A $334.00 dollar lesson
 

I have a puppy who is chewing on anything she can to get her gums to feel better. In order to give her something besides the woodwork to chew on , I got her a nylabone. She would be entertained for a while then drop it. I have a 4 year old Yorkie who loves to chew on his toys but he mostly will chew the ones with ropes on them. I didn't realize he had gotten a hold of her bone and ate it until I hear him vomiting. He was bringing up big chunks of the nylabone and was beginning to look like he was really feeling awful. He developed diarrhea and it was at that point that I took him to an emergency clinic. Fortunately he was not obstructed but had irritated his bowels. I am never one to wait it out and because he just looked so uncomfortable I was not taking any chances. (Seems like it is always on a weekend when they are sick.) They did an x-ray of his abdomen gave him some fluids, antibiotics, antacid and sent him home on antibiotics and antacid. When doing some research on nylabone, after the fact, I found that the material does not show up on x-ray and read of many dogs dying from them. Just as a "heads up" if you give these to your dogs watch them closely and if they bite off pieces throw it out. They are not worth risking your babies health on.

So glad to have the heads up. None of my dogs would/will chew them so we are okay. Jilly was my biggest chewer but even she wouldn't touch a Nylabone. GTK this info. Thanks for the post. Sorry it was so costly to you and your little boy, though. And I know what you mean about getting sick on the weekend. Tibbe is fine M-F until 7:00 p.m. Friday night. From 7:00 p.m. Friday night and Monday at 7:30 a.m. - those are the only hours he tends to vomit or get gas or cough. Daytime during the week - he's just fine, thank you. My plumbing and sewer are on his wellness/sick schedule as well. Never have a daytime M-F plumbimg or sewer issue. Last flush Friday night - Oh no!!! Glub-glub.

I have heard this from other owners and understand that Nylabones can be dangerous. I do have one for Princess Sophie but she only gets to chew on it when she's in my arms. She loves it, hasn't gotten anything off if it and it will be taken away when I see any trace of permanent bite marks on it.

I'm really sorry that you learned this the hard way and that your pup was injured by it. I certainly agree with you about the potential danger of these chews but I feel with appropriate supervision, they can provide comfort for teething puppies. They have for ours at least.

Thanks for the heads up, people do need to be aware of the possible danger and I hope your puppy feels better really soon!! Blessings!

Wow.....you must have a major chewer! I am glad to hear that he is doing ok! I have never had a dog chew up a chew toy or bone before. Thank goodness you caught it in time!

Glad to hear that he is alright, costly, but alright...I have never given my lil one a nylabone...or the braided ropes....read on here that they were not good for them....she gets her bully sticks to chew on during the weekend when I am home to watch her and that's it besides her treats...or homemade chicken jerkey...yaaaaa I'm a picky momma :p

I am sorry to hear about your little chewer. Glad he is ok.

Sorry your boy got a hold of it and got so sick. I'm glad he is alright and I hope he is feeling much better soon!!

Was this the rubber/plastic non-edible nylabone or the edible ones?

I've never had any issues with the edible ones but it does have a warning on the label with the non-edible ones that they are not for adult dogs and should never be given to an adult as they can cause problems like your boy went through as it is not meant to be digested, just chewed on.

I have both types for my cocker puppy but she only gets them when supervised as she is teething like crazy. My yorkies could care less about the non edible one but they do try to steal the edible ones.

I've been a long time user of the blue flexible dental nylabones and I have never had a problem. I buy a larger sized nylabone so that it cannot be bitten off in chunks. I would rather use these than to risk byproducts like bully sticks that often harbor pathogenic bacteria / mold and are often of questionable origin from companies I don't trust. I also am not comfortable with natural bones after spending $1500 on a broken premolar. You're right that supervision is of the utmost concern, unless one is completely confident. My dog has access to his nylabones at all times and has for nearly 13 years now. I'm sorry that your dog had a problem and I am glad that all is on the mend. I hope you find something more suitable if your dog enjoys chewing.

I am sorry you went through this...and am happy to hear that your pup will be ok.

As for the Nylabones....I have also used them for many years without any issues and not one of my pups have ever bitten a piece off. BUT...I purchase only the Durahard Nylabones. They are virtually indestructible.

WOW! how scary. Im glad that your boy is ok. None of my dogs like Nylabones,,unless you smear peanut butter on it and then all they do is clean it off. I goth tired of stubbing my toes on them around here and they are already gone. Thank you for posting of the danger of them.

Thanks for all the well wishes. He seems to be ok now. He is a major chewer and I never would have given it to him. He took it and hid under the bed. Wonder if he's learned anything? Lol. It was the non-edible gummy type bone. Que Tee loved it and would have been fine with it but my little destroyer can rip bricks off the side of a building. I had the pup in her ex-pen with it and he was able to get his paw through the bars until he got it out. He rips stuffed toys apart and de-stuffs them in a matter of minutes. The tuff chew ones to him aren't even a challenge. He can chew through a fire hose! He probably would have done ok but I just couldn't risk taking a chance even though it cost me over $300 to have peace of mind. It just would have been a lot cheaper if it had happened 24 hours earlier.

Your poor Widget and my heart goes out to you, too. It has been a scary couple of days. I never thought Widget would chew something like this, and I definitely think this is a very important message for people to here. These are the photos you sent that Widget managed to heave up. They must have really hurt him. Widget is going to get a reputation here. Not only is he a toy hoarder, but he rips things with his bare teeth. He's such a sweet boy, though, and he's also so happy. Thankfully, Widget is okay but your message is one of utmost importance.

OMG how scary for you!! Poor Widgit, looking at that pic Lisa posted, poor little guy had to be in some major discomfort. I'm glad he is ok.

wow.. you have had a year with dogs to the vet! Don't you have shih tzu that has some issues?

Thanks for the warning, I do use them but like Cathy I get the larger ones. My sammy is so toy and bone aggressive I don't give much without suppervision.

Glad your pup is ok..that is what is most important

I'm so sorry about your experience, but glad she is ok. I had given Mylee a nylabone once and she was able to get chunks chewed off too, and she had one of the really hard ones and was able to chew off pieces of that as well, but not as big as the softer nylabone, so we don't care for them either. She is a crazy chewer!

It really seems nothing is 100% safe. Even when you think you've puppy proofed everything something out of the blue you never dreamed of can happen. You know those rope toys you mentioned? I almost lost a cat strangling to one of those when a string (a tiny single thread strand :mad:) came loose. He then got to playing with it and got tangled in that loose string. So now I don't like those as play toys either. I am super paranoid over everything anymore.

I am so glad your baby is okay!

My boys are very heavy chewers and I can't trust them alone with anything. I have to hold them when they have any kind of chew.

One day I am going to video a Dura Hard Nylabone being slammed at with a hammer and chisel. I have actually done it to prove to myself that they are virtually indestructible. I could not bang a piece off....so while once in a while I see someone claim their pups have chewed a piece off I really have to wonder if it was indeed a Durahard one. Not saying anyone lies, but they really are VERY VERY hard. Nylabone makes a lot of different items..and yes, some can have pieces chewed off of them.

I don't know if it was the Dura Hard kind, but it was the hard pink wish bone she got as a GE gift. She had the rounded edges of the bone chewed up like shreaded rubber and I could pick little pieces from what she chewed off with my finger nail.

Shelly, someone PMd me and said that it sounded like I was calling you a liar....I would NEVER do that...EVER. If you felt that way as well, I am SO sorry!!!! I only posted what I did because those things are unbelievably hard and someone one day after I said that told me she was not sure hers was a Durahard one. They are SO hard...I really think they might be hazardous to the teeth honestly.... I just take the risk with them because I refuse to give anything edible to my pups to chew on.

I do hope you don't think I was saying you were not being honest. :( :( I just don't like people to think they are so hazardous like that because I don't believe they are. Of course anything is possible ... and as others have said, supervision is very important.

I looked it up and it is Dura Chew....they can put tiny scratches in them...but I have never heard of chunks coming off.

Oh gosh, Jackie! What an ordeal! I am so glad that he is okay! Never a dull moment, huh? I bet Maddie and Libby could have chewed up that nylabone too! Such little stinkers. Hugs to you!

Just a heads up on this product:
Wellness Center - Health Alerts

Nylabone Warning



Is your dog biting off more than he can chew?



From a Seattle news station investigation

One of the most trusted names in dog chews is Nylabone. For 40 years they've made some of the most popular dog chews.

But there is growing evidence that some of their product lines - like one made from a gummy material - could be harmful, even fatal, to your dog.

At the Renton veterinary hospital, Gail Scott, Manager, has declared some chew toys off-limits. "I gave this one to my own dog," she said, holding up a Nylabone plaque attacker. "He had broken the whole end off and it was going down this throat. But I retrieved it quickly and of course took it away from him," "Had it been swallowed, probably within days, this could have been lodged somewhere in the intestinal tract and probably had to be retrieved surgically."

But even surgery couldn't save Timber. It was only after the champion Alaskan malamute died in Virginia that a vet discovered a chunk of plaque attacker lodged in his stomach.

In Texas, the same fate was in store for Rambo, a little poodle. The vet retrieved two pieces of what appeared to be Nylabone products, after Rambo's agonizing death. "What really got me is when the vet told me he screamed, and then died," said Harvey Hannah, Rambo's owner. Virginia attorney Debra Corcoran said she's uncovered more than a hundred cases where dogs may have been injured or killed after swallowing Nylabone products.

Rambo's x-ray highlights another problem. Nylabones don't show up on X-rays, so vets, like Rambo's can't tell what's making the dog sick.

"When it hung up - the intestine keeps moving - so it kind of knotted up like an accordion," the vet said.

She blames the company's line of flexible chew toys. They're marketed under names like Gumma-Bone and Plaque Attacker.

Some vets say they're made of an indigestible material, and plaque attacker has a knobby surface that can lodge in the digestive tract.

The KING 5 Investigators have obtained a half dozen letters Nylabone sent to customers whose dogs were injured. The company calls the cases "...most unusual..." or an "...isolated incident..." In a letter to KING 5, Nylabone said "...the Plaque Attacker (registered trademark) is safe ... however, all polymer dog chews, regardless of manufacturer, can present problems when they are inappropriate in size or have become old and worn."

Attorney Debra Corcoran is now preparing a class-action lawsuit, but some people who've lost their pets want quicker action from Nylabone, whose products can be found in pet shops just about anywhere.

"Take it off the market - or at least change your packaging and put on
warning labels," asked Harvey Hannah, Rambo's owner.





Nylabone Alternatives - Safe Natural Treats for Your Pet

Read more about the dangers of Nylabone

I have used the durahard Nylabones for yrs but did buy a gummy/rubbery one for my Sparky when he was a pup & my ShepX ate it & pooped it out. Thankfully it was the smallest one they make & she was big enough that it didn't cause a blockage. The Durahard can be seen on X-ray but the gummy/rubbery ones cannot. My wolfhound has gotten the large durahard nylabones basically shaved down to nearly nothing but the end left so I now watch for that & take them away before he can choke on it. The only problem I have really had with the durahard is that lillymae broke a tooth off on 2 occasions with it. I hope your baby will pass all the chunks that were chewed off. If there is any more symptoms that there may be a problem , your vet can & most likely will do barium x-rays & that will show where the chunk is lodged as the barium will stop at that point.

Oh my! How scary! Glad to hear Widget is ok!

That's what I read about the nylabone and greenies!!!!! Im giving them all natural treats I boil some chicken and Im opting to not buy anything over the counter anymore.

glad everything turned out ok

Glad to hear everything turned out okay... how scary and sad to read about Rambo. What a horrific story.

Poor Widget