Please share your opinions on chew toys!

[oceangirls]

We have this nice new board here all ready to fill up with information, so I thought I would start a couple threads on common questions that would be helpful to members who might have less experience with dachshunds (and also helpful to all of us who are looking for something new!). So...

What are your dogs' favorite chews/chew toys?
What products DIDN'T you like - and why?
What products hold up best for strong chewers?
For those who use natural bones, what type is safest?

:D I'll share mine here in a second...

[oceangirls]

We have had the best luck with durable Nylabones (and for some reason they prefer the Wishbones and the "chocolate" bones). The Galileo was a little too hard and they go through the Flexibles too fast. Kongs are also good if I put small treats/kibble and peanut butter in there.

They liked Bully Sticks but I didn't like the smell (will have to try the honey kind). The tendon chews (forget the name) caused vomiting. Mine eat Greenies, Boodas, and Dentabones too fast so I don't use those anymore. They didn't pay any attention to the Tire Biter bone I got them.

Their favorites are CET Hextra rawhide chews (with chlorhexidine). I buy the EXTRA-LARGE :D and give them only under very close supervision, but they just love them. Those things saved our house from being eaten (well, they did less damage anyway) when the girls were puppies.

I have never tried actual fresh bones; we bought some of the cleaned ones you can get at Petsmart and Angel gnawed on one for awhile, but those are so hard I figured she would break a tooth.

[Jen]

Mmmm chewies.

Tasha is a flossie addict. She gets one every night after the last walkes (we buy them by the case, much cheaper), which one of us hides in the living room while the other has Tasha in the bedroom. She then searches the room on the "find" command till she locates it. Anyway, flossie is tendon, lasts 10-30 min, and is a spiral chew about 6" long. Not stinky.

Tasha occasional gets bully sticks (steer penis), Texas taffy (no idea, don't care to know but its meaty), icelandic fish skin chews, the occasional very thin potato chip (thinness and look) rawhide and a marrow bone about twice a month which I buy as soup bones from the grocery.

No greenies ever since they have wheat which she has a sensitivity to, pig and cow ears are bad for her digestion. The occasional rabbit ear though.

[oceangirls]

they did like them but Angel got sick; maybe she just ate it too fast.

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Gunner and Petunia love the flossies and Bully stix by Merrick. They also get Texas Taffy.

[JanUet]

Casey and Sophie LOVE their Bully Sticks. I know they smell, but they really enjoy them.
We don't buy Rawhide anymore, One of them got rather sick from them so they are banned from the house!
They like the pork chews.
I wish they had flossies here in Canada. I can't find them anywhere!

Sophie doesn't like the Dentabones :faint:( Figures! I got them for her teeth).

I give them Tartar Bones, Soup Bones and Marrow Bones.

[Lisa]

Mine LOVE bullysticks, but they upset Pogo's super sensitive tummy, but I still do give them once in a while.

They also adore the Icelandic Fish Chews from Sitstay.com (http://www.sitstay.com/store/edibles/fish1.shtml#EDFS1)
They really seem to clean the teeth...only drawback - fishy kisses - ewwwww! :kiss3: :kiss3:

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Lisa then you have to give them Yipp Yapps--LOL:rofl: after they finish that treat.

[Jen]

I'll give Tasha a fish skin chew then send her over to give Daddy a kiss! :rofl:

She does NOT like nylabones, its not food....

Janet, there's a seller on ebay who sells flossies by the case for about $70 us. And petfooddirect.com has them by the case for $89--I wait till then send me a 25% off coupon, then order. I don't know if customs will be a problem since they're an animal product.

[lotsadox]

Most of mine won't touch anything rubber. No kongs, nylabones or even squeekies. Scooter is the only one that will play with kongs or nylabones. Their favorite chews are raw beef rib bones. I feed them a couple of times a week. And, yes, my house looks like a graveyard most of the time. :rofl: I once picked up 12 from the study (they like to chew them while I'm on the computer). The study is only 8' x 10'! :scared1:

[Fluffy]

Mine LOVE the dental bones by Hartz, I think. They have the nubby things in the middle of them. They also enjoy the durable nylabones and OCCASIONALLY the flavored (peanut butter is their fav) bones but I don't know what brand they are. I do not allow mine to have the other chewies you all have mentioned...I saw Ben get sick from them too many times. Buddy will chew rawhides til he bleeds so they are out too. He just doesn't seem to know when enough is enough. I feel bad b/c Heidi does like them, but if she leaves it and Buddy gets ahold of it I have a hard time getting it away from him. That's about the only time he growls at me. Greenies are OUT after reading a post about someone's dog dying b/c it was blocking his intestines. I am just so fearful of my dogs getting sick or hurt because of something I gave them!

[Patt]

I'm sure Trix would chew anything but all she is allowed is C.E.T. Chews and a frozen Kong when we do errands. She loved Greenies but I don't allow her to have them anymore.

[HotDogMama]

Molly's fav is the booda velvet blimples any flavor will do....... haven't messed with animal skins or insides yet lol..... don't know if I want to if they are smelly......:heart:

[Jacqueline]

I was concerned with what to let Taffy have after seeing signs posted about washing hands after touching rawhides. And they are so wonderfully soggy and nasty when chewed.

A friend recommended the compressed rawhide, saying they last longer, and don't leave big undigested lumps in the tummy and other parts. I bought some, and Taffy really has enjoyed the bone. She spent two days chewing on this first one, it didn't split into pieces, and she really seemed to have fun with it. We were shopping in Walmart, and it kept her totally occupied (in her carrier) while we were in there. No getting bored and tap dancing to let us know it was time to wrap it up and go.

Hopefully, this will help with everything else she has been chewing on....harnesses, leashes, her basket. I did get Bitter Apple spray and used it...seemed to stop a lot of that.

[oceangirls]

I've been giving compressed rawhide on occasion too (peanut butter flavor). I bought both the sticks and the bones - the sticks seemed to do better; they actually got a couple of layers on the bones separated.

[Anatresia]

I give mine those big petsmart knuckle bone things and thin, flat rawhide strips from Target. I have to watch them to let them chew smaller bones, though, because I'm paranoid about them choking. I used to give greenies, and they LOVE them, but there are so many reports about how undigestable they are, so I've stopped.

I think we might try flossies.

[Fluffy]

A lot of you have been talking about flossies...what are they?

[oceangirls]

tendon, twisted into a spiral shape (like a corkscrew)

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/Merrick_Flossies_p/134014.htm

[Fluffy]

Thanks Kim...don't know about those. I am so leary about what I give my dogs!!!