# Healthy chews?



## melbiswas (13 February 2017)

I have just seen a horrible video showing how rawhide dog chews are made. Another forum has been slating PC  Dentastix ( I think these may be causing softer poos and anal gland issues ).
What do folks recommend as healthy alternatives and are there other products sold widely to avoid?


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## cremedemonthe (13 February 2017)

I found out about the raw hide chews years ago (10 approx)and the chemicals used are not good for dogs  and I was giving my dog these chews at the time. He's not had one since, it was then I also swapped to raw meat and bones, he has a bone everyday and his teeth are still nice and white. The dentastix I also heard years ago are full of sugar so not as good as you think they are. 
My dog's have bones everyday  which keeps their poo firm and no problems with anal glands.


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## Bosworth (13 February 2017)

https://www.facebook.com/bedlingtonheaven/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED try My little Brown Dog on face book. they make natural treats. dried beef, rabbits ears, beef ears, pigs snouts, lambs tails. All air dried. My dogs love them


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## Equi (13 February 2017)

The best chews are natural ones, aka proper uncooked bones! Go to the butcher and ask for a bone, they give them out free mostly  also, buy a dehydrator and you can stick any meat product in it and dry it out to make your own chews.


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## Clodagh (14 February 2017)

I buy 'Waggs' ones at the supermarket. They look OK.
MWH do good ones, but they are smelly.


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## twiggy2 (14 February 2017)

Carrots


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## paisley (14 February 2017)

Petaroni beef tendon chews- they don't splinter, don't give him a gippy tum, although I do chop them into thirds for economy and to prevent mild constipation. Its the only chew I 've found that he likes and actually lasts more than 20 seconds

http://www.dogs-takeaway.com/product-page/30533ee5-cf88-e1b8-cad0-25eb4353e7a5


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## Sarah_K (14 February 2017)

Mine has bull pizzle, antlers and dried tripe sticks. I know some people don't like antlers as there's the potential for wearing teeth down/breaking teeth but it's the same risk as bones I guess. He's currently chomping on a pizzle. 

ETA: all available at Pets at Home although I get the pizzle from a country store as it's a third of the price.


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## Country_gal (14 February 2017)

Mine had cow trachea for the first time this Morning!  Lasted them ages and tired them right out!!!  They also like things like pigs ears, chicken feet etc


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## Cinnamontoast (14 February 2017)

My lot have pig ears, pig trotters (raw), lamb bones, pizzles (dried) Dogsdiner, which is Durham Animal Feeds, do good treats. I like their Whimzees, the crocodile shapes etc. No rubbish in them as far as I can tell.

Zooplus is good for treats like trachea.


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## Destario (14 February 2017)

Carrots, broccoli stems, fish4dogs do good crunchy sticks that I buy at crufts every year. He also gets pigs ears from the butcher


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## pippixox (14 February 2017)

i still think it is mad pet shops even sell raw hide- so many owners though sadly have not got a clue what is is made from.
my old boy loved pigs ears. he also enjoyed raw bones. we bough the antler type bones but he was not as interested. new dog likes them though.
tracheas look gross but they love them!


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## Moobli (14 February 2017)

I detest rawhide and haven't fed it for years.  Mine get bulls pizzle, raw bones (non weight bearing), fish sticks, lamb/beef scalp, tup horn.


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## stencilface (14 February 2017)

What is raw hide made from?!

I feed dentastix, his teeth are great (vets always comment) and he gets fed otherwise on wainwright's biscuits and trays. I never have problems with his anal glands or loose poos.

I did used to feed bones from the butchers, but I never found any that didn't give him the runs! Think the marrow doesn't agree with him.


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## maisie06 (14 February 2017)

pippixox said:



			i still think it is mad pet shops even sell raw hide- so many owners though sadly have not got a clue what is is made from.
my old boy loved pigs ears. he also enjoyed raw bones. we bough the antler type bones but he was not as interested. new dog likes them though.
tracheas look gross but they love them!
		
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Where I work we have stopped selling rawhide and have been educating owners on how they are made. Some are shocked! We now stock  more and more natural stuff such as beef ears, trachea, raw meaty bones air dried meat and fish etc...We have also stopped selling Bakers dog food because of how bad it is (if I had my way I'd ditch Royal canin too!!!) Dentastix are utter rubbish too....total marketing magic for Pedigree rubbish for dogs teeth
!!


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## Alec Swan (14 February 2017)

Small children,  especially the disobedient ones?

Alec.


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## Alec Swan (14 February 2017)

stencilface said:



			What is raw hide made from?!

&#8230;&#8230;.. .
		
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Dunno,  but I know what Rawhide is.  It's a part cured animal skin (nearly always bovine) which has been to the Tanner but not yet to the Currier. 

Alec.


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## cremedemonthe (15 February 2017)

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/rawhide-dangerous-for-dogs/

yes Alec, we use it in our trade don't we and some of the chemicals used in the tanning process are what are deemed as unsafe for consumption


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## Cinnamontoast (15 February 2017)

Rawhide is basically shoe leather. 

Maisie, brilliant! I'm sick of telling Pets at Home how ruddy awful Bakers and the like are and how they should stop selling such rubbish.


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## cremedemonthe (15 February 2017)

Maisie, that's great, where is your shop and I will be recommending it to any of my customers near you,Oz


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## Mister Ted (15 February 2017)

I buy antler horn online.They come in small to larger sizes.They dont splinter or smell and my terrier loves getting to the marrow.Its the best I have and keeps teeth vey clean.


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## maisie06 (16 February 2017)

cremedemonthe said:



			Maisie, that's great, where is your shop and I will be recommending it to any of my customers near you,Oz
		
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We are in West sussex, in Fontwell Just outside Chichester!


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## melbiswas (18 February 2017)

Thank you everyone, lots of great ideas.

Alec, I'm not so sure about your suggestion, tempting as it sounds - the fat content can be quite high in those.....


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## tobeeornot (28 December 2018)

Pity, can't find anything described above in my area.


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## TheresaW (28 December 2018)

I buy meaty beef bones (ideal for stock) from our local supermarket. They also get raw chicken wings as a treat. Worth a look for you.

The dogs both got really big rawhide bones for a Christmas present from someone.  Accepted graciously, but straight in the bin.


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## splashgirl45 (28 December 2018)

i never feed rawhide, my friends dog got some stuck in his throat and nearly died so it put me off even before i knew how much chemicals were used.  i give mine antlers and pigs ears and any other dried meat treats i can find...


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## maisie06 (28 December 2018)

pippixox said:



			i still think it is mad pet shops even sell raw hide- so many owners though sadly have not got a clue what is is made from.
my old boy loved pigs ears. he also enjoyed raw bones. we bough the antler type bones but he was not as interested. new dog likes them though.
tracheas look gross but they love them!
		
Click to expand...

We've stopped selling it at work, awful stuff, we explain why when people ask for it, most people are happy to but natural treats once they hear how rawhide is made, we've had the odd one or two have a moan, but the animal's health is our priority!!  My lad gets Pressed tripe bones, Beef tendons, Pizzles, Ostrich tendons - these are amazing, work like dental floss!! raw bones, cow hooves which I fill with something like forthglade and then freeze, and any type of dehydrated 100% meat chews...Dentastix are the work of the devil!!


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## TheresaW (28 December 2018)

Iâ€™ve had to google what pizzles are as had never heard of them! Will have a look next time Iâ€™m doggy shopping.


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## Karran (29 December 2018)

Fluffy rabbit/cow ears go down well in this house! Not heard of ostrich tendons! Will have a google


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## tda (29 December 2018)

I tend to buy chicken feet , however there is always a rabbit's head somewhere along a walk ðŸ¤”, dirty fluffy ears,and a lot of crunching  ðŸ˜


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## Landcruiser (2 January 2019)

I work at a vet and it's not unusual for dogs to be brought in with serious digestive issues and for x rays to show up a lot of splintered bone fragments clogging up the system. These can puncture the intestines, which can be catastrophic. I've seen a vet pulling out masses of bone from a dog's back end which had gone all the way through but blocked up the rectum completely. It wasn't pretty. I've also seen vets hunting through the intestines and bringing out lots of splinters. For this reason, I'd never feed bones to my own dogs any more (though I used to).


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## PapaverFollis (2 January 2019)

Mine seem to get digestive upset with anything and everything so I rarely given them even natural chews. They have wet food in kongs to exercise their chewing urges and nylabone or similar for a longer chew.


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## twiggy2 (2 January 2019)

Yesterday it was pheasant necks whilst I was skinning and gutting them.
Today it has been chewy meals, one dog had a pheasant, two had half a rabbit each and the puppy had a chunk of venison.
Tomorrow the 3 kennel dogs and puppy will share a hare, the next day and for a while it will be venison.
I feed whole so there are lots of chewy bits, obviously the deer is not fed whole but they will be given bones, small ones to eat and large ones to chew on.
The house dogs had their normal food.
Carrots are a favourite for chews here,my house dog is allergic to meat so chewy options are very limited for her.


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