Hazardous dog treats and toys

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Jenny Smith — Wed, 30 May 2012 21:54:50 GMT

We were told in uni if you wouldn't be prepared to hit yourself over the kneecap with your chosen dog toy, it's too hard for their teeth. My pooch loves the kong fake sticks, just need to teach him the concept of 'fetch'... as he's a four year old boxer I might be on a losing streak there.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Lorna McHardy — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:02:41 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

My incisors' incisal edges are all chipped from opening or tearing things. I didn't even notice.

[/quote]

Don't you have any scissors?

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:51:46 GMT

[quote user="Laurence Webb"]

I assumed the difference was because the nylabones are slightly elastic, so when the dog bites on a nylabone the tooth decelerates over a fraction of a second, reaching a lower peak force compared to the almost instantaneous stopping power of a hard bone. Similar to jumping off a wall onto concrete compared to grass and soil. They are both hard enough to break your ankle, but you're more likely to do that jumping onto concrete.

[/quote]

Something in that, although when a dog breaks a tooth gnawing there's no impact (i.e. sudden deceleration); on the contrary, it's a gradually increasing force. If the dog continues to increase force despite the proprioceptors that might be telling his muscles to stop, then something has to break.

My incisors' incisal edges are all chipped from opening or tearing things. I didn't even notice.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Alex Gough — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:36:12 GMT

Have you seen the safestix for dogs. Great idea, not so sure about the design. It certainly drew some choice comments from some of our nurses, which cannot be repeated in a professional forum such as this (feel free to message me privately if you want to know what they said lol)!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332082/Go-fetch-RUBBER-Para-invents-safety-sticks-dogs-vets-warn-danger-wood.html

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Laurence Webb — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:34:12 GMT

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:14:51 GMT

Well, dogs definitely do break teeth on things they are gnawing.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Mark Holmes — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:07:54 GMT

[quote user="Ian Ross"]

[quote user="plantagenet"]nylabones,[/quote]

I went on a dental CPD course 18 months ago and they were concerned that the breaking strength of some of these "chews" was stronger than that of teeth!! Therefore chewing on them could actually cause teeth to snap.

I tend to recommend holding some normal food back and using as treats.

Ian

[/quote]

I had always assumed that the dog would be able to tell if this was likely due to pressure in the dental ligaments and jaw. My teeth have always hurt before they have snapped but then I am not a dog.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Ian Ross — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:54:31 GMT

[quote user="plantagenet"]nylabones,[/quote]

I tend to recommend holding some normal food back and using as treats.

Ian

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Jo Cobbett — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:02:08 GMT

I've never seen these before but I think I'll be trying a couple for my dogs, they look great. Can you get them through your wholesaler?

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Iain McAllister — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:53:30 GMT

We are using a "Stagbar"

with our Spaniel puppy - after 7 months he is still keen to have a go and he has barely made an impression on it - great value for money!

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Utlendigur — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:52:21 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]she would often find a bit of old sheep on a crag somwhere [/quote]

When I was a teenager, my terrier found a dead hedgehog that had got flattened, then dessicated, on the road. It rattled, was chewy, flew like a frisbee and could be eaten if hungry - perfect dog toy apart from the yuk factor. I lost count of the number of times I threw it away, only for it to be retrieved from the muck heap or hedge and proudly carried around again.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Mark Holmes — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:05:47 GMT

Unfortunately I have yet to find somethng that occupies a dog as well as a good bone. I usually give her a large bit of marrow bone but when younger she would often find a bit of old sheep on a crag somwhere when I was climbing. She readily tired of nylabone, pigs ears and rawhide give her diarrhoea and don't last any time. Even a frozen kong bearly interests her.

She will take a bone down the garden and spend all day with it. Eventually bury it in the wood somewhere and retreive it a couple of months later like a carnivorous squirrel.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

plantagenet — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:51:15 GMT

nylabones, cigar sized rawhide chews, extra tough kongs and not bones - spent far too much time fishing them out of various parts of dog anatomy, from one end to the other.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Mark Holmes — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:42:28 GMT

I still give my dog bones and live with the risks. I also encourage my son to climb trees.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:17:24 GMT

[quote user="Alet Engelbrecht"]What are you guys recommending (and selling) with regards to treats for dogs? [/quote] A pat on the head and retain a small part of their normal food. Toys: correct size Boomer balls, rope tugs and Nylabone frisbees.

Re: Hazardous dog treats and toys

Iain McAllister — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:15:49 GMT

yeah Tennis balls are bad news for canines - the material picks up grit and then the dog essentially sands it's own teeth down

I always advise stopping the use if I spot worn teeth - and if you are selling them take them off the shelves now!