Low fat, long lasting chews?

[C.K.B]

We have a Bedlington terrier who suffers from the typical digestion issues that the breed seems to have, which we refer to as 'Bedlington Belly' so he is very sensitive to new foods or food with certain ingredients.

We keep his diet as consistent as we can, the only thing we change up from time to time is treats/chews, and we are trying to find a long-lasting chew that isn't high in fat or made with dairy as these seem to upset his stomach the most.

He has a pretty strong jaw and will sit with a chew for as long as it takes to finish it, so when we did try yak chews he got through them in a matter of hours, but they really upset his stomach so we stopped giving them as frequently.

Because of the sensitivity of the breeds liver, we are trying to stay away from anything particularly high in fat as well (they also give him the runs...) so we're a bit apprehensive about things like pigs' ears, trachea, filled hooves etc.

Is there anyone out there that has found anything that works for their sensitive pooches?

 

[JoanneF]

Have you thought of buying a dehydrator and making chews from things like dried sweet potato?

 

[C.K.B]

Have you thought of buying a dehydrator and making chews from things like dried sweet potato?

I hadn't actually! He has had dried sweet potato before (the Soopa brand which is on the expensive side), he's quite a fan of fruits and veggies on occasion, so that could be a good option Thanks!

 

[Flobo]

Also you can get 'rolled dried fish skins' which usually take a while to get through, if you google just that quite a lot come up. Not sure if that's ok for his tum though... Am another fan of the dehydrator too!

 

[RGC]

It was this forum that gave me the idea for homemade sweet potato crisps. Without a doubt our whippet loved them, as indeed would your Bedlington, however they’re not long lasting. Thinking of energy costs, if you have an Aga they’d be a cinch to produce but in the oven or dehydrator for 3 hours at a time makes one think. Bon appétit in any case. Do you have photos of the Bedlington?

 

[C.K.B]

Also you can get 'rolled dried fish skins' which usually take a while to get through, if you google just that quite a lot come up. Not sure if that's ok for his tum though... Am another fan of the dehydrator too!

He's had a few fish skin treats that seem to be ok with his stomach if he has them infrequently, but he finishes them so fast compared to our other dog I will probably keep trying other brands of them too. The fish4dogs brand that we usually get the easiest is the ones he polishes off pretty fast.

 

[JoanneF]

We use Skippers Fish Skin Flatties.

My dog isn't a power chewer but they last 15 minutes or so.

 

[C.K.B]

It was this forum that gave me the idea for homemade sweet potato crisps. Without a doubt our whippet loved them, as indeed would your Bedlington, however they’re not long lasting. Thinking of energy costs, if you have an Aga they’d be a cinch to produce but in the oven or dehydrator for 3 hours at a time makes one think. Bon appétit in any case. Do you have photos of the Bedlington?

I've considered a dehydrator for my own uses, so more than likely if I do end up with one it would be for us and the dogs! We just have a regular old fan oven so I think they would be quite expensive to make in the long run - especially at the moment! Glad to hear that your dog enjoyed them!

This is him He's from a working line so he's a little more muscular, and we keep his coat in more of a pet cut than show standard - but still try and keep those lovely ear tassels!

 

[JoanneF]

I'm really, REALLY, embarrassed to admit this, but it was only a few years ago that I found out the Bedlington nose was due to the clip and not the actual shape of the head.

But I'm very taken with them. On a terrier scale of 1 (like Westie, Wheaten) to 10 (like Patterdale) where would you place them?

 

[JudyN]

He is adorable

 

[Hemlock]

I love bedlingtons, and my bedlington lurcher was one helluva chap. I'd always hoped to fit a purebred into my life, but never managed to. I had a small involvement in bedlington rescue at one point.

Obviously experiences differ, but my own finding was that they were not barky like most terriers, and had a big deep bark when they did use it. Typical working terriers with all that implies, including no reverse gear. Don't look for trouble but don't fudge it when they do find it. Really easy to train if reward based methods are used, but heaven help the old-style trainers as they won't tolerate bullying and they bear a long grudge.

Good coat care needed, and some health issues.

 

[C.K.B]

I'm really, REALLY, embarrassed to admit this, but it was only a few years ago that I found out the Bedlington nose was due to the clip and not the actual shape of the head.

But I'm very taken with them. On a terrier scale of 1 (like Westie, Wheaten) to 10 (like Patterdale) where would you place them?

I will say their head structure does play somewhat of a part! When he's wet you can see how his muzzle connects with his head, and unlike some breeds that have a pronounced dip where their forehead meets their nose, his is quite in line, I would say like a short and less downward version of a Borzoi to give an idea of the shape. But yes, his coat does exaggerate it when it's fluffy and trimmed. The fluff doesn't last though, all you have to do is pet him and it's back to tight curls!

I would say terrier wise he seems to be sort of just over the middle. I've heard different takes on Bedlington's personality, some say they are quite nervous but stubborn at times. Our lad is very outgoing, affectionate, and very loyal. He also isn't very vocal at all, so it's always a shock when he does pipe up because he's much louder than our other dog.

As friendly as he is, I'd feel safe if someone ever threatened me or intruded into the house. He had to fend off two very large male wire-haired vislas the other day, who were off lead and decided to gang up on him (aka simultaneously hump him) while he was on lead. If it had escalated, he would have put up a good fight for sure, but he didn't seem too phased by it once it was over and we managed to keep them off him while their owner strolled over...

 

[C.K.B]

I love bedlingtons, and my bedlington lurcher was one helluva chap. I'd always hoped to fit a purebred into my life, but never managed to. I had a small involvement in bedlington rescue at one point.

Obviously experiences differ, but my own finding was that they were not barky like most terriers, and had a big deep bark when they did use it. Typical working terriers with all that implies, including no reverse gear. Don't look for trouble but don't fudge it when they do find it. Really easy to train if reward based methods are used, but heaven help the old-style trainers as they won't tolerate bullying and they bear a long grudge.

Good coat care needed, and some health issues.

Bedlington lurchers are gorgeous! We considered finding one to rehome before our first dog.

We didn’t intend on having a Bedlington though. We only had our first dog for less than 2 years before he came into our lives. His previous owner was a close member of my partners family who very suddenly passed away earlier this year. We wanted to make sure he stayed in the family, so thankfully he got on with our dog and we were already preparing for another dog a few years down the line so it all lined up, and here we are!

He gets on great with our other dog, who has a bit of terrier in him somewhere, so the play time can get intense