# Rawhide bones, bully sticks, Snozzles HELP HELP HELP I cant take it anymore!



## RegDunlop (Dec 22, 2009)

I have had a maltese for about 2 months he will be a year old next week. Initially we were giving him rawhide bones to keep him busy at night when we were trying to sleep as he gets very active at night. Then we heard that rawhide is one of the worst things for dogs (I still dont know why its so bad but we stopped buying for him). 

Then we found out about bully sticks. He loves them. We were happy, then a pet food store employee told us he is too small a breed to eat them (he has been eating them for at least a month now).

Then I found Merick ears, pig snouts and wishbones. He likes them too. Are the merrick ears considered rawhide, cause to me they look the same. But I'm not doing a taste test anytime soon.

Too many choices I am overwhelmed and worried Im gonna give the little guy something he should nt have.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

RegDunlop said:


> I have had a maltese for about 2 months he will be a year old next week. Initially we were giving him rawhide bones to keep him busy at night when we were trying to sleep as he gets very active at night. Then we heard that rawhide is one of the worst things for dogs (I still dont know why its so bad but we stopped buying for him).


 From what I can find out, dogs who actually chew the rawhide, it's ok. For those who just break off pieces & swallow... not so good.

Dogs need to be supervised when given chews, regardless of which type so you can see if they get into any difficulty.

Our dog is a 60# GSP who has nylabones & rawhides. These work for him. If you're concerned about the rawhides, you may want to consider the nylabones as they break down into extremely small pieces.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I had heard that rawhide is bad too. I believe the reason is that it expands in the stomach.

If he's been eating the bully stick just fine for the last month, I think you have your answer there. :biggrin: 

As far as I'm concerned, food too big = not a problem. Food too small = possible problem. Food that is too small could pose a choking hazard. I'm not aware of ANY food or treats that are too big for any dog. 

Richelle


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Raw hide is not very digestable in the stomach so if your dog were just eating them whole and not gnawing on them it would be a problem. 

And no dog out there is too small to chew on bully sticks. Just make sure that the bully stick is long enough that he won't swallow a whole piece at once.

With all that being said, I think you should consider getting to the root of the problem instead of trying to remedy it with treats. If your dog is hyperactive at night, that says to me that he needs much more interaction during the day. He needs to release some of the extra puppy energy he has. I highly recommend that you really exercise him hard for at least thirty minutes in the evening. This means him running hard and fast or playing rough with you or another dog.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

RegDunlop said:


> I have had a maltese for about 2 months he will be a year old next week.


What do you feed him?

ETA: Nevermind. I found that information in another thread. :smile: I think you need to feed him something with less carbs. Less carbs means higher protein. The Nutro Ultra is mostly rice.

Much more exercise will also help this problem greatly.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

danemama08 said:


> With all that being said, I think you should consider getting to the root of the problem instead of trying to remedy it with treats. If your dog is hyperactive at night, that says to me that he needs much more interaction during the day. He needs to release some of the extra puppy energy he has. I highly recommend that you really exercise him hard for at least thirty minutes in the evening. This means him running hard and fast or playing rough with you or another dog.


Agreed!

Dogs that are very active need an outlet for all that energy, otherwise they become destructive. Before we even got Zio, we knew that GSPs needed this kind of exercise, so we made sure he had the opportunity for at least 30 min of all out activity almost every day. Now that he's 2 1/2 we have modified his regimen somewhat, but the general idea is still there. "Walks" simply won't do! :wink:


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

rawhides are just fine! as long as your dog does not break off big pieces and swallow them whole!

I agree that no dog is too small for a bully stick.

playing fetch or using a flirt pole can really help tire him out! I love playing with the flirt pole with my dogs! 
http://www.fullgripgear.com/images/productfull/toys/DSCF0128.JPG
^^^^^^ like an oversized cat toy! you can drag it along the ground and have a blast. if he is a puppy i do not think he should be jumping at it, so just run it along the ground for now. my dogs are grown and they do back flips and all sorts of things trying to catch it when its in the air!


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## rawfeederr (Sep 9, 2009)

Rawhides have a tendency to get rubbery & cause blockages.

Bully sticks are GREAT, no dog is "too small" for them. I don't know what that pet store employee was thinking... but bully sticks are fine! 

You could also try a filled Kong, or a marrow bone!


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## RegDunlop (Dec 22, 2009)

Thanks for all the great replies.

We feed him Innova Red Meat small bites.

I do play with him extensively, and try to walk him, run him at night and in the day.

We didnt get him until 2 months ago, I dont know his previous owners we got him through a friend of a friend of a friend, but I have a feeling his original owners left him alone at home all day while they were at work and he is in the habit of sleeping all day.

Thanks for letting me know that Bully sticks are okay, 

Anybody have suggestions for other healthy treats, milkbones etc?


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## RegDunlop (Dec 22, 2009)

One more question, can I fill the kong with regular skippy peanut butter, the kong pb that comes in the spray can looks gross and the kong treats also dont look very healthy?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would just use regular old peanut butter, but it is very high in calories and fat so use it sparingly. You can mix up just a bit of the kibble with the peanut butter and stick it in the freezer. Typically kong fillers and treats are very low quality and I would stay away from them.

If your dog is still high energy at night and you are exercising him, that just means you need to exercise him even more if you are able.


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## rawfeederr (Sep 9, 2009)

RegDunlop said:


> One more question, can I fill the kong with regular skippy peanut butter, the kong pb that comes in the spray can looks gross and the kong treats also dont look very healthy?


Yep that's fine, that's what I do.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

RegDunlop said:


> One more question, can I fill the kong with regular skippy peanut butter, the kong pb that comes in the spray can looks gross and the kong treats also dont look very healthy?


sure thing! Freeze it makes a great treat! Also you can use low fat which is a good idea! And you can use cream cheese low fat I use aslo use fat free and you can put low fat or fat free plain vanilla yogurt freeze it! You can even put kibble in it if you want I dont know if you feed raw though! theres a post about kongs and what to put in them check that out tons of ideas!:smile:


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

i have melted cheese in a kong so it gets in all the crevasses and then freeze.

do you guys consider cheese healthier than peanut butter?
I also free canned food (blue buffalo) in the kong too!


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

RegDunlop said:


> One more question, can I fill the kong with regular skippy peanut butter, the kong pb that comes in the spray can looks gross and the kong treats also dont look very healthy?


Of course you may! Don't forget there's always cheese. :wink:


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## gingersmaltese (Feb 23, 2010)

*treats and chews*

Good treats to keep dogs occupied are Kong toys with Various fillings. There are a few types of toys that you can hide food and treats inside. Nylabones are good chews for dogs that are not dangerous like rawhide. I am a Maltese breeder and our dogs love The kongs and nylabones. You could also get a Huge cow bone for him to gnaw on until the end of time. The cannon bone of a cow is nearly indestructible and does not splinter as much as most bones. I buy one about every 6-12 months (that's how long it takes our 20 Maltese and one German Shepard to gnaw down) once the bone starts to get small enough to pose a chokeing hazard you can throw it away. You can get the nylabones and kongs for a good price here revival


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