To chew..or not to chew
by Denise R.
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
I needed some opinions on what is safe for my Maltese to chew. I have read that animal bones, and anything made of the usual rawhide is dangerous, so I would never give him those. But he is fond of cow hooves and sows ears, and I let him have those while I am there to watch him. I have also gotten him a few Nylabones that are flavored with Bacon, Cheese and Carrots, and he likes those as well. My concern is with the new Nylabone called Roarhide... the package says it is a safe type of rawhide that is made up of tiny crumbled rawhide that is 100% edible. Are the Roarhide ones okay for them to chew on? Is anyone else giving these to their furbabies? I would never intentionally give him anything that would endanger him in any way. Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate this website so much! Such valuable information is always available!!!!
DISCUSSION:
Please do not give rawhide to your Maltese. It is not digested, and they can choke on it. The safest thing to give is Nylabones. The bones are made of nylon and little shavings come off that pass through easily. I recommend the hard Nylabones for most Maltese. They make a softer version called Gumabone which is usually given to puppies. There is also a super-hard one for big chewers. I think it is caled the Galileo.(?) Noah likes the wishbones best. I get the regular size because it lasts longer.
April B
And what about those chew sticks? Is that a good idea. Boris like to teeth on anything, we discourage socks,feet and fingers and direct him to toys. Friend brought over chew sticks, what do you think?
vita
Like April, I stick to Nylabones or BoodaVelvets. I saw the "roarhide" that nylabone puts out, but was concerned that a "chunk" could be ripped off and swallowed. Bailey has all of the nylabone flavors, and I rotate them everyday so he doesn't get bored. As far as the "Roarhide" I know they make it, but Bailey doesn't, so I feel that he's not missing anything.
Mary & Bailey
Hi denise, while rawhide is bad for your puppy, I am familiar
with the product you are talking about ROARHIDE. I do beleive it is safe for your baby because the company that produces them
grinds the rawhide into powder then compacts it in a vegtable base.
the only reason this product is digestible is because the rawhide is ground up like a powder--it does not have pieces of rawhide in it to get stuck in your baby's intestines. as the vegtable protien dissolves the bone falls apart--it's completely safe.
The reason rawhide is bad is because the dog can tear off strips and these strips which they swallow whole can get stuck in the intestines.
there are different grades of rawhide:
the first type is compacted or extruded rawhide these are the little tiny pieces of rawhide which are mashed together into shapes. this is for non-agressive chewers as it falls apart easily.
The second type is rolled rawhide this is the common type it is
made into all different shapes and is often white in color. it softens easily with the dogs chewing and saliva this is the type they can pull pieces off of and should only be used under supervision.
the third type of rawhide is compressed rawhide this is the rawhide you see that is brown in color (not the basted)and it is extremely hard. it is rawhide that is soaked in strips, the wet strips are smashed together or compressed into very hard shapes. This type takes alot of work to soften and is meant for very aggressive chewers. Vita asked about chew sticks--which kind of stick do you mean? Does it look like someone took a strip of paper and curled it up into a stick, or does it look like alot of little pieces stuck into a stick mold?
jade
I have heard of several maltese who have broken teeth on rawhide. I am not sure about Roarhide, but it sounds like it may do the same. I'd stick to pig pieces, and anyways, they seem to like the pig parts better. Good luck!
Amanda
Phoebe gets positively frantic if she can't find her Nylabone or her rope knot. When she was a tiny pup I gave her a Pooch Pacifier - it's a Nylabone in a more rubbery softer stuff - didnt' take her long at all to chunk it up! A rock hard Nylabone was brought in and she has been crazy for them ever since. However, even those can be chewed up a bit, but the pieces are teeny tiny - still, once they reach a certain point I keep a constant watch on them or replace them. The rope knot keeps her teeth cleaned and can be thrown in the washing machine. She also has a Rhino toy that she likes to keep handy. Other than those things she gets a bit of carrot now and then - great for teething babies as they like the cold and it's also good for them, but they sure can make a mess with one!
I did not like the Booda things, no way will she get rawhide!
Leslie R
NOTE TO VITA: Vita please don't give your baby chew sticks - I just cringed when I read you message. There are so many accidents that could happen especially with a puppy while running or playing those stick can go right down their little throats and get stuck or worse yet, expand. Please, there are so many other chew toys that are safe - leave this one out!
Robin D.
Hi Denise, I find "Roarhide" to be very safe. I have bought them for my Bailey since she was a pup. It crumples into very tiny pieces and she has not had any problem with digesting them. She just loves them.
Robin D.
I would avoid the cow hooves. I think they are much too hard. One of my larger dogs broke off part of a molar on a cow hoof. We now have to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not decay. Also I would think that pig ears would be in the same category as rawhide. Spunky never liked Nylabone products, but was moving on to his safety gates, woodwork, drywall, etc. So I let him have rawhide but I chose large and hard kinds that I knew he couldn't make much headway on. (Certain kinds of hard rectangular chips, and rolls that are about 1/2 inch thick.) When they seemed to be getting soft, then I would take them away. I avoided having the rawhide available when I was not around. I tried the kind of stick made of pressed pieces but he ate the whole thing very quickly and I did not think that was very good nutritionally. If your dog likes the Nylabone products I think it's best to avoid cow hooves, rawhide and probably pig ears, too.
Margy S
| Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advice. |
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