<p>Our labs (we only have one now, though ) have ALWAYS loved chewing on rawhide bones. It is their “special treat”…only after breakfast on weekends, for a little while, under close supervision. They all have been “vigorous chewers”. We used to get the big “pressed rawhide” bones, and they’d last for a few weeks. Then the quality decreased, and soon they’d fall apart after only a little while. So we switched to getting the “Retriever Rolls” which seemed to be sturdier and would last. Now even those are so cheap, they fall apart right away also.</p>
<p>Do any of you know of a good source to get a GOOD QUALITY rawhide bone?</p>
<p>We have gotten something at Petco that is like rawhide but isn’t. It is thicker and has peanut butter in the middle. My dog loves them and you don’t have to worry about it breaking up.</p>
<p>I didnt give my dog rawhide or bones or those greenie things.
she wasn’t a big chewer- didnt like her kong .
( she did chew on a tennis ball occasionally after a chow friend taught her how)</p>
<p>My mom gave her dog bully sticks- which grossed me out.</p>
<p>I don’t think cooked bones are good for dogs or cats- our cat had a piece of bone that had gotten stuck under a tooth and we had to eventually have a few of her teeth pulled ( just try to brush a cats teeth)</p>
<p>Someone just told me the other day that he used to use the cow hooves for the same reason. Then his dog ended up with a lot of expensive, painful dental work because of damage from the hardness of those. I hadn’t heard of that before he mentioned it.</p>
<p>My older dog (only 8 years – not ancient) has broken several teeth on real bones. So, no more real bones for our doggies – only the rawhide chews. For my younger dog with all his teeth, they last about 20 minutes. For my older dog, sans some teeth, they can last all day – she just likes to hold on to it and not do that much chewing.</p>
<p>My dogs don’t get rawhide. But they aren’t big chewers. If you do rawhide, you want the one that is processed with hydrogen peroxide, not arsenic. If your vendor doesn’t know … it’s arsenic. There is imported rawhide processed with the H202. Rawhide for an aggressive chewer is probably not that great an idea.</p>
<p>Pressed rawhide is actually chopped up water buffalo. Pressed and formed into bones. Some are better than others, but it’s more about moisture content than brand. Should disintegrate, which makes it safer.</p>
<p>Greenies … the dogs tend to love. The “new formula” is softer and gets chewed up quicker. It is really a dental treat – your dog should have it for 20 minutes a day, 3x a week. Of course, when I tell my customers that, they ask what they should replace the greenie with when they take it away … perhaps they should give their dog their arm instead? Greenies are very high in protein. 52% folks. Not a low cal treat. And the first ingredient is (IIRC) wheat gluten.</p>
<p>Nylabones and their ilk. Come in three strengths, flexible durable and for aggressive chewers. Unfortuately, the aggressive chewer gets no satisfaction from chewing on the hardest version but chews the durable up too quickly.</p>
<p>Antlers … relatively new to the pet market. Relatively expensive. Extremely long lasting, if you get the kind that are not split. Generally speaking they are real antler from elk or another antlered species, and “no elk were harmed or harassed in the collection of the antlers which are naturally shed.” </p>
<p>But (shameless plug here) the good quality stuff is generally not found in big box pet or petaisle supermarket or alwayslowpricesalways. Try your local independent pet store. Like mine.</p>
<p>My crew only get antlers and they love them. We have a toy basket of them along with Nylabones. I do not give them any of the consumable chews due to stomach upset. I tried a bully stick once and a 12" one was finished in 30 minutes! </p>
<p>I agree that all your purchases to be at smaller pet boutiques; they carry better quality.</p>
<p>We recently tried the antlers too. They lose appeal, but can be refreshed in hot water for more renewed interest. Our cat actually liked it better than the dogs. </p>
<p>Fortunately, the dogs that we have now are far less into chewing than our old lab who died. She ate shoes, furniture, walls, cardboard, and also swallowed a bone that we did not want her to have. We had to have an x-ray done, and although we never saw it pass, on follow up x-ray it was not viewed.</p>
<p>I’ve had good luck with rawhide dogs we’ve had over the last 15 years. We get the ones made and processed in the US, or from Brazil if the boutique we frequent vouches for their safety. We’ve never had a problem with choking or stomach upset, fortunately, but we do supervise. (Our dogs always hang out under our feet, so it’s not hard.)</p>
<p>We tried the antlers. They are very hard- my Lab ignores them. Not “chewy”, which is what he is looking for in a chew. We haven’t found anything that is as satisfying as rawhide. We like the retriever rolls,too, as they don’t come apart like the bone-shaped ones.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. moonchild - where do you get your retriever rolls? We had good luck with them for a while, now my lab just pulls them apart…they’re cheap and come unrolled like paper. The pressed rawhide were good for a while, but when they started getting “cheaper” and came apart, the insides had small sharpish pieces, so we gave up on those.</p>
<p>Hooves/real bones - she’s such an aggressive chewer, I’d really be afraid of her breaking a tooth on those.</p>
<p>“Greenie”? I’ve never heard of it. Can someone describe?</p>
<p>Nylabones…she likes to chew on the hard ones occasionally…she’s more partial to the softer ones, but eventually those come apart so I need to keep an eye on her.</p>
<p>Antlers? Hmm. If they’re very hard, not sure. Like moonchild, she likes the chewiness.</p>
<p>cnp55…I’d come to your store in a heartbeat! We do have an independent store in town, I’ll stop in next week and see what they’ve got. It’s not that I don’t want to give her rawhide; she loves it so much! I just am looking for something that she won’t devour in a half an hour.</p>
<p>Our lab mix is an agressive chewer and has some broken teeth from Nylabones. We don’t use those any more. She destroys pretty much any chew toy and eats rawhide so fast it makes her throw up. She has a kong but isn’t interested in it; her favorite toys are these giant jacks made out of tennis ball material, which last for a month or so before we have to take them away. Are antlers safer for the dog’s teeth than nylabones?</p>
<p>I also have a bone-shaped Kong that has holes in the four knotted sides. If I fill it with peanut butter or soft food my dog will lick and chew it until everything is out of it- maybe 20 minutes. But since it’s not consumable I can wash it and save it for another day. I think the shape makes it more interesting than the regular shaped Kong, and it makes a nice treat if I’m leaving the house for awhile, as it’s perfectly safe.</p>
<p>I get my retriever rolls at Centinella Feed near my home. Trader Joe’s has a Made in USA bag of rawhide in different shapes. It’s a bit softer, but for my older Lab, they’re OK. There is a ring shape, which takes awhile to fall apart, and a couple of rolls along with the traditional bone shape. The whole bag of about 8 or 9 pieces is $7.99.</p>
<p>Another vote for the antlers. Our part French Bulldog/ American Staffie (FrancoStaff) loves the antlers. She is a big “foodie” and devours anything else in mere moments but the antlers last for several months.</p>
<p>The dog I have now has a Galileo bone from nylabone. He really gnaws on it. Our old retriever loved Meaty Bone’s Lotta Chews. They were these huge hard biscuits. They took him a while to eat and would seem to make him very satisfied and sedate. I loved them. I haven’t tried them yet with this dog as they seem big for him but then again this dog has really big teeth so maybe I will. Anyhow, give them a try.</p>
<p>My two dogs (a Corgi and a Labradoodle) also like the antlers, which last longer than the rawhides or cow hoofs and don’t appear to impact their teeth. I used to buy them the cow hoofs (hooves?) but noticed it would get more stinky with their saliva on it. No such issues with the antlers, which can come from deer (slightly thinner) or elk.</p>
) have ALWAYS loved chewing on rawhide bones. It is their “special treat”…only after breakfast on weekends, for a little while, under close supervision. They all have been “vigorous chewers”. We used to get the big “pressed rawhide” bones, and they’d last for a few weeks. Then the quality decreased, and soon they’d fall apart after only a little while. So we switched to getting the “Retriever Rolls” which seemed to be sturdier and would last. Now even those are so cheap, they fall apart right away also.</p>
We do have an independent store in town, I’ll stop in next week and see what they’ve got. It’s not that I don’t want to give her rawhide; she loves it so much! I just am looking for something that she won’t devour in a half an hour.</p>