Chewy's??

[Dave Dowbyhuz]

We had a Dalmatian that could devour rawhide chews in minutes. His back teeth worked like metal-shears! But our two Bassets, having the classic "soft-mouths" of hounds, did nothing with them but chew them like gum, and nearly choke by trying to swallow the slimy wad. That was the end of rawhides for our Bassets!

I'm not sure what the hound community thinks of these, but our guys simply love Dentabones. They are their after supper treat, and their teeth are sparkling white, right to the very back. No choking, no digestion issues at all. Nothing can be done after supper without their bones. They raise such a ruckus!

What's the consensus on Dentabones?

Rgds,
Dave

[Bassetpup]

Great question Dave. I was wondering about them myself. Since Lily is still a pup, I want to keep up her good oral hygiene so that she will have good teeth the rest of her life. I brush every day but was wondering about the dentabones to go along with brushing.

[Bassetpup]

Lillian had diarreah again last night. I felt so bad for her because I know it wasn't fun for her! Not to mention how yucky it was for me..lol. I am keeping up the switching but have decided to go a little slower. I will give her about a tablespoon in her morning feeding only for a couple of days then a tablespoon in morning and afternoon for a couple of days and so on. It might take a while to get her switched over, but I really don't want her to be sick in any way. Any other suggestions on how to switch with the least amount of tummy trouble?

Thanks!

[Dave Dowbyhuz]

Adding cooked white rice to her food is a fairly safe way to readjust her (er-r-r) digestion.

Rgds,
Dave

[harleysmomma63]

Daves right about the rice (rice also seems to keep a hounds coat much softer and less dryness) As for dentabones and greenies there great for your hounds ;D unless they show signs of being allergic to them , gracing , excessive drooling , watery eyes, vomitting, excetra another great treat for them is Merrick breath biscuits they are natural breath mints who's main ingrediant is liver!!!!! Being rottie and german shepherd Harleys coat should be rough to the touch but because of the rice in his diet everyone still thinks he has the soft puppy coat that a new born gets and he barley sheds at all what little he sheds won't even fill a dog brush must be the food is all the vet can figure out!!!!!

[Bassetpup]

Well, I have been giving Lily greenies for a while now and she really likes them. However, they aren't cheap (almost $2 each) and was wondering if the merrik's or the dentabones are cheaper. Plus, because she eats the large "brush" end of the greenies last, I end up taking it away from her so that she doesn't swallow it whole. She doesn't even get the whole thing so I kind of feel like it is wasting money since she can't have more than half of it. I am not usually one to skimp on the food and treats that I give my pets but since it is a treat I feel like I should be able to find an acceptable alternative that is cheaper. Thank you so much for the tip on the rice. I want to start adding it to her food but don't know how much and if it should take the place of part of her kibble. For example, if I give her one cup of kibble, how much rice should I add and should I decrease the kibble because of it?? I know, I am being difficult..lol but I just want to make sure that I do the very best possible for my little girl.

Thanks, you all are the BEST!

[Dave Dowbyhuz]

I would not propose you make white rice a featured staple of her diet (although lamb & rice formulas are quite popular for " delicate " digestive tracts). Remember, a hound that doesn't require the increased fibre may become constipated with too much rice. Just supplement her diet until the runs have ran their course (pun intended).

Not a lot of calories in rice so you could give her say 3/4 of her kibble and add an equivalent half cup of rice. When you see an improvement, ease back on the rice.

Another quick solution is letting your hound drink the water drained from cooking pasta. It's the starch that helps bind them back to normal. (Don't add any salt to the pasta water while cooking though!)

Rgds,
Dave

[Bassetpup]

Thank you Dave for your suggestions on how much rice to add. I guess that means that Lily will get extra food til her poopies are normal again..LOL. She will love you for that one!