# Nylabones - good or bad?



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Eek! The puppy ones aren't good for adults since they can tear them apart and eat the pieces, as Gunner did. It also says on the packaging that the dog can consume rice-sized pieces if he tears them off, but that if he's tearing larger pieces, he shouldn't have it.

The adult version is much, much harder to tear pieces off of. You'd want the "durable" bone next time.

How big were the pieces and how much did he throw back up? There's some chance that, if he tore off large chunks, that it could cause a dangerous obstruction in his GI tract.

Nylabone does make an edible variety, but it's clearly marked as such, and I think you're talking about the rubbery puppy bone that's not meant to be eaten.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I have nylabones for my dogs, they settle down every evening and chew to their heart's content! Personally I think they're great and last forever. Better still they can be boiled every once in a while to sterilise, you can also boil in meat stock which makes them irresistable (not done this yet but sounds interesting).

Puppy nylabones are specifically for puppies and are much softer than regular ones. They are fine for small pups, but not suitable for bigger dogs as they are very easy to chew up. I found this out when we had pups and one of the adult dogs stole one of the puppy's nylabones and chewed them into pieces within minutes!

Did you account for all of the "pieces"? Were you able to put them back together? I'd be worried he swallowed a larger piece which of course could cause a blockage. I'd be keeping a close eye on him to look out for other signs things aren't quite right. They don't have to swallow a large solid item to cause a blockage.

I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'd recommend in the future you stick to the adult nylabones.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

Mine can't have them as they break them into large chunks that could get stuck. So we don't give anymore.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

As I wrote in another thread, we had the same problem with the puppy Nylabones. The same thing happened when Hank was around 6 months old, I found chunks of a Nylabone on the floor. A week (yes, a week!) later he puked up what was missing. 

Since he already had his adult teeth I should have thrown it away before but honestly he never cared much for it and it was buried in his toy basket.


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

Thanks for the advise. I really didn't try to piece it all back together after he threw it up. I could feel the chunks in the throw up as I cleaned it up. Yesterday he ate some grass when I got home from work and just threw up yellow bile but no chunks. I haven't seen anything in his stool either. I know better now but am still concerned as he was restless sleeping last night. How would I know if he had a blockage?


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

cathyjobray said:


> Thanks for the advise. I really didn't try to piece it all back together after he threw it up. I could feel the chunks in the throw up as I cleaned it up. Yesterday he ate some grass when I got home from work and just threw up yellow bile but no chunks. I haven't seen anything in his stool either. I know better now but am still concerned as he was restless sleeping last night. How would I know if he had a blockage?


Look for signs of agitation, anxiety, and restlessness. As it gets more serious, you can check his gums to see if they're either dark red or gray, since that would be a sign of a serious problem. At that point, though, it would indicate a crisis, and you'd want to be at the vet before then.

If he continues to be restless, or if he begins to hunch up at all when he stands or walks, or if he continues to vomit has diarrhea, or stops pooping, I'd head right into the vet.

Even if he's obstructed, he may continue to poop because of what's already in his system on the far side of the obstruction and because it's possible to become partially obstructed. However, each healthy, normal poop means it's less and less likely that any of the chunks are causing a problem.

If he's still restless and "not himself" today, I might head to the vet. The first day or two of vomiting and being uncomfortable might just be the result of his passing the chunks. After that, though, I'd be more and more concerned that a larger chunk was stuck somewhere.

If he was still not himself tomorrow, I would DEFINITELY head to the vet.

At the very least, the vet can put your mind at ease and help you understand what to look for. I imagine a chunk of rubbery Nylabone might not show up on an x-ray, but your vet will know a lot better than I would and might recommend it.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

PS: 

Here's a little list I put together to help people look for signs of abdominal distress and discomfort:


hunching up, 
experiencing pain in the abdomen, 
experiencing distention in the abdomen, 
is unwilling to move, 
has trouble getting up or staying standing, 
is lethargic, 
has dull eyes, 
appears anxious,
is yawning over and over,
is drooling abnormally,
is foaming,
is pacing,
is hiding in a safe place,
is standing with his legs wider than normal, staring ahead or at the floor,
or is puking or gagging on and off over the course of several hours or for more than a handful of times in a row.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Nylabones will NOT show up in x-rays. That's why, if a dog chews chunks off of them, they should be taken away immediatly. 

My dogs really like them, but I usually give the them the Galileo ones...they're a lot stronger and way more difficult to get large pieces off.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Next time, get the 'durable' Nylabone. They are a HUGE favorite at our house. They last for-ever-er!!! and ever!! I'm sure that Gunner will be fine, no worse than a few things Casey has consumed in his 12 years!


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm going home at lunch to check on him. I text my vet and she told me to feed him a bland diet tonight and see how he does. She said that the chunks may have irriated him as they were passing through. If he isn't acting normal or is real restless again tonight we will take a trip in to see the vet. I'm so mad at myself for giving that to him. I just got through fencing off some rocks I have in my yard to keep him from swallowing any of them....


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Yes the durable Nylabones are great! Molly loves them! In the evening she can chew on hers for hours! They can be a little pricey but it's worth it as they last for at least a month or more.


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