Vet Advised No Bones

[bark]

My pup is 6mths old and about the size of a very skinny beagle. We visited the vet after a persistent bout of diahrhoea where he was diagnosed with an inflamed bowel. During the consultation, he vomited up some yellow liquid and a bone approx 5 cm long. The vet said it wasn't good and the bone must have been in his stomach for a couple of days, trying to exit through the rear but couldn't so it had to come out at the front end.

As a result of this and informing the vet I had seen a piece of bone in his pooh which was about 3cm long, the vet advised me not to feed my pup fresh bones anymore because he's not chewing or digesting the bone which can cause an obstruction and internal damage.

Given that, how do I keep his teeth clean and breath fresh? I would prefer a do-it-yourself way which doesn't involve me brushing his teeth which would be a struggle to do.

[noisymina]

Firstly, it would be intereting to know what sort of bones you were feeding - some are softer than others.

However, you may like to ask your vet if it is OK to try carrots. My dog just loves them and eats them like bones (she gets bones as well) - that would be one thing that would help to clean the teeth after meals, I should think.

[bark]

He used to be fed beef brisket bones which the butcher would cut into a manageable size for him to chew on probably between 7 - 10cm long.

Funny you mention carrots because I had given him a whole one well before the bowel problem and he loved it. Is there a limit on how many to give per week?

[Skipy]

I think as long as they are chewing on something, dog toy, etc, should be fine for cleaning teeth, like kongs, or rope toys, etc. Carrots, are rich in vit A, so dont overdo, but noisymina can tell you how much they give, I think 1/day should be fine.....

[noisymina]

I don't think they get as much out of the carrots (digestion wise) if they are fed whole - as opposed to the juiced ones we include in BARF feeding.

Mine gets hers in Barf mixes, juiced at 2kg over about 4 weeks - that's 500g a week - and she gets whole carrots from time to time in addition to that.

But she is a 30kg dog. I guess you would have to adjust according to the size of the dog - to some extent - but I do think they would have to eat a lot of carrrot to reach toxic levels of Vit A - just take it into account if you are also giving the dog other Vit A rich stuff - like Cod Liver Oil. Or check the levels in any commercial dog food you are using.

In any event, one a day sounds fair enough.

There are also rawhide bones around - a bit expensive for my dog who woofs them down in 5 mins flat - but smaller dogs can make one of them last a week or more, which is a better proposition.

[JD19]

Are Nylabones available in Australia? Here is their website http://www.nylabone.com/ . In the US you can find them at pretty much any pet store.

[wagsalot]

Riley's got a Nylabone (As mentioned above), he also loves carrots (I cant give the rabbit one without giving him one too!!) and also he has a denta stick once a week.

[bark]

1/day it is - thanks. He already has a couple of rope toys and a mix of kongs and I would rather "over do it" on the dental hygiene than under do it.

When he finished his puppy pre school the trainer gave each pup a complimentary toy and a sample strip of rawhide. The rawhide bone maybe different but the strip (yellow in colour) was finished within 10mins and gave him the runs later that day.

[bark]

Riley's got a Nylabone (As mentioned above), he also loves carrots (I cant give the rabbit one without giving him one too!!) and also he has a denta stick once a week.

I'll add a Nylabone to my shopping list. The denta sticks are they the sort you buy at the supermarket by Pedigree? Do they contain alot of preservatives?

[WreckitWhippet]

Nylabones are really good, however the Nylabone is a specific brand and there are cheap imitations available. I would only use the genuine article as I have experienced sharp ends from the cheap ones , bleeding mouths and a choking Frenchie.

There are also the Dentabones ( Pedigree ) and Greenies. I would check with the vet before giving either as they may continue the irritation.

ETA: with the Nylabone, make sure you get the specific size suitable for your dog, if too small they can be ingested or cause a choking hazzard ( been there done that ).

Edited June 15, 2006 by Warley

[petaj]

Vets usually don't recommend bones that have been chopped. The best kind are whole bones, preferrably marrowbones/femurs as these have rounded cartilage ends. The teeth-cleaning action comes from the dog digging its teeth in and tearing at the meat - it acts like floss. The bones should be removed once the cartilage has been chewed off the ends as dogs can go fanatical trying to get to the marrow and can really slice their gums up. If your dog takes too long to eats fresh bones this way and they spoil and become expensive, you might want to check if you can find these bones at your pet store - sometimes you can get them dried so that flies don't want to lay their eggs in the meat, etc. There doesn't have to be a lot of meat on there. This stripping action is the best way to clean high up on the canine tooth. My dog eats all kinds of teeth-cleaning chews but since the butcher we go to has been insisting on only suppling chopped bones her canines have become rather grubby. Note that no actual bone material is ingested when given the way I've described.

[Tilly]

If you dog isn't chewing or digesting bones properly then I wouldn't give Greenies - friends complain that their dogs either get the runs or throw up green goo after eating them. They are something I wouldn't feed my dogs.

Have you tried chicken wings or chicken necks?

Edited June 15, 2006 by Tilly

[malleerr]

Wasn't there a post once before about reported deaths from eating greenies??????

ETA - our dog eats a carrot atleast once a day with no problems

Edited June 15, 2006 by malleerr

[bloss344]

ETA - our dog eats a carrot atleast once a day with no problems

No problems giving carrots, firstly a whole carrot won't be digested very well anyway, but the vit a in them is beta-carotene which is a precursor to vit a. The body just uses it if it needs it and gets rid of it if it doesn't. It's the vitamin a in liver and supplements that can build up in the liver and cause problems.

Other chewy type things are 'broccoli bones' [the stalk] trim off any suss bits, [wouldn't give them daily though] and I've also heard of people giving thick slices of turnip as chewies. I've also made sweet potato 'rawhide' in the dehydrator, that's pretty chewy.

[Fit for a King]

Not greenies pls - if you must go that route then go the dentabones or try pigs ears...not greenies....

[squeak]

Greenies/Snopes

[bark]

Have you tried chicken wings or chicken necks?

Admittedly he's a real guts when it comes to any food which is gulped down really quickly - the vet said the only thing to do is divide his meal into smaller portions and give a bit at a time. At 9wks of age he gulped down a whole chicken neck in one go and still does, so I now cut them up. I haven't tried chicken wings as yet.

[shoemonster]

The nylabones or equivilent are excellent if your dog is a chewer

My 2 have the beef extra tuff ones, and they are constantly chewing on them

I don't give any bones anymore (except chicken necks and frames with their dinner) after having a similar thing happen with Eddie, when he threw up bits of bone for a day, scared the crap out of me

Edited June 15, 2006 by shoemonster

[bark]

Thanks Shoemonster,

Sounds as if carrots and nylabones are the way to go with the odd chicken wing and pigs ear.

[wagsalot]

Yep Riles had the dentasticks you can get at the supermarket - I think they're pedigree ones.

With Riley's nylabone I always keep a eye on it and after it wears down alot I chuck it out and give him a new one. That way it doesnt get too small.