What do vets recommend for dog chews?
Are plastic chews safe for dogs?
Those also can be too hard for your pet’s teeth; but what’s worse, a dedicated chewer with sharp teeth can actually chew small bits of plastic off the end of the bone, then swallow them. Those pieces can cause serious harm to the digestive tract, and may result in a digestive obstruction.
Is Nylabone Safe? Nylabones are safe to play with but are not safe to eat – just like chewing on a pen cap isn’t going to hurt you, but chewing it apart and swallowing the pieces just might! Only the Nylabones that are marketed as edible, such as the Nylabone Healthy Edibles line, are intended to be eaten.
What is the safest chew toy for dogs?
What Are Safe Chew Choices For Dogs?
Dangerous Plastics and Plastic Additives Found in Pet Toys
PVC has been called the ‘poison plastic’ because so many of its ingredients are known to leach out throughout its life cycle. … The ingredients used to soften PVC can also be harmful to your pet, especially when chewed up, licked, nosed, and inhaled.
Vinyl may contain a number of additives known to be highly toxic, among them lead, organotin, alkyl-phenols, and bisphenol-A, to name but a few. … If you can smell vinyl, then you – and your dog – are inhaling phthalates that are out-gassing.
How to stop my dog from chewing things – simple solutions
Dogs love to chew, and for the most part, pet parents love it too! Chewing is a natural action for dogs. It helps keep their teeth clean and gums healthy and can also be a satisfying activity that keeps your dog calm and engaged.
But chewing the wrong objects can be harmful to your pup, leading to fractured teeth, lacerated gums, constipation or blockages in the intestinal tract that require surgery. Not only are these conditions uncomfortable (or downright painful), but they can also result in a large vet bill.
Dogs like to chew. Often they chew for fun or stimulation. Chewing can help keep your dog’s jaw strong and even clean their teeth (depending on what they’re chewing).
For puppies, chewing can be a way to relieve the discomfort of incoming teeth (much like it is for infants). Puppies have a reputation for chewing on everything, from newspapers to shoes, but should be carefully monitored and redirected to safer items. If your puppy needs something to chew, you can give them Kong toys, teething sticks, or dental chews as a safer option.
Sometimes, adult dogs chew things they shouldn’t too. Often this is behavior you can gently correct by providing safe alternatives and “puppy-proofing” your home (which you can do for your adult dog too!). Try keeping anything your dog might chew out of reach. If they are chewing on furniture, you may consider seeking help from a trainer to help them re-learn better behaviors. If you notice that they are chewing on themselves (paws, legs, belly, or tail), it could be a sign of a skin condition, and you should call your vet.
The following items may seem innocent, but may ultimately cause your dog (and your budget) harm.
Hoping to snag a fallen icy treat, many dogs come running at the sound of the refrigerator ice machine. But chewing on ice wears down tooth enamel (the protective cover for teeth). Ice cubes are even more dangerous for small dogs because they can choke on them or can fracture a tooth3.
Playing fetch is probably one of the most iconic activities you can do with your dogs outside. Many dog owners throw sticks for their dogs to play fetch with at the park or on walks. The problem with throwing sticks or wood is that many dogs will start using them as toys and many dogs will begin chewing on the stick. Wood splinters easily when chewed on and shards can jam into the dog’s mouth causing an infection. Also, if pieces of wood are swallowed, it can cause intestinal blockage.
Sticks can create very real and painful injuries. Once they splinter, sticks can puncture a dog’s mouth, eyes, throat, abdomen or even heart. They can get lodged in the throat, causing your dog to choke, or get stuck in the digestive tract, creating intestinal blockages.2
Dogs often utilize rocks as play objects when they’re bored. Additionally, if a rock has food particles on it (for example, rocks near your grill) dogs may try to swallow the rock, thinking it is food. Rocks can cause your dog to choke, or result in an intestinal blockage that requires surgery to fix.
Bones, hooves and antlers are often given to dogs by owners who think chewing on them is natural for dogs due to their wolfen predecessors. However, when domestic dogs chew the bones down into smaller sizes, they can be accidentally swallowed. If this happens, the bone can become lodged in the intestines.
Bones, hooves and antlers can also splinter, resulting in fragments wedged in the mouth, throat, or intestines that require an emergency visit to remove. Additionally, they can wear down the enamel of the teeth, causing tooth fractures, broken teeth, and gum infections1.
Some dogs love gnawing on water bottles, but water bottles aren’t safe for chewing. The cap of the water bottle can come off and the dog can swallow it. Also, dogs can tear off pieces of the plastic, resulting in sharp, rough edges. Your dog may try to swallow these sharp pieces and/or cut their gums chewing on the newly exposed rough edges.
While rawhide and beef hide are intended to be gnawed on, once they get soggy, you should really take them away, according to Dr. Fiona Caldwell, a veterinarian at Idaho Veterinary Hospital. She explains that it’s not safe for dogs to swallow rawhides or eat them quickly because they can cause broken teeth, vomiting, and stomach and GI problems. In some cases, they can also cause choking2.
So, if your dog is a gentle chewer and will just sort of gnaw on the rawhide, let them do so until the rawhide is soggy. If you think your dog may try to eat them, swallow them whole, or just generally chomp them down, you’ll want to avoid them.
Tennis balls may seem bright, fuzzy, and generally harmless, but they pose a number of safety risks for your pup. That fuzz can work like sandpaper on your dog’s tooth enamel, grinding it down and away. When swallowed, the fuzz can create blockages in the intestines.
Tennis balls are also coated in dye and unknown chemicals that aren’t great for your dog’s health. Ultimately though, what makes tennis balls dangerous is that your dog can break them into pieces and swallow the parts, creating a choking hazard and possible intestinal blockages.
There’s a huge variety of hard objects your dog may find and chew, from black walnut shells to compressed plastic to golf balls. Chewing on anything that’s too hard can create dental problems, including fractured, broken, or chipped teeth and bloody or infected gums. If you notice your dog chewing on something very hard, it’s best to take it away. This is especially true if the object is small enough for them to swallow.