Are Nylabones safe for a puppy to chew?

[Barney's Mom]

I just about flipped when I saw pieces of Barney's "puppy bone" in his poop! I guess I should have figured they were coming out, because his bones get smaller and smaller! He absolutely loves those nylabone puppy chew bones, but is it going to hurt him if he swallows small pieces of it and passes them? That can't be good on his pipes

[Cairnmania]

The puppy Nylabones are much, much softer than the adult variety. They are not safe for him now if he's swallowing pieces that are big enough for you to see in his poo. I would switch him over to the adult ones and he should be fine. If he is an exceptionally hard chewer look for the ones that are marked for aggressive chewers.

Raw (never cooked!) bones are fine, but for gnawing on use nuckle bones or marrow bones (with the marrow scooped out). Marrow is very fatty, although he'd love it - you'll likely regret the results when it comes out the other end! Clipping off the sharp ends of bones really does not help much because your dog will crunch through the bone anyway and manufacture his own sharp bits. Even people that feed raw diets, including bones, will give dogs nonweight-bearing bones (no leg bones) from beef, pork or lamb. Nonweight bearing bones are softer. That's why cooked bones are no good, they are hard and tend to splinter easily and are more difficult for dogs to digest.

I don't use the corn starch bones because they give Abby the runs, I believe it's actually a polymer they add to them that causes it. (I don't recall the ingredients, but they are more than just corn starch.) I don't use Greenies either, because Rudi is an aggressive chewer and he swallows lumps and throws them up several days later.

I give both my dogs edible Nylabones and N-bones without any problems for either of them. However, they are so expensive they are the occassional treat, rather than regular.

Stacey

[mrskti]

I usually only give the girls real bones from the meat dept. Raw, not cooked. I'd never use greenies, too dangerous. Ellie would be dead in a day with those things the way she inhales stuff.

i stopped using the nylabones for the same reason, when i found chunks of plastic, i didnt like that. I think if we just think "natural" when looking for something to chew on, it will be safer that way. No nyla bones in the wild!!!! LOL

[maggie]

Mary, we use Nylabones, I also get the ones for powerful/aggressive chewers. I started Keegan off with the puppy ones but at 15 weeks he's already chomping to hard!

I would stay away from the budda/cornstarch ones or similar, when Kai-lee was a puppy I was using them and she managed to bite of a piece about an inch long... I was petrified! Fortunately it came out, [she must have chewed on it because it came out in about 4 pieces] it was one of those times where I had to monitor her outings so I could inpect the poop and see what comes out...one more reason for the neighbors to think we're nuts!

[goforette]

I had a friend over last night to see my puppies for the first time and he slaughtered me with his opinions on how over protective I am with my dogs (I didn't want them rough played with and pushed around for a variety of reasons) but anyways I suppose I'm feeling slightly beat down after some of his comments so I apologize in advance if it sounds like I'm taking the ultra-safe route - but I don't do bones that could splinter off at all - whether that's plastic or real bone. I do beef and buffalo organic pizzle, I have tried the dehydrated sweet potato. One of my childhood dogs had his stomach turn over after digesting a uncooked chicken bone - he survived but it was a long struggle for him and left him permanently with a metal plate in his side that continually drained. Bones to me are just risky - I'd never dream of doing a greenie - and I'd rather go hard rubber that wouldn't flake or be chewed off if I had to do synthetic.

[Tracy A.]

I don't give My boys the regular nylabones anymore, they would throw up the shavings that they got off.

I give them the edible nylabones, or Pizzel sticks(bully sticks), and pressed rawhide bones or Harpers rawhide chips or rolls.

[Scully'sMom]

When Scully was a little our vet recommended beef marrow bones. I boil them for a few minutes because I'm afraid of the raw meat and then I keep several in my freezer and defrost them. With Scully I DO have to be careful if the bone is either too large or has too much marrow in it, she tends to get diarrhea.

[Hhoky]

I give all my dogs the Booda Bones and they seems to really like them, but I haven't had any of them break off chunks. Yikes. But I am afraid of real bones...how do you know which ones are ok, the right size ect...and wont the meat part spoil..eww, especially when they are all trying to bury them so the others cant get to their bone? I do give jerky though, homemade big chunky, long jerky. Kinda like bully sticks, it takes a couple days in the dehydrator but they really dig em. I also let them have the edible nylabones. You know...here I am reading about how careful we all are about what we let our pups chew on and I look over to see my Izbell and 1 of her pups chewing on the coffee table corner. Talk about Irony! (this poor coffee table has teethed every pup I have had in the last 15 years.)

Oh what can you do? Just try our best I guess.

[Eliz222]

I've heard terrible stories about dogs eating/choking on Greenies, so my two have never tried them. I DO give raw chicken wings. I put them in a plastic bag and use a hammer to break up the big parts. Chicken wings are very soft (do not cook them!).