What is the best chew for dogs?

[Lane]

Are rawhide chews fattening? I have been giving my puppy a rolled and pressed rawhide chew which she loves. But I also have to give it to my 5 year old dog and she has a small bit of weight on her. I am concerned about her getting fatter. Any suggestions of what to give them to chew? They aren't interested in the kong, they love sticks, I think they prefer things with the texture of wood or rawhide and with some flavor as well.

[RachelJ]

As you have found out, dogs have their preferences. Some on this board have had very unfortunate experiences with raw hide bones. (I can't seem to get the link in here but if you do Pet Talk search using the word "raw hide", you will find it.
I still use them, but with much vigilance. I've tried nylabones and my dogs only have sporadic and limited interest in them. Mine both love the real beef bones, but I can't use them because they will fight over them, even if I get one for each. I don't know the answer to your main question, are rawhides fattening? Maybe someone else will.



[This message has been edited by RachelJ (edited February 18, 2001).]

[jackiesdaisy1935]

The only bones I give our two dogs are flavored nylabones. We have them in different shapes, their favorites are the dinoseurs. They chew on them every day. I would never give my dogs rawhide chews or bones. I think it's a matter of preference.

[tatsxxx11]

Since reading the thread on rawhides, I am so afraid to give my guys them anymore for fear of choking. If you do, just make sure you are with them and watch them closely. I don't think there's too much there calorie wise. I started giving them "velvet bones." Most stores have them. They come in flavors with different colorings and are made of a corn starch base. Very safe and they love them. But VERY expensive. The x-large ones are 10.00 and they finish them in a hour or so! I'm still on the never ending search for a "chew" that is safe, good for them, not to expensive, and one they won't devour in 10 minutes!

[Daisy's Mom]

I too, after reading the dangers of rawhide, will never allow Daisy near them. She came home once with one... who knows where she got it! - and I freaked and threw it out. She thought I was crazy but why risk it? There are so many other great things for her to chew on. She is absolutely in love with the bone my father ordered online for her for Christmas. It's called a "cattle leg bone"... name is sel-explanatory, I guess, and it is stuffed with something that's supposed to taste like peanut butter but let me tell you, it doesn't! Hehe, anyway it's a long hollow white sterilized bone, and the "peanut butter" isn't messy or anything, its the consistency of... hmmm it's very different... very hard cheese maybe? LOL I don't know. Anyway, she has had it since Christmas and only the nibbled edges show she has even touched it, when in fact she's been gnawing at it for two months. I am not sure how much it cost but I don't believe it was too expensive.

[nursie]

I agree that it is too risky to feed dogs rolled rawhide chews.
I almost exclusively give mine gummabones..the nylabones seem too hard for their mouths. They also like the booda velvets..but I agree, they don't last long.
There is a compressed chipped rawhide that is ok. It is heated and compressed to make a very firm bone, and since is chipped, doesn't run the same risks as conventional rawhide. If you order from some of the online sources..I use UPCO, the bones are much cheaper. All of them are pricey in the stores.

[Angels3]

Originally posted by RachelJ:

I still use them, but with much vigilance.
[This message has been edited by RachelJ (edited February 18, 2001).]

That's good advice to people to be vigilant while their dog is eating a rawhide chew. Our little tibetan spaniel was chewing on a pole-shaped one. She finally chewed & sucked one end until it was long & soft. Then she tried to swallow that bit...with the rest still attached. Just by chance, I happened to see it & was able to pull it back out of her throat...she was starting to choke.
I thought that the fat content of rawhide chews was almost nil. But I could be very wrong. Maybe it would be a good idea to check this out with the manufacturer.