Chew toys (rawhide vs. nylabone vs. gumabone)
Damon Feldman
I think I've finally sorted out the chew toy situation.
In summary:
Gumabones are better than cow hooves, which are better than
rawhide.
Nylabones are not as appealing as any of the above, but do
serve a purpose and if your dog will chew them they are the very best.
Nylafloss is a good tooth cleaner.
In detail:
Rawhide is not recommended by most people because the dogs
tend to swallow large peices, which swell in the intestines. Also, if
the shank gets slimy but the knot is hard, the dog can swallow the
shank and then the knot gets sucked down into the throat and chokes
the dog. Lastly, and much more commonly, they cost a fortune if you
have a mid-large dog or a dog with powerful jaws. My rottweiler takes
the knot off a $5 rawhide in about 15 minutes, and the whole thing is
gone in a day or two.
Organic bones may splinter and cause tooth wear.
Nylabones are most highly recommended. They cost about 3
times as much as a rawhide but last for a very long time indeed.
Regrettably, some dogs (like mine) reject them, or use them rarely.
Gumabones (I just got one and I'm very pleased) are simliar to
nylabones, but a bit softer and without as much tooth cleaning
ability. Dogs all like these according to a local vet who sells them
but not nylabones. The manufacturer says that Gumabones are more
likable and serve as toys, but the Nylabone is necessary to satisfy
frustration chewing and chewing due to a need to chew.
Nylafloss is also well accepted according to my vet and is the
best tooth cleaner of all. I have not tried this yet, but I
understand it to be less of a toy and is only interesting when you
wave it in the dog's face.
Cow hooves are better than rawhide because they break down
into smaller pieces and are much cheaper and more durable. They smell
a little bit but not too much and may cause tooth wear.
Damon
--
Eschew television. If you don't know what eschew means, read a book.
Damon Feldman fel...@rex.cs.tulane.edu
Computer Science Dept. Tulane University, New Orleans LA, USA
Liza Miller
>
> I think I've finally sorted out the chew toy situation.
>
>In summary:
> Gumabones are better than cow hooves, which are better than
>rawhide.
> Nylabones are not as appealing as any of the above, but do
>serve a purpose and if your dog will chew them they are the very best.
> Nylafloss is a good tooth cleaner.
>
1. My dog destroyed a gumabone in about 10 minutes and I had pieces of
that nasty gummy plastic stuff all over my carpet. It was unsatisfying for
my dog and completely irritating for me and my vaccuum!!!
Hooves are available in a BEEF BASTED flavor that doesn't smell badly.
Nylabones don't get destroyed because, frankly, they aren't as interesting
and are so slick that they tend to end up under the sofa anyway!
Nylafloss (or rope toys as they are called at my house) are a great play
toy, but the dog doesn't spend too much time in actual chewing!
My dogs favorite is rawhide. He loves it, he chews it into very small
pieces and then swallows. I have only had one problem with rawhide and
that was when I tried cutting him off of his habit. After a few weeks, I
relented and gave him one and he ate the whole thing in about 1 hour and
then threw it up. Lovely.
I am not denying that it might not be the best thing in the world for him,
but it does save him from being quite frustrated.
His other two favorites are beef bones (he is strictly monitered during
this procedure and they are taken away the minute he starts crunching them)
and his teddy bear. He pulled all the stuffing out and just lays and sucks
on it for hours on end. This is the single most disgusting dog toy in the
world. It is wet so much of the time that it absolutely stinks. Let me
tell you if a dog puts this in your lap, it makes you long for the fresh
scent of cow hooves! (I wash it once a week as a self-preservation
technique!). Even the other dog won't touch this teddy bear it is so
revolting :*).
>In detail:
[details removed -- they were good though :*].
>Damon
>--
> Eschew television. If you don't know what eschew means, read a book.
^^^^^^
"Bless you!"
*******************************************************************************
Liza Lee Miller 415/326-5309
Cibola Labradors 1669 Woodland Avenue
Home of Mistypoint Kashmir Palo Alto, CA 94303
*** Field, Show, Fun ***
******************************************************************************
kauf...@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com
> In article <62...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> fel...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Damon Feldman) writes:
>>
>> I think I've finally sorted out the chew toy situation.
>>
>>In summary:
>> Gumabones are better than cow hooves, which are better than
>>rawhide.
>> Nylabones are not as appealing as any of the above, but do
>>serve a purpose and if your dog will chew them they are the very best.
>> Nylafloss is a good tooth cleaner.
>>
Another wonderful chew item out on the market is called CHOOZ, by the
makers of (you guessed it) Nylabones. This item looks like a nylabone
but is crunchy like a dog biscuit (but harder)...it can also be tossed
into your oven OR microwave to change its texture (makes it lighter and
more like a hard bread). A CHOOZ is made from milk and cheese (i.e.,
and other things, all digestable and completely edible). My dogs, who
dispise nylabones AND gumabones LOVE these things. One will last my
20 lb dog a week, my 40 lb dog 3 days, and my 95+ akita a day...:-)
BUT it is entirely edible!
A word of warning about rawhides -- I'm sure this one has gone through the net
before...my now 7 year old keeshond (6 yrs then) had been chewing rawhides
since he was 4 months old -- never a problem until I got a "free sample" in
the mail with an order from UPCO. Bere (pronounce "Bear", the keeshond)
grabbed the 10-inch roll and promptly began chewing it. I didn't think
anything about it until 4 hours later I couldn't find that bone any where.
The following day, Bere got very sick -- diarrhea, vomiting, etc. This went on
for a month (yes, vet visits were involved) before he started to come around.
The rawhide had totally disrupted and stretched out of shape his entire
intestinal system, and then infections set in (including a staph on his face
due to his lowered resistance!). I had to cook rice and hamburger for him to
eat -- oh, it was an awful time. $100.00+ in vet bills and medications -- it
turned into a very expensive free rawhide. The one thing the vet mentioned
was that it was likely that the bone was imported and probably treated with
formaldihide (?sp)...I haven't bought a non-American made bone since, and not
too many of those either.
Debbie Forest
<my now 7 year old keeshond (6 yrs then) had been chewing rawhides
<since he was 4 months old -- never a problem until I got a "free sample" in
<the mail with an order from UPCO.
<was that it was likely that the bone was imported and probably treated with
<formaldihide (?sp)...
so people don't get a bad impression of upco,
i just got an order in from them with a free rawhide. my dogs promptly
chowed down the rawhide but they didn't have any problems with it.
nor have they had any problems with previous orders from them.
Karen Bircsak
>
>In summary:
> Gumabones are better than cow hooves, which are better than
>rawhide.
> Nylabones are not as appealing as any of the above, but do
>serve a purpose and if your dog will chew them they are the very best.
> Nylafloss is a good tooth cleaner.
>
Just remember that every dog is different. My dog Molly (lab/golden mix) is a
dedicated chewer. We got her a Gumabone once; about 10 minutes after we gave
it to her we took it away because she had already chewed hunks out of it. Once
we gave her a cow hoof; it REALLY STANK and she disposed of it in an evening.
Kept her quiet though! She likes rawhide but can get through a rawhide bone
with knots in the ends in a day, so it's too expensive for regular chewing.
She has a Nylafloss too. Her method with these is to eat all the strings off
the ends the first evening (makes for stringy stools the next day!) and then
mostly ignore what's left. Every once in a while, she'll chew on the Nylafloss
long enough to get it slobbery with drool, and drop it in someone's lap.
Her favorite is (guess she's weird) the regular Nylabones. It takes her about
3 or 4 months to get through a Nylabone. She's very funny with it; every
evening after dinner she wants us to go downstairs to watch TV while she gnaws
on the Nylabone. Her favorite way to chew is with a human holding on to one
end.
She also likes to eat sticks. Almost as much as chasing them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...!{decvax,uunet}!masscomp!karenb
kar...@westford.ccur.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laura Toms
>In article <62...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> fel...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Damon Feldman) writes:
>>
>Just remember that every dog is different. My dog Molly (lab/golden mix) is a
>dedicated chewer.
>Her favorite is (guess she's weird) the regular Nylabones. It takes her about
>3 or 4 months to get through a Nylabone.
That's one retriever with a HARD mouth - not the typical. Reading this
discussion I realize that dogs are all different.
Someone - Liza maybe - said the nylabones are hard and slippery and they
don't like them. I've found that's true until they do manage to rough
it up, and then they DO like to chew on them. We have some nylabones
around here, they prefer the big ones, that have been gnawed on for years
and they are just getting "broken in". We've had gumabones before but
nobody ever seemed to get interested in them. The new colored nylabones
tend to get toothmarks in them easier so they actually get broken in
quicker.
Our guys like the chew hooves but because they STINK, they only get them
when they're kenneled outside. But the favorite of all is rawhide. Labs
in general are soft mouthed and chew on them gingerly, rather than breaking
them in half and swallowing the pieces. The latter is the danger with them.
Just my two cents worth...
--
***************************************************************************
Laura Toms and Moraine Labradors la...@MorningStar.Com
5151 Brand Road
Dublin, Ohio 43017 (614) 766-6287
Julie Dubbs
cupboard whenever he thinks he needs a fix. The way he determinedly works
the rawhide reminds me of something I learned as a spectator at an American
Indian Pow Wow -- that originally women chewed the hides to make them soft
enough to sew a dress. Cal methodically unties the knot in one end of his
rawhide, chews it flat, and then chews, regurgitates, and inspects it until
he's got it just right. Seems like we're usually just sitting down to dinner
when he gets to the regurgitation part.
"Well honey, how was your day?" (AAHURRRRRRRREH! in the background)
"Oh no, Cal's making another dress."
Julie
Liza Miller
>In article <61...@masscomp.westford.ccur.com> kar...@yowza.westford.ccur.com (Karen Bircsak) writes:
>>In article <62...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> fel...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Damon Feldman) writes:
>>>
>>Just remember that every dog is different. My dog Molly (lab/golden mix) is a
>>dedicated chewer.
>
>>Her favorite is (guess she's weird) the regular Nylabones. It takes her about
>>3 or 4 months to get through a Nylabone.
>
>That's one retriever with a HARD mouth - not the typical. Reading this
>discussion I realize that dogs are all different.
>
>Someone - Liza maybe - said the nylabones are hard and slippery and they
>don't like them. I've found that's true until they do manage to rough
>it up, and then they DO like to chew on them. We have some nylabones
>around here, they prefer the big ones, that have been gnawed on for years
>and they are just getting "broken in". We've had gumabones before but
>nobody ever seemed to get interested in them. The new colored nylabones
>tend to get toothmarks in them easier so they actually get broken in
>quicker.
>
wasn't clear enough. I meant to say that the nylabones are hard, slippery,
and end up under the couch before they get chewed on at all. I have about
five of the little darlings under my couch (along with assorted pieces of
rawhide, hooves, and, yes, let's face it dustbunnies :*). Anyway, when I
haul them all out, Kash likes the nylabone, it just always slips under the
couch (and since i've told you what is under there, is it any wonder I
don't reach in to get it for him???)
Cheers,
Michael Mahler
HINT: Boil the nylabones in water for about an hour. It
helps bring out the hambone scent.
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Michael Mahler
>Her favorite is (guess she's weird) the regular Nylabones. It takes her about
>3 or 4 months to get through a Nylabone. She's very funny with it; every
>evening after dinner she wants us to go downstairs to watch TV while she gnaws
>on the Nylabone. Her favorite way to chew is with a human holding on to one
>end.
It's the "competition for food" that causes this.
>She also likes to eat sticks. Almost as much as chasing them.
I've seen a stick lodge in a dog's throat when he pounced
on it while it was still bouncing end-over-end. I've
heard of a show dog being killed when a stick punctured
it's throat through.
Be careful with sticks found on the ground. It's better
to get some nice THICK dowel and cut it into manageable
sizes.
Michael
Donald Lehman
>CHOOZ...
>
>Another wonderful chew item out on the market is called CHOOZ, by the
>makers of (you guessed it) Nylabones. This item looks like a nylabone
Caveat emptor... I purchased a CHOOZ for my dog (a 50 lb sheltie-shepherd
or something like that) and it took her about an hour to finish it. About
an hour later she threw up a bunch of pieces. Kinda expensive for how
long it lasted and the required cleanup. I was going to write for a refund,
(they are advertised as satisfaction guaranteed) but I waited too long.
My dog loves the beef-basted chew-ezz (sp?) and smaller rawhide bones
(she get's bored with the big bones).
--
_________________________________________________________________
Don Lehman | Donald...@es.stratus.com
Stratus Computer Inc. | Standard Disclaimers Apply
Marlboro, Mass | I speak for myself...
Eric Cotton
>
>In summary:
> Gumabones are better than cow hooves, which are better than
>rawhide.
> Nylabones are not as appealing as any of the above, but do
>serve a purpose and if your dog will chew them they are the very best.
> Nylafloss is a good tooth cleaner.
There's another option. My dog Amber, a 14 month old golden has a voracious
appetite for chewing (he's nicknamed "the ChewMeister"). Since I prefer he
munch something other than furniture, I had been giving him monster 14 inch
knotted rawhide bones. Problem was, even one of these goliaths would only
last a day or so. Plus, I was none too crazy about him consuming such large
quantities of mostly undigestible matter. I also worried about the potential
for intestinal blockage. Next I tried chew hooves, but alas, he can munch one
of those down in one sitting. Gumabones? Hah! He can shred one of those in
minutes. He only has a passing interest in Nylabones.
Then one day when I was perusing the new catalog from J&B's I saw an add
for 14 inch compressed rawhide bones. I ordered a couple. Much to my
amazement, Amber loves 'em. And because they're so hard he can only chew tiny
bits off at a time. Consequently, my fears of blockage are much reduced.
Further, they last *much* longer than regular rawhide bone. We've had one
last two weeks - and this is with daily chewing.
In summary, if you have a dog that loves to chew like mine does, I highly
recommend compressed rawhide bones. They're tough, safe, last a long time,
and dogs (well, the ChewMeister, anyway) love 'em!
--
Eric Cotton
Commodore-Amiga (215) 431-9100
1200 Wilson Drive {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!eric
West Chester, PA 19380 "I don't find this stuff amusing anymore."
mm
In the true spirit of NEWS and dogs, I've had a totally
OPPOSITE experience with the pressed rawhides (mine were
from R.C.Steele). They seemed to get "gooshier" than
the standard rawhides and were more quickly dissolved
into the carpet (and the dog, too).
--
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Michael Mahler - Stratus Computer
Eric Cotton
>
> In the true spirit of NEWS and dogs, I've had a totally
> OPPOSITE experience with the pressed rawhides (mine were
> from R.C.Steele). They seemed to get "gooshier" than
> the standard rawhides and were more quickly dissolved
> into the carpet (and the dog, too).
Agreed, from my experience (or should I say my dog's!) they can get a bit
gooshy and glop carpets, furniture, etc. I always know when Amber has been
chewing 'cause his paws get glazed with a bit of rawhide residue. Still,
I find that the advantages of compressed rawhide far outway their dis-
advantages.
Rich Greenberg
Minimal interest. He will chew (and swallow) the small sticks (of ?)
that I find in the super market but thats about it other than milkbones.(r)
I don't know what they are made of but they look granular. Small ones
in the market, larger (expensive) ones in the pet shop.
No interest in rawhide bones.
I got a nylabone a while ago. He worked on it only a minute or so,
then abandoned it. Tried a Chooz bone because someone said here that
their Akita took a good part of the day to finish one. He reduced it
to tiny fragments in a few minutes, then abandoned it (on the dining room
carpet). Tried a gumabone, no interest. Next time I am by the pet shop,
I will get a hoof and try that. I guess I shouldn't complain. Saves me
money and he has never chewed up any of my possessions. I can't speak
of him as a puppy, I rescued him from the local pound at age 1+.
He is a true California dog. Very laid back. Definitely not an alpha.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: The above writings are the ramblings of one human being
and have nothing what-so-ever to do with Locus Computing Corp.
---> Rich Greenberg, ri...@locus.com TinsleTown, USA
Karrie Korsch Shroyer
> In summary, if you have a dog that loves to chew like mine does, I highly
> recommend compressed rawhide bones. They're tough, safe, last a long time,
> and dogs (well, the ChewMeister, anyway) love 'em!
Wow - thats great to hear/read!!! One of our goldens, Alex, goes through
rawhides in an hour! He LOVES em, and eats them fast. Our other golden
doesn't eat them so fast but manages to get sick everytime he chews them.
It sounds like these compressed bones are the key!!! But... I've never
seen them. Where can I get them, here in MN? our is there a catalog?
I'd love to get some information if you, or anyone has any!!!
Karrie
Rich Greenberg
rawhide or nyla/gumabones, and demolished a chooz in minutes.
Well, the net comes thru again. I got a chew hoof which I had never
heard of before I saw postings about it. I gave it to him, and he
was as happy as if I had given him a steak! He worked on it for a few hours,
and its still mostly intact. The acid test will be if he goes back to it
or ignores it. We will see.
J. S. B'ach
)A day or three ago I described how my husky showed no interest in
)rawhide or nyla/gumabones, and demolished a chooz in minutes.
)Well, the net comes thru again. I got a chew hoof which I had never
)heard of before I saw postings about it. I gave it to him, and he
)was as happy as if I had given him a steak! He worked on it for a few hours,
)and its still mostly intact. The acid test will be if he goes back to it
)or ignores it. We will see.
My husky likes rawhide now and then but really loves those hooves. She
will still ocasionally ignore a hoof after a few days of chewing on it.
--
jim (rutgers!cmcl2!panix!jsb, uunet!jyacc!jsb, or uunet!echo!jimb)
"When smashing monuments, save the pedistals--
they always come in handy." --Stanislaw J. Lec
Scott Herzinger
and a 2 mile cool down she can have energy to burn. Instead of digging
up the carpet, I give her a hoof and she's happy for hours.
I've found that she really likes the heel-end of the hoof and chews
that down first. It must be chewier or have some texture that is most
appealing. Once she's gotten through half the hoof, and only the toe
end remains, it gets tossed. Given the size of her mouth, a half-hoof
could choke her, e.g. if she fell carrying it down the stairs.
We go just about through a bag of 10 hooves per month.
Word of warning: I don't know if all hooves are sterilized; the ones I
buy are supposed to be, but every so often one of them will smell kind
of funky. They get a *lot* worse after being chewed, plus could carry
all sorts of bad bugs, so I recommend boiling any hooves that you have
any doubt about. They come out odorless as well as I can tell, but the
appeal to the dog is absolutely undeterred. Sometimes I boil a hoof that
she's started on, but not finished because it slipped under the furniture,
etc.
Guess I'm rambling. Chew On!
Scott Herzinger
Eric Cotton
You need but ask. I purchased mine from:
J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies
289 Wagraw Rd.
Hawthorne, NJ 07506-1411
201-423-2222
They cost about 5 or 6 dollars (slightly less in quantity) and are worth
every cent!
Oh, be sure to ask J-B's for a catalog. They have lots of stuff.
Steven M. Anastasi
> In article <173218...@timbuk.cray.com> k...@fir30.cray.com (Karrie Korsch Shroyer) writes:
>>
>>> In summary, if you have a dog that loves to chew like mine does, I highly
>>> recommend compressed rawhide bones. They're tough, safe, last a long time,
>>> and dogs (well, the ChewMeister, anyway) love 'em!
>>
>>Wow - thats great to hear/read!!! One of our goldens, Alex, goes through
>>rawhides in an hour! He LOVES em, and eats them fast. Our other golden
>>doesn't eat them so fast but manages to get sick everytime he chews them.
>>It sounds like these compressed bones are the key!!! But... I've never
>>seen them. Where can I get them, here in MN? our is there a catalog?
>>
>>I'd love to get some information if you, or anyone has any!!!
All this talk about a dog chew panacea has got me going. My wife
returned from the dog food "warehouse" in our neighborhood with one
compressed chew bone . It cost $2.50. Our Golden Retriever (currently
sleeping on my feet) LOVES chews and can go thru the rawhide chips in
20-30 minutes and knotted bones in 1-2 hours. We gave her the
compressed chew - she loved it and downed it just over an hour. (5-6
inch chew). It didn't seem to have any special qualities to warrant the
extra cost.
Steve Anastasi
PS The dog food store here is called "The Pet Food Warehouse". They
allow you to bring your dog in the store (on leash). It sure is fun to
go to a store and be able to walk in with your dog. She is well-behaved
and gets lots of attention once inside so she loves it too.
Eric Cotton
>From article <19...@cbmvax.commodore.com>, by er...@cbmvax.commodore.com (Eric Cotton):
>> In article <173218...@timbuk.cray.com> k...@fir30.cray.com (Karrie Korsch Shroyer) writes:
>>>
>>>> In summary, if you have a dog that loves to chew like mine does, I highly
>>>> recommend compressed rawhide bones. They're tough, safe, last a long time,
>>>> and dogs (well, the ChewMeister, anyway) love 'em!
>>>
>>>Wow - thats great to hear/read!!! One of our goldens, Alex, goes through
>>>rawhides in an hour! He LOVES em, and eats them fast. Our other golden
>>>doesn't eat them so fast but manages to get sick everytime he chews them.
>>>It sounds like these compressed bones are the key!!! But... I've never
>>>seen them. Where can I get them, here in MN? our is there a catalog?
>>>
>>>I'd love to get some information if you, or anyone has any!!!
>
>All this talk about a dog chew panacea has got me going. My wife
>returned from the dog food "warehouse" in our neighborhood with one
>compressed chew bone . It cost $2.50. Our Golden Retriever (currently
>sleeping on my feet) LOVES chews and can go thru the rawhide chips in
>20-30 minutes and knotted bones in 1-2 hours. We gave her the
>compressed chew - she loved it and downed it just over an hour. (5-6
>inch chew). It didn't seem to have any special qualities to warrant the
>extra cost.
Just for the record, the compressed rawhide bones I have success with are
on the order of 14 inches or so and last as long as two weeks. Granted,
my dog doesn't attempt to down one in a single sitting as he would the non-
compressed variety. By the way, a work of caution: Never let your dog drop
a compressed chew on your foot! These suckers can do serious damage; they're
as hard as rock!