Raw Bones

 Your not feeding it her as a meal right? So every other day or at least 3 times a week?

Heck I'd give it to mine everyday if it didnt break and they enjoyed chewing on it.

Well, no not a meal but tonight I did consider that her dinner because it was new and there was quite a bit of meat and fat on it.  But, no usually after the first time they are just to chew. 

THANKS.  I was just wonderin' if I needed to give it so much in order for it to work. 

We give rec bones nightly.  I usually use either beef shanks or knuckle bones.  They get them for an hour each night.  All four of my big dogs can & will eat lamb bones without problems.  If you aren't planning on feeding Willow bone meals, you might want to look for a different type of bone for her.

Up until Gibby got sick I was giving him marrow bones but took out the marrow.....always meant to try to get him used to eating some of the marrow but with his touchy tummy...I never did. If I could find knuckle bones I would get those but they just are not to be had anymore around where I live.     Gibby usually chewed on the raw bone in the early morning while I was getting ready to go to work..... so that was about 30 minutes. I put it back in the fridge until the next work day and since I usually work 3 days I would used the same bone all three and then on Friday when I am off I would give it back to him after breakfast.   He has a bunch of bones laying around and gnaws on them during the day for a while here and there. They are all dry now....and eventually when I get tired of stepping on them I throw away a bunch of them.

Thanks guys.  I did look at beef bones tonight too but they only had two left and they were so small.   But, I do plan on trying one when I can find them.  I have a feeling though, she's not going to like how hard it is and she'll sit there licking the middle and that will be that. 

 Do you have any kind of butcher near you? Those NV bones are SOOOO expensive. I get leg bones from cows slaughtered that day, for like $5 per bone, cut into my specs (that's a lot of bones for the little girls, for $5ish).

I usually give them something like that, once a week, and bully sticks, booda bones, etc in between. 

brookcove

Can she have any raw meat?

I'm not really sure Becca.  She has had two lamb bones with no troubles at all.  And, I'm not sure if it's my imagination or what but her teeth do look a little bit better. 

I refroze the lamb bone from last night so I'll probably give it to her tonight or tomorrow night again. 

I also got her a SENIOR kong, LOL!  She's not really into it but I'm really trying anything to get her chewing on something. 

The vet said she's got some pretty bad dental issues and she really needs a dental.  But, I'm so worried about her with her illness and anesthesia.  She's only gone under once and that was 6 years ago. 

willowchow

The vet said she's got some pretty bad dental issues and she really needs a dental.  But, I'm so worried about her with her illness and anesthesia.  She's only gone under once and that was 6 years ago. 

 

I hear ya Lori....and don't blame you in the least.   Bubby got sick not long after her dental.....and I just am working overtime to keep Gibbys teeth from needing one.  We'll see.

On the other hand... bad teeth/gums cause health issues....... so we're darned if we don't and darned if we do!

I know Dyan.  She's stable right now and part of me wants to run her in there now while everything is good.  Then part of me is like NOOOOOO she's doing so well what if something happens????  It's hard and her vet understands it's not the money or time to take her or anything like that.  It's just my mind thinking God, you got her thru a possibly fatal illness last year just to possibly loose her to a dental cleaning???  It's crazy thoughts like that in my head. 

Can you brush her teeth at all, Lori? I don't know what is Willow safe, and what isn't, but I've had GREAT luck with the Petzlife gel and spray, and the Petrodex enzyme toothpaste is pretty good, too. I give Ena CET chews, but  haven't gotten the toothpaste, because that's not on Em's ok list. I've also heard REALLY good things about the water additives you get at pet stores. I know you have to be super careful about what you give her, though. I've never tried the additives, because I'm sooo nervous about new things.

 It probably takes, depending on the dog, at least three hour long chewing sessions a week to reduce tartar buildup. It takes a while at that rate (we're talking a couple months) - just be patient since it's super important that Willow not have any sudden changes. Probably if her teeth don't look terrible after six years (ie, the vet practically demanding she come in for a dental! ) - that will be sufficient long run too.

The lamb bones are fine if you want to stick with those. If you aren't comfortable with her crunching up the bone, switch to something harder (venison, bison, beef, elk). A large bone is fine - I think Nature's Variety offers bison bones. Those are kind of fun. Look around if you have different stores that stock the NV bones. Or look in the grocery store for soup bones.

jennie_c_d

Can you brush her teeth at all, Lori? I don't know what is Willow safe, and what isn't, but I've had GREAT luck with the Petzlife gel and spray,

Hi Lori!

Chewing on frozen stuff provides teeth cleaning benefit, you could even freeze chicken broth cubes and feed them nightly.

Is anesthesia-free cleaning a possibility for your dog, in your area? Here's an interesting video about it. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1468350/dog_teeth_cleaning_with_no_anesthesia/

My dog doesn't normally care for chewing toys or dental chews, but she loves to work on the nubby dinosaurs nylabones makes: http://www.amazon.com/Nylabone-Dental-Dinosaur-Durable/dp/B000084E6V