# Sterilized bones



## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

We got Zoe a sterilized bone, but haven't given it to her yet. Do you just give it to her? I've heard of people putting peanut butter in it and freezing it too, but I would think this would be really messy. Plus, she licks PB out of a kong, and we want her to CHEW the bone, not just lick it. Also, have these ever upset your dog's stomachs? (As in, should we limit the amount of time she can chew?).

We also got pressed rawhide, which I am now wary of giving her because she had diarrhea from rawhide chips a few days ago. She did have a LOT of chips though, and I would think that with limiting the chewing to 30 minutes or so, hopefully the pressed rawhide will be okay? Does the pressed rawhide upset the tummy as much as the chips do?

Just wondering...we're trying to get her some really good chewies as she's turning into quite the powerful chewer. Unfortunately, she both has little to no interest in synthetic chews (nylabone, kong, rope) and gets an upset tummy from too much rawhide type chew. Any tips on how to find a happy medium (positive chewing and no diarrhea)?? Thanks!! (<---those look like Zoe's big strong adult teeth that love to chew!!)


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Sterilized bone? How was it sterilized? Where did you get it? 

I would steer clear of Rawhide...here's a few articles on why:


http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/RawhideandChewyTreats.htm

http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/14670

http://www.classykennels.com/chewyalert.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05357/627015.stm

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer...me=pp_dogchews

http://www.doglogic.com/rawhide.htm

http://www.azgoldenretrieverconnecti...whideAlert.pdf


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## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

I'm not sure how it is sterilized, it's just a pretty standard chew you can buy. I know people have talked about these before, too, but I can't find anything about potential stomach issues. I've seen some of those rawhide articles before, and I don't want to give her anymore rawhide, except that I've heard the pressed rawhide are different and don't cause the same problems. But again, nothing about stomach issues. I'd just rather see if anyone had experience with either of these chews so hopefully I can avoid potential side effects (diarrhea) rather than finding out the hard way!


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

The only bones I would give would be raw - from the butcher. The bones you find in stores are either smoked or cooked which still have the potential to shatter and splinter - the sterilized ones are very hard and do not give when chewed on, there is a chance of your dog breaking it's teeth if it's an avid chewer. Don't believe that just because you bought it from a petstore it will be safe - they still carry greenies, ya-know? 

I would ditch it and find a butcher in your area - Marrow bones are great for chewing on and if you scoop the marrow out, it makes a great spot for peanut butter!


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

Sterilized bones are fine..... and you can put peanut butter or yogurt in the end.... 
I also give raw bones but do buy sterilized bones on occasion...... 

I think it is fine to give..... my dogs really like them plain or with the ends stuffed...... 
just make sure the bone is big enough or long enough to not get caught behind the canines which I have seen happen.... I buy bones extra long so that there is no way they can get them all the way in their mouths. 

Box me in sterilized bones are the white ones that you can buy in pet stores.... 

as for the rawhide I would ditch that, I dont feed rawhide at all..... the only ones that are ok are compressed rawhide but even then there are so many other options I just don't buy them


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I'm with Box on this one. If your dog is small the long beef rib bones are a good recreational size. You can cut off the meat if you want before letting the dog have it. Larger bones like knuckles are good for larger dogs. Be wary of shank bones (I believe they are the weight bearing leg bones) that are cut crosswise to look like 1" thick donuts, with the marrow in the center. In an effort to get the marrow the dog may get the bone "donut" stuck on the upper or lower jaw. If the butcher offers to cut shanks for you ask that they be cut at least 4-6 inches long.

Always supervise your dog when giving any kind of chew toy. My dogs also like bully sticks (a bit more expensive so just a short weekly treat here), try freezing the kongs to get more time out of them (also try stuffing with soft dog food, biscuits that are too big to fall out, dog jerky, or even kibble mixed with PB or yogurt...and freeze them), if your dog is teething it may also like treats frozen inside of yogurt or plain water (I let our youngest dog have those on the patio, freeze some yummies in a small container, gets a bit messy as it melts though).


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

I'm with Box as well. Raw bones or nothing for our crew. The sterilized bones are extremely hard and I'd worry about a cracked tooth....unless you are filling it with PB and the purpose is to get the PB out and not chew the bone itself.

I don't generally give rawhide b/c the rawhide chips are an obstruction/choking risk and there's little-to-no dental benefit from either the chips or the pressed rawhide. I do, on occasion, give the pressed rawhide as a treat b/c they enjoy them - by "pressed" rawhide, I mean the kind that are the little teeny bits of rawhide formed into a shape...they pretty much just crumble apart when the dog chews them. Not sure the correct term for those types of rawhide treats.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

I have tried the pressed rawhide in the past and it was useless as a chew. They were done with it in five minutes. I have no experience with the sterilized bones, but mine enjoy raw bones, beef knuckles and bully sticks. They generally won't touch anything that doesn't have a flavor to it, like a plain kong, and Penny won't even touch a stuffed kong.


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