# What to give instead of rawhide?



## Bonni (Apr 12, 2005)

I get my bones from my local butcher (my father...can't beat the price  ) and I have him cut the large bone into many smaller pieces (no more than an inch or so thick and the ball of the bone is cut into 3 pieces). Daisy gets one at a time and the rest go in the freezer. One piece of bone lasts her about 2 hours and believe me...this is her absolute favourite food. She growls when we try to take it away from her, which is not a good thing.

The vet said that they're perfectly fine to feed and since she loves them so much, I don't mind giving them to her once or twice a week.

I'm sure your sweetie will just love them. I did see the big bones at the grocery store for about $3 or so. If you ask, I'm sure they'd cut it up for you.

Have fun,
Bonni


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## MegB (Jul 19, 2005)

That sounds like a great idea. I have seen bones at the petstore for a lot more than that, so I think I will look at the grocery store next time I am there. Thanks a lot!


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## janb (Apr 27, 2005)

Have you tried Nylabones? They come in a lot of shapes and sizes, and different chew factors, power chewer, light chew exc.. don't get the ones that say flexible. These are to soft and they can eat right thru them. For a growing golden puppy (with adult teeth) I have found you must have the type that say "Durable". Sandy has about 5 of these all over the house,and she really loves them. They also come in a edible chew, but you must watch them closely so they can't break off a large peice and swallow. I had called the company (Nylabone) when Sandy was little to see when she could have the edible kind and they said not till she was at least 6 months. Then they sent her a welcome package with 3 new bones!!! You should have seen the look on her face when she saw she had mail and what was in it!!!!LOL!! One happy puppy.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I have always used the Galileo bones made by Nylabone. They are so strong that one bone will last years! In fact, we currently have two Galileo bones still in good condition that I bought at least 3 years ago.


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## janb (Apr 27, 2005)

I have found them to be the best product on the market. She dosen't have the galileo yet, but I bet it will be on her wish list for Christmas!!!!


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## timberwolfe (Apr 15, 2005)

Raw marrow bones. From the butcher. The first time they may cause runny stool. Do NOT cook them, they become more brittle when cooked. Also if they are too large in diameter, some dogs have been known to get their lower jaw stuck in them. Silly dogs.


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## MegB (Jul 19, 2005)

About the raw bones from the butcher--how long can you keep them? What do you do when your dog gets bored, put them in the freezer for later? Like I said earlier, I am a little worried about the smell. I bought Woody some prepackaged bones from the pet store. I don't know where they came from, but once he started into them, it smelled like something died in the living room.


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## Bonni (Apr 12, 2005)

Bored...are you kidding me? Daisy will sit for HOURS gnawing away at these things. These are a real treat to dogs. I can almost guarantee that they will not get bored.

However, if you need to take it away, you can always throw it in the freezer. They can be refrozen over and over without ill effects. Also, as I mentioned before, try to get the butcher to cut them into smaller pieces, since they're easier to chew that way.

Enjoy,
Bonni


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Have you looked into the sterilized bones? They are hollowed out inside and they don't splinter, Kody loves his. There is no smell whatsoever to them. Oh, you can stuff them too like a kong if one does this with there kongs.

Another thing I give is nylabones and he also gets rawhides though, but the older he gets the more quickly he is chewing them so I do supervise him when he has them. I give the rolled rawhides, not the ones with knots on the ends or the chips.


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## MegB (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks for all the info...Woody LOVES the raw marrowbones! When I gave him one, he worked on it for a couple hours, until he got ALL the meat and marrow out of it. I did give it to him outside--it looked kind of messy. 

I also found a durable Nylabone, and that has kept him pretty busy too. I am not sure if it is a Galileo--this one is white and is shaped sort of like a real leg bone. 

Thanks again all!


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

That sounds like the Galileo -- the label would have had a picture of the explorer on it. Nylabone makes another bone that's kind of yellowish in color but made for "aggressive chewers". I picked up a couple this last weekend and they seem like they'll last a long time.


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## whitney (Aug 15, 2005)

I am also a huge fan of nylabones. When my puppy was younger, I bought her the edible kind, which she loved. Now she can eat the whole bone in only 10 minutes, so I had to switch over to the normal nylabones. She's gotten used to them and they keep her busy for hours!


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## Chloe's Mum (Jan 1, 2006)

I purchased Chloe a nylabone thinking great idea but she hasnt looked at it, just not interested - any ideas guys?


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## a_and_b2004 (Jan 8, 2006)

Bear doesn't care for the nylabone either. we give him the smoked ribeye bone you can get at the store or walmart. I don't know if they are sterilized...where would it say that? anyway, it takes him forever to get through it and there is no real smell, except smokey at first.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Oakly loves the raw butcher bones!! Yes they are nasty for about an hour or so till the outside of the bones gets trimmed off. I also give him the straight rawhides but watch him close with them Especially towards the end. I toss them when the get down to the one unrolled piece at the end. I have never given him one but he keeps finding the knoted ones that my last golden must have hidden in every nook and cranny of the house!!! I have also tried the nylabones of various densities on these last two and not a great deal of interest. My last golden mix Arby was a voracious chewer her whole life. A 6 inch knotted rawhide would last only an hour! Forget any plush toys with her they would be gutted in minutes. She was a raw bone connisieur (sp) she would take them outside and bury them immediatly and dig them up 6 months later when they were ripe! I mean REALLY ripe!! Ugh. I would rinse the dirt off and she would gnaw away at them with no noticable ill effects. My new pup Oakly (5 mos) seems to be much softer mouthed. Even his cheap plush toys are still intact and he still has a few of Arbys rawhides on the floor right now that look little worse for the wear. What I'm picking up from this thread is that you need to watch your pup with any new toy/treat and see how they deal with them.


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## jim n (Nov 12, 2005)

Bully Sticks


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## LuvOllie (Jan 5, 2006)

jim n said:


> Bully Sticks


Nothing like 'em!!!


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