What *type* of bones that don't break/chip teeth???

just stay away from beef bones. Raw chicken wings do a far better job of teeth-cleaning and aren't very likely to break teeth.

Those knuckle bones are terrible. My husky broke and chipped teeth too. I don't give anythin that is hard like that anymore.

Most people hate rawhides but I've never had a problem.

Gander mountain sells pressed beef hide bones. They work really well.

My local feed store sells cow cheeks. You can get them in roll style or flat. The flat ones are vanilla flavored. My dogs LOVE these and they last a while. They are pretty soft and there's no risk at all of an obstruction. You might want to check your local feed store or check online. They are in such hot demand here in my area that they usually sell their stock out in just a few days of each shipment.

I have the same problem with my dogs. They try to consume everything and resulted in a chipped tooth. I tried giving rawhides and they get so slimey that one dog choked on a piece.

Aside from the cow cheeks ( I've never hear of or seen in my feed stores) are there other types of cow things that may be safer for them to "consume"? 

 

 OP...I'm so happy that you strarted this thread. I hope my questions help you too.  :)

I'd been wanting to ask this question for a while, but thought that I must be nuts. As everyone I read about feeds beef bones for recreational chewing.....well, not everyone, but a LOT of people recommend them.

I'm actually very frustrated by this, as I don't believe there IS a beef bone of any kind that's soft enough to not break a tooth on.

I do raw chicken wings like Mudpuppy suggested, or chicken necks and thighs.  There are also turkey necks for larger dogs.

stanton

I'd been wanting to ask this question for a while, but thought that I must be nuts. As everyone I read about feeds beef bones for recreational chewing.....well, not everyone, but a LOT of people recommend them.

I'm actually very frustrated by this, as I don't believe there IS a beef bone of any kind that's soft enough to not break a tooth on.

I don't believe there is. Not with dogs like ours that are so persistent with their chewing.  My daughter did bring home two toys for them the other day....two cow hooves each on that rope/knot thing/toy.  the hooves are hard, but do get slimey when chewed on.  I'm not praising the chewing gods just yet, but so far so good. They are able to consume it, and it softens up a bit to alleviate damage but not slippery enough to choke on a piece (so far).

Boy do they stink though!! 

I just gave them back to them today and Koda is actually chewing on the rope (which never happens...prob cuz it's so stinky!)  They both seem very satisfied.  I hope this is the ticket, I don't want to have to deprive them of chewing.

 

I've had good luck with raw beef rib bones  BUT  I always supervise.  More because Indie, my power chewer, gets through them very quickly and then can split them lengthwise to get at the marrow.  That's the point where I take them away because I worry about choking.  They've done a good job at keeping Indie's teeth sparkly white and Woobie's getting cleaner and cleaner.  He had alot of tartar from when he was on kibble.  Now he just has left over stains.  He doesn't chew like Indie does. 

I stay far away from the knuckle bones thanks to the chipped, cracked, broken teeth stories I've read here. 

I use the same types of raw bones that jenns suggested.  I also use bully sticks, moo tubes, and cows ears.  I've found a few places that offer dried, un cooked, rabbit's ears with the hide still on do a fantastic job of cleaning my chihuahua's teeth. 

Has anyone had problems feeding raw chicken wings to little aggressive chewers?? My chihuahua IS a power chewer, that's half the problem.

Also, can they be fed straight from the store or do I need to freeze them for a few days first, also with or without the skin??

No one with little dogs has had an issue with digestion have you?? I NEED something for sure, to help keep his teeth clean...as most of you know, it's the little dogs who's teeth tend to gunk up badly.

 I have no suggestions for tiny dogs but my dog can't have chicken or turkey so his main meaty bones are pork neck bones.  He is ridiculously strong but these seem quite soft (even when frozen LOL), they sound different than when I give him lamb bones which have a firmer sound to them.

In fairness though he has had no issues with a beef knuckle bone.  I don't give him ribs because he can stick the whole thing in his mouth which terrifies me.  He cracked a raw thick marrow bone as a pup and that was the end of that.

For pure recreation he has a chunk of deer antler and that seems a very safe chew - it is the only thing he has never crack/split open or been able to consume within minutes.

Cow hooves are very hard (and incredibly stinky) many people have had problems with them

I like moo tubes but not sure they do much for teeth - ymmv as Bugsy just crunches it up like a pretzel where as another dog might gnaw at it

  As everyone I read about feeds beef bones for recreational chewing.....well, not everyone, but a LOT of people recommend them.

big difference between "dental" chews and "recreational" chews- recreational chews are intended to occupy the dog for a long period of time and satisfy that urge to chew, not really intended to clean teeth or offer any kind of nutrition. Most recreational "chews" are risky and/or outright dangerous, particularly any of the non-edible so-called "chews" they sell like rubber or plastic or rope chews. Might kill your dog if he manages to ingest any of it. Probably your safest is a bully stick appropriately sized to your dog, or pressed rawhide. Kongs can be useful to occupy your dog but really very few dogs actually chew on them, they just lick at the opening; for most dogs, marrow bones fall into this "lick" category, for other dogs marrow bones are teeth-destroying items.  I'd skip everything else as dangerous to teeth or gut: greenies or any of the so-called "edible" artificial bones. cow hooves. non-pressed rawhide. any beef bone. any smoked bone. etc.

for maximum teeth cleaning, you want something the dog can get his teeth to SHEAR THROUGH while slicing the item into pieces for swallowing. Something soft but with a tough texture, i.e. meat. Soft meaty bones: young chicken parts. Young pig parts. Young goat and lamb parts. Chewing as is popularly thought of doesn't clean teeth anywhere near as well as using the back molars as meat cleavers the way they are designed to be used. I suspect big chunks of tough meat with no bones would work just as well.

raw beef rib bones have really helped clean Jules' teeth, along with the muscle chew/dehydrated thing I get at the feed store. He's a small dog, but can go through things much quicker than even Aesop can. He was set to have a dental this month, but his teeth are now nearly all the way clean

 

 

I feed beef bones but they are tossed at the point that there's little to no meat left on them.  Zhi eats these with no problem, and has no trouble with chipped teeth.

As a general rule, stay away from weight bearing bones in any commercial product, other than small poultry (duck/chicken/quail), and rabbit.  So you could try beef neckbones, oxtails, ribs, with caution.

Pork neckbones are my go-to bone for fun chewing.  They don't need close supervision as they are crunchy, not splintery, but take some time to get through, so it's a good workout for the gang.  And at anywhere from 88 cents a pound to a max of $1.19 a pound, I can buy them in the volume I need without going, "ouch." 

If you can find anything grass fed in your area, slowly grown animals are far, far, less prone to splintery bones.  Woot!  I just found TWO places to get rec bones, grass fed, by the pound - for $2 a pound!  I'll be, I hope, putting some of my friend's beef in the freezer too but it's nice to have that resource on hand, too, as I'll go through that fast.

Karen, the guy with the bones that is closest to you (the other is in VA), is Baldwin Beef - look for "stock bones."  But it looks like the calf order is a GO.  :)

mudpuppy

Chewing as is popularly thought of doesn't clean teeth anywhere near as well as using the back molars as meat cleavers the way they are designed to be used. I suspect big chunks of tough meat with no bones would work just as well.

 

  That may work for Jessie. She's allergic to chicken and pork so I give her beef rib bones. She has never damaged her teeth but they don't seem to do a great job cleaning off the tartar. I think I'll try your suggestion.