Things your dog should NOT be chewing on

[FloofyNewfie]

I initially posted this as a reply to a user on here, but I figure that that this information should be in a thread of it's own.

Here are some things that your dog should NOT be chewing on nor playing with...

1) Rawhide - Dogs can chew off large pieces and swallow it whole. Leading to it getting lodged in your dogs throat.

2) Pigs ears - Same with rawhide, dogs can chew of large pieces and swallow it whole, leading to it getting stuck in their throat.

3) Deer, Elk, and Rams horns - Often dogs will chew on these and break off little pieces of them. These little pieces of horn are sharp and may cut or get lodged in your dog's throat.

4) Sticks and branches - Similar to horns, if a dog chews on sticks it will splinter. If a dog swallows these splinters it may lead to them cutting you dog's throat or the splinter getting lodged.

5) Cooked bones - Cooked bones will easily splinter, conventional wisdom tells us not to feed dogs chicken bones, but most cooked bones will splinter regardless of the species it came from.

6) Water bottles - The caps of which can often become dislodged. Dogs can also strip the plastic which will have sharp edges. If the dog swallows these pieces it can become stuck in their throat or cut their throat.

These are just what came off the top of my head, if you know more things dogs shouldn't be chewing on, post them below.

 

[pes]

1. Happened to my dog. From now on once the thing gets too small I boil it, it softens and becomes easily edible.
5. Friend's dog found one outside and despite surgery, did not survive.

I would add rubber toys. I do not know what the current situation is, but as far as I know the limits of toxic compounds in dog toys are not closely monitored.

 

[FloofyNewfie]

1. Happened to my dog. From now on once the thing gets too small I boil it, it softens and becomes easily edible.
5. Friend's dog found one outside and despite surgery, did not survive.

I would add rubber toys. I do not know what the current situation is, but as far as I know the limits of toxic compounds in dog toys are not closely monitored.

I initially replied to @Labraguy5 because his dog choked on one. I trust rawhide as much as I trust the dog food brand "Gravy Train" That is, not at all.

Damn, I'm sorry to hear about your friends dog. I like my neighbors, but somehow a rib bone got into my yard after a cookout they had. (I believe one of their outdoor cats brought it to my yard.) I almost went off on them, because had I not been walking them closely on a leash, and been able to rip it out of my girl's mouth, things could have gotten messy really quickly.

I bought one rubber bone once, my girls played with it for maybe 4 days, and then never touched it again. I'll have to look into whether or not it contains any harmful chemicals. It still exists... somewhere... in my house.

 

[Labraguy5]

I initially replied to @Labraguy5 because his dog choked on one. I trust rawhide as much as I trust the dog food brand "Gravy Train" That is, not at all.

I think it depends on the dog with some stuff, with the rawhide strips my girl would sit and systematically chew tiny pieces off, but my boy inhales his treats so we don't bother with them now. The strips I used to get were made in our country by a reputable company, but I don't trust any cheap dog treats.

The cooked bones are atrocious for shattering, but the boiled meat filled bones are okay for my two and kinda powdery, my dogs will sit for hours licking the filling out and any bone pieces they chew off are tiny and not sharp. And because the bones not flavored and bland tasting, they will spit any pieces out (which is great to clean up).

Also, plastic squeakers and stuffing in soft toys. My girl likes to gut these toys as soon as she gets them, so as soon as she makes a hole I'll pull all the stuffing and squeakers out, which usually takes her less than 10 minutes ?

 

[TaintedPetXoX]

I know this is a weird one, but can anyone confirm if apples are a bad thing for dogs??

Went to a Dogs Trust in the UK with Buddy for a nice day out once and there was a sign of what is good and isn't good for dogs to eat and for some reason apples were on the 'not good' list?? Is it to do with the core of the apple being difficult to eat or is it genuinely not good for them?

 

[FloofyNewfie]

I know this is a weird one, but can anyone confirm if apples are a bad thing for dogs??

Went to a Dogs Trust in the UK with Buddy for a nice day out once and there was a sign of what is good and isn't good for dogs to eat and for some reason apples were on the 'not good' list?? Is it to do with the core of the apple being difficult to eat or is it genuinely not good for them?

Apples are fine, just not the cores. Apples are a good source of vitamin A and C as well as fiber for your dogs.

Apple seeds contain a fair amount of cyanide, so if your dog were to chew these seeds it would poison them.

 

[TaintedPetXoX]

Apples are fine, just not the cores. Apples are a good source of vitamin A and C as well as fiber for your dogs.

Apple seeds contain a fair amount of cyanide, so if your dog were to chew these seeds it would poison them.

I see! That makes perfect sense, thank you!

 

[Bloodwolf]

Nylabones are my go to for Jake when I don’t have bones from deer i shot. The things I worry about when it comes to the bones you get from the store are that there way too hard and easily shatter teeth.

 

[Labraguy5]

Nylabones are my go to for Jake when I don’t have bones from deer i shot. The things I worry about when it comes to the bones you get from the store are that there way too hard and easily shatter teeth.

Nylabones are awesome, my boy still has one from about 8 years ago when he was a young pup.

 

[Bloodwolf]

Nylabones are awesome, my boy still has one from about 8 years ago when he was a young pup.

When I had my Rottie I was shocked how long they last with dogs of a strong bite. I’m not sure how they get flavors in them but she loved the bacon from them.

 

[Labraguy5]

When I had my Rottie I was shocked how long they last with dogs of a strong bite. I’m not sure how they get flavors in them but she loved the bacon from them.

Same with my boy, he even managed to chew through an "indestructible" rubber bone Kong toy. I got my two Labs the chicken flavoured ones and they were definitely the favourite, and probably lasted a year or so.

 

[wilderknot]

So what do you guys recommend to keep them busy and help with tartar?

I used to give my boy cow hooves and they were great for a few months, he loved them, but once he ate a piece that was too hard/big and he vomited it with blood the night after. The vet told me that they were indeed quite dangerous. Similar problem with deer antlers, they make me paranoid since I learned that it was actually harder than teeth, which means that they can easily break them.

I feel like I’m kinda out of options, he has toys but he doesn’t really care for them, apart from playing around with them once in a while.

 

[dartel]

Nylabones are my go to for Jake when I don’t have bones from deer i shot. The things I worry about when it comes to the bones you get from the store are that there way too hard and easily shatter teeth.

I used to swear by nylabones, because they lasted so much longer than rawhide (rawhide is fine but as all chew toys advise on the packaging, you need to monitor your dog's use of them so they don't chock), but a few years ago my boy somehow slab fractured 2 of this teeth and had to have them extracted. Nylabones and his rubber toys/tennis balls were the only thing he chewed at the time, so I can only assume the nylabones were too hard. I haven't gotten any since then and would not get them again for any future dogs.

 

[Bloodwolf]

I used to swear by nylabones, because they lasted so much longer than rawhide (rawhide is fine but as all chew toys advise on the packaging, you need to monitor your dog's use of them so they don't chock), but a few years ago my boy somehow slab fractured 2 of this teeth and had to have them extracted. Nylabones and his rubber toys/tennis balls were the only thing he chewed at the time, so I can only assume the nylabones were too hard. I haven't gotten any since then and would not get them again for any future dogs.

They have softer ones out there. A good portion of the time dogs break teeth is when there bad in the first place. Zelda was a power chewer to the hard core. I’d giver her raw beef bones form the leg and shed have that in half in less then 3 hours.
but you also have to consider that different breeds have different jaw and even teeth shapes

 

[dartel]

Kain is definitely a power chewer. Before I switched to the nylabones he'd go through a rawhide in a day. And he was a very destructive puppy, chewing through anything he could get a hold of, my coffee table still has chew divets in its feet from when he was a couple months old. He's a Golden Retriever.

Though the 2 rubber toys he's got are super sturdy, he's had them since a puppy and are no worse for the wear. Tennis balls are his absolute favorite, I just need to say ball and he starts frantically looking around for the nearest one, but never get pet store tennis balls, those things are over priced and terribly weak. He'll crack them right open and destroy them, real tennis balls are 5 bucks for a bag of 10 and he's never managed to destroy one.

 

[Reconscope]

I initially replied to @Labraguy5 because his dog choked on one. I trust rawhide as much as I trust the dog food brand "Gravy Train" That is, not at all.

Damn, I'm sorry to hear about your friends dog. I like my neighbors, but somehow a rib bone got into my yard after a cookout they had. (I believe one of their outdoor cats brought it to my yard.) I almost went off on them, because had I not been walking them closely on a leash, and been able to rip it out of my girl's mouth, things could have gotten messy really quickly.

I bought one rubber bone once, my girls played with it for maybe 4 days, and then never touched it again. I'll have to look into whether or not it contains any harmful chemicals. It still exists... somewhere... in my house.

Whats wrong with gravy train?

 

[FloofyNewfie]

Whats wrong with gravy train?

It's very very VERY cheap food. Made with very poor ingredients. The first ingredient is corn, while the "meat" of the food is actually made with primarily "bone meal." Dogs have a hard time digesting it. It's been recalled several times for literally killing dogs due to mishandling the ingredients allowing mold to grow on the corn before it hit production. The FDA is also investigating it's long term use and the rise of heart problems in dogs.

It's also has wheat middlings which are nothing more than milling dust and floor sweepings, used as a filler product, instead of actually containing real food.

DogFoodAdvisor.com gives it a 1/5 star rating for good reasons.

 

[Bloodwolf]

Whats wrong with gravy train?

Oh god gravy train. Read the bag, it’s cancer in a bag for dogs.

 

[UR20Z]

Apples are fine, just not the cores. Apples are a good source of vitamin A and C as well as fiber for your dogs.

Apple seeds contain a fair amount of cyanide, so if your dog were to chew these seeds it would poison them.

Depends on the dog's size, how many seeds are involved, and most important of all, whether the seeds get chewed open, or swallowed whole. Apple seeds DO have cyanide, no dispute. But the quantity is so small as to be NEARLY a non-issue unless you're talking about something like a teacup chihuahua snarfing down massive quantities of them - and actually crushing them or chewing them open in the process... that part is crucial. Apple seeds are built tough because they're INTENDED to be eaten by critters, then pooped out scattered far and wide from the parent plant, complete with a nice pile of fertilizer to give 'em a boost come sprouting time. In canines, due to their tooth structure, and the typical "rip and gulp" method of feeding, this usually means they pass through the gut untouched beyond some minor surface etching from stomach acid/other digestive juices. (surface etching that, I might add, actually enhances the seed's ability to sprout when the time comes)

Overall, apple seeds in dogs are more of a "mechanical" issue than a toxicity problem - enough of them ingested at once can "pile up" and cause a physical blockage in the gut, similar to the condition a horse person would call "sand colic". Even then, the toughness of the seed, combined with the tiny amount of cyanide in each one, means that the actual, realistic risk of cyanide poisoning is close to nil. (Which isn't to say that a dog can't die from a gut blockage if they hog down a bunch of apples, but a gut blockage is totally different from cyanide poisoning)

Peach, apricot, plum, and the other large-ish "pit-fruits", (Cherries are on the list, too, but like apple seeds, they're usually small enough that for a canine, they almost always get swallowed whole, and pass through essentially untouched) on the other hand, are a relatively serious threat due to both larger physical size, and larger concentration of cyanide per seed. They're big enough to be used as a "chew toy" for some breeds, and can possibly be cracked or otherwise opened before being swallowed, whereas apple seeds and cherry pits almost always get swallowed intact and just pop out the other end in nearly the same condition they went in.

Basically, the fretting about apples being bad for dogs is a knee-jerk overreaction to the idea (true, as far as it goes, but when you look closer at the details, you find it's actually nothing to be particularly concerned about) that their seeds contain cyanide.

 

[Reconscope]

Oh god gravy train. Read the bag, it’s cancer in a bag for dogs.

Its very unexpected tbh i thought theres a health quality standard for dog food.

 

[Octavian]

Its very unexpected tbh i thought theres a health quality standard for dog food.

There are standards...they’re just incredibly low standards and the industry isn’t that heavily regulated. Also, if things go bad and a lot of pets die, they are out relatively little. Remember, your pet is property. Property worth maybe a few hundred bucks in the eyes of the law, unless it’s a papered purebred show dog or something. Even then it’s worth a few grand.

Emotional bonds and love have no monetary value sadly.

 

[Bloodwolf]

Its very unexpected tbh i thought theres a health quality standard for dog food.

Nope, not like it is for people. But it is getting better

 

[Reconscope]

Nope, not like it is for people. But it is getting better

Is there anything u can share that shows improvment

 

[Reconscope]

There are standards...they’re just incredibly low standards and the industry isn’t that heavily regulated. Also, if things go bad and a lot of pets die, they are out relatively little. Remember, your pet is property. Property worth maybe a few hundred bucks in the eyes of the law, unless it’s a papered purebred show dog or something. Even then it’s worth a few grand.

Emotional bonds and love have no monetary value sadly.

Thats disastrous to think about

 

[saddlebum66]

Still looking for the list of toxics we compiled for the Beastforum....but be wary of those buckets of chewies....ears, twists and rolls of hide. Source them....many imports have arsenic, chrome, copper, and other "cure" chemicals or preservatives in them....these all build over time and eventually will kill canines. More to follow

 

[saddlebum66]

1. Happened to my dog. From now on once the thing gets too small I boil it, it softens and becomes easily edible.
5. Friend's dog found one outside and despite surgery, did not survive.

I would add rubber toys. I do not know what the current situation is, but as far as I know the limits of toxic compounds in dog toys are not closely monitored.

It will not be the rubber....there's Lead in the paints....imports are very little regulated, which is why we had so much trouble a few years ago with chinese dog food and Melamine.

 

[Bloodwolf]

Is there anything u can share that shows improvment

All you have to do is google it. There are open law suits for food that has killed animals. But the best thing going is there are companies doing great work In making good food. But you will pay for it.

 

[Reconscope]

All you have to do is google it. There are open law suits for food that has killed animals. But the best thing going is there are companies doing great work In making good food. But you will pay for it.

Ill look it up when i get the opportunity.

 

[Bloodwolf]

Ill look it up when i get the opportunity.

Like fluffy sed just use DogFoodAdvisor.com before you buy food and see what’s good and bad. I know some people that make food and sell on line in the old mason jars that are actually packed and sealed up already

 

[Reconscope]

Like fluffy sed just use DogFoodAdvisor.com before you buy food and see what’s good and bad. I know some people that make food and sell on line in the old mason jars that are actually packed and sealed up already

Thats interesting