BARF - Bones and raw food.

There is quite a bit of information out there on it.

The Master of the BARF diet is Dr. Ian Billinghurst - his methods are contained in the book "Give Your Dog a Bone". There is quite a bit of inforamtion about it on the internet as well. We luckily have a butcher (I'm in Canada) that does up whole ground chickens for dogs, bones and all so all I add is a bunch of dog friendly veggies which I shred up in the food processor and mix it up, then I freeze it in batches. (Sweet Potato, broccoli stems, cabbage, carrots, garlic).

Pippin had a lot of health problems in her first year, bladder infections mostly, so our vet switched her over and she's been super ever since. She's 6 now. We also fed our spaniel/lab mix the same in his last few years to help with his arthritis and he lived happily to be 17 years old. He sprung back so quickly on this diet he went from being nearly lame to going for 1 hour walks in about 2 weeks. He was so ahppy as were we! I highly recommend it but you'll see on the net there are those who disagree. Our vet is holistic and is reputed to have saved many animals lives with this diet. Where I am east of Toronto there are several people feeding their dogs this diet, not all breeds are good candidates though, and many pet stores now have fridges that carry it as well.

All I can give you is my story and how it has worked for us!