Hi all, I'm really confused about what's safe and what's not, when it comes to chews. Initially I gave our pup antlers (said to be safe here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/dog-chews/) but then read that they're considered unsafe (https://www.thelabradorsite.com/antlers-for-dogs/), so we took them away. Now I'm as confused about yak chews - many people say that they're too hard and can break teeth or cut gums. Is there a source of reliable information on what can and can't be given to pups to help them relieve the urge to chew? Tony
Hello, I don’t know about reliable research but Meg survived on cardboard boxes and frozen carrots..with the odd stuffed kong. Good luck.
My puppy grew up chewing on whatever she could find, boots, rabbits, dog beds, stuffed animals and sticks, wiring and etc. HOWEVER, I don't recommend it, because I had to take her to the vet after she developed an abcess in her neck, which I think was caused by the wiring... I recommend pig ears, they are pretty cheap, you can find them at a local feed mill or dollar store even. Soft ropes are good too, and leather twists, etc. It's better than junk! Hope that helped.
It is a confusing subject. This is my take on it... which isn't definitive, but after experiencing a slab fracture on a molar which then needed an extraction (v expensive as long surgery), I play it safe: With puppies that still have their puppy teeth, I give way more things than I would to an adult with adult-strength jaws and adult teeth that can be permanently broken. For puppies I give: Yak chews, coffee wood chews, antlers, large raw knuckle bones, buffalo horns, pizzle sticks (but watch them when they get slimy - sometimes they try to swallow a huge chunk, which tends to get digested and come out just fine so don't worry too much, but try to avoid it!), buffalo skin chew (JR Pet Products) For adults or puppies with adult teeth, I give: Coffee wood chews, yak chews (although they don't last very long so I don't really use them much as would work out expensive!), Kongs, and frozen Toppls. I don't give anything hard which can break teeth. I don't give Nylabone or similar, because the dog ingests the shaved off bits of plastic...
All of our Labs have been powerful chewers. Pizzle sticks only lasted a few minutes. I never thought the nylabone shavings would be a problem, since I assume they just pass through. We have used Nylabones (especially the ones with some ground antler) and rawhide over the years with no problems. We don't give sheds (antlers) because they are much harder than bones. We sometimes do sterile bones and sometimes large raw beef bones.
