Dog Treats

[Shadow945]

Originally Posted by ihartgonzo

As far as I'm concerned, NOTHING is better than raw meaty bones. Ingredients aside; watching my dogs eat them, I fail to see how these hard, plastic-like Bright Bites can even begin to clean the many crevices of a dog's teeth, particularly the front teeth and the canines. A raw meaty bone (especially knuckle bones) encourages the dog to use both their front and back teeth to nibble and tear off meat, as well as scrape the teeth clean on the tendons, cartilege and bone.

Honestly, I would not believe everything the standard Vet says... after all, they make loads of money with those yearly teeth-cleanings.

oh wow, those ARE really clean for a 7 year old. I guess you can't doubt the cleaning ability of bones after seeing that picture. But they can be a choking hazard. I've tried various treats for my dog - such as raw hide, bull sticks, and Bright Bites. They all seem to do a great job. I guess it's just a matter of how often you give it, and when during the day.

Are you giving your dog the bones daily?

[ihartgonzo]

Thanks. : ) He has really nice breath, too. If you come over, he will prove it to you! Lawl

I feed Raw meaty bones on a daily basis... the only bones they consume for meals are chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, and occasionally rabbit; which do keep teeth clean, but the BEST bone for scraping off plaque from all of the teeth, IMO, are beef knuckle bones. I don't feed any other type of beef bone. Knuckle bones are the joint (knee) of the cow, covered in connective tissue and cartilege. MOST of a knuckle is made up of completely edible cartilege that will not chip teeth or cause obstructions. The dog has to gnaw, pull, and tear at it and it does an amazing job at cleaning their teeth. The trouble with knuckle bones is when one does not supervise their dog, particularly when they don't know their dogs chewing style and/or their dog is not accustomed to raw bones... you want to take the knuckle bone away once the boney center is prominent. A knuckle bone will start out about the size of two fists; usually, once your dog has worn it down to palm-sized, it's time to throw it away. Check the knuckle regularly while your dog is chewing on it for the first time, feel for any boney prominences, and make sure your dog isn't chewing too vigorously. The main dilemma is when dogs are unsupervised and attempt to consume the beef bone; what breed are your dogs? It's usually larger breeds that try to devour hard beef bones. I would not worry about medium/small dogs choking on anything, as long as they are supervised. Dogs can choke on LOTS of things when unsupervised, after all.

I only feed knuckle bones once or twice a month. They are good for dogs, but I don't consider them a meal, just for teeth cleaning. I let my dogs have 15-20 minute, supervised sessions with a knuckle bone... then I take it away, rinse it off and put it back into the freezer until next time. They usually last a couple of sessions, and they cost about as much as a Bright Bite, with VASTLY greater results.

Here's a link:
http://www.sojos.com/giveyourdogabone.html

This is what a knuckle bone looks like. You can get them at butchers, and sometimes in the beef section of the grocery store. They are big, round, whiteish/pink and covered in meat and tissue. They're usually called either "knuckle" or "soup" bones:

[Shadow945]

Originally Posted by ihartgonzo

I only feed knuckle bones once or twice a month. They are good for dogs, but I don't consider them a meal, just for teeth cleaning. I let my dogs have 15-20 minute, supervised sessions with a knuckle bone... then I take it away, rinse it off and put it back into the freezer until next time. They usually last a couple of sessions, and they cost about as much as a Bright Bite, with VASTLY greater results.

Here's a link:
http://www.sojos.com/giveyourdogabone.html

This is what a knuckle bone looks like. You can get them at butchers, and sometimes in the beef section of the grocery store. They are big, round, whiteish/pink and covered in meat and tissue. They're usually called either "knuckle" or "soup" bones:

I don't see them listed on Sojos' website. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

How much are you typically spending on the knuckle bones? Bright Bites are about $50 for a 5 lb bag on Amazon.com.

I noticed from the picture that you give your dog the knuckle bone in the yard. Will it stain the floors if you give it indoors?

[Beanie]

A knuckle bone is raw meat and raw bone - so if you give it indoors you'll get the bacteria from the raw all over your floor. => You can do it, but you'll have to clean up afterwards. It's easier to just give it outside. The Sojo's site isn't to buy them, it has some great info in the Q&A on that link.


Do those of you who like to give knuckle bones also feed raw, or do you notice any difference in poop from giving the knuckle bone if you don't feed raw? I'd like to give Auggie one but he doesn't eat raw. I'm trying to figure out how to do it and not upset his little belly...

[ihartgonzo]

Beanie answered your question, Shadow. : ) You CAN feed raw bones inside, but it's best to make sure your dog stays on a towel, or newspaper, or in a bare crate, so you don't have to mop up the entire floor.

You can find knuckle bones at many grocery stores (sometimes they are behind the counter, so ask the butcher) or at butchers/meat shops. They're usually just $2 for 2 huge knuckles.

Beanie, I started feeding knuckle bones for teeth-cleaning a long time before I started feeding raw, when I was feeding all kibble. I would start with brief sessions... just 5-10 minutes here and there, rinse it off and put it back in the freezer. It really shouldn't make him sick, but it's better to start off slow.

[ACooper]

I pay .99 cents a pound for beef knuckle bones at the butcher shop (which normally add up to around 5 bucks for two if they are nice sized)............he sees me coming and grabs two out of the freezer every week, LOL

.99 cents a pound sounds WAY better than 50.00 for 5 lbs! (10.00 a lb for dog treats I don't spend that much on food/treats for US to eat!!)

Oh and Beanie, Orson has a VERY sensitive tummy/digestive track and beef knuckles do not affect him negatively. They get one a week and their poops are fine. I used to give two a week and found that it "bound" him up a little (made his poop way to rock hard and not easily passed).........so we backed off.

We do not feed RAW, I home cook and mix with Evo RM but the bones are for their teeth

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Shadow945

yeah the ingredients in Bright Bites don't SEEM to be good, but from what I've been told by a vet, it's very effective at cleaning and preventing gingivitis.

Vets say some pretty entertaining things at times (peanut hulls are GREAT for dogs here buy some SD...)

Greenies were a big blockage risk. I don't see why bones esp marrow and knuckle bones would be a choking hazard any more than any toy or chewie.

My dogs all eat raw, as in chicken frames, turkey necks, pork necks, tripe etc etc.

[Whisper]

Millie just had a Bright Bites treat this morning, but I don't buy them for her. It came in a bag of TOTW I just opened. Marrow bones have been fabulous for cleaning my dogs' teeth. Millie is 6 years old and her teeth look much like Gonzo's pearly whites. I used to brush my dogs' teeth religiously, but it hardly made any difference. After a while of marrow bones for their teeth the improvement has been great. Millie used to have yellowish teeth and they've done a complete 180. I can get a few packs of marrow bones for pretty cheap. They're about .49 cents a #.

Dogs have a much shorter, more acidic digestive tracts than us. Their teeth and digestive tract are made for ripping apart and digesting raw meat. The risk of salmonella and e. coli in dogs is not nonexistant, but it's much less.

Oh, and I take what a vet sats about nutrition with a grain of salt.

[Beanie]

Auggie says thank you all very much, because now I'm going to buy him a knuckle bone. =3

[Whisper]

I hope he likes it and it cleans his chops.