Chew toys and treats

Q: Is Beef Hide same as Raw Hide? Is it a good treat for dog? Thanks!

A: I do not like using any dried animal tissue products such as rawhide, beef hide, pig earsChew Toys I guess I would consider Nylabones as the safest and most beneficial chew products available.   They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. I would probably start with a "gummy one".  Rope toys and interactive toys such as Kong Trax and Quest, Nylabone romp N chomp and StarMark Everlasting Treats are good to graduate to.  Antlers and processed bones offer longer lasting involvement.  Stay away from rawhide and small similar products, if you use these products the heavier ones reduce risk. The ones that pose the most threats are the slim pencil and potato chip sizes as we have done many surgeries to remove those. Also, rawhides are natural products but contain no preservative so once your dog starts chewing on them it is similar to leaving a piece of raw meat sitting around.  This is a frequent cause of gastroenteritis. Most of the toys from Kong or Top Paw Tuff are well designed andThere are hundreds of treats and for the most part the differences between them is insignificant.  I like freeze dried liver or meats because they do not have added sodium, most treats are like common snack foods for people they are high in sodium.  I would recommend using freeze dried meats that are produced in the United States.  “Stewarts” is a brand that has been around a long time.  Especially if you start with young puppies many times you can use carrots or green beans as a healthy snack.