10 replies to this topic

[Pippin]

Does anyone feed their dogs Nylabone Healthy Edibles bone treats, or have in the past? Do you recommend them if you have, or not recommend them? At first glance, they seem really good and healthy: no added plastic so they're completely digestible and the dog can eat the whole bone and no added salt, sugar, color additives or preservatives either, and rawhide based. But I looked at the ingredient list on the packaging for most of the different flavors offered and the first ingredient in each one was beef byproducts, so they can't be all that healthy.

Here are two links for them:

http://www.petsmart....09707576 1847

http://www.petsmart....09707579 7934

On their website here http://www.nylabone....hews/index.html, it says these treats provide a safe alternative to traditional rawhide, so I'm a little confused as to why it says that on one site but on another says they're rawhide based since rawhide can swell in the stomach and doesn't digest too well sometimes.

Also, does anyone have any good treats they recommend? I don't get Lily's food from grocery stores since none of the brands they carry are very high quality stuff, for treats it depends on the nutrition info on the label. I only buy her food and most treats at pet supply stores like PetsMart or PetCo. Right now, the only treat I'm giving her is puppy biscuits; I just wanted to get a few of different types for her, like yogurt drops or something. At what ages can puppies generally be given treats not marked specifically for puppies? Most of the labels on treats marked for dogs don't specify that information. She is 12 weeks old now.

Thank you!

[urge to herd]

I don't give my dogs any nylabone products. They all get nasty diarrhea from them. Granted, 2 of the 3 have sensitive tummies, but Shoshone has an iron stomach. She's had 'dire rear' exactly 3 times in 6 yrs, 2 of those times were from nylabones.

I don't know about the age thing for the puppy. My guys get freeze dried liver, home made liver treats, (aka doggy ecstasy!) dried lamb lung, and fish/sweet potato kibble (Wellness product) for treats.

I'll repost the homemade liver treat recipe this evening after work. Not hard, a little smelly, but the canine units really like it a lot.

Ruth n the Border Trio

[2 Devils]

My dogs get the hard nylabones. I do not feed the edible ones. All my dogs have thrown up after eating them. Plus, they greenies and other colored ones can stain carpet so be careful.

Now I will say, if your dog likes them, seems to do fine then giving them to the dogs sometimes wouldn't hurt.

[Pippin]

Thanks for the info. I won't be feeding Nylabones to Lily, I wonder what it is in them that causes the diarrhea and stomach problems? I'm not too worried about it, there are a lot of other treats out there to pick from; these just sounded like good ones.

[urge to herd]

Here it is - Home Made Liver Treats


1 lb liver, any kind
3 cups or more rolled oats, (not instant)
a tiny bit of water

Put liver in blender and liquefy. Some recipes tell you to pull out the membranes, I don't bother.

Pour liquid liver (eeeuuuuuuwwwww!) into mixing bowl. Slowly add oatmeal, mixing well as you go. You can add water if necessary to get a workable 'dough.' Should be pretty thick, like a stiff cookie dough.

Method 1 - Preheat oven to 225. Spray cookie sheet with non stick spray, pat liver/oats in thin even layer onto cookie sheet. Cook in oven till done, an hour or more. Take off cookie sheet when cool and break into bits.

Method 2 - Make thin patties out of liver/oatmeal. Cook in nonstick skillet over very low heat, turning every few minutes until cooked thru. Break into small pieces.

Keep in freezer, pulling out small amounts that you will use up in a few days. Use only very tiny pieces, as this is pretty rich stuff. And it will keep ok in a bait bag for a day.

You can add a bunch of stuff to this basic recipe:
Egg w/shell
Grated carrots
Parmesan cheese
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Peanut Butter
Garlic powder
Kelp
Cooked sweet potatoes or winter squash

Just make sure your cookie dough is stiff enough to form patties.

Bone Appetit!

Ruth n the Border Trio

[Pippin]

Thanks for the recipe, it sounds pretty yummy from a dog's point of view! I like to cook and I have nearly no sense of smell anyway, so that shouldn't bother me. I'll have to get the ingredients for it sometime and try it.

[Aerie]

This is the same recipe I use. My house stinks to high heaven when i'm cooking a batch but BOY do the dogs love it. Of course...they love anything stinky so that isn't saying much.

It's a pretty neat recipe, I've used fish and sweet potato with a little garlic instead of liver, too. Smells better, but you have to make sure to drain a good bit of the juices from the potatoes and fish to make it the right consistency.

If you feel creative, you can use cookie cutters (smaaaaall ones!) and make fun shapes. I only do this when I get bored and feel like giving a few to friends' dogs though - my poor abused pups don't get fun shapes, they just get broken apart pieces.

[Olivia]

Aerie,

Can you elaborate a little on the fish and sweet potato receipe you use? Is is fresh fish? What kind? Fresh sweet potatoes? Cooked or raw? Anything else in there with them? Sounds like something my dogs would like and I have been looking for a good fish based treat receipe.

Thanks,
Olivia

[honey]

Friend gave me a recipe for homemade dog treats:
1/2 Bananas
2/3 tsp. of peanut butter
small container of yogurt or little bit of honey
Mix well and freeze in cupcake liners. The dogs love these.
Or sometimes I freeze bananas to give them something different to munch on.
When we had a chow we find the ediable nylabones, but with these two having sensitive tummies, have to read everything we feed them in dog treats.
Sheila, Bailey and Haley

[urge to herd]

I'm not Aerie, but you can use canned tuna ro mackeral for the fish, (drain and rinse a couple times to get the salt out) and I would think that a cup of mashed cooked sweet potato would work well, just decrease the oatmeal by maybe a half cup. The recipe is pretty forgiving, and the dogs will eat anything that smells of fish or liver - they're not picky at all!

The mackeral will smell stronger than the tuna, but it's got the bones still in, which adds calcium.

Hope this helps.

Ruth n the Border Trio

[emmetteabrakai]

I used to use nylabone products, but two of my dogs broke teeth on the hard nylabones. I switched to Gummie bones from nylabone. They don't cause stomach upset for my dogs. But I am constantly pulling cat and dog hair out of them they seem to be hair magnets and it's pretty gross. Plus Abra and Kai have no real interest in toys of any kind. So I think I have one left and won't buy any more.