Can Your Grey Tolerate Commercial Smoked Bones?

[Guest selori]

I find those pet-store-type smoked bones to be pretty disgusting...BUT...I need to "pull out all the stops" for some alone training and I need a long-lasting treat that my dog doesn't have to work too hard for. My boy is lazy and if I pack a kong or similar with treats that are too hard to get to, he gives up (no matter what awesome stuff I put in there). I tried marrow bones from the butcher with my previous grey, and they gave him blow-out diarrhea. I remember our rescue group recommended those smoked knuckle bones as being "safe" for greyhounds (the actual bone part being safe), but it seems like they must be preserved in some way. They also look fatty.

 

Has anyone tried these and what happened? Also, I'm open to other easy to eat, but long lasting treats for a lazy greyhound who needs to entertain himself for about an hour (poor baby!).

 

Thanks for your advice.

[TheFullHouse]

The problem with smoked bones is that they are cooked and cooked bones will splinter. It's much safer giving a dog a raw bone than cooked bones. If you remove most of the fat from a raw marrow or knuckle bone, it shouldn't give your pup the big D. The one time I gave my dogs bones with fat on them they all had the big D the next day so now I trim the fat off.

[Walliered]

I can't give my grey anything like that because of the big D, but have found that deer antlers seem to keep him busy and do not affect his stomach. I buy the extra large ones from a little store in Savannah..about $12.00 each, but they last a long time. Good luck.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

I dont do smoked bone as they splinter and can hurt your dog, also my guys get sick from anything smoked. have you tried bully sticks? i order mine from this site they also have other great treats Nothing added treats

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

The big knuckle bones, yes- I don't have breaking problems with them. The smaller (pork? Not sure) ones scare me too much. They don't make my dogs sick, but nothing does.

[JAJ2010]

Not a chance! No cooked bones! There are a bunch of lawsuits since these bones are not safe. Get a fresh raw knuckle bone

[Guest Ola]

Just a reminder - for safety's sake, never leave your dog unattended with any type of bones, even raw ones. I don't always watch my dogs chew/eat but I do stay within earshot just in case there are any problems.

[GeorgeofNE]

Just a reminder - for safety's sake, never leave your dog unattended with any type of bones, even raw ones. I don't always watch my dogs chew/eat but I do stay within earshot just in case there are any problems.

 

I was going to say the same thing--since you specified "for alone training," I'm afraid that things that can be ingested are a really bad idea.

 

Have you tried a Buster Cube?? George loved his! It dispenses pieces of kibble when the dog rolls it around. Obviously this only works if he's not crated! Another suggestion is to have a "hide and seek" and hide pieces of kibble in fairly easy to find places (at first) and then make it harder.

 

You might be making the Kong too difficult; try smearing peanut butter or spray cheese or something all around the inner core, and make sure you get a bit on the opening. Don't pack it with treats and stuff; they get stuck, and if he is as lazy as you say, you're right--he'll give up!

[JAJ2010]

II even read about a way to time release a second kong. freezer it into a block of ice skating it takes time to melt.

[Guest kydie]

Nope, smoked is cooked,,, none are given here

[Guest wmlcml6]

Any smoked BBQ, even off the bone, gives our iron belly girl Hope a tummy ache and the big D.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

No smoked bones here ever again. MIL gave them to the dogs as a present, which was really nice...so I gave them the bones. Oddly enough it was the lab who became ill, pooped and puked blood all over my house that night (in the spare room on the other side of the house). A call to the vet, mashed potatoes dispensed, rugs thrown away, and all was okay 24 hours later. Unbelievable the damage those bones did to her, and for further proof? The "deposits" had needle sharp shards of bone in them!!! never never never never never again. never.

[Guest Sunset123]

Have you tried bully sticks? I think they're much more easily digestible.

 

Of course, like others have said, I wouldn't give one unsupervised. Well, when I give a big thick bully stick I don't need to be in the house until she gets down to the end, which can take an hour or two, so I'll give one of those when I'm doing something in the yard and I don't want her to make a fuss about me leaving her in the house. For alone time I prefer to use a Kong or Busy Buddy, filled with stuff that she's not likely to choke on.

[GeorgeofNE]

II even read about a way to time release a second kong. freezer it into a block of ice skating it takes time to melt.

 

I actually have a gizmo that dispenses four small Kongs! It's called "Kong Time," and I got it when I would have done ANYTHING to get George over his SA! You fill the Kongs, and then at pre-set intervals, it beeps and then pops one out! I'd come home and find the four Kongs in the middle of his bed!

[Guest Sunset123]

II even read about a way to time release a second kong. freezer it into a block of ice skating it takes time to melt.

 

I actually have a gizmo that dispenses four small Kongs! It's called "Kong Time," and I got it when I would have done ANYTHING to get George over his SA! You fill the Kongs, and then at pre-set intervals, it beeps and then pops one out! I'd come home and find the four Kongs in the middle of his bed!

 

They actually don't make the Kong Time anymore, which is tragic. I'd love to have one.

[Guest Energy11]

I don't give mine anything from the Walmart/Petsmart type stores.

 

Frozen RAW soup/marrow bones, Bully Sticks, Buffalo Tracheas, and Sweet Potatoe rawhide, are all given in this house, with no Big D or problems. It is worth paying a little extra for these types of chews.

 

Good Luck. p.s. I used to give Energy those things from the stores, ... rawhide too! :-(( I didn't know better then.

[Guest RWM]

Those "pet-store-type smoked bones" are junk ... one of the many forms of junk food that occupy pet store shelves. They contain all kinds of processed garbage and preservatives. Go with something like raw pork shoulders, which contain meat and RMB. This is much healthier for your hound, better for his teeth, and better for his overall digestion.

Edited August 1, 2010 by RWM