Question for fellow dog owners re: chewer treats

[Luv2Roam]

This week I had a pretty scary pet experience which made me think to ask my fellow Dis dog owners what chewers they give to their pets (ie: children ), and any particular reason why for a type or brand.

Here's my story:
We have two female black labs (one is a mix). Ages 10 years & 8 years. 100+ pounds and 80+ pounds.

Our oldest girl has a sensitive digestive system. They love chewers, and I give them each a small to medium size every day. And I usually buy a few bags at a time. (Esp during hurricane season.)

Yesterday morning I pulled out an unopened bag of Nylabone. There is a small clear viewing pane on the front of the bag. I about croaked.
The sealed bag was full of mold, dead moths and that spider webby stuff those moths make.

I bought the bag in June, and it was stored in the house (in A/C).

I never would have thought about those types of chewers to go bad. I can understand not keeping them for a long time, or stored in a hot area. But obviously there were sanitary issues during the manufacturing and/or packaging process.

I thank my lucky stars I did not give them anything from that bag when I bought it, nor open the bag without looking through the pane.

I returned the bag to Petsmart and traded for a bag of Greenies.

I usually stick with the Nylabone, Greenies or Iams version. They seem to do well with my oldest.

However what I saw in that bag certainly makes me wonder what could happen and what is a better idea for my girls. They aren't into raw veggies or ice as some dogs are. Too bad. But the veggies would lay around and rot just as well as the Nylabones.

Any dog experts who know of downsides to Greenies and such? I am more than a little concerned now about what is in all these treats.

TIA

 

[JessicaR]

I'm confused. My dogs have Nylabones too. Do they look like these?

I have giant breed dogs and these bones last forever. They dont get one daily they arent edible. Are you talking about something else?

As far as an edible treat that I give daily we use pig ears and bully sticks. We havent had any problems with those.

 

[MushyMushy]

My dogs won't chew anything plastic unless it's a Kong with peanut butter or moist dog food in it. We like to buy pig's ears. Kind of creepy when the ear still has hair on it, but hey, the dogs love them.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I will have to look for those.
I went to the Petsmart website and found the type I had issues with yesterday. I thought they were Nylabones, and think they are. The logo was on the back of the package and it is lettered across the bone.
Nutri Dent Filet Mignon Dental Chews
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750562
(Only mentioned Petsmart as that is where we generally shop. Although other chain stores carry these too.)
I will have to check out the one you have pictured out since they are not edible.
Since my oldest has such a sensitive system, I only give small or medium. Pig ears and such I am just asking for trouble. (She has colitis and darn near anything different sets her off.)
Until yesterday I would not have thought of these bones "going bad". Under extreme conditions I could understand. But...

 

[Luv2Roam]

Kind of creepy when the ear still has hair on it, but hey, the dogs love them.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Nylabone has edible and non-edible chew bones. We only give non-edible in our house (like the one pictured above). They will not mold. Their teeth can wear them down, some, but it's like sizes of a piece of rice coming off as they chew. They last awhile in my house, with 4 dogs gnawing on them.

Greenies has had a history of not digesting if eaten as a whole or quickly. Several dogs died and many more had surgeries to remove it. I believe they have changed their formula since but I don't give them anymore = they are too pricey for something they eat quickly. I'd rather just buy more Nylabones that last awhile.

Bully sticks are the favorite in my house - they last a long time, they are very healthy, and they digest very well. I only buy American made as they are a meat product and ones imported from China have tested positive for harmful chemicals.

We also use Kongs - though mine won't do much with them unless they are filled with something =)

That's so gross about your Nylabone! Ick!

 

[JessicaR]

Yes they are edibles and are made by nylabone. I never tried them. I guess anything edible can go bad. I do wonder why though. My Vet told me greenies are a no no so I never tried them.

Give Bully sticks a try! I bet the dogs will love them.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I will have to look for the bullies too. I never heard of them. But probably have seen them and not known what they were.
I stuck with the others as they did not mess with her system. But I really had an eye opener on that bag and will be much more careful.
Next time at the vet I will ask what they suggest (and what to avoid).

 

[JessicaR]

You can read about them here. There are also many natural healthy treats you can find at this website.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+19+10011&pcatid=10011

 

[Luv2Roam]

Thanks! They sound terrible. I am sure the girls would love them.

 

[JessicaR]

Thanks! They sound terrible. I am sure the girls would love them.

Didnt wanna tell you what they REALLY were! The girls will love them.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Didnt wanna tell you what they REALLY were! The girls will love them.

My DH nearly puked when I told him what they were the first time

 

[2BigKIdz]

A friend of mine purchased a bag of Beneful dog food, it was sealed completely. When she opened it there were maggots in it . I'm sure they must get in the bags during processing.

Our collie got sick every time he ate a greenie so I stopped buying them a long time ago. He did love the Waggin' Train brand chicken tenders.

The dogs I have now do like the nylabones but they fight over them so they don't get them very often. It doesn't matter if there are enough for each of them to have 3, Kona still wants them all!

I had to google pizzle, omg! I just don't think I can handle those, I can't do pig ears either!

 

[clutter]

You can read about them here. There are also many natural healthy treats you can find at this website.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+19+10011&pcatid=10011

Ok, I'm not sure about these, given the size, but PLEASE do not give your dog the smaller sized rawhide ones. I had a co-worker lose her young lab by swallowing one.

 

[TerriP]

Absolutely no edible bones are given in our home. Too many friends have lost their dogs to supposedly "edible" bones/treats. So no Greenies, rawhides, pig ears, etc...

Our dogs love Nylabones (the non edible-bones like the one shown above...only we get a smaller size), bully sticks (only when supervised), and yogurt stuffed Kongs.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We only give the non-edible Nylabones too. Their dog treats are rare and mostly a treat is a bit of chicken from dinner and I mean a tiny bit.

One dog has "issues" and just cannot eat treats.

 

[JessicaR]

Ok, I'm not sure about these, given the size, but PLEASE do not give your dog the smaller sized rawhide ones. I had a co-worker lose her young lab by swallowing one.

Bully Sticks are not rawhide. I would never give my dogs rawhide, no matter what the size.

 

[MushyMushy]

Didnt wanna tell you what they REALLY were! The girls will love them.

I just looked it up and EWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Of course, now I have to go get some for my dogs, but I'll want to handle them with gloves on.

 

[princess momma]

I have a little guy that's a chewer and he's bored with our usual treats & toys. He tore up the carpet yesterday.

I wonder if bully sticks are too big for him though. He's a teddy. I'll have to google bull pizzle first.

 

[princess momma]

Oh, grooosssss.

This made me giggle:

Pizzles are almost exclusively used/produced today as chewing treats for dogs, and are prepared by cleaning, stretching, twisting and then drying at a high heat.