Guest Doggone Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) For those who give their hounds bully sticks, how often do you do it? I'm hoping they do some good towards plaque removal, but Autumn practically "vacuums" them (she does the same with rawhides)! She won't go near any of the "dental" products, including "greenies", and she'll only sporadically eat those knuckle bones from Petsmart. I really don't want to start with the raw necks, etc. (blech ), so hence, the non-raw products she's willing to eat. She also eats kibble (IAMS), not soft food. Her teeth aren't bad at all; I'm just trying to prevent problems such as she had when she came off the farm (last February) and had her cleaning...........she had four extractions . Edited June 18, 2013 by Doggone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Bully sticks don't totally agree with Annie's digestion -- they give her really mushy poo -- so I give them maybe once a week if I remember. I don't give rawhide anything because she chokes on it all. She gets kibble. She eats one of the available dental sticks. I find that I can't and don't worry about covering everything. I do the best I can and that's good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I give them 2–3 times a week. I buy the braided ones at Trader Joe's and break them in half (they're $4.99 and about 10", I think, so it's a good deal). Sometimes they last half an hour or more, sometimes 5 minutes...some are tougher than others, I guess. (I don't want to ponder that too long .) Just posted on another thread that my vet, who owns 6 or 7 greys herself, recommends lamb ears and beef trachea for teeth. The ears don't last very long, but they do scrape the teeth well, don't stink, and seem easy on greyhound tummies. We have to give the beef trachea in moderation because it does tend to cause soft poos, probably because they're a bit greasy (I wipe them with a paper towel before giving them). But with both, the squick factor is not as bad as with hooves, snouts, feet, etc., IMO! Quote Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly Sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Doggone Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Ramonaghan, are the lamb ears and beef tracheae non-raw? If so, where do you get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Ramonaghan, are the lamb ears and beef tracheae non-raw? If so, where do you get them? Neither is raw. The lamb ears are slow roasted and dry to the touch (i.e., not greasy feeling at all). The trachea, aka moo tube, is dehydrated—it's very crunchy, but again, even though it's not raw it's still somewhat greasy and stinky, so you probably want to put down a towel or give it outside. The added benefit with tracheas is that they're a great source of chondroitin so good for joints too. I buy both products locally at a Nashville-only store (I am sure I look like a crazy person digging through baskets of lamb ears for the biggest ones!), but you can get both from Best Bully Sticks or other online sources. I have noticed that the Merrick lamb ears are gone in 30 seconds—they are very puffy so may go through a slightly different process than the Red Barn ones I buy (which, admittedly, still only last a few minutes at best). Have you tried Himalayan dog chews? Nothing icky there, and they last forever (so they're worth the $$ if your dog likes them). Sweep lost interest before she finished them (same with antlers), but she's not exactly a power chewer. Quote Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly Sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyguy7760 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Neither is raw. The lamb ears are slow roasted and dry to the touch (i.e., not greasy feeling at all). The trachea, aka moo tube, is dehydrated—it's very crunchy, but again, even though it's not raw it's still somewhat greasy and stinky, so you probably want to put down a towel or give it outside. The added benefit with tracheas is that they're a great source of chondroitin so good for joints too. I buy both products locally at a Nashville-only store (I am sure I look like a crazy person digging through baskets of lamb ears for the biggest ones!), but you can get both from Best Bully Sticks or other online sources. I have noticed that the Merrick lamb ears are gone in 30 seconds—they are very puffy so may go through a slightly different process than the Red Barn ones I buy (which, admittedly, still only last a few minutes at best). Have you tried Himalayan dog chews? Nothing icky there, and they last forever (so they're worth the $$ if your dog likes them). Sweep lost interest before she finished them (same with antlers), but she's not exactly a power chewer. Ramonaghan, I also live in Nashville and our family is in the process of adopting our first greyhound. What local store do you get these at? Also, if you could share any other Nashville advice or tips for greys that would be great Quote The Elders Family Ty Crystal Caleb Lizzie and Piper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Ramonaghan, I also live in Nashville and our family is in the process of adopting our first greyhound. What local store do you get these at? Also, if you could share any other Nashville advice or tips for greys that would be great Hi there! Are you working with All About Hounds? There was a Ty who wrote in to their Yahoo group about Power Paws recently and I responded--was that you by any chance? They are awesome to work with. Anyway, I get this stuff at Nashville Pet Products...they have all the best disgusting treats that dogs love! Sweep enjoys the frozen marrow bones they sell there as well. I just give them to her frozen and they keep her busy for an hour at least. NPP also has a good selection of toys and other general supplies. They have 3 or 4 locations; we go to the one near 100 Oaks. Other local suppliers of not-stuff-you'll-find-at-Petsmart are Dizzy's Dog Wash, CatShoppe/DogStore, and Wags and Whiskers. As mentioned above, Trader Joe's has cheap bully sticks ($4.99 and you can break them in half). Other Nashville-specific tips...hmmm...do you have a vet already? The vet I mentioned above (who recommends the trachea and lamb ears) is Dr. Carol Macherey at Grassmere; she's fantastic and very greyhound-savvy. Her hours are somewhat limited since I think she's transitioning to retirement, but the other three vets there are experienced with greys as well. I particularly love Dr. Clark; he's co-owner with Dr. Macherey and a total cat whisperer. The office is nothing fancy, but that's how they keep their fees low, and their care and knowledge are second to none. Do you have a fenced yard? If not, there's a fenced baseball field at Shelby Park we take Sweep to on weekends when the weather's nice (so...not much lately, haha) so she can run. We don't do the dog park there, or any dog parks in town for that matter. Just not worth the risks to me, but that's totally a personal decision. Not-so-Nashville-specific stuff: I recommend Amazon for a good price on a crate if you're planning to do that (the group can let you know how or if your dog crates); I got the 42" Midwest iCrate for my 60 lb girl. (Remember: no martingale collars in the crate.) Honestly, Amazon's my go-to for a lot of dog stuff, since I have a Prime membership and their prices are so competitive. Costco has good prices on dog beds; the covers are washable and the beds have held up perfectly to Sweep's digging/bed fluffing for the nine months we've had her. Etsy is an addictive resource for collars. Let me know if you have any other questions! (And feel free to PM me if something Nashville-specific comes up.) GreyTalk has been a wealth of info for me, so it's great you've found it already. Edited August 29, 2013 by ramonaghan Quote Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly Sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyguy7760 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Hi there! Are you working with All About Hounds? There was a Ty who wrote in to their Yahoo group about Power Paws recently and I responded--was that you by any chance? They are awesome to work with. Yep. That be me. I'll have to check on NPP. Sounds like something worth checking into. We don't have a vet yet. The group uses southern vet but I had also discovered grassmere. The dog we will probably end up with (Piper) just had a dental and had to have some teeth removed but one suggested checking on grassmere for future vet needs as they are a bit cheaper than southern. Good to know someone else uses them as well. We do have a fenced in yard. Just got done doing some minor fence fixing and stump removal for the future addition to the family. I am still doing crate research but I have found several really good priced crates on Ebay as well. And my wife has already been looking like crazy on etsy for the cutest collar. Edited August 29, 2013 by tyguy7760 Quote The Elders Family Ty Crystal Caleb Lizzie and Piper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I am still doing crate research but I have found several really good priced crates on Ebay as well. And my wife has already been looking like crazy on etsy for the cutest collar. Oh, yes, forgot about Ebay! Sounds like you're on top of things. And your wife will fit right in here. Piper is a beauty in her pics; I love her cow pattern. Hope you'll post again in the Intro thread when everything's official. Quote Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly Sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyguy7760 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Indeed. Thanks for the help. I'm trying to convince my wife on the new orleans saints collar...not being too successful at this stage Quote The Elders Family Ty Crystal Caleb Lizzie and Piper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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