I have tried all manner of chewy things for my puppy, now aged 6 months, and I have discovered beef tails are the favourite (white, dried, with skin on). As she devours these entirely she is getting through about three a day, I wondered if there is any harm in eating them, other than additional calories.
Hiya, never fed beef tails. Are they the same as oxtails? I guess if the are processed and dehydrated from somewhere like Pets at Home (I'm thinking of some rawhide-appearing thing) then I would think 3 a day to be rather a lot. If on the other hand they are fresh from the butcher, then that is part of a raw diet. I guess too much of any one thing can skew a diet, and this may be an issue, and whatever it actually consists of you will need to take this into account for diet - both calories, and nutrients. Possibly doesn't help you much.....
Yes, I guess beef tails /ox tails are the same.. and yes they are dried and processed.. so that's what I was wondering about; the processing and how they get to be dried out and what process/chemicals might be used .. I will limit her with the tails now, when she was smaller one tail lasted several days, now they last an hour or so. I've just discovered marrow bones though (literally today) which seems to be a big hit, so maybe bones are the way forward on the chewing front.
hmmm... maybe 3 is quite a lot. I am very cautious about giving marrow bones. I only give the split, fresh ones and they are removed and disposed of once the marrow has been stripped, I don't allow any "gnawing" on bones.( after about 15 mins)As a general rule, if they can't consume the bone by crunching/swallowing they don't get them. So raw duck necks, lamb ribs, chicken wings are fine. Two things about marrow bones to be aware of... firstly they break teeth. Being weight-bearing bones they are designed to be very, very strong. So I don't give marrow bones to my dogs. (unless above..) Secondly when bones are exposed to air, they dehydrate, and get even harder. Have you tried frozen kongs? They are just great! Stuff them with practically anything, freeze and hey presto! Very happy dogs
I give dried pigs tails on occasion as a treat, and they are great. I also give my dogs fresh raw oxtail (i.e. Not dried or processed), and they are a great favorite.
The marrow bone was a hit, but marrow gave her the squits (and she didn't have much!!) Raw wings (duck wings) also had same effect. Maybe too much fat. We use kongs a lot, she gets 3 during the day, we have 5 and they are always stuffed and frozen, but they don't seem to satisfy the urge to chew; she licks them until she can reach what's inside then throws them around, then when she's finished she toddles off to eat the kitchen chairs / shoes / anything she can find. She just really needs chewy things and I agree with everyone who has commented, three tails is a lot, which is what prompted me to ask about it. It's only been the last few days that she started munching through them in this way, before that she would make one last for days. She gets lots and lots of training, playing, stimulation and isn't left alone during the day.. She just seems to need to keep her mouth busy during waking hours ..
This is quite normal when giving a new food. If you persist, it will likely improve. I gave my puppy a lamb ear for the first time recently, and it gave her the runs. By the third one, about a week later, she was fine with it.
How are they dried? Anything with heat, that essentially cooks them, makes the bone more brittle and likely to splinter.
I have no idea and I suspect that I wouldn't want to know (!) They are basically hyde, sinew and tail bone, and have obviously been through some kind of process. They don't behave the same as cooked bones as far as I can tell. Oh well, I will give them only when desperate. She's eating the bookcase now.
Have you tried an Anco Root? I can't say Lilly went for them, and they are a bit pricey, but if she likes the texture of wood........ One seller on Amazon......https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roots-Trea...UTF8&qid=1505759243&sr=8-2&keywords=anco+root Can get them other places obviously. You would need a medium one for a lab, I suspect small would be a little less easy to handle. They are better than things like antlers and bones as they are softer and don't damage teeth.
We found Bailey loved raw frozen chicken wings - now he is bigger he gets thighs and legs too - all raw and frozen. Although this is part of his raw diet. We also use frozen pigs ears (which are raw and unprocessed). We are lucky with a pet shop near us which has quite a range of raw food and other things. Yes to begin with you will find some things upset their tummies as it is something they are not used to, but they soon settle down. We also give Bailey meaty bones but once he has stripped the meat off the bones are discarded especially if I am not sure if they are weight bearing ones or not. However, Bailey also gets plenty of vegetables and some pulses with his raw diet.
Hmmm, I might give it a go. Finding chewy things which aren't food / edible but which hold her interest has been a challenge. I reckon I just have spent £200 on various things to chew ... so what's another £20..
I have been desperately searching online and in pet shops for non-food long lasting chews so was so glad to see this post. I will have a look for Anco Roots but I recently discovered 'Coffee wood', expensive but seems to be working so far so well worth it as far as I am concerned. I got the large size for my 6 month old but could have got a medium I think, although not much difference in price (Amazon). It is a soft wood that does not harm them if they eat the splinters, apparently it taste of coffee but I can't comment on that, does not smell of anything. Currently Maisy is gnawing on any wood she can find so has taken to this quite well. I also have some Chewroot which is basically just a log but safe to ingest (both by Green & Blacks) but have not tried this yet. The longest lasting treat I have found is beef hide from Pets at Home, this lasts ages but I don't like to rely on these if they are not too good for her. I also tried Oxtails and the first one lasted ages, then the next went in minutes. A pig's ear lasted 10 minutes, a trachea lasted about 20 minutes, bull pizzle a few minutes, the beef hide last hours. I also discovered 'Smart Bones' which are a safe alternative to rawhide - unfortunately they do not last nearly as long. Any more suggestions from anyone?
I've just put in my standard order for frozen ox breast. I do thaw the pieces out before I give them to the dogs, but because the pieces are a good size with soft bone in the middle, they last the dogs between 5 and 10 minutes. They replace a full meal, and they get one or two a week.
I occasionally give a frozen raw chicken drumstick as a chew/snack - it lasts up to 5 minutes. Coco knows what it is as soon as I get it out of the freezer (not everything in the freezer is for him!) - he loves them. He did have runny bum initially, but he's fine now.
Yes we give them to him frozen - takes him longer to devour them! Also as I'm a vegetarian I find giving him them raw just too repulsive. On occasion he does have a leg raw which my OH gives him but I can't watch it as it makes me shudder! Bailey has a cast iron stomach - nothing seems to give him a runny tummy, he is more likely to throw up (usually while sitting on my lap) if he is going to be unwell - he was sick twice in the last three weeks (very unusual) I joked to my husband that he made himself sick as he loves cooked chicken and rice!
Yes, anything which redirects the chewing away from the chair legs etc has got to be money well spent. I could weep over the money I have wasted in chew toys which Holly has not even the slightest interest in.. We are interspersing our day with frozen kongs, frozen carrots, a beef tail (only one small one), king wobbler and just spreading kibble on the lawn so she has to go and find it .. Half the issue is her need to chew and the other half is her need to be engaged in some kind of activity. I love her dearly but I am looking forward to the bit where she calms down a bit .. eventually ..
