Chews for Puppies

[Helen Dolly Plumb]

Hi there,
I have a 4 month old springer spaniel puppy and am finding it difficult to find any type of chew marketed for puppies that he doesn't chomp through in 30 seconds flat. At a pet food store today I picked up the biggest No rawhide chew they had hoping it will keep him amused for a little longer. Only when I got it home did I read the label and see it's for dogs over 35g. My pup is a bit of a beast but he will never be that big! The ones suitable for my boy are the little skinny ones that he will likely demolish in no time at all. I can't quite figure out why he can't have this chew, it's the same material as the little ones only physically bigger. Would anyone be able to give me advice on this?
Many Thanks

 

[Inka]

A raw beef bone from your local butchers and a carrot (stored in the fridge) will soothe his teething gums

 

[excuseme]

A really good raw bone would help, Ribs in particular are usually quiet edible but the beef ones would take a bit longer to consume. Do you have a butcher near by where you could get some bones. I also like the empty cow hooves (definitely not the filled ones), these can last a very long time but can be a bit smelly.
Both the raw bones (not too small) and cow hooves are quiet safe for puppies and adult dogs. If you should consider the hooves do make sure that you get "Cow" hooves and not the tiny calf hooves.

 

[Helen Dolly Plumb]

Thanks for your advice I really do appreciate it but don't think I could stomach having raw bones in the house. What I was trying to figure out is my puppy ok to have a big chew marketed for big dogs? Given the assorted objects he gets hold of and chews I can't help thinking at least this thing is actually a dog chew!

 

[Inka]

Rawhide and other many other commercially sold edible chews can pose a choking and blockage risk. In fact, this is a much bigger risk than contamination or digestive irritation. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide ( and they do) , the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract....so they are not something I would be purchasing at all, which is why raw bones/raw carrots are suggested... let the pup chew it on an easy to clean floor, or in their crate or even outside

 

[Finsky]

Hi there,
I have a 4 month old springer spaniel puppy and am finding it difficult to find any type of chew marketed for puppies that he doesn't chomp through in 30 seconds flat. At a pet food store today I picked up the biggest No rawhide chew they had hoping it will keep him amused for a little longer. Only when I got it home did I read the label and see it's for dogs over 35g. My pup is a bit of a beast but he will never be that big! The ones suitable for my boy are the little skinny ones that he will likely demolish in no time at all. I can't quite figure out why he can't have this chew, it's the same material as the little ones only physically bigger. Would anyone be able to give me advice on this?
Many Thanks

Our pups have had from quite early age many 'body part' type of chews. If you are not keen of giving raw bones, there is plenty of natural dried product available....pizzle sticks, tripe, chicken/turkey necks. lamb's tails, fish flatties etc. These days more and less any body part that is not used for human consumption are prepared for our canine friends. As long as you are keeping eye on the dog when it is chewing so there is no choking involved they, should be perfectly safe for him. Our pups first type of chews were rabbit ears and pieces of dried tripe. With tripe, I broke some 'normal size' ones into smaller pieces and as the pups started to demolish those with ease, I started to give them in larger chunks.
I'll put you a link for a company that I buy chews for our lot in bulk...gives you more ideas what is around and you can then google for different supplier sources that you may prefer purchase from... Healthy Dog Treats | Natural Dog Treats - Doggytreat.co.uk

 

[melb100]

If you haven’t tried already, yak bars are often recommended for pups. And not as stinky as pizzle!
I * think* Some of the age markers on chews is due to puppies having more sensitive digestion and baby teeth, not just choking hazard.

I would probably save the rawhide for when she’s older and give her raw bones or pizzles, or if you can’t manage that yet then frozen carrots/ Yak bars for a few more months. But I’m possibly traumatised from days of liquid shite after we tried rawhide.

 

[Hemlock]

Make sure your chews are made in UK as some of the one ones sourced from abroad have very nasty chemicals in them. A big raw cabbage doesn't last all that long but takes a lot of chewing. I'm sure you supervise all chewing but I have to add this for anyone else reading who is new to puppies - always be there in case pup chokes. It's a small risk in percentage terms but can have disastrous consequences.

Nothing beats a raw bone, though. You might not be as squeamish about it as you think you'll be, because pup will love it so much.

 

[Helen Dolly Plumb]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It's not a rawhide chew, it's an "Earth Animal Rawhide Alternative" chew. Pup has unfortunately eaten the label so I don't know where it was made. I have tried him on smaller versions before and no nasty side effects, just that he chomps through them at lightning speed. Pretty much the same with frozen carrots. He does also have a yak bar which sometimes is a hit, particularly when I smear it with peanut butter, but a lot of the time gets pretty much ignored, much like nylabones. I will give the raw cabbage idea a go thanks for the suggestion, I think he'll have some fun with that!