Good chew toys

[taysel]

My puppy is 14 weeks old today. We got to have an emergency trip to the vet yesterday morning after he had diarrhea all night. He had elevated levels of clostridium in his stool sample. We had given him a fresh bully stick Friday and assume that is what gave it to him. It was one of a pack from Costco and he LOVED the other sticks in the bag.

He has managed to chew his Nylabone products enough that I had to take them away from him. He loves getting peanut butter out of his Kong but unless it's filled with food he has no interest in it.

I'm afraid to give him antlers or bully stick products now after our vet trip. I'm also afraid of them being too hard for his puppy teeth.

Any suggestions for a good chew toy that doesn't have a chance of breaking his teeth, making him sick, or being destroyed quickly?

Thanks!

[ArchieSit]

Have you tried freezing the Kongs? Here's what I do --- soak his regular kibble in water until it's mushy. I also add a dollop of yogurt or peanut butter and some freeze dried treats (like liver). Shove a baby carrot in the small end to seal and stuff the Kong with the mixture. Freeze overnight. We have four Kongs, so always have at least one frozen one. When Archie has one, I subtract some of his dinner to account for it.

Both of mine liked Himalayan chews as younger pups, but yours sounds like a more intense chewer, so I'm not sure. May be worth a try, though. They are not as hard -- I won't give them to Archie (who is three) anymore because he can completely destroy one in 15 minutes, and they are on the expensive side.

[Bernie]

Food for thought- I won't give rawhide/bully sticks unless it's US sourced and made in US. I get mine from Amazon, but there's other places. Don't know if it'd made any difference in your case but I've never had any problems and the vet agrees with me.
Also, I don't like antlers, like chewing a rock, but others here give them.
Have you tried just a stuffed toy? Rocco had one at that age, would lay around and chew on it but didn't destroy it, all pups are different.
Good luck,
adding here: ice cube, if you don't mind the wet spot.

[taysel]

We stuff his Kong with about two tablespoons of peanut butter and freeze two for him. He gets one in the morning in his crate and the second after lunch in his crate. I think he goes through them in about ten minutes based on how quickly he'll start crying when we crate him on the weekends while we do house cleaning. We used to put kibble and treats in there with the PB but it ended up turning into one big glob stuck in the far end that he couldn't reach or shake out.

We might try freezing the kibble especially since it's going to be a few days before he can have his peanut butter back. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for the advice on the American sourced. I just looked it up and these are from South America. Looks like I placed too much blind faith in Costco this time.

Caleb does have a plush Kong toy that he loves chewing on. Unfortunately it will only keep his interest for ten minutes max. The Kong toys have been the best by far at this point, but unless there's food stuffed inside they don't hold his attention long enough and we are already going through enough PB as it is.

[smartrock]

Not everyone will give rawhide chews and you may feel free to run it by your vet but I give my 2 these large retriever rolls made by Wholesome Hide, which are sourced and produced in the US. Over the years we've let them chew knuckle bones and raw shin bones and antlers. Neither is that interested in antlers and the older one broke a molar that had to be extracted and his canines started showing wear, so I stopped giving them the knuckle and shin bones. I don't let them chew the rawhide bones more than about 15-30 minutes at a time though. The younger one will tear off strips and can chew one down faster than you'd think. But with supervision, you might find them satisfactory. I get 9"-10" retriever rolls and you can order them on Amazon, through chewy.com, whitedogbone.com, places like that. If your pup is teething, some recommend tying a washcloth in a knot, getting it wet, and freezing that for the pup to chew on, only under supervision and take it away if he starts trying to rip it to pieces. I don't give ears, hooves, tracheas, bully sticks, mainly because of the ick factor. Finding the Right Rawhide | Whole Dog Journal

You could also see if he'd like chewing toys like those made by West Paw- the Bumi or Hurley or any of the zogoflex toys. I know my younger one has chewed those toys some and no pieces have been chewed off. Shop for Dog Toys for Chew, Play | West Paw Design

[MightyThor]

You could also see if he'd like chewing toys like those made by West Paw- the Bumi or Hurley or any of the zogoflex toys. I know my younger one has chewed those toys some and no pieces have been chewed off. Shop for Dog Toys for Chew, Play | West Paw Design

I second the West Paw zogoflex toys. Thor is a Destroyer of Toys but his West paw design ones have survived.

Also, any of the durable puzzle toys where you can hide a treat might be useful. Thor has one that looks just like the JW Pet Holeeroller toys, but it's black and more durable like the black kongs. I wish I remembered the brand. We'll stick a cookie in there and he has to squeeze it just right for the cookie to fall out one of the holes. Even though he knows how to manipulate it it's finicky enough that it can take him a long time to get it out.

[babs75]

If bully sticks don't work, I have found a good substitute with the compressed rawhide bones. They're hard and last awhile and they're less expensive than the bully sticks.

[barry581]

The yak milk chews are very good, the last 3 or 4 sessions of an hour each for my 6 month old and my 5 year old. Cow hooves are also good, but some complain about the stink. Bully sticks worked on up till about 14-15 weeks. I stuff Kongs with all natural peanut butter, some yogurt, and a banana that have been run through the food processor, then frozen, give these once or twice a week.

[Shelley]

I third the Zogoflex line of dog toys, they are soft and squishy, but durable and apparently irresistible to chew on, at least by my dogs. They last quite a long time, although they will get pieces off if they work at it :-)

At 14 weeks, he could still enjoy plush toys to play with and chew, until he gets more adult teeth. I also give mine (American sourced) dried beef trachea, but I would wait for those until he is a bit older.

We especially like the Zumi, the Hurley and the new(er) one the Wox around here.

Amazon.com: zogoflex

[taysel]

Thanks everyone!!!

We bought a Zogoflex Hurley that he'll chew on occasionally but unfortunately doesn't hold his attention too long. We are using it for fetch in the meantime. It would be incredible if they could make these things with bacon flavor! It's holding up great so far (I trust it enough for it to be a crate toy).

I'm afraid to give him anything truly edible like bully sticks or hooves until I can talk to the vet at our next appointment to get their opinion. After our serious bout with diarrhea with the bully stick I'm pretty scared.

I appreciate all the input and ideas! We are well on our way to finding what we need to get us through the teething stage and hopefully keep the sharp little teeth on toys and not humans!