Life expectancy of a Rawhide Bone with your GSD?

[dazedtrucker]

Originally Posted by jae

my vet recommends rawhide rather than raw bones. my doctor recommended not drinking. i don't listen to either of them, but that's a personal decision.

ITA!

[shepherdmom]

Originally Posted by jae

my vet recommends rawhide rather than raw bones. my doctor recommended not drinking. i don't listen to either of them, but that's a personal decision.

All I know is if I don't give them something to chew they find their own chew toys and that is a very very bad thing!

[msvette2u]

All I know is my Tristan has broken 3-4 teeth now, chewing on things.
If your dog is a very strong chewer like he is, it can happen.
We used antlers and nylabones and he'd just go to town on them.
I don't buy nylabones now unless i can make a slight mark with my thumbnail in them.
I use Earth Ball toys (planet dog). Kongs that you stick their meals or treats in work too.

[shepherdmom]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

All I know is my Tristan has broken 3-4 teeth now, chewing on things.
If your dog is a very strong chewer like he is, it can happen.
We used antlers and nylabones and he'd just go to town on them.
I don't buy nylabones now unless i can make a slight mark with my thumbnail in them.
I use Earth Ball toys (planet dog). Kongs that you stick their meals or treats in work too.

Ouch 3 teeth... That is expensive. What was he chewing on that he broke his teeth? The Nylabones?

[msvette2u]

I don't know...he chewed on both about the same.
Needless to say we don't buy them anymore. I never even thought about it until that.
He chews... vigorously to say the least.

Oh and it was two separate incidents. So more $$ than if they'd all gone at once.

[carmspack]

how about sheeps heads - that's what mine get -- or back ribs -- or a big cows foot , BEEF SHANK , lots of meat and sinew .

[shepherdmom]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

I don't know...he chewed on both about the same.
Needless to say we don't buy them anymore. I never even thought about it until that.
He chews... vigorously to say the least.

Oh and it was two separate incidents. So more $$ than if they'd all gone at once.

Had an Akita that broke a canine back in the early 90's. It was expensive back then can't even imagine what it costs today. We don't know how he broke the tooth he wasn't chewing on anything when it happened. However he was a rescue who had been chained as a puppy and was a fan of chewing rocks before we got him so his teeth were pretty worn.

[runnershigh108]

My back suddenly became very heavy. Gem needs to have something to chew on otherwise she will chew on something she is not suppose to. She needs a job, something to do.....there has to be some kind of bone that is somewhat ok to give her. So far the consensus seems that rawhides are horrible. There seems to be mixed feelings on weight baring and knuckle bones. This might be a great topic to create a Poll on.

[Sunflowers]

We have had luck with some products. This is one of them. I do see in the reviews that some dogs chewed this. Hans has not been able to, at least not yet.
We always are there when he has a chew.

Amazon.com: Petstages ORKA Bone: Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: Petstages ORKA Bone: Pet Supplies

He also chews on this one and has not been able to even make a dent in it:

Amazon.com: Stuff n? Throw Ball, Large, Blue: Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: Stuff n? Throw Ball, Large, Blue: Pet Supplies

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by shepherdmom

Had an Akita that broke a canine back in the early 90's. It was expensive back then can't even imagine what it costs today. We don't know how he broke the tooth he wasn't chewing on anything when it happened. However he was a rescue who had been chained as a puppy and was a fan of chewing rocks before we got him so his teeth were pretty worn.

The first time he was chewing the nylabone and/or antlers. I noticed his breath was horrible, beyond "dog breath". We brush pretty regularly so I pried his mouth open and peered in, and his back molars on the bottom were just shattered into pieces. I was appalled.
Our vet does dentals at around $120 for everything, and then extractions are more. But since Tristan's teeth were so broken up, they came out easily I think?

The most recent time, I can't figure out what he was chewing on, but I removed the antlers and nylabones.
Tristan gets "nervous" when it's breakfast or dinner time, becomes very antsy and will want to chew and destroy something. That's his neurosis, he doesn't' chew much at other times.

Myths About Raw: Are bones safe?

Do not feed the big weight-bearing bones of large herbivores. These are well-known for chipping and cracking teeth! These include the ever popular "recreational bones" like cow femurs and soup bones. They are incredibly dense and hard, and can result in slab fractures and cracked carnassial teeth. Avoid them if you can and stick to MEATY bones that are edible.