Long Lasting Chews
I have had a ton of people this week asking me for natural long lasting chews. So I thought I would come on here and put some of my recommendations down. The go to long lasting chew used to be rawhides. They could keep even the toughest chewers occupied for a while depending on the size. But the longer they have been around the more we have realized these chews while long lasting are not healthy for our pets. Between the bleaching process when cleaning them and them causing obstructions in our pets stomachs there are not as many people buying them these days. So what can you do instead?
The most popular chew you will see is bully sticks. For those of you who know what part of the animal these come from smile and continue on. For the rest of you google at your own risk. It’s meat, your dog will most likely love it, it is just humans that are grossed out. These chews can be stinky so buyer beware. If this is an issue for you look for the ones that say low odor on the bag or tag. These don’t smell nearly as bad. Your dog will be busy for awhile and they are worth the money.
My favorite natural chew is raw bones. Buy size appropriate bones and let your dog go to town.These are awesome because after your dog has cleaned out the original marrow you can refill them with yogurt, peanut butter, or whatever mix you like and freeze them for more uses! These are awesome for your pets teeth too. They will scrape off the plaque and the marrow has lots of nutrients.
Another popular chew is the Yak cheese chews. When buying these I prefer the straight Yak milk ones. The ones that have been mixed with cows milk are not as tough and go much faster because of this. Be careful with these ones though if you have a puppy. I would not give them to a puppy unless you know all their puppy teeth are gone. They are so hard that your puppy could possibly crack their baby teeth on them.
Along with the yak chews are antlers. These come with the same concerns for puppies so try to wait until their adult teeth are in. And use antlers sparingly. When given every now and then they are great but if given too much your dog can actually grind their teeth down on their abrasive edges. But they last a long time and make dogs happy so weigh the pros and cons with your vet if you are concerned!
Have a great week everyone!
