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My 12 week old pup is teething and it is obvious she is desperate to chew on anything -- even me! :(
This morning I opened a Christmas gift for my granddog (a bully stick) and gave it to my puppy. She is in doggie heaven!
However, as a nervous new mom I am now having second thoughts. This is not rawhide. But is it safe for a pup this young?
I'd appreciate any comments on this.
Bully sticks are better and healthier than rawhide. Bully sticks are one of the best chews around! Bichons are prone to food allergies, we bichon owners spend hours and hours researching foods, chews, nutrition issues. Bully sticks are fantastic, good choice for your Chica!
I never use rawhide, as it gives my dogs diarrhea. I can't "stomach" have pigs ears / cow ears, cow hoofs etc in the house for them to chew. So I haven't even tried any of them.
If the bully stick is the long straight type, it has not been processed and that is the best sort. Some are in twists or braided, those have to be processed some to get them to bend. I don't use those, either.
Another option is the Himalayan chew, which you can get from Amazon.com Made from Yak milk, very hard, long lasting, and no coloring or preservatives. A bit more costly than the bully stick, but lasts a lot longer, too.
http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/...dog_chews.html
You can also use deer antlers, but these are extremely costly, and probably not necessary for a teething puppy. I just bought my first one, and wow my dogs are having a grand old time, lol.
Bully sticks are awesome. They keep the pup entertained for a long time, longer than an adult because they can't really chew TOO much on them yet. (Delta demolishes hers in about fifteen minutes, Doc can have one all day... although he is starting to eat them faster) Rawhide isn't safe for dogs because it's not digestible and expands in the stomach. This doesn't happen with the bully stick. Besides deer/elk antlers, they are a favorite chew around here. Doc LOVES antlers and took right to them. So did Delta... but my in laws beagle took a little competitiveness to get her to like them. (With Delta) We buy them all the time. Currently have two that have lasted us longer than four months, but Remy is already on her third one. LOL She's a little power chewer. They break down like minerals so they don't break of in pieces but kind of rub off in their mouth. Some do have teeny tiny pieces that break off. I've noticed that some have a harder outside than others... and these are the ones that tend to break off tiny pieces. But Delta spits them out because she just likes the marrowy stuff inside. Lol So I have to vacuum when she gets a hold of hers. Doc's is the more minerally kind so it just wears down.
I dont use rawhides.
Bully sticks last 2 seconds with Coco (lab) pretty expensive chew.
I like the Butcher Bones (filled with pb) have beef skin outside. After all inside is gone and outside is scrapped off they literally last for months. Coco has about 6 of them at various of stages of chewing through, that he now has to share with Snoopy. Pretty funny watching them negotiate who's going to get which bone.
Also, love Nylabone products. Kong's are another great toy to play and chew cant' distroy them.
I get Bully Sticks from an online Vendor. They're a LOT cheaper by the bag.
Given that I have both young and adult animals, the Bag I get from them, has a variety of "diameter" sticks. I give the younger/smaller dog the more thin ones.
My older Male Yorkie Sneakers is a BIG THIEF !
I have to tie the sticks for my puppy Becca on a cord (which she doesn't chew), where the stick can stay near her bunk, and not be swooped up and taken to some chair or other "higher" station, that she can't access now.
However, as she grows, I can see a major payback coming on stuff like that ! :D
Have a good Day ! :)
S.W.
Good advice already given on the various types of chews. I would only
add one more comment about safety. You probably already know this, but I
wouldn't give a puppy any chew unless you have the time to stay nearby
to supervise her/him chew it. :)