Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi everybody
Newton has picked up this habit of stealing his neighbour's rawhides and chew them. He eats them pretty fast too! I am usually very picky about his food/treats, currently only getting the human grade, FDA approved ones (mostly OMH and Old West). How good/bad are rawhides? I think it is the non-bleached one, the colour is brownish.

Rawhides are very dangerous, they can choke your dog if he swallows a big enough piece. They're also preserved with some pretty nasty stuff, and since you're so picky about his treats I don't think you want those things in him.

There's a rawhide-like treat I plan on getting for my girls whenever my little brain gets around to it, it's called Sam's Yams. They have the teeth-cleaning benefits of rawhide but have no bad ingredients and are much safer than rawhide. They're just dried sweet potatoes, I don't think there are any other ingredients.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

Rawhides are not good for dogs. They have calories, they breed bacteria, they can cause obstructions, they can cause dog fights--I no longer see any reason whatsoever to give those to a dog.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thank you for the advice I will take them away from him then.
Newton is not a fighter, but I am concerned about the safety and nutrition aspects. Sorry I might sound nuts I am just a dog's mom.

I will get some Sam's Yams. I am also considering beef shank bone from Old West, do you have any suggestion about this? They claimed that it is from their USDA facility. I am not sure whether it is safe or good for him.
http://www.petguys.com/-746975815410.html

One thing that worries me on and off is his toothpaste (Petrodex). I am not sure whether it is good for him or not, but I don't know of any better substitute.

If you want something for him to chew on that's super cheap, go to the meat section of the grocery store and ask for a big femur bone. Feed it to him raw, it'll keep him entertained a looooooong time. It'll eventually go bad but until then he'll have loads of fun. I don't even use toothpaste on my girls, just the brushing is what gets a vast majority of the icky stuff off. It's good you're picky, your dog will live longer because of it. I'm so awfully picky about what my girls get, the nurses at the vet's offices we've been to think I'm nuts. Maybe I am, oh well.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

It is good to know someone else who is equally 'nuts'
I am thinking of trying to switch to toothpaste for toddlers, maybe that's safer than dog's toothpaste.

The femur bone is a good idea for the other dog he steals the rawhide from, though I'd like to try giving it to Newton occasionally as a "good boy treat" That dog is a hard chewer, he goes through bones quickly. Newton's chew bone often lies on the floor for days, until another dog displays interest on it!

He he, nuts am I? Just as long as the toothpaste doesn't have fluoride it should be fine.

That's kind of how my girls are, they have chew toys but they couldn't care less about them unless the other goes near it. Then of course that's the favorite toy! Silly dogs.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey