What are the Best Dog Chew Toys - nylabones and antler or are there better? - Dog Health Vet Advice

Nylabones are a really common chew toy given to dogs of all sizes. Are they the best dog chew toy though? Are they safe for dogs? Or are there better chews and toy options you should consider? What about antler or even bones?

Nylabones are obviously a synthetic product, and they are also incredibly hard and could cause fractures in teeth. They’re unlikely to get shattered and splintered, and so swallowed. Tooth fractures are painful and detrimental to health and are reason enough to never give a dog a nylabone. We definitely shouldn't ignore this risk.

Unfortunately, all too often, when a dog has a fractured tooth they're still going to be eating, they're still going to appear like they're absolutely fine, and so the temptation for many is just to ignore the fact that there is a broken tooth.

Dogs just don't let on that they are in pain, and if you've ever had any kind of dental problem you'll know just how painful they can be.

But I always say that a dog or a cat, they don't know that if they stop eating, they're going to be taken to the vet and have their teeth fixed. They simply know that if they stop eating, they're going to die. So just imagine how painful it needs to be for them to stop eating!

But that aside, really from a dental chew point of view, a rule of thumb that we suggest is that if it would hurt to be hit on the knee with it, then really it shouldn't be used as a chew toy for dogs.

I prefer the strong rubber chew toys like the ubiquitous Kong (https://amzn.to/2UNrb1v ). I think they're fantastic.

There are other food puzzles that we can use. If we're talking about mental engagement and trying to make our pet's lives more interesting. These include food puzzles (https://amzn.to/2GVYrzX ), licki mats (https://amzn.to/2GLrRzs ), and snuffle pads (https://amzn.to/2UQTTP9 ).

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