Trachea chew anyone?
 

Do you give them to your fur butts & where do you get them? Read that they're a good source of chondroitin & glucosamine, good for healthy joints. What is the texture like when they chew on it? Does it get leathery like bully sticks or do they just chip off? Do they smell? Are they safe to give? Mine have tried bully sticks, himalayan chews & antlers. Texas toothpicks too, but I didn't know the bones come out in small pieces. They left it all over the floor, I got scared (choking hazard) & didn't give it to them again, but they sure loved it! There's also pig snouts but I don't think I can give it to them...ewwww lolll!

Mmmmmm! I've considered getting the trachea from BestBullySticks but I'm not sure how long it would last so I'm also interested if anyone else has tried those. And I can't do any treats that look like animal parts (pig snouts are a definite NO lol)!

I was at a local pet store and they had a canister of salmon skin rolls which I thought would be a nice omega-3 rich treat for Toki but they smelled horrendous and I just couldn't do it! Bully sticks are about as stinky as I can stand :) There are certainly a lot of interesting chew options like dried heart chunks and lung puffs though!

We tried trachea from Bestbullysticks and Callie choked on one and she is not a rapid chewer she is very dainty and it scared the crud out of me so I threw them all away. There was also a story about another member a while back who tried them and she had a choking incident to.

Count me out but here's a link:

Only Natural Pet Beef Trachea Dog Chews

I wouldnt do ears, snouts, or hooves-friend's dog had a blockage and had to go to the emergency vet.

I don't see how those trachea chews can be dangerous - they don't swell with moisture like rawhides do - and I've given them to my dogs before. The only reason I don't give them anymore is because they don't last for more than 10 minutes! Natural things like hooves or ears work better for my dogs, but I still prefer real meaty bones for chew toys. Dogs on the prey model diet get their chewing done with their meals :)

Well she definitely choked on it and there was a story posted maybe a year ago maybe a little less then that about her dog choking on them.

I guess a small dog can choke on about anything. Tibbe just barely gets to chew on anything anymore and I pretty much have him in my lap and holding one end when he does. After Jilly's choking/stopping breathing, I got really cautious, relaxed that a bit when got Tibbe & then after reading some stories, got really cautious again.

A dog can choke on any kind of chew

The reason it was such a big deal to me was because Callie never chokes on any bones because of how dainty a chewer she is it was a major shock.

I have had too many issues with those chew's, I stay clear away from them now.

This was the thread I was referring to http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...try-these.html

Im sure it was I said they cant choke on any kind of chew because someone said they didnt believe they could choke on these chews. They caN choke on anything that can be chewed to pieces and could go down there throat

Jilly at only 3 lbs. was always a dainty chewer though she was persistent and then one day, gulp, she tried to swallow the tied end of one of those barbell-looking small chew bones of rawhide about 3 1/2" long. It was just large enough to lodge in her throat, which swelled around it and cut off her breathing entirely - well, I could force in air but she couldn't.

That's scary. I try to avoid things with the knots they scare me.

I'm go glad I asked here 1st b4 buying it. TY everyone for your input...I sure don't want to get anything that can be a choking hazard, I've went through a couple close calls w/Momo & almost had a coronary along w/it! They do ok w/out chews, just thought I'd treat them to one since it's been awhile. If I decide to, I'll probably stick w/himalayan chews. Didn't have any problems w/those & they don't stink & r not messy. Thanks again:)

I always buy bully sticks from Best Bully and I saw the trachea product on their website. They did look brittle so I didn't want to try it. Gracie loves her bully sticks and they are hard enough that she cannot bite a piece off. She just softens up the ends. I have looked at several of their other chew products and have not seen anything that I would give her. I know people have their objections to bully sticks but the Best Bully brand are the safest chew product I have been able to find. I buy the regular thickness 12" length. She looks pretty funny carrying it around at first since it is as big or bigger than she is but I think she likes the challenge.

Mine LOVE bully sticks, but I don't like the smell (even the non smelly ones stink to me) & how messy they get. Reasons I only gave it to them b4 their baths. They become obsessed, eyes glazed over & even chewing their mustache hair along w/it loll! I just got the honest kitchen Beams today, it's dried catfish skins...I had forgotten that I ordered them. It's probably gonna be super stinky & not going to last even a min!

Boy, I learned the hard way about those things since it almost killed Jilly. Never have had any of those in my home since the day after she came home from the vet after almost choking to death. She was so dainty in how she chewed her chewies and things, though she would persistently keep at her chewing for an hour or two at a time or longer, I never ever thought she would attempt to swallow the whole bulbous end. Sure made me aware of how dangerous chews can be after her incident. And it's hard, since doggies so love to chew!

Tibbe is not a big chewer but he has his moments. So when he starts chewing on a piece of his rawhide rectangles that he plays with and hides, I just get him and put him in my lap, hold one end and let him chew a while. But he may only chew once every 3 or 4 months. Jilly would chew forever - I had to take her chewies from her for fear she was making her gums and tongue raw. She was obsessive about it at times so I could never leave a chew down for her when I was leaving home and had to search the house to be sure none were out before leaving for fear she would chew for hours and hurt herself. But after she choked, I bought only those rawhide rectangles and held them for her.

The thing w/bully sticks is that it's 100% digestible (I don't know how it can be when it's all slippery & leathery!) but rawhide is not. Mimi swallowed a big chunk of raw hide when she was a pup & I was worried sick for days but luckily she was fine. I have no idea if it's still in there or she passed it. So no more rawhide. I take any chew away if it's reached about 2". I've had too many close calls w/Momo almost choking. Taking the chew away from him is a challenge! He runs away from me & I have to corner him in a room w/ the door closed. Even then, he won't let go of his chew lolll! I need to take out the nail clipper & act like I'm going to clip his nails & then he'll let it go. He knows the 'drop it' command, but he will ignore it. I just gave them the beams & they love it! Got the 12" ones, so I cut 1 up in little pieces & gave it to them. It's really chewy, Mimi & Princess chewed it like it's gum lolll. Such funny girls, they always smell their food b4 they eat it & actually enjoys tasting it. Whereas the boys just gulps it down. The smell is not too bad, it is fishy but doesn't reek.

You know I use to love giving Pnut those chew sticks until a texas toothpick set off his pancreantits, and a bully stick got him sick for a couple days! My Vet told me bacteria can be on those chew sticks and can upset their tummies!!

Just becareful Jenny, The day I pulled all of his chew sticks is the day he forgot about them!!

Laughing like a nut at that picture I have of you and Peanut, each wanting that chewie! Boy we've all been there many times trying to artfully get things from them and them determined we won't!

During Gracie's first year she was an obsessive chewer. She would search for plastic, wood, paper, leather and other things to destroy. I know she just needed to chew but I would not let her have rawhide. Have had a couple of vets tell me how they can sit in the stomach undigested and cause problems or even cause obstructions. Anything a dog puts in their mouth is a potential problem but rawhide has a huge reputation for being undigestable. I was so worried that Gracie would hurt herself with some of the things she would find to chew. She would even get up on end tables to find things, she got into closets and purses. She had no bounds! I read about bully sticks here and bought some at a local store. She loved them but they were way too soft and made a mess and she did get a minor case of diarrhea.

Decided to try the Best Bully brand I also read about here. As I said, I buy a size that is bigger than her. The brand is much harder than the other brands I tried. When I first gave her one she chewed for over an hour and i took it from her. She only got some of one end softened but I did not want her to get sick. Well, over time I have found them to be very safe and she has never had a case of diarrhea with them. She is a grown up now an does not need to chew nearly as much as she used to....but she has her moments. It takes her a long time to chew down a regular sized 12" stick. I throw away the last 3" to 4". If someone has problems with them getting too soft or your dog chewing a bully stick apart I would suggest getting a thicker larger size that comes from a company that does not sell the softer sticks.