I have been SO afraid I was going to have to change Sabaka's food because he has been having terrible gas and a few loose stools. Hello...ding, ding, ding...I think it's the rawhide! I got rid of his rawhide bone and he hasn't had gas all day. Sadly, rawhide has been his favorite chew toy. He has the puppy Nylabone, a Kong, tug ropes, some other rubber things and some squeaky balls. He does not like the Kong at all. I think he only chews the Nylabone because that's all we give him to play with in his crate. I thought the Everlasting Treat Ball was the answer to a fun-time crate activity. Give me credit for another brain-dead moment...that thing is FOOD and includes many ingredients I do not feed him. I think it was also making him have bad poops!

I would LOVE your recommendations for chew bones and also safe, entertaining crate toys.

Thanks!

I know it's on the pricey side, but I found that Ziwipeaks deer antler, the one that's cross-cut to expose the marrow, is the ONLY bone she really has ANY interest in. She doesn't like rawhides, beef doesn't seem to sit well with tummy, and nylabone can sometimes be too hard that they can break their teeth.

You can also try freezing peanut butter or yogurt in the Kong and see if he'll like his Kong...Ginger looked at her Kong confused as if to say, 'what is it supposed to do??' But I put yogurt in it and froze it and she sat there with her Kong between her paws and went at it until the yogurt was gone. And iff you get yogurt with live cultures in it, it'll give him probiotics that's healthy for his digestive system...

I have frozen peanut butter mixed with some kibble inside the Kong before. I should try yogurt. I always feel bad about leaving him in his crate with a glob of peanut butter and no water, so I only give him that when I'm here.

I second antlers. Nikolai lurrrrrrves them. We also give frozen marrow bones (cow femurs). Have you tried any toys from West Paw Design? The Hurley or Tux might be good for Sabaka. They're super tough and not food...

Antlers last a really long time (we're still working on the first - 4 months now). Best place I've seen to buy them (that I've seen) is: http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-toys/antler-chews.html

Oh, and we also give (and really like) Himalayan Dog Chews. They're made from Yak/Cow milk, salt and lime. They last about as long as the everlasting treat ball treats, but they're in a stick form. They are food, but it's only 3 ingredients.

I was just talking with claudia today about the antelers and how much they cost, sure you all with one dog its all good at $20 but there is NO way I could only buy one and have peace in the home or I could buy 2 and with my luck they just sit around... I think the idea of them are good and I say give it a try.

$20...$40...it's all better than the cost of new chair legs or sofa cushions!

I might browse thru my favorite local pet shop today. I know they have some antlers. I'll compare their price to the website plus shipping. I gotta get more training treats anyway... And I thought kids were expensive!

Are you guys comfortable leaving an antler in the crate with your dogs??

They don't have sharp points or anything.

If you write to Ziwipeaks and tell them how you've heard of their product helping with other dogs on the forum you belong to and ask for a sample to try since your local store doesn't carry trial packs, they may send you a trial bag of dog food, and a couple of antlers.

Val, Kristina and myself have written to Ziwipeaks, and have received at the very least a trial back of their dog food and 1 dear antler. It takes a while before you receive anything and it may be a week before you get a response back to your initial note, but it is worth the wait!

In my sample pack, I received 2 bags of Venison Dog Cuisine, each weighing 2.2 lbs, and I got 3 deer antlers, one was a cross cut antler exposing the marrow which Ginger really likes when she gets bored or hungry....

Check out the topic, 'We Love Ziwipeaks' - You'll see Val's and my sample packs that were sent.

You can also check out [url=naturalk9supplies.com]naturalk9supplies.com[/url]. If you use BARK10 as the coupon code, it's an additional 10% off the already discounted price. They have medium deer antlers for $8.99:

http://www.naturalk9supplies.com/Dog-Treats/ziwi-peak-deer-antler.aspx

Natural K9 Supplies is where I get 90% of Ginger's food and treats because it's at least 15-20% off the retail price in my local pet store, and with the additional 10% off that, it sure helps on the wallet.

Backtracking a bit - yes, we happily leave Nikolai in his crate with his antler. It doesn't chip or splinter or get soft/sticky with chewing, it doesn't leave any sort of residue behind... really, it's the best thing we've found.

As has been said, deer antlers are excellent chews and very long lasting.

Raw marrow bones make good chews but those should only be given under supervision and taken away when stripped as they are heavy weight bearing bones that can cause cracked and chipped teeth so use them with caution and never give them without close supervision.

Other things that are good, edible chews are bully sticks and also Nylabone Healthy Edibles. Both are fully digestible chews but they do not last as long as antlers. The Nylabone Healthy Edibles are a hit with my boy but they always made his stool soft so I stopped giving them. Bully sticks are a littler pricier but they are a fantastic chew (if you can get past the smell and knowledge of what they are ) and they last anywhere from 30 minutes to several days with my sibe depending on his mood and desire to eat/chew.

You can find a lot of great chews here:
Best Bully Sticks

They have good prices and sell antlers, bully sticks, and so many other different treats and chews to choose from!

we get the bully sticks at costco 12 for $20 some last days! and some less then 30min

The Costco bullies are the cheapest I've found, however the Costco bullies are treated with irradiation which is not what most would prefer and irradiation is one of those controversial practices although it is extremely common. I personally recommend and prefer non-irradiated products but I will admit that I do buy the Costco bully sticks when they bring them in.

Jenn, does your Costco sell Bully sticks year round? I've only ever seen them at Costco once back when I was living in FL and they took them away after several weeks and I haven't seen them brought back again.

Yep our Costco has had them year round but this is only my 2nd bag i have bought as i just happen to have $20 laying around for the dogs where does it say that it is irradiated on the bag?

keeps sounding to me like you all need to move to CO

LOL I think so too! You've had grain free Kirkland food there for how long now? and we haven't seen in show up in stores in FL or SC at all yet! I think Costco is anti-east coast.

Bummer on the Costco... we don't have a Costco here.

Since the bully sticks are beef, do you suppose they will cause the gas that the rawhide does?

I was all fired up to stop at the pet store, when I realized the one I wanted to go to is closed on Monday. Another bummer...

I'll check out these online shops later tonight when all the kids' practices are over. Right now I'm taking a 30-minute break from my 3:00-7:30 taxiing job!

Thanks everyone!

I would stop by someplace local and pick up a small pack of bully sticks to try. Some places sell them individually or in small 3 packs. It may cost more than ordering online but at least it would give you a small amount to try before turning to online ordering where you might buy in bulk if it suits you. Does Sabaka eat any other beef products besides rawhides? I wouldn't expect bully sticks to result in gas but you won't know unless you try it.

For what it's worth, my sibe who cannot handle any beef except in raw form does just fine on bully sticks, no gas or stomach upset. But my sensitive chi, Faith, who also cannot tolerate beef except in raw form gets instant diarrhea from bully sticks.

I think it'll just be trial and error.

I won an antler in a gift basket. I was soooo happy! lol. It's a big one too. Siku and Elara chew on it from time to time, but they don't go crazy for it or anything. Pretty much treat it like their nylabones. But it does last a long time. I've had it for over 5 months (got it before we got Elara just don't remember when) and they've only taken about an inch at most off the tip and they've chewed on it alot.

Bully sicks did give Siku gas. I like giving them mozzles though.

I've had a couple of busy days, so yesterday Bob stopped at the pet store that IS open on Mondays to get training treats for our puppy class tonight and they carried elk antlers. They are not cross-cut to expose the marrow, but I think Sabaka liked it. He gnawed on it until he knocked a baby tooth loose and had blood everywhere! I filled his Kong with frozen kibble and peanut butter for his crate time today. Now I have a mixture of pumpkin, yogurt and kibble freezing for tomorrow.

Spoiled doggie....

My update on chewing:

The elk antler that was NOT cross-cut is now being ignored. It was really only interesting the first day he had it. I think it is rather hard for his loose baby teeth and newly erupting permanent teeth. Perhaps he'll enjoy it later...

I gave him a bully stick to keep him entertained at a lacrosse game. Wow! What a hit! However...I had to explain to all may friends and various small children what that stick was that was keeping the normally hyper dog SO entertained...
They are pricey and I had to throw away so much of it for fear that he would choke on it. I think he may have had a little more gas than normal during the few days that he chewed the bully stick. He often graces us with a few "clouds" per day!!

This weekend I got him a cross-cut antler. That made a huge difference! I think he really enjoys chewing on it. It was worth the price @ $10 for a medium sized split antler from a local pet shop.

He's also been enjoying various combinations of yogurt, pumpkin and peanut butter frozen in his Kong as a treat while in his crate during the day. I still might look into the West Paw Design Tux to use like the Kong. I had thought to get another Kong so I could have one frozen all the time, but maybe I'll try something else for variety.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I welcome any others...

"Ahhhhh....contentment!!!"

Huzzah!! I'm glad you found some things that work!! The West Paw Design Hurley (long, sort of bone shaped) is also good - it's light, sort of soft, bounces, floats, but it's SUPER tough, as in it was recommended to me by my friend who trains police dogs who tear through black Kongs in a matter of minutes...

He may have excessive fat intake from raw hide. Excessive fat intake can cause the terrible smell and gas. You may change the food to dog food with more protein and less fats.