How come treats not ok for under 5 lbs?
 

My little guy is my first toy dog and I've noticed when buying him dental treats that alot of them say not suitable for dogs under 5 lbs. how come?

They could be pieces in the food that are indigestible, and since a 5 pound dog has very small intestines, these pieces might cause a blockage, that wouldn't happen in bigger dog. All I know is if they warn you against it, heed the warning.

My guess is that they may choke or have some type of blockage issue if they do not chew well. We use to feed our Gabby Greenies for her dental treats,but one day she vomited so we no longer use.My wife Heide brushes Gabby's teeth now.

It sounds like you may be a new small or tiny dog-owner and if so, consider my story below. If you have long experience with tiny or very small dogs, you know all of this already, though but am posting just in case and for any future readers. I try to pass along the warning as often as I can. It is so awful when it happens to your dog - it kind of marks you for life.

Since I had a little 3 lb. grown Yorkie literally almost choke to death on a piece of chew she had bitten off and tried to swallow, I only allow my dog to chew on something I am holding onto by one end or he is within arm's reach and I am watching him constantly. If he gets near to biting off a piece, it gets removed from him, cut off and he may or may not want to start back chewing after that. He loves to chew and I don't want to deny him the pleasure he seems to get from it, but I am so careful. And I think the smaller the dog, the more likely they are to choke or have a blockage for a chew made for larger dogs. The one my dog almost died over did say it was for small dogs but she was tiny and when she bit off the end and tried to swallow it, it stuck tight with no air able to get past. She soon stopped breathing, passed out and I had to breathe for her as I drove her to the vet.

Thank you for your answers! Wow! I can't imagine if my little guy choked like that... The thought alone is terrifying!

It is so scary and in all the dogs I've had in this house with rescues and my own dogs, I had never had one choke until Jilly. It scared me to the point that I was pretty sure she was dead as we drove to the vet and got her in. Seeing your dog's eyes bulge out and suck in for the breath she cannot get until she passes out and stops trying is horrifying.

I had my doggie for only 2 weeks and she was chewing on a piece of rawhide and she started choking. It was HORRIBLE. I stuck my fingers down her throat and she puked it up. Thank God. I am now extremely careful when I give her anything to chew (no rawhide). I give her bully sticks that are harder to break off pieces. But I still take it away from her when it starts to get small and I do not let her chew anything unless I am right there watching her.

Is there any kind of chew stick that they can have that is ok for them? What about pig ears?

I tried pig ears and she got really runny poops from them. Way too greasy. The only way I can groom my dog is to give her a - I call them twizzle sticks - rawhide. They are wrapped sticks. I hold onto it with one hand and groom her with the other. I also only let her chew it for a couple of minutes. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't even feed her the rawhide if it wasn't for the grooming issue.

I also let her chew deer or elk antlers. I get her the split ones on ebay. They are really hard, don't splinter and she scrapes out the marrow. GREAT for cleaning their teeth. You can buy them at places like PetSmart, but they charge like ten bucks for ONE. I have gotten them from 2 different sellers on ebay. I get a bag of them. One split hard antler lasts weeks. I just got an order from the seller below:

items in dog chews store on eBay!

Here is another link. This seller's antlers are much fresher and softer. I usually talk to him on the phone and order that way. But I did have a problem with one of ones he sent in that it was very soft marrow and Beanie chewed it too fast and puked all over the place. So that is why I tried a batch from the first link.

Anyway, these are great. I leave my dog alone with the antler all day, and she chews it a bit on and off. For an extra treat, I boil it in some chicken broth. Then I add some of the broth to her water for extra nutrition because it has the marrow in it.

Oops, sorry, I forgot to add the second link:

Large Dog Chews, Medium Dog Chews items in Antler Dog Chews Michigan Antler Ar store on eBay!

Just make sure that whatever you get is split.

No....

I give my boys Merrick Bully Sticks, I usually hold the stick while they are chewing.

For anyone who is going to give their dogs chew treats, please become familiar with these two articles:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/eme...uture-use.html


http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/eme...-maneuver.html

Keep in mind also that bits of these treats can become lodged in the intestine, and not cause a blockage, but can adhere to the intestinal wall and can cut off the blood supply to that area of the intestine, then the intestine will begin to die. This is life threatening to any dog, and surgery will not always fix this, as the gut will become septic, leading to septicemia (blood poisoning) in the dog/puppy. It can take weeks before you will notice anything is wrong with the dog, and by then, it's usually too late.

I almost lost my baby on Friday from a bully stick. It was one of the larger ones but somehow she got 3 pieces off and stuck in her esophagus. I did not even realize she had broke it off. I will not give them to mine anymore.

Bully sticks, unlike other chews, are 100% digestible, and while they can still get caught in the esophagus; they will not cause a blockage in the intestines. Dogs have an innate need to chew and it's also good for their teeth and gums, if you dog is a gulper, you should hold the stick while he's chewing on it and closely supervise what's he's doing.