# Safe Natural Chews



## dextersmom

Any suggestions for safe, natural chews? We LOVE bully sticks but they do get expensive. Recently read up about antlers on the forum and got an elk one for Dexter. Which was also awesome, except that after chewing on it the last couple of times, Dex started sneezing/almost wheezing when we took it away. The first time it happened we thought it was because he was chewing it while laying on his back (only a V!) but it happened again the next time. We inspected it before & after and are quite certain he didn't get any chunks of bone off of it. I've heard the bone turns to powder when they chew, maybe he just gets it in his nose? Suspecting an allergy or something though because it was quite distressing. So no more antlers!

Anything else to try? I've seen people talk about various types of marrow bones, stuffed bones, pig hooves, knuckles, etc. Are these only safe when raw? What about the ones sold at pet stores? Are those always cooked? I don't want anything messy as he prefers to chew on the couch, so I'm not looking for a trip to the butcher! What types of chews are safe and won't splinter or cause choking and blockages?


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## einspänner

I'd avoid smoked or otherwise cooked bones from the pet store. Raw bones or no bones in my opinion.

Another product I've used is himalayan dog chews. It's basically this really hard cheese from Nepal that someone thought would make a good dog chew. It's just yak milk, salt, and lime juice. They have to nibble away at it for a long time for it to soften.


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## solefald

We went through all kinds of things and settled on marrow bones and Himalayan dog chews. Everything else STINKS. Bully sticks (even the no-stinks ones), hooves and horns are are the worst offenders. I also got Dre some raw lamb bones, but they make him constipated and dehydrated. He does not seem to digest them too well and throws up the whole thing early in the morning. Also his poop turns into little balls that that are super dense and crumble if you press them. 

So we are sticking with marrow bones mostly


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## MilesMom

Ha! I was just online looking for the same things for our boys!! 

We have ordered bully sticks (stinky,but they love them...), Himalayans (they love these too!) and we are going to try some deer shanks this time. 

Has anyone tried Achilles tendons?? Been contemplating ordering some.


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## dextersmom

Ah, himalayan chews sound like a great idea! I've heard of them but had no idea what they were until now  And since they seem to be a bit pricey, I'm glad to hear they last for a while. We were so happy with the antler because it had lasted so much longer than a bully stick. So we will give those a try next!

We have found actual odorless bully sticks, but they were significantly more expensive and pretty thin. They were great when Dex was a pup, but he plows through them too easily now. We have to get thicker "odorless" ones from Bestbullysticks.com but these do definitely still smell, just not as bad as some. We did actually look into the tendons, but I think the site noted they were "highly pungent"- haha! The deer shanks sound promising... 

Any other good cheap (but quality) suppliers for things like this?


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## MilesMom

We are going to try the Ziwi Peak Deer Shanks. I will let you know how the boys like them / durability. Chase has been a chewing machine lately. 

We have had good luck the the Kong Goodie bone Extreme. We put a piece of duck jerky in it, very very tight so it's hard for them to get it out. That's a big hit in our house. 

Chase has been requiring a chew of some sort every day (I think his very back teeth are growing in), in which Miles now demands one too of course while previously he didn't need one all the time. They are costing us a small fortune this week in bully sticks, antlers etc.


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## Suliko

We give our Vs marrow bones and antlers


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## mlwindc

We have done achilles tendons. I don't know why they bill them as lasting longer than bully sticks, because they don't! When they came, one look at them and I knew they wouldn't last long. Wilson devoured it in two minutes flat. We ordered a giant bulk order of bully sticks from bestbullysticks because Wilson was going through a chew phase. The problem with giving him a bully stick / day is that he has gotten REALLY good and REALLY efficient at chewing. I have reintroduced the galileo dinosaur bone as well as his antlers (I only let him have the antler supervised because I don't want it crashing all over the house), which takes care of some of his chewing angst.


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## Canadian Expy

Aspen LOVES his antler but I do fear that one day it will go through our TV screen the way he flings it around when he gets carried away  We have found deer antler to be the most durable, as his moose antler didn't last him long (he too is an strong chewer but at least it helps keep his teeth nice and clean ;D). Fortunately for us we have an abundance of deer antlers as there is a large deer population around my parents farm. In spring we are going to try and see if Aspen can find the dropped antlers, we have been practicing throughout the winter. 

The himalayan chews sound like they may be a good alternate to the antler - we will look into that also.


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## einspänner

Canadian said:


> The himalayan chews sound like they may be a good alternate to the antler - we will look into that also.


FYI, they don't last as long as antlers, but they're good to throw in the rotation. 

Dextersmom,

I know you said you don't want to use raw bones because they are messy, but I really like to use beef ribs. I buy a rack, cut them up into individual ribs, and feed outside or in the crate. It doesn't take long for them to get the meat off and then they are clean and long lasting, almost like antlers.


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## pippylongstocking

Ester loves her antler, kongs, nylabones etc. Not really keen on giving messy raw bones, or rawhide chews, but interested re Himalayan dog chews. Does anyone know if they are available in the uk?? Just gad a quick look online, but can't find any.


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## dextersmom

We're loving the himalayan chew so far! We went out and got one last night as it's been absolutely freezing here and Dexter will barely go outside to potty. So we've been frequenting petsmart, tractor supply, etc. for our evening "walks"  Not a good substitute for the exercise but at least it gets him out of the house and he gets to sniff and socialize!

@Einspanner - I will keep the ribs in mind! I usually use his chews when he's tired but won't nap on his own and we don't want to crate him. We settle him down on the couch with something yummy and he will fall right asleep instead of being cranky and restless. So I don't want anything yucky on the furniture, etc. But I might pick him up something like that on the days my husband has him because he'll let him go through bully sticks like crazy. I'm right there with you, MilesMom! 



MilesMom said:


> They are costing us a small fortune this week in bully sticks, antlers etc.


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## einspänner

Pippylongstocking said:


> Ester loves her antler, kongs, nylabones etc. Not really keen on giving messy raw bones, or rawhide chews, but interested re Himalayan dog chews. Does anyone know if they are available in the uk?? Just gad a quick look online, but can't find any.


Amazon has them. http://amzn.to/1dBPpyj


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## olofsonb

You Could Always Try What I'm Going To Do Once I Get My Pup. I Subscribed To Barkbox For 6 Months And Out Of Those We'll See What He/We Like Best And Go From There. I Just Priced Everything Out For My First Box And The Combined Total If I Didn't Pay Shipping It Would Have Cost Over $35 If I Got Free Shipping On Everything. Just A Fun Way To Experiment With Toys And Treats Each Month. Send Me A Message And I Could Send You My Referral Code To Save You Some $. Best Part (Other Than Saving $ And Getting The Goods), A Portion Of Their Proceeds Go To Helping Animal Shelters And Other Dogs In Need...Not A Bad Deal At $19 A Month 8)


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## tknafox2

I have tried the nylabones, bully sticks, rawhides etc... they all last about a minute, and the worst part is the dogs swallow half of the thing whole !!
Let me know how the Yak ... stack ... Himalayan chew holds up???
I am very interested in the length of time they last. At that price, it should be like an "Everlasting Gobstopper".
When all else fails... give the dog a bone!

PS at $25.00 a lb, I could buy myself a lobster or two


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## dextersmom

So... we went through our first Himalayan chew and we'll definitely be buying more! I'm not sure it was all that much more cost effective but it definitely lasted as long (if not longer) than the same $20 worth of bully sticks. The bonus being that the Himalayan chew didn't smell at all and was a lot less gross and slimy  Not as "everlasting" as the antler, but quite a hit!

@MilesMom - thank you for the idea of stuffing the Kong bone with jerky as well! Dexter loves Kongs/Westpaws but the Goodie Bone has always been pretty much ignored until now. I bought some jerky for the first time and he's been going crazy over it (to the point where his other Kong of kibble is still full at the end of the day and he's actually worn out from trying to get it all out). 

He also randomly picked up his Nylabone this weekend and decided to go to town. He's never even touched it before and we've had it since he was a pup. I kept meaning to give it away and forgetting. Go figure!


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## petlover88

einspänner said:


> Pippylongstocking said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ester loves her antler, kongs, nylabones etc. Not really keen on giving messy raw bones, or rawhide chews, but interested re Himalayan dog chews. Does anyone know if they are available in the uk?? Just gad a quick look online, but can't find any.
> 
> 
> 
> Amazon has them. http://amzn.to/1dBPpyj
Click to expand...


I was talking to someone at a dog show a month back or two and he mentioned the himilayan dog chew, so i asked him to get me some from a supplier he knows in UK, so i gave him details and he sent me them but with no address or contact details so im now on the hunt for him lol i googled it and this forum came up thats why i joined it to see if anyone had any luck buying any. If you do find a uk shop selling them id much appreciate it if you could pm me details and il do the same


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## pippylongstocking

I bought Ester some from Groomers online - Click on DOG heading - dog nutrition and feeding- tasty treats. End of 2nd page are mountain chews. I bought the large size, £8.75 for 2. Hope that helps.


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## petlover88

Thanks so much for the quick reply il go on have a look  my dog Morgan abs loved them so she hated me recently when her supply ran out haha she will love you now.


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## Jarpee

Tried the Himalayan Dog Chews mentioned above and our 6 month old absolutely loves them! Great suggestion and will definitely be buying more.


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