A More Digestible Edible Chew for Dogs
Our pup, Cricket, is such a chewer!! I know she’s only eight months old and spent the last two months in a shelter before we adopted her, but she’s chewing so many things. Her mouth needs to be on everything so we have been working with her on not chewing inappropriate or potentially dangerous things so much. One trick we used was to give her something to put into her mouth while we’re on walks. She chose a stick so we made sure it was a safe one (no bark, no splinters, etc.) and let her carry it. She gets lots of giggles from people we pass by.
I had read numerous articles about not giving dogs rawhide because dogs can ingest large pieces and get a blockage which may require surgery. It is apparently very hard to digest. (See: Are Rawhide Chews Dangerous for Your Dog and Rawhide-Good or Bad for Your Dog)
So, a tool we use while she’s indoors and supervised, is a product by Scott Pet called Pork Chomps. They are rawhide-free, bacon flavored, and easy to digest. Basically, they are pigskin with 70% of the fat removed. Cricket LOVES them. They keep her busily chewing and unraveling the “stick” while one of us can get a few things done and the other can supervise her. I was a little worried that the red portion of the stick would stain whatever surface she’s using while chewing, but that has not been the case.
One problem Cricket’s had with them is a little gas, but that was because we gave her too much. So we have now cut down on how much of a stick of Pork Chomps she can have. SHE thinks it’s not enough, but we know better! Another problem we’ve had with them is when she’s unraveled a stick, it can become a choking hazard. So, we’ve had to take a couple of Pork Chomps away from her when they are soft and unraveled because she can potentially swallow the entire length at once. I just simply cut those into smaller pieces so she can have them later. But, that’s why we supervise Cricket while she’s chewing. We don’t want anything bad to happen to her while she’s doing such an enjoyable activity.
Here are some variations on the same digestible chew product for various size dogs and in different quantities:
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Please share your favorites
- What types of edible chew products/“toys” have you used?
Tell us about them in the comments below!
