Why Your Dog Needs Chew Toys

Providing your dog with chew toys can be beneficial in certain instances. There are both benefits and dangers of providing your dog chew toys.

Benefits

Providing pet toys can help a dog who suffers from destructive behavior. Pet toys keep them occupied and focused on the toy, rather than your shoes or furniture. Certain chew toys can help with a puppy who is teething by assisting the teeth to cut through the gums, or loose puppy teeth that are ready to come out. To help with dental issues like tarter and plaque accumulation provide your dog with all natural dog chews.

Healthy Dog Chews and Dog Toys

C.E.T Chews

Ask your local veterinarian to see if they carry C.E.T dental chews, if not they can be purchased on-line. These chews are all natural, easily digestible, control plaque accumulation and healthy for your dog.

Bully Sticks

Bully Sticks are a dog treat made from a dried bull’s penis. Because they are a natural meat and all beef, they are 100% digestible.

All Cotton Toys

All natural cotton rope is the best toy for dogs, not nylon, not plain cotton, not poly rope, only all natural cotton. This is because dogs can only digest all natural cotton, not the others.

Chews to Avoid

Greenies

Greenies are not easily digestible. Previously, my vets office surgically removed a fairly sizable chunk of  undigested greeine bone from a Pug’s small intestine. With that said, greenies can cause intestinal obstruction.

Marrow Bones

Marrow Bones are also not easily digested, and can cause intestinal obstruction, punctured intestines, punctured stomach and bloody stool.

Nylabones

Nylabones, become problematic once chewed and could lodge in the back of the dog’s throat, blocking the airway and eventually causing them to choke.

Cow Hooves

Cow Hooves can chip your dog’s teeth and can splinter when chewed causing a partial intestinal obstruction. Partial obstructions can perforate the bowel wall and cause an infection. Leakage of the bowel becomes toxic and ultimately can become fatal.

Pig Ears

Pig Ears may cause gastrointestinal (GI) upset if overeaten. Pig ears can cause intestinal obstruction; however, an intestinal bacterial infection called Escherichia coli or E. coli is possible.

Stuffed Toys/Plastic Toys

Avoid dog toys made of plastic, contain stuffing and small parts that can be chewed off and swallowed. The dog can choke on small bits if broken off, or possibly end up with an intestinal blockage, punctured intestine, punctured stomach and bloody stool.

Tips

As with any treat, supervise your dog whenever they have a dog toy or chew. Never leave your dog unattended with a toy or chew. Never give a dog chicken bones, they can splinter and cause obstructions and perforation of the intestines. Shop in the infant department for children’s chew toys. The FDA holds stringent standards to teething toys for human infants. This means that if a child breaks off a piece and swallows it, it is digestible. If you have a puppy or small dog, give them infant teething toys.