'Safe' treats and toys

1416 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by BaileyBo, Nov 4, 2009

louise12

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2009

We're looking forward to bringing home our new puppy in a couple of weeks and my children have been busy buying everything in the pet shop for him

My question is - what is safe to leave him in his crate with unsupervised? He will (from about 10 weeks) be left for about 2 hours a day and we want to leave him with plenty to amuse him.

We have a Kong teething stick, rope toys, tennis balls, Nylabones, squeaky toys, 'solid' rubber bones etc. I know tennis balls and squeaky toys should only be used when we're there with him, but what about the rest?

Also, can he have things like Rawhide chews, pressed rawhide bones and peanut butter stuffed Kongs at this age?

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T&T

· #2 · Nov 3, 2009

Congrats on your new puppy !
You can get lots of info by using the forum's "search" function
I wouldn't give a puppy (or an adult) rawhide ...
And NO Greenies !

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=47568&highlight=rawhide+dangers

Linda Arndt - Canine Nutritional consultant sums it up pretty well here below

No pig ears, cow hooves, raw hide of any kind, string toys, booda bones or cooked bones or Greenies -and absolutely no tennis balls. These are all things that can kill you dog.

Why No Rawhide?

First, the majority are processed with lye, something your dog does not need in his/her stomach. Also, they are not digestible and can lay in the stomach or intestines and not pass through, causing an obstruction or causing pathogenic bacteria to grow which equals BLOAT. We do not need to encourage bad bacteria in animals that are prone to bloat and gastric torsion. They are also a very serious choking hazard. So to be on the safe side, for nutritional and safety reasons, I will suggest something other than rawhide chewies.

Why No pig ears/snouts/cow snouts and cow hooves?

There are two reasons for not using these, Salmonella (bad bacteria) and the fact that the ears/snouts will splinter and can puncture an intestine and the same is for the cow hooves. Frequently, vets are removing them because they cause an obstruction.

NO - and I mean NO Greenies!! These things have killed dogs due to choking and they are full of gluten which causes dogs to have major skin problems and allergies.

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/puppy_guidelines.htm

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Bock

· #3 · Nov 3, 2009 (Edited)

I would only leave a Kong and a nylabone at that age. Pups can pull the strands out of ropes and eat them (depending on how big of a chewer pup is). With other toys I would only allow supervised play until you get to know your dog and how he/she does with toys.

peanut butter kongs are good, just be aware it could cause some diarrhea just because it's rich and full of calories. I would only start out with a little bit for a puppy.

I avoid rawhides, pressed rawhides, and greenies due to choking hazards. I DO give marrow bones and bully sticks though under supervision.

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cinnamonteal

· #4 · Nov 3, 2009

Congrats on the new puppy!

I agree with Bock, only the kong and nylabone. Also, when they're little, sometimes they have trouble getting stuff out of the kong, so start with something easy and tasty - like maybe some little pieces of cheese or just a smear of peanut butter near the opening.

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louise12

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 3, 2009

Brilliant - thanks for your replies, I've got a Kong teething stick, but I'll also get the standard shape one, plus I've got a bacon and mint flavoured Nylabones.

....and I'll steer clear of all rawhide products, pigs ears etc. and Greenies (which I've never heard of - maybe they're refered to as something else in the UK?)

11 days until we get our pup - I'm not sure how we'll manage to wait that long

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Ladyinblack

· #6 · Nov 3, 2009

My puppy was 10 weeks when I got him... and honestly at that age he is going to be sleeping for those 2 hours that he will be in the crate... I used to leave him with stuffed animals but I took out the eyes, I left the rope toys in there too, he is 5 months now and still no major damage to the rope toys... I needed a bedtime routine so I only give him the kong when I put him in his crate to go to sleep at night. His favorite thing is the nylabone (the plastic one) which I don't leave with him... instead because he loves it soo much I use it to play fetch and bring him back with treats... He goes completely out of control with the edible ones. His trainer suggest that I rotate his toys around so that he doesn't get bored...

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cinnamonteal

· #7 · Nov 3, 2009

I just wanted to add that Caleb was incredibly gentle with his toys until he reached about 6 months. Then, all of a sudden, he started disemboweling his stuffed animals, shredding his rope toys and biting chunks off his puppy nylabone. So be careful what you leave with your pup. Just because he's gentle with his toys right now, doesn't mean he always will be.

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pt83

· #8 · Nov 4, 2009

louise12 said:
Brilliant - thanks for your replies, I've got a Kong teething stick, but I'll also get the standard shape one, plus I've got a bacon and mint flavoured Nylabones.

....and I'll steer clear of all rawhide products, pigs ears etc. and Greenies (which I've never heard of - maybe they're refered to as something else in the UK?)

11 days until we get our pup - I'm not sure how we'll manage to wait that long

Congratulation on the new addition to the family. I'm sure you'll be thrilled with the pup!

I believe this is some variety of edible dental chew that is usually green and advertised to freshen your dog's mouth. I don't give my dogs these anyways as the one they sold here are usually made in china and contains gluten. (and I remember reading somewhere that the gluten imported from china was the cause of the pet food recalls few years ago)
Correct me if I'm wrong tho

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BaileyBo

· #9 · Nov 4, 2009

cinnamonteal said:
I just wanted to add that Caleb was incredibly gentle with his toys until he reached about 6 months. Then, all of a sudden, he started disemboweling his stuffed animals, shredding his rope toys and biting chunks off his puppy nylabone. So be careful what you leave with your pup. Just because he's gentle with his toys right now, doesn't mean he always will be.

My Bailey did the same thing! She used to have tons of stuffed toys and was very gentle with them. Now she has NONE! My grandmother had given me a giant stuffed bunny...it was the same color as Bailey. She became interested in it one day and I let her play with. It was her best friend, carried it around with her, and took naps with bunny for about 3 months. Then she turned on the poor thing and it was never to be seen again! lol

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