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Finny is a very big chewer, and I have been giving him Pigs ears, and he loves them. Usually I buy them at our pet sotre, and he's fine with them. But recently I gave him a pigs ear from a food store. And threw up four times because of them! I gave him these before, and he trew up also, but I figured it was something else. Do you know what this could be??????
Do you mean that you gave him raw, uncooked pigs ears like you'd find in the meat section of the grocery store? If so, I wonder if they were too gristly and/or fatty for your dog's stomach and upset his digestion. How many did you feed? Sometimes a sudden big portion of something unusual will make my dogs puke too!
I can't handle feeding pigs ears at all :p so my dogs get raw beef marrow bones to chew on. I get the ones cut in 3-5 inch pieces and scrape some of the marrow out to cut down on the fat content. The dawgs gnaw on those for hours, and it cleans their teeth too!
I imagine that you are giving the smoked pigs ears. Remember that this is a meat product and will go bad even with all the preservatives that they may use.
The ones in the pet store are probably sold at a faster rate and are fresher. The ones in the grocery store are probably old.
I don't know about pig's ears, never gave them to any of my dogs. But, if you ever decide to switch to rawhide toys, read the label and make sure they are made in the USA. The imported ones may have nasty preservatives that are no good for the pups.
No, I mean cooked, smoked pigs ears. I would never dream of giving Finny un-cooked meat. :-)
Grace, I have just decided that rawhide is not for us. I've had my hands down Lilly's throat one time too many, pulling out pieces. And saying that, I've never done pig ears either...they just sound gross.
There are some wonderful sterile, hollow bones available. I got mine at KMart. You can also stuff them if you want to, but my dogs love them, and they last. And try some other toys and rotate them. They don't have to be bones. One of the favorites here, and have been since Honey and Lilly were small, are the fleece toys, especially the ones with squeakers. And they are cheaper!
Today, I bought knuckle bones, just to spoil them. They've never had them before, and may never have them again. Poor Lilly, who is my shadow, just can't believe I am making her sit outside to chew on it. I need a digital camera right now. She is standing at the back door, staring inside, with that huge knuckle bone in her mouth, crying and whining. She hasn't even attempted to lie down and chew on it. She's obsessed with getting inside! :D
Logn,
I give Dixie and Dusty the smoked knuckle bones too! They love them and they last for such a long time. I put them in the kitchen when they first get them since the floor is not carpeted and can be cleaned. I also lay newspaper on the floor so I usually don't get a big mess. After the initial meaty part is off the outside they are not messy and I let them take them anywhere they want. It helps keep their teeth white too! :D :D :D :D
I agree with Logan about possibly using the sqeaky toys--Snowy has a ton of them and we play games with them everyday....he likes the rawhide bones during his "quiet time" when he doesn't want to bother with his mom.
The toys are also great, because when the cold weather comes, he can run around inside and play.
Jordan
The pop-pup bones are good, as are the peanut and carrot ones. Shai loved those.
You can try the nylabones or nylachips, altho Shaianne didn't like either of them.
She loved the chicken flavored retreiver rolls I bought at walmart. and they lasted along time.
I wouldn't recommend pig ears just because they are like doggie "potato chips". They are very fattening with no nutritional value. Also, they don't curb the need to chew very well because they are consumed so fast. Rawhide is okay as long as it is supervised. I don't give my dogs rawhide anymore though because if they swallow a big chunk, it gets into the stomach and expands causing some digestive problems, and in extreme cases the dog will have to have surgery to remove it.
Everyone has given good suggestions. My dogs are never interested in nylabones so I soak them in room temperature chicken broth overnight. I also put peanut butter in the sterile bones. Its fun watching Reece try to stuff his face into the hollow area.