All dogs young and old benefit from appropriate chew bones. Not only does chewing help with the furniture-ruining puppy teeth but bones also provide mental stimulation and help keep teeth and gums healthy. Ditch the rawhide and check out these safe and natural choices.
- Bully sticks
- Texas Toothpicks
- Canine Caviar’s buffalo line including Flossies and Rib Bones
- Trachea
- Raw marrow bones (freeze them for longer lasting fun)
- Antlers – long-lasting and green (antlers are collected after being naturally shed from deer)
- Water Buffalo Horns (a great choice for dogs with allergies)
- Be sure to look for chews that are sourced in the USA (New Zealand is another good source).
Providing appropriate chews doesn’t have to break the bank either. I recommend Bestbullysticks.com to my clients for great prices and a wide selection of products including odor free bully sticks and novel protein source chews for pups with allergies.
So go on, give your dog a bone!
Dharma’s allergy testing results that is. They’ve actually been in for some time but things have been a bit busy around our household!
The results were pretty much what I feared and somewhat expected based on her history. In addition to a moderate wheat allergy she is also mildly allergic to every food tested (beef, corn, milk and soy) except eggs! This has made it somewhat more challenging to find safe alternatives but we’ve managed to add in some safe diet options such as goat and rabbit.
We have noticed an improvement in her overall level of itchiness by cutting out these food offenders and just having a definite answer to some of our questions has been well worth doing the testing. We’ll be doing another round shortly when the extended panel, including chicken and other common foods, comes out!
Jerky treats are a favorite of my basset hounds, Tabasco and Dharma, and finding the snacks made in the USA with all natural ingredients and in a variety that won’t interfere with Dharma’s chicken allergy for less than $28 per pound can be a challenge. After reading about dogs suffering from kidney failure from eating chicken jerky treats from China I decided it was time to try my hand at making these favorites at home.
I purchased a food dehydrator along with a jerky gun and a range of ground jerky ingredients (pork, turkey, beef and lamb) and set out to make my first batch. I mixed each pound of meat with a 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a healthy sprinkle of parsley. Although large amounts of garlic can be problematic for dogs moderate servings (about 1 clove per day for a 50 lb dog) have many health benefits such as repelling fleas and acting as a natural antibiotic.
After each batch was mixed it was simple to create strips and logs using the jerky gun. I then placed them on the dehydrator and dried.
They were an instant hit!
With a successful first batch of jerky under my belt I decided to create some other snacks for the dogs to enjoy – sweet potatoes and a range of fruit – which were devoured almost as quickly as the jerky.
