[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by shawnzeppi

I just read though the entire string and no one really tried to answer this other than Jane:



If you take that advise literally (and admittedly that is paraphrasing from the instructions on the packaging) nylabones in my house would last about 10 minutes. The manufacturers obviously have to be very careful about what they state on their packaging, because of the potential for disastrous press and of course litigation in even extremely rare instances. I think a better amount of damage indicating that replacement is necessary, is when the bone gets to be about 2/3rds of its original size, i.e., the ends are eaten away.

Although there could be some enhanced risk of choking vs. removal at the first sign of damage, I believe the risk is extremely minimal. This is after using the nylabone produces for many years.

Everyone knows their pets better than anyone else, and this is a risk based decision. As long as you keep an eye on your guys I personally don’t believe the bones need to be removed at the first sign of damage. My little girl is also an aggressive chewer at times, and it would make no sense for me to replace these expensive chew toys that are important for keeping their teeth clean and avoiding damage to furniture etc., at the first sign of missing material. Any eaten away bits are supposed to pass harmlessly through them, of course individual dogs could have medical conditions that could make that an unacceptable hazard.

My guys are not interested in the super hard plastic product, only the transparent type of nylabone that has a much higher strain rate.

Ya, I wait until the rounded ends are pretty much chewed off. I've watched my Akita (who is a very strong chewer) chewing hers and noticed that she is only able to get the teenie tiniest slivers off even if it is getting ragged looking and I've been giving her them for 3 yrs. and never had a problem at all. I'd say on average I replace it every 4 months, and that's for a dog with huge strong teeth who chews on it everyday. I use the strongest ones they make.