# unsupervised chews? tennis ball alternatives?



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I have been researching ( not so easy on my phone) and I can't seem to find the answer for a dog like mine. 

My main question is , are there any safe chews for unsupervised times? I plan to get him a stuffable kong for the crate, but sometimes he is out with boyfriend or his mom while I am at work and I need safe chews for these times, neither supervise him really. 

Most answers were for power chewers , my dog really isn't he actually doesn't chew much or often. So far his favorites are beef rib bone and rawhide. Both are large but I have always supervised him. 

My other question, I know there are a ton of tennis ball alternatives but he uses mini tennis balls and I can't seem to find an alternative in store for them. So far I took the fuzz off one and he plays with it naked ... but there has to be a better alternative


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Various dried and edible things - bullysticks, chicken feed, duck feet, trachea, tripe - are all good. 

If you're using Kong balls, the felt on them is non abrasive/won't mess with their teeth. If you're not, you should and that's pretty much resolved. Also plain, rubber, racquet balls (which are bigger but my 13-15lb girl manages just fine).


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

I wouldn't give him something edible to chew unsupervised. I'd be concerned about him breaking off a piece and choking on it or something. 

I'd look for maybe an interactive toy that could keep him occupied, or a toy to chew that wont break apart (like a hard rubber or rope toy, something like that).

For tennis balls.. eh, we use them. We just don't allow Luna to chew on them and only take them out for supervised play.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I am using kong tennis balls I am not worried about abrasion ... I am worried about him ingesting it. 

My vet recommends against bully sticks and I don't think they sell the others at petsmart  I will look again.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I personally don't feel comfortable leaving my dog with any chews unsupervised, except a stuffed kong. He likes to swallow big pieces and I just don't trust leaving him alone with them. For a dog who chews very little or very slowly I might change my stance on that, but for many dogs it's just not safe.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I am worried about edibles too ... 

I could get him a nylabone which are hard but I do not know that they are ok unsupervised. I also plan a couple more unstuffed animals or the like to play with while I am gone.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

My dog has a tendency to eat odd things ( rat food for instance) but he has no history of eating objects he should not ( on purpose he has accidentally eaten fuzz off a toy) and he has never eaten a big piece of anything. Even his rawhides last weeks and he chews his food thoroughly. 

My dog isn't the biggest risk ... but i wanna be safe. 

Also he is only 10 lbs so what may choke another dog could be a great size for him.


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

Elliriyanna said:


> My vet recommends against bully sticks and I don't think they sell the others at petsmart


Recommends against bully sticks all the time or just when unsupervised? If all the time, I've love to know the reason as vets rarely possess current knowledge on any "food" related items for dogs (ie. my vet shockingly had no idea what bully sticks or marrow bone chews were when I turned her down on the Dentastix offer)


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

all the time. they also recommend against nylabones, antlers ...anything hard as they can damage teeth. I have generally steered away from themfor this reason.

Vets all vary ... Individual to individual , state to state, etc.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Ok. I get hard things that can damage teeth.

But...bullysticks aren't hard. Chewing off a hunk and swallowing it, fine, but it's a stick o' dried meat. It's not going to damage teeth. That one's just *WEIRD*.

(I constantly give edible chews as my go to. I'm apparently in the minority in that one, and may change my tune later, but I'm more comfortable with those than things that wouldn't digest if they chewed off a hunk of it.)


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

every bully stick I have seen looks dried and HARD ... thats why they are recommended for aggressive chewers. 

I also just do not want to give my dog them. Personal opinion. 

I still have no idea what I can leave him with, he doesnt chew chunks of anything. but I like giving him the option to chew. our go to has always been rawhide.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Elliriyanna said:


> every bully stick I have seen looks dried and HARD ... thats why they are recommended for aggressive chewers.
> 
> I also just do not want to give my dog them. Personal opinion.
> 
> I still have no idea what I can leave him with, he doesnt chew chunks of anything. but I like giving him the option to chew. our go to has always been rawhide.


Listen to what you want, do what you want, but you're just flat out factually wrong regarding bullysticks. They are hard-ish. They're still softer than rawhide. I mean I can bend the things in half without breaking them, cut them with scissors (meat sheers, admittedly) and they get even softer with chewing like rawhide does. And rawhide is dried COWSKIN and splinters and breaks (before chewed/wet), so it's... not exactly softer, there.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

i said they LOOK hard ...I have never touched one ... So I am spreading no false information ... 

I have never seen rawhide splinter or break. Maybe it depends on the source etc. 

i do not know why you are getting offended that I do not want my dog to chew bully sticks.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

heck maybe bully sticks were a choking hazard ... I do not remember, whats important to me is what is not safe for him, I dont always remember what reason applies to which item. Sorry but i have a lot on my mind.


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

Elliriyanna said:


> I have never seen rawhide splinter or break.


thats weird because rawhide is a horrible offender on getting caught in throats of dogs. Heck, I've pulled a shard out of my aunt's dog's throat 2 times as well as once in my own pup (the first and last time he'll ever be getting a piece of rawhide). That stuff is just dangerous. it may be fine 99% of the time, but that one time its gets lodged awkwardly in their throat...no thanks


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Yeah, take one of those rawhide sticks and bend it forcefully (or try to) and odds are that it's going to crack and break like a stick - and splinter. 

I USED to give rawhide but even when I did I used over sized rings so there was no way for them to get it firmly between their teeth and clamp down/break it. They had to basically gnaw at it until it softened and could never get more than a bit in their mouth at a time.

These days, I'll stick to dehydrated bull penises and other things that will at least digest if swallowed and not have sharp edges. That's just personal preference, though.


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

CptJack said:


> But...bullysticks aren't hard. Chewing off a hunk and swallowing it, fine, but it's a stick o' dried meat. It's not going to damage teeth. That one's just *WEIRD*.
> 
> (I constantly give edible chews as my go to. I'm apparently in the minority in that one, and may change my tune later, but I'm more comfortable with those than things that wouldn't digest if they chewed off a hunk of it.)


there is a lot of false information floating around and much of it stems directly from vets nowadays who are no longer current with pet dietary needs. As I mentioned, my vet had no idea what a bully stick was 8 months ago when I brought Jax in for the first time (and this is a vet who's had this practice open for 15 years!!). A lot of time as well, if they aren't giving out false info, they also seem to be unnecessarily spreading "fear" ideas into peoples heads as to what is/isn't good for your pet based on their mentalities as opposed to the greater consensus. 

and I'm with you on edible chews. From day 1, Jax has gotten bully sticks, himalayan chews, whimzees and (recently) marrow bones (we toss the bone when he strips it). Anytime we go with the more "traditional" chews (ie. dentastix, nylabones, rawhide,etc) we encounter nothing but problems (ie. vomiting, choking,etc)


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

CptJack said:


> These days, I'll stick to dehydrated bull penises and other things that will at least digest if swallowed and not have sharp edges. That's just personal preference, though.


Ditto...when Jax goes at a bully stick, although I'm supervising him, I can usually relax a bit. Even if he swallows the last 3-4 inches of the stick whole he has to soften it considerably prior to swallowing it (so lots of chewing and gnawing at it)


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Maybe my dog is a bit different ... he only ever chews on a bit of the corner ... usually I give rawhide twists and he still only chews little bits, Either way he hasnt had one in weeks. 

I am all for edible chews ... but bully sticks are not one I will give ... forget the false information ... I just do not want to give my dog a bull penis ... Sorry nearly any other body part I am ok with ... 

Every dog is different. I am lucky enough to have one who is a very light chewer and has had zero problems with anything.

Actually I just found one rawhide, usually he gets ones half this size but it still shows his chewing habits, he has had this one for over a month, I also bent it in half ... all his rawhides have been like this ... This is why I am confused. 








The lines on it were there before I bent it


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

If he's such a light chewer, why does he need chews unsupervised? Sounds like he would be just fine without them most of the time. My dog loves to chew, but he only gets them when someone is around.

ETA: I'm also one who only gives edible chews. It's just not worth the risk of swallowing non-digestible things. I know people who have gone through the surgery for things getting stuck internally and it's expensive and risky.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

because even if he does not usually chew I believe he deserves the option. A bored dog is a dog that gets in trouble. He is crated while home alone. but if boyfriend or his mom are here they will not supervise him but they will let him out. 

I really try to be careful with him. I prefer edible chews but this is my first dog on my own and I wasnt raised with a family who properly cares for dogs ... So everything I am learning is on my own. I am just trying to do the best I can for my dog.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

We know you're trying to do your best! We're just offering opinions of what works best for our dogs and situations, and giving you some cautions around leaving dogs alone with chews, and about using non-edible chews. It's up to you to decide what's safe for your dog, but nobody is criticizing you.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I am going to go look for natural chews ... but I worry about leaving him with real bones. I mean what if he does manage to splinter one and hurt himself. And I cant give him things like healthy edibles because of his sensitive stomach it gives him diarrhea. 

I got him an antler ... Not edible but also zero chance of him pulling off a piece. I am looking at a nylabone because with his previous one he literally barely scratched the surface. I plan on a puppy kong and a puppy kong bone, Puppy ones because the harder rubber deters him , both can be stuffed with food, but I would really like to save those for crate time. 

Would a ball be safe to leave him with? Assuming I can find a good one for him? I know its not edible but this dog will chase it for half an hour straight.

I understand you arent trying to criticize ... I just feel like such a failure sometimes. I thought I would have this so much more under control. That said he isnt a bad dog, he really only has a few issues.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Pretty much any toy is safe if they don't destroy it, and any toy can be dangerous if they do. I leave toys out in the room with my dog while I'm gone, but only because those are the toys he rarely plays with, and I know he sleeps during the day and doesn't play. He loves to play with stuffed toys, but I also know he'll rip them up, so he can't have them alone.

If your dog likes balls, what about a Jolly Ball or Jolly Egg? They are almost impossible to destroy and get a piece off of, and fun for dogs to play with alone because they roll and move. Otherwise, any ball he can't swallow should be safe if he's not likely to destroy it.

There are plenty of edible chews that are much softer than bones. What about a cow hoof? Or pig ear? I still think you should consider bully sticks. Check out BestBullySticks.com - even if you don't want to try bully sticks, they have lots of other natural edible chews.

Also, actual bones with stuff still on them (marrow bones, RMB) start to smell really bad if left out for a while. I don't give them unsupervised because if I did, I'd come home to a house that smells like rotten meat. Haha. The smoked bones don't smell, but they can splinter so I give them under supervision if at all.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

He has a pigs ear and 100% ignores it. 

We had a jolly ball, I accidentally got one thats too big. I do not think he would like it as his favorite balls are the cloth cat balls ( I also have a cat) but of course they are stuffed and I wont risk leaving him alone with one. 

I gave him a smoked rib bone, he was in love with it for 24 hours, now that the meat is off it he seems upset. 

He likes to pull the fuzz off furry things, cloth is no problem but his tennis ball got skinned, his tiger got a hair cut ... now he has a nakey rubber ball lol.

My dog seems to lose interest easily is what I am realizing as I write this.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

If he pulls fuzz off of balls, just give him plain rubber ones and see if he likes it. It's very possible he enjoys the destruction more than actually playing with the toy. Many dogs are like that and they just can't have toys alone unless they are low value boring toys (like my dog). It's really not a problem. Most dogs sleep all day anyway, even the higher energy types.

My dog also has the same reaction to smoked bones. They are fun until the stuff is gone. He likes raw marrow bones much better. Once he has cleaned everything off I leave them out and he will occasionally work on them, and I don't worry about splintering.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

He tears up select toys ... As in he has torn up 3 toys since I brought him home. 

I did give him the rubber ball under the fuzz and he LOVES it he still chases it around. 

I will look into marrow bones. Looks like I may be saving up and placing a huge order online. 

I have never seen another dog not like pig ears, its odd.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I get marrow bones at the grocery store for a couple dollars (they are often sold as soup bones). They are raw meat and have to be kept frozen or refrigerated, so buying online would probably be pricey.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

i have never seen soup bones at our grocery store. i will look again 

there are other things that have been mentioned I will look for online.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Ask for them in the butcher section. They may not put them out but might have them available.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Wouldnt they be too big for him? He is so little everything seems too big. 

Also are there any concerns I should know about with getting him the puppy kongs?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

The ones I buy are only about 3-4" in diameter, and 4-5" long. They aren't that big.

Puppy kongs are fine. They are just softer plastic.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

That must be what they have at my babysitting house. Ry has shown zero interest in it. I will try though. 

I had thought that was the only difference with the puppy ones, Which is why I want them, ry prefers softer things. I just wanted to be sure I hadnt missed something.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Elliriyanna said:


> That must be what they have at my babysitting house. Ry has shown zero interest in it. I will try though.


Are they raw bones with meat on them and raw marrow in the middle? They aren't things people would leave sitting out - like I said, they get pretty smelly quickly if the meat rots



> I had thought that was the only difference with the puppy ones, Which is why I want them, ry prefers softer things. I just wanted to be sure I hadnt missed something.


They aren't noticeably softer, IMO. For a dog who doesn't like rubber toys, I wouldn't expect it to make a difference.

Many dogs just get the food out of kongs and don't actually chew them, so in that case the softness of the rubber doesn't matter.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

It no longer has marrow in the middle Looks like it once had something in the middle from the way its worn. 

Well the puppy ones also come in blue, are cheaper, softer and smaller  Overall I think they would be better for him. I want it as a distraction not really as a chew


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Elliriyanna said:


> It no longer has marrow in the middle Looks like it once had something in the middle from the way its worn.
> 
> Well the puppy ones also come in blue, are cheaper, softer and smaller  Overall I think they would be better for him. I want it as a distraction not really as a chew


The regular kongs come in all sorts of sizes too. I've seen ones at the shelter as small as maybe 2-2.5 inches long.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

ireth0 said:


> The regular kongs come in all sorts of sizes too. I've seen ones at the shelter as small as maybe 2-2.5 inches long.


i know they do. But since the puppy ones are softer , cheaper as well as coming in my favorite color ... I see it as a win win win.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Once there's nothing in the middle, it's usually no longer interesting to dogs. The interesting part is the raw meat and marrow.

And they sell these types of bones smoked or dried and filled with various other things (like peanut butter filling). So if it was empty, you can't necessarily tell what it was originally. 

You mentioned in another thread that his teeth don't stay very clean - this will help a lot.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Yeah I am trying to get healthy natural chews both for menal stimulation and to help his teeth.

he LOVED his flexi nylabone. But When I learned they can cause impaction I took it away.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Well I think we found the best options for Ry, He gets his Nylabone and pig ear in the crate while I am gone, Schedules so far have worked out so that I am the most likely to be home when noone else is. 

We also discovered the Mini Hol-ee roller, He is IN LOVE with it I plan to order a few more.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I use chuck it balls (the rubbery ones not the fuzzy ones) because I don't like tennis balls here, we have a lot of stickers and everything sticks to a tennis ball lol.


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## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

Sort of skimmed through this but the durable Nylabones are the only thing we leave overnight with dogs in crates at the shelter I work at- aka not the flexi ones, but the hard durable chew ones.




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

I have a bunch of things I leave alone with my 40-pound moderate to aggressive chewer (depending on the item).

*Rope toy.* It's huge, probably 2 feet long has little ropey tassles at the end that she like to chew on and pretend she can pull out (she can't) your guy might like one of these if he likes ripping the fuzz off of stuff.
*Nylabone(s).* She has two of these at any given time, one is bacon flavoured, one has a "smoked mystery meaty" flavour centre. She is a pretty strong chewer and has not and I doubt she ever will be able to chew a large chunk off. I think the only time you'd be in danger of that would be if you never looked at the bone and it got thinner and thinner over the course of a few weeks and never made it through.
*Kong ball.* I usually just stuff a few dried banana chips in there and kibble if I'm lazy to give her some interest in it before I go. But you can go all out and fill these babies with gourmet meals Einstein would take an hour to remove.

I do not leave her alone with Bully Sticks, Pig Ears, Raw Hide, Antlers, Meaty bones or really anything edible. She does have the left over huge 2 foot cow bone that she ate all the meat off of and likes to lick now, that is out all the time, but she's been able to get pieces off so I'm tossing it soon. She eats pig ears too fast, I'm paranoid from what I've heard about antlers, I hear Raw hide is terrible for dogs because they can't digest it, and I have to be careful with meaty bones because she has a sensitive stomach. Himalayan chews I'm super not a fan of, but that's another novel.
The only one I would consider leaving her with _IS_ the Bully stick, she's never choked or had a problem with it before, but I think it's a waste to use a full $16 bully stick for my one afternoon of work.


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I have stopped giving him rawhide twists, turns out his coughing was from those. So I am trying to come up with something to replace them. Thank goodness he see's very few things as high value. The one thing that is is a beef rib so he can't have those often.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

kdawnk said:


> I have a bunch of things I leave alone with my 40-pound moderate to aggressive chewer (depending on the item).
> 
> *Rope toy.* It's huge, probably 2 feet long has little ropey tassles at the end that she like to chew on and pretend she can pull out (she can't) your guy might like one of these if he likes ripping the fuzz off of stuff.
> *Nylabone(s).* She has two of these at any given time, one is bacon flavoured, one has a "smoked mystery meaty" flavour centre. She is a pretty strong chewer and has not and I doubt she ever will be able to chew a large chunk off. I think the only time you'd be in danger of that would be if you never looked at the bone and it got thinner and thinner over the course of a few weeks and never made it through.
> ...


What is wrong with antlers? They are like safer than most raw bones.

Mine were just chowing down on beef neck bones and after they get done with those (once they get too small I throw them away) they will be getting turkey necks


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

Yeah I heard someone on here say that their dogs either had a bunch of splinters in their teeth from antlers or that it cracked their teeth. I can't remember. 
I just shied away from them from that reason and don't really give my dog anything too hard to chew on.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

kdawnk said:


> Yeah I heard someone on here say that their dogs either had a bunch of splinters in their teeth from antlers or that it cracked their teeth. I can't remember.
> I just shied away from them from that reason and don't really give my dog anything too hard to chew on.


Antlers are like the best thing ever for dogs, very safe! The only thing I stay away from is ones with really small points on them or too small of a size for the size of dog, I always get them a size or two too big. Like for Josefina I get a large dog antler, for Buddy ... the monster chewer, I get like the hugest ones I can find LOL


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## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Just an update ... I have been leaving Ry with his nylabones, Cow ears, pig ears, beef ribs and an antler all are in great shape and I come home and nothing but paper ( his obsession) is ever torn up. 

We stopped giving rawhides after I realized they were what was causing his throat irritation. No more coughing


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