What are the ingredients? Just rice? Do you know what the glycaemic index is? I thought high carb was to be avoided. And why is 0 fat best?
Well, I've never fed one, but I looked up the ones that PAH sells, and here's the nutritional information, if you're interested: So, there is some fat, and definitely not 100% rice. The belief that no-fat, or low-fat, is best frustrates me daily.
Re fat, I tend to feel that way, too. And with many dogs getting diabetes (as are humans -- where I live, it is one of the top 4 health problems), I would be worried about a rice bone if fed often. And rice, particularly puffed rice (not sure how it is processed in these bones), have a very high glycaemic index.
Remember anything hard can cause dental problems.....cracked teeth? If you can't easily indent it with your nail it is probably too hard for your dog.
Snowie eats raw bones as part of his meals. I'm pretty sure I can't easily indent them with my nails -- I will try later when his next meal is defrosted. I would suspect, though, that dogs that are not used to chewing bones and who are very hard chewers might crack a tooth? I do know of someone who feeds her GSDs raw food and one dog cracked a tooth -- she does feed beef bones, so that might be it? My only rule is to avoid the weightbearing bones as I've been told those are much too hard. Snowie gets venison neck and rib bones, which apparently aren't as hard. It does amaze me how he cracks the bones and chews them up in no time.
@MF I was just putting in a reminder about the weight bearing bones, but also in the context of the recreational antler chewing. Jac
I think small (non weight-bearing) bones are a bit different to things like antler, because they're effectively hollow. So, whilst they're too hard to dent with your fingernail, they break easily - at least in a dog' jaws. It's more problematic when the dog is trying to chew hard on something with no "give".
My vet said never give a dog one of these. So I am going to stay away from them. He told me about what damage he has seen through deer antlers, but it is up to each one of us to do what we think is best for our dogs.
True, and I think it depends a lot on the dog, too. They'd be pretty scary for a real power chewer, but less so for a dog that was more half-hearted about it. I'd still be concerned about unnecessary wear on teeth, but that's because it's a "thing" of mine
I was listening to a vet on the radio who said that tennis balls are a no-no for dogs that like to chew them, the fibres wear the teeth down. Rubber balls are best in this regard.
Pets at home or online they last ages and are Deffo better choice than jumbones they also do other natural dog treats in shape of a toothbrush
Indeed. Additionally, the fibres hold onto grit and sand, which is also very abrasive. My two have rubber balls 90% of the time for rewards, and the Kong balls (which are apparently better than regular tennis balls, but still hold grit) are reserved for either a jackpot reward or for training steadiness around tennis balls
