Things your dog should NOT be chewing on

Be careful buying foods from unregulated sources....even here, stuff spoils, and people aren't eating it. That leads to things being in the food that might be harmful. Not saying don't....but I AM saying....find a trustworthy source.
 
Be careful buying foods from unregulated sources....even here, stuff spoils, and people aren't eating it. That leads to things being in the food that might be harmful. Not saying don't....but I AM saying....find a trustworthy source.
China is a big problem with the animal toy or food industry to cut prices. That fake bacon crap is a big one. Usually when we produce glycerin we source it from vegetables but in China they get it from byproducts of gasoline.
 
China is a big problem with the animal toy or food industry to cut prices. That fake bacon crap is a big one. Usually when we produce glycerin we source it from vegetables but in China they get it from byproducts of gasoline.

Glycerine is glycerine, regardless of the source. Doesn't matter if it's that lump of lard-like stuff that you find as a "leftover" from a run of your garage bio-diesel converter that you filled up with used fryer oil, the "thick gunk" you scrape off the top of a bottle of soybean oil that got too cold, or whatever else - so long as it's *Glycerine*, and not "Glycerine with bits of dead cat, traces of battery acid, and leftover coal dust", it's the exact same stuff no matter where it comes from.

Rant mode *ON*

This is one of those things that's always left me baffled - Somebody will piss and moan because a product is made with "ingredient X" that's an extract from skimmings off the leftover glop (that would otherwise be considered garbage, if not outright hazardous waste, by the refinery) from the process of turning crude oil into gasoline - but the same product, made with *THE EXACT SAME INGREDIENT* - only this time coming at a cost 30 times that of the "refinery-glop sourced" version because it's produced "to order" using some patented process that turns salad-bar leftovers into the ingredient (and in the process, jacks the price of something that most folks would toss on the compost heap over the moon) - is just absolutely peachy-keen fine.

Where the fuck is the logic?!?!?

If you're a producer of something, does it not make sense to use the least expensive raw materials you can get your hands on, rather than the same raw material that costs 10, 20, 50, even a thousand times as much because instead of being made from the squeezings that come out of barn bedding, it's made from genuine unicorn farts and bunny tears?

I guess I'm too logical, 'cause I just plain can't see what the hype it about... So this bunch of grapes was "picked at the dark of the moon by 11 year old virgins using solid silver sickles on the night of the sabbath", and costs $48.15 per pound... Why is it any different from that bunch of grapes over there that was picked by Juan, a 40 year old wetback with a sick wife and four kids who was bussed in from Temeculah to work in the blazing heat of the mid-afternoon California sun, and sporting a price tag that reads $1.99 a pound with your club card? I'll let you guess which one *I* will be buying. Hint: Thanks, Juan, and hope your wife feels better soon.

Rant mode *OFF*
 
May as well add tennis balls to the list. They can choke on the pieces and the covering is abrasive to teeth.
Pretty much anything a dog likes to chew on can be harmful. If your dog is dumb, don't let them chew unattended!
 
Lonewolf is right. It's always a good idea to supervise dogs with toys or chew treats, regardless what those are. Some dogs are more responsible then others, but accidents can be quick to happen. They can have problems with anything that's just the right size to get stuck in the esophagus (rawhide is great for that!) or intestines. For example, a piece of toy they've ripped off and swallowed. They've even come up with Kongs that stand out on X-rays (the blue ones), which make it easier to spot if the dogs have swallowed bits of it. If their toys start getting damaged, replace them.

For anything very hard, there is a real risk of tooth fractures, even if their teeth are in perfect health. Specifically for slab fractures, dogs are prone to them because on some teeth the roots don't properly support the crown if the dog suddenly bites down on something hard.
For marrow bones, dogs will occasionally stick their chin through it and the bones can get stuck on the lower jaw, behind the canines, requiring a visit to the vet to remove it (or cut it off if it can't be removed). That's excluding all the vomiting, diarrhea, hard calcified stool or other problems they can get if they eat too much bone material or swallow them whole.
For sticks, wounds and splinters aren't terribly uncommon. Unfortunately neither is getting impaled while playing fetch.
Tennis balls: those things are abrasive enough to wear teeth down to nubs over the course of a few years if your dog is an enthusiastic chewer

In the yard, watch for
- Compost, mouldy foods: can cause severe, full body tremors that look like seizures, which will definitely need a stay at the vet.
- Wild mushrooms: some cause mild tummy upset, some cause horrific deaths, none should be eaten by dogs.
- Dogs that eat large amounts of dirt, sand, grass, rocks, etc
- Dogs drinking very large amounts of fresh water or salt water.

It isn't exactly the aim of this thread, but as an aside there are some common foods that are dangerous, which most people know:
- UR20Z already explained for apples
- Coffee, chocolate and anything with caffeine can cause heart problems and death.
- Grapes and raisins can cause deadly kidney failure. It isn't dependent on the amount eaten, there can be a risk with small quantities too. It's uncommon for dogs to get sick from grapes, tons of people will tell you their dogs have eaten grapes no problem, but also some dogs have died, so just avoid them.
- Macadamia nuts: cause temporary neurological problems
- Fruits with large pits like peaches or avocados can block the intestines. Avocado flesh is toxic to some animals and birds, but not dogs.
- Xylitol, a sweetener which is more and more popular, can cause low blood sugar and liver problems in dogs
- Onions, garlic, chives: they cause damage to red blood cells. Takes quite a bit to cause problems and dogs rarely chomp down on raw onions, but the crispy fried onions are just as toxic as the raw ones and more delicious. Also, if they eat small amounts every day, it can eventually lead to anemia.
- Hops: causes fever and body temperature issues. Anyone brewing beer or growing this at home should be aware. The plant is very bitter, but spent hops from brewers is more attractive to dogs.
- alcohol: will make a dog drunk just like a person. Drunk dogs are often loud, wobbly, confused and sick, and just like people, can need a stay at the hospital.
- THC: it's becoming more accessible these days depending where you live. THC causes dogs to be drowsy and wobbly. They tend to be very over-reactive and jumpy. Often they'll dribble urine all over the place. If they have a large enough dose, they can be dangerously sedated or comatose and eventually have breathing and blood pressure problems. They'll show signs within an hour after eating it, which can get worse over the first 4-6 hours before getting better. Signs can last from 24-72 hours depending on the dose they were exposed to. They'll get intoxicated from second hand smoke (especially if one blows smoke in they're face), eating leftover crumbs that were dropped or discarded bits like butts on the floor, getting into people's stash or stealing edibles.
- Human medication: Lots of them don't work the same on animals and can make the situation worse, or interfere with medications that could have been more helpful.
- For any intoxication (meds, drugs, cleaners/paints/glues/etc), there's a US based animal poison control hotline you can call for a fee. They have vets that'll give you tips on what to do, and they'll work with your local vet if you end up needing a visit there.
 
Here's a suggestion for everyone. Go on to Amazon or go to Harbor Freight or some place similar and buy a food dehydrator. Sweet potatoes are cheap, so are apples, chicken without the bone, kale, blueberries, essentially Google what treats are okay for dogs. Dehydrate that stuff and let them nosh on it. Saves money and keeps their tummy happy. One of my boys prefers seasoned one's so I use Mrs. Dash or something similar to season his chicken jerky.

I mean my Great Dane likes Chick-fil-A waffle fries with Chick Fil-A sauce. I won't touch them unless they have Chick-fil-A sauce.

Just Google what's okay because it's all out there. And don't freak out if your dog gets into your candy after Halloween. Because it happened to lot's of owners. My dog was fine. A lot of times it takes a large amount of something to really hurt them. If my dog can survive 3 lbs of chocolate most other dogs can too.
 
Here's a suggestion for everyone. Go on to Amazon or go to Harbor Freight or some place similar and buy a food dehydrator. Sweet potatoes are cheap, so are apples, chicken without the bone, kale, blueberries, essentially Google what treats are okay for dogs. Dehydrate that stuff and let them nosh on it. Saves money and keeps their tummy happy. One of my boys prefers seasoned one's so I use Mrs. Dash or something similar to season his chicken jerky.

I mean my Great Dane likes Chick-fil-A waffle fries with Chick Fil-A sauce. I won't touch them unless they have Chick-fil-A sauce.

Just Google what's okay because it's all out there. And don't freak out if your dog gets into your candy after Halloween. Because it happened to lot's of owners. My dog was fine. A lot of times it takes a large amount of something to really hurt them. If my dog can survive 3 lbs of chocolate most other dogs can too.
im pretty sure every dog's tolerance lvl is different.
 
One of my boys prefers seasoned one's so I use Mrs. Dash or something similar to season his chicken jerky.
Looking up the ingredients for Mrs. Dash, it appears to have both garlic and onion in it. I would check the ingredients yourself, but if it has those two in it I would NOT feed that to your dogs as both ingredients are pretty toxic to them.
 
garlic being present on these lists always surprises me considering raw piece of garlic used to be the go-to dewormizer (no idea if that's an actual word) "back then" and extract from it still is one of the ingredients in some deworm pills/pastes.
then again, i saw a list that claimed tomatoes are supertoxic too so who knows what's really true...
 
garlic being present on these lists always surprises me considering raw piece of garlic used to be the go-to dewormizer (no idea if that's an actual word) "back then" and extract from it still is one of the ingredients in some deworm pills/pastes.
then again, i saw a list that claimed tomatoes are supertoxic too so who knows what's really true...
deworming btw the izer implys a device used for that purpose.
 
I initially posted this as a reply to a user on here, but I figure that that this information should be in a thread of it's own.

Here are some things that your dog should NOT be chewing on nor playing with...

1) Rawhide - Dogs can chew off large pieces and swallow it whole. Leading to it getting lodged in your dogs throat.

2) Pigs ears - Same with rawhide, dogs can chew of large pieces and swallow it whole, leading to it getting stuck in their throat.

3) Deer, Elk, and Rams horns - Often dogs will chew on these and break off little pieces of them. These little pieces of horn are sharp and may cut or get lodged in your dog's throat.

4) Sticks and branches - Similar to horns, if a dog chews on sticks it will splinter. If a dog swallows these splinters it may lead to them cutting you dog's throat or the splinter getting lodged.

5) Cooked bones - Cooked bones will easily splinter, conventional wisdom tells us not to feed dogs chicken bones, but most cooked bones will splinter regardless of the species it came from.

6) Water bottles - The caps of which can often become dislodged. Dogs can also strip the plastic which will have sharp edges. If the dog swallows these pieces it can become stuck in their throat or cut their throat.

These are just what came off the top of my head, if you know more things dogs shouldn't be chewing on, post them below.
Did You forget chicken bones?

Just in case... CHICKEN BONES
 
garlic being present on these lists always surprises me considering raw piece of garlic used to be the go-to dewormizer (no idea if that's an actual word) "back then" and extract from it still is one of the ingredients in some deworm pills/pastes.
then again, i saw a list that claimed tomatoes are supertoxic too so who knows what's really true...
I know onions are a no go. Not sure about garlic. Maybe raw garlic possibly because of the spicyness of it. But cooked I don’t see why not
 
I know onions are a no go. Not sure about garlic. Maybe raw garlic possibly because of the spicyness of it. But cooked I don’t see why not

Same "active ingredient" in both - in high enough doses, it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells, similar to the mechanism that makes rattlesnake venom toxic) in dogs, cats, and equines, (but goats can eat 'em safely, while cows usually WON'T eat 'em, or so I'm told) with often fatal anemia (in dogs, the symptoms can start to show up within hours of ingestion) as a result. I've forgotten the name of the chemical, but cooking DOES NOT inactivate it, but according to what I've read of it, us humans have a digestive enzyme that converts it to something harmless before it gets into the bloodstream and causes problems - unless the dose it gigantic. Same stuff is also in the bulbs, leaves, and flowers of lily, daffodil, iris, crocus, and several other of the "onion-like" flowers commonly found in gardens and yard plantings, just at even higher levels than either onions or garlic - high enough to overwhelm the enzyme I mentioned, and be human-toxic. Shallots and leeks are supposed to be the most toxic to dogs and cats, while horses need to have a relatively large dose over an extended period of time for any serious effects to manifest.
 
Same "active ingredient" in both - in high enough doses, it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells, similar to the mechanism that makes rattlesnake venom toxic) in dogs, cats, and equines, (but goats can eat 'em safely, while cows usually WON'T eat 'em, or so I'm told) with often fatal anemia (in dogs, the symptoms can start to show up within hours of ingestion) as a result. I've forgotten the name of the chemical, but cooking DOES NOT inactivate it, but according to what I've read of it, us humans have a digestive enzyme that converts it to something harmless before it gets into the bloodstream and causes problems - unless the dose it gigantic. Same stuff is also in the bulbs, leaves, and flowers of lily, daffodil, iris, crocus, and several other of the "onion-like" flowers commonly found in gardens and yard plantings, just at even higher levels than either onions or garlic - high enough to overwhelm the enzyme I mentioned, and be human-toxic. Shallots and leeks are supposed to be the most toxic to dogs and cats, while horses need to have a relatively large dose over an extended period of time for any serious effects to manifest.
rattlesnake venom totally healthy what you smoking. lul garlic although is toxic to many animals
 
I think it depends on the dog with some stuff, with the rawhide strips my girl would sit and systematically chew tiny pieces off, but my boy inhales his treats so we don't bother with them now. The strips I used to get were made in our country by a reputable company, but I don't trust any cheap dog treats.

The cooked bones are atrocious for shattering, but the boiled meat filled bones are okay for my two and kinda powdery, my dogs will sit for hours licking the filling out and any bone pieces they chew off are tiny and not sharp. And because the bones not flavored and bland tasting, they will spit any pieces out (which is great to clean up).

Also, plastic squeakers and stuffing in soft toys. My girl likes to gut these toys as soon as she gets them, so as soon as she makes a hole I'll pull all the stuffing and squeakers out, which usually takes her less than 10 minutes 😆

My GSD was an expert at de-squeaking his toys he would some how get a tooth into the hole in the toy and break the valve or something so it wouldn't make the offensive noise anymore. If this was not possible he would do surgery on the toy to find the squeeker and terminate it with extreme prejudous, but if it didn't squeak he would not so much as leave a tooth mark on the toy. Being very gentle with his things. He also would eat his rawhide very sedately so that wasn't an issue for him, but the trouble is you don't know how a dog will handle those strips (I tended to give bone shaped rawhide rather than strips) and if they aren't thoroughly chewed and softened they can definitely cause problems if large chunks are bitten off.

Fleek eating rawhide bone.png

So I would say extreme caution is required if giving treats like that. It does help with oral Hygiene and is important to give some manner of food for gnawing on, but it needs to be right for the size/biting power of the dog and appropriate for how they eat. If you've got a lab for example who inhails their food all but the very biggest raw bones would be completely out of the question and the bones should be changed regularly to maintain a good size or if they manage to chip anything off. So when it comes to hard treats or bone it is always best to be with the dog when they are chomping to ensure no problems occur.
 
Well what funny about that is you can consume rattlesnake venom as long at you don’t have open wounds. It’s just a harmless protein if ingested not injected.
True enough. You gonna be the one to chug it, though?

I sure as hell wouldn't - Is that heartburn that makes me reach for the Tums really JUST heartburn, or a small ulcer? Did I bite a hole in my lip/tongue/cheek while sleeping last night (as I've done so many times throughout my life that I can't even start to try to remember how many the count is) ? Is that "Oops" with the fork that scraped the roof of my mouth last night at dinner healed enough to be safe, or...? Did I stroke too hard with Mr. Toothbrush and open a wound on my gums? Did something I ate scratch a raw spot on the inside of my cheek that's too minor to notice, but adequate to let the venom into the bloodstream? etc, etc, etc.
 
So what do you guys recommend to keep them busy and help with tartar?

I used to give my boy cow hooves and they were great for a few months, he loved them, but once he ate a piece that was too hard/big and he vomited it with blood the night after. The vet told me that they were indeed quite dangerous. Similar problem with deer antlers, they make me paranoid since I learned that it was actually harder than teeth, which means that they can easily break them.

I feel like I’m kinda out of options, he has toys but he doesn’t really care for them, apart from playing around with them once in a while.

I have been told, although I can't confirm this perhaps someone else here can: That bones from animals under a certain age are softer and better for dogs teeth as in they are less likely to break a tooth on a bone from a < 3 year old cow compared to that same bone if the animal was older than 3 years.
 
Kain is definitely a power chewer. Before I switched to the nylabones he'd go through a rawhide in a day. And he was a very destructive puppy, chewing through anything he could get a hold of, my coffee table still has chew divets in its feet from when he was a couple months old. He's a Golden Retriever.

Though the 2 rubber toys he's got are super sturdy, he's had them since a puppy and are no worse for the wear. Tennis balls are his absolute favorite, I just need to say ball and he starts frantically looking around for the nearest one, but never get pet store tennis balls, those things are over priced and terribly weak. He'll crack them right open and destroy them, real tennis balls are 5 bucks for a bag of 10 and he's never managed to destroy one.

But the dog tennis balls have a paw print on them. :gsd_laughing: Like any dog cares about that. Yes so much of these things are aimed at appealing to the human, but are basically little more than cheap crap once a dog bites down properly.
 
Depends on the dog's size, how many seeds are involved, and most important of all, whether the seeds get chewed open, or swallowed whole. Apple seeds DO have cyanide, no dispute. But the quantity is so small as to be NEARLY a non-issue unless you're talking about something like a teacup chihuahua snarfing down massive quantities of them - and actually crushing them or chewing them open in the process... that part is crucial. Apple seeds are built tough because they're INTENDED to be eaten by critters, then pooped out scattered far and wide from the parent plant, complete with a nice pile of fertilizer to give 'em a boost come sprouting time. In canines, due to their tooth structure, and the typical "rip and gulp" method of feeding, this usually means they pass through the gut untouched beyond some minor surface etching from stomach acid/other digestive juices. (surface etching that, I might add, actually enhances the seed's ability to sprout when the time comes)

Overall, apple seeds in dogs are more of a "mechanical" issue than a toxicity problem - enough of them ingested at once can "pile up" and cause a physical blockage in the gut, similar to the condition a horse person would call "sand colic". Even then, the toughness of the seed, combined with the tiny amount of cyanide in each one, means that the actual, realistic risk of cyanide poisoning is close to nil. (Which isn't to say that a dog can't die from a gut blockage if they hog down a bunch of apples, but a gut blockage is totally different from cyanide poisoning)

Peach, apricot, plum, and the other large-ish "pit-fruits", (Cherries are on the list, too, but like apple seeds, they're usually small enough that for a canine, they almost always get swallowed whole, and pass through essentially untouched) on the other hand, are a relatively serious threat due to both larger physical size, and larger concentration of cyanide per seed. They're big enough to be used as a "chew toy" for some breeds, and can possibly be cracked or otherwise opened before being swallowed, whereas apple seeds and cherry pits almost always get swallowed intact and just pop out the other end in nearly the same condition they went in.

Basically, the fretting about apples being bad for dogs is a knee-jerk overreaction to the idea (true, as far as it goes, but when you look closer at the details, you find it's actually nothing to be particularly concerned about) that their seeds contain cyanide.

While I understand what you have said and it sounds perfectly reasonable, I know someone who loves making apple pies and was giving their dog a bucket of cores to eat. While this is not normal for most people who might give an apple core at most once a day. I would say why risk doing it at all. It's not like much nutrition is provided from the core.
 
May as well add tennis balls to the list. They can choke on the pieces and the covering is abrasive to teeth.
Pretty much anything a dog likes to chew on can be harmful. If your dog is dumb, don't let them chew unattended!

Yes, but if your dog is smart, then that just means they are more capable of aquiring that tasty thing they shouldn't be eating; you know that thing you thought you had well out of reach from their chompers, but you find in small bits all over the back lawn.
 
True enough. You gonna be the one to chug it, though?

I sure as hell wouldn't - Is that heartburn that makes me reach for the Tums really JUST heartburn, or a small ulcer? Did I bite a hole in my lip/tongue/cheek while sleeping last night (as I've done so many times throughout my life that I can't even start to try to remember how many the count is) ? Is that "Oops" with the fork that scraped the roof of my mouth last night at dinner healed enough to be safe, or...? Did I stroke too hard with Mr. Toothbrush and open a wound on my gums? Did something I ate scratch a raw spot on the inside of my cheek that's too minor to notice, but adequate to let the venom into the bloodstream? etc, etc, etc.
I couldn’t. I spare too much. Get busted up too much to risk that.
 
I mean my Great Dane likes Chick-fil-A waffle fries with Chick Fil-A sauce. I won't touch them unless they have Chick-fil-A sauce.

And don't freak out if your dog gets into your candy after Halloween. Because it happened to lot's of owners. My dog was fine. A lot of times it takes a large amount of something to really hurt them. If my dog can survive 3 lbs of chocolate most other dogs can too.

Um not exactly. For one thing danes are reasonably big, body mass often has an impact on the amount of something you need to eat before really bad things happen. Secondly not all chocolate is the same some variants are not as toxic as others, and every dogs tolerance will be slightly different. But best keep the stuff out of you dogs tummy in any case.
 
Um not exactly. For one thing danes are reasonably big, body mass often has an impact on the amount of something you need to eat before really bad things happen. Secondly not all chocolate is the same some variants are not as toxic as others, and every dogs tolerance will be slightly different. But best keep the stuff out of you dogs tummy in any case.
yes exactly this their stomachs arent indestructible.
 
Um not exactly. For one thing danes are reasonably big, body mass often has an impact on the amount of something you need to eat before really bad things happen. Secondly not all chocolate is the same some variants are not as toxic as others, and every dogs tolerance will be slightly different. But best keep the stuff out of you dogs tummy in any case.
Wasn't a dane that got into the chocolate
 
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