Advice please- Safe Alternative for Stick Chewer

[bom abigirls mom]

Can anyone recommend a safe and similar chew toy to replace STICKS?

My little Abigirl, darling as she is - half beagle/half Pomeranian - loves to show her beagle side and ALWAYS finds a "tasty" stick when we are returning to the house from our outdoor visits. I do my best to keep her on the finished lawn - but we have 15 acres, and many trees, and she always seems to find some sort of STICK to very proudly bring back to the house.... and then she chews it, shreds it, and I know she eats part of it.

We do not allow her to have them now that we realize she was actually EATING part of it!

But would love to find a safe and similar alternative to offer her.. she needs to chew chew chew with those puppy teeth!

She does have a BOX full of safe toys and prefers some over others, but I have not found anything similar to the feel of a good ol' stick. I have heard it is not good to offer rawhide, so I guess that is not an option... She is such a good puppy, and very smart, so I would like her to enjoy her "chew" - especially when she comes inside from being so well behaved outdoors. She is 4 months old.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[CollieMan]

I remember seeing, a week or so ago, a rubber or similar material, alternative to sticks. They looked just like sticks and were intended for dogs. For the life of me I can't remember where I saw them, and my Google search is proving worthless. But they do exist, I've seen them!

 

[bom abigirls mom]

Collieman- thank you for your response. I will search also- I was wondering if there wasn't SOMETHING out there like a stick....

I appreciate your input- you seem to be very helpful sharing your knowledge.
And happy birthday (belated?)

 

[emmasmamma]

I have seen the same thing. It had to be at Petco, Pet Supplies Plus or Pet Smart, as these are the pet stores in our area. You might check out their websites.:neutral:

 

[Jean Cote]

I'm not sure if it's any good for chewing however, kongs and hard bones (Durable Chews are my favorites) are best suited for that purpose.

 

[leema]

See, I must be a bad mum 'cause I don't care about the stick chewing! Clover constantly is bringing outdoor stuff inside and I just chuck it outside before she makes a mess inside. I assume she eats it. She at least chews it up and makes a mess. Most 'dangers' (as I understand) of sticks is dogs biting down on them hard and having stick irregularities puncturing their mouth. I haven't heard anything bad about dogs actualy eating sticks.

 

[l_l_a]

how about nylabones? or Bully Sticks (the latter are fully digestible and are actually in the shape of long thin sticks).

 

[storm22]

im the same with leema, i dont care if they eat sticks, some trees are poisonius so watch what branch they get, koda has been bringing home sticks from our walk, (it seems to have become a habit now) but her and storm have both been chewing on them then if i bring a horse home they quite often pick it up and eat it or ill bring one home for them that the horses have de-leafed and they play for hours with the branch

its probably been ingrained into them from the wild (but im not sure) its just a fun chew toy for them and its kinda a victory for koda, she walks so proud showing off her branch (she got a fright the other day, shes not used to horses yet and was walking past a yard with her trophy branch not paying attention and sky -a horse reach over and grabbed it off her to eat, jeez did she run)

 

[emmasmamma]

I was at a local store yesterday and they had a toy that was shaped like a stick but was either yellow or green. I remembered your post and checked out the packaging. The manufacturer has a web site. Check them out and see what you can find out. The were made of rubber and said they were chew and tear resistant.

 

[bom abigirls mom]

Thanks everyone for your replies!
Now that she is older, I do let her have a few sticks occasionally.
When I first got her, she had some health problems so I was paranoid about ANYTHING that went in her mouth!
Now that she is radiantly healthy, I have mellowed abit about quite a few issues... Back to the matter of STICKS...
She loves chewing them, and as I watch, I believe she shreds them, but does not eat them, as there is alot of debris left on the rug where she is allowed to have them.
Perhaps this is the doggie version of dental floss....
--I sometimes leave a healthy treat for her just outside the door, and we "trade out" the stick for the treat as she comes back inside- so she doesn't feel like I am taking things away from her constantly. --
I will check out the suggestions you all left for me as well. thanks again~

 

[achieve1dream]

Chewing Sticks

One of Storm's favorite things ever to chew as a pup was firewood! We used a wood burning stove to heat the house because we didn't have central air and heat, and we would bring in piles of firewood each evening to keep the fire going overnight. She would spend HOURS chewing it and leaving shreds of bark all over the floor. I didn't mind though because the pieces made great kindling for restarting the fire when it would go out. She never managed to hurt herself on it though, so I don't think you have to be too worried about it.

 

[emmasmamma]

I still wouldn't reccomend letting your dog chew on sticks. A co-worker took her dog into the vet do to a growth on his neck. At first exam, they thought he might have a tumor, but with closer exam they realized it was an abcess, caused by a sliver from a stick he had chewed on that had lodged in his throat. He recovered after surgery and antibiotics, but I still wouldn't take the chance. There are plenty of chew products out there. Rawhide based, animal tendons (dried), bully sticks and even real beef or pork bones (no chicken) I know they say rawhide isn't too good for dogs, but I'd rather my dog chew on that than sticks.

 

[harry8]

Harry chews on sticks but he doesn't eat them. Relieved to hear that it's a common pastime for dogs! I know sticks can be dangerous so we are quite selective with which ones we bring home. Some do look sharp on the edges so we stear clear of those.

Harry loves sticks and when we're in the woods he loves to pick up big sticks and carry them around with him. No matter how big or heavy the stick, he will do is utmost to take it with him. People laugh at him as he does look funny, but sweet too!

We've also found chewing sticks is the alternative to him chewing our skirting boards and walls!! So i can't complain!

Clare

 

[achieve1dream]

Chewing Sticks

I could see if the dog were swallowing pieces that it would be a problem. Storm never swallowed any. When she would get a piece off in her mouth she make this cute grimace and spit it out. It is interesting how experiences (even if not direct experiences) cause of to steer clear of things. Such as rawhides. I won't let my dogs chew them because of something that happened to my mother's Yorkshire Terrier.

He woke everyone in the house screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night. We couldn't figure out why he was screaming. When he started heaving we took him outside. He vomited up a large piece of rawhide that had become lodged in his throat. So I no longer give these to my dogs. I only give the real bones or Nylabone type products. So I understand why you would not want to let your dog chew on sticks after what happened to your co-worker's dog. I'm glad the dog was okay.