Does anyone know of something really sturdy and safe for our year old male golden to chew on? This guy is going through at least one Nylabone a week--the biggest and hardest they make from our local pet store. I thought maybe there was something available that I haven't seen yet.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), December 22, 2001

Answers

There is a toy called a KONG. The black ones are heavier duty than the red ones. We've had some last 8 years and these are with heavy chewing labs and rotts. You can wedge biscuits in them or smear peanut butter inside and they will play with them for hours.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), December 22, 2001.

Look for a Galileo, I believe made by the same folks as make Nylabone. They are odd shaped and the dog cannot get as good a "bite" on it. My bulldog, a world-class chewer, has had the same one for a couple of years. I got it at PetCo and have seen them in the pet supply catalogs. Pricey, but worth every penny.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), December 22, 2001.

Galileo--I have a husky shepard mix that can chew through anything. I bought one a couple years ago at Foster and Smith (their store is based near me) She hasn't managed to do much damage to it yet. The store even guaranteed it. If she could shatter it we could have a replacement for free.

-- Colleen (bean@northwoods.com), December 22, 2001.

HEADS UP ON THE NYLABONE RECALL!

I've copied and pasted this from my favourite dog list:

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> Hi all - > > Heads up on product recall. This was on local news yesterday. Highly > popular chew bone. Numerous reports of purported injuries and deaths; one > law suit settled, a class action in the works. Nylabone has just announced > they're pulling the product: > > > > Feel free to cross-post to dog lists.

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We have a 2 year old German shepherd, when he was a pup he just LOVED to chew everything in sight. We got him a Kong ball, and heavy duty rubber ring toss toy. He's hardly made a dent in those, and they're his favourites. We had one of those big Wiggly Giggly balls, makes a squeaky noise as it rolls, but I took that away from him as well, someone had posted on one of the lists that their dog had damaged it, and swallowed the little thing that makes the squeak. Has some kind of toxic metal/chemical mix in the mechanism that breaks down in dog's digestic system, the dog died. There are lots of plastic toys sold for dogs, larger breeds can soon tear them to pieces, and that's when they get into trouble. I recommend a LARGE Kong. Seems expensive at the outset, but they last a long time.

-Chelsea

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), December 22, 2001.

Let me offer a suggestion on what not to get... We lost a beautiful English Shepard a year ago due to her chewing on one of those rope toys with the frayed ends. She chewed off the ends. We took it away when we realized that this could be a problem but we were too late. They tangled into a lump in her digestive tract and would not pass. After extensive emergency surgery at the local vet college, she had a blood clot form in recovery and died. Very sad. Avoid those death ropes.

Kongs now come in various shapes that are better for inserting treats into. In the original design they can get all the way into the toy and are hard to clean out.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), December 22, 2001.

Thanks for the responses. I'll take a look at some of the suggestions. We have to be real careful what we give Macbear, because he totals them almost immediately. But he's got to have something to chew on, preferably not my woodwork. He's a real fun dog, lots of energy, and he is totally adorable.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), December 22, 2001.

We have a Rottie and a BoxerXShepherd. I would recommend a Kong too. We've had our for over 2 years and it is still in good shape. A Nylabone or similar types of bones - if they'd even pay any attention to it at all only lasted a couple of hours. However, with any dog chew/toy we only allow them to have them when we supervise them as a safety precaution.

-- Trisha-MN (coldguinea@netscape.net), December 23, 2001.

Large Kongs and Galileo bones are great, especially when you can't supervise. They are the only two I feel confident enough in to leave outside. I've used the same Galileo bone with three pit bulls now and it shows only minor surface scratches.

However, the Galileo is too hard for some of my dogs, they like the feel of a little give. For them - and only when they are supervised - I get the Rhino Tuff bones (advertised as "pit bull tested"). You can find them at PetSmart or Foster&Smith. They cost about $14 each, but will last several months. I have taught my dogs to spit out any large chunks that they might chew off (on command), but I recommend only letting them have these bones when you are in the room with them.

Good luck! Jane

-- Jane (jwagman@mail.com), December 23, 2001.

Some of the longest lasting chew toys I've found for our labs are rope bones. They'll go through one of those monster-sized rawhide bones in a day but these things last for weeks.

-- Jerry Hatchett (temp@jerryhatchett.com), December 23, 2001.