# Need input on these treats



## NHchi (May 4, 2014)

Have 8 month old about 4lb chi - which of these goodies are safe and how much to give? Ideas for others appreciated.
1) Wellness Wellbites- using these for positive reinforcement training. Been breaking tiny pieces off.
2) Nylabone Daily health Gluten-Free (the edible type for puppies 3 mos and older- says USA made)
3) The regular type Nylabone
4) VetIQ Minties dental treats ( Tiny no wheat/soy/corn- says USA made
5) Exer-Hides Ham Knuckle Bone- Pork Bone/Water/Salt/Dextrose/Sugar/Phosphoric acid/Natural Smoke flavor.This is the big iffy one for me anyhow- Had bought it then read very bad reviews about their rawhide chews etc. Got this at Walmart and it does say made in USA. Think the other products were China. Should I just toss them?

6) Raw beef liver- gave him a little piece before I cooked mine and he loved it! What amount and how often is ok?
7) Raw beef marrow bone- bought one and have it in fridge- is this ok or will
fat content be too much? Only real bones I saw at Shaws was this. 

He was on Little Caesers (yuck) and Royal Canine Development Puppy Small Dog. I'm switching him to Wellness, TOTW, and Merricks for wet and Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Chicken and Oatmeal small breed puppy for dry.
He isn't a great water drinker so thought of putting chicken broth down too but even the fat-free low sodium contains onion so guess I'll make my own. Meanwhile adding extra water to food as suggested somewhere on this forum.
Any suggestions appreciated- Oh-also what about VetTrust skin and coat care soft gels- Salmon oil (500mg)/Omega-3 (105mg)/EPA (37.5mg)/DHA (45mg)/Omega 6 (15mg) 1 daily?
Thanks


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

It is up to you what you are comfortable feeding your dog, but I wouldn't feed any of those treats as they contain cereals, sugars and are high in carbs, which are all things I avoid feeding. The knuckle bone is the only one that could actually be dangerous, I would never give any cooked bones even to tiny dogs, just not worth the risk IMO.
Raw liver is good for him, but be aware that too much will make him very loose, so only tiny amounts. The same with the bone marrow, it is very fatty and can also give the runs, so I would scoop most of it out to prevent him eating too much in one go. (You can freeze in ice cube trays and save for later) The actual bone is a weight bearing bone, so very hard and has the potential to break teeth. I do give large bones to my dogs, but take them away once stripped so they don't chew the actual bone for too long.
I prefer to only give all natural treats. Dried liver, sprats, chicken etc for training, or tiny pieces of cooked meat. For shop bought training treats broken up squares of Ziwi Peak or other freeze dried treats such as the Orijen ones.
For chews I like dried animal parts lol. Bully sticks, trachea rings, tripe sticks, paddywack etc, you can get all sorts of natural dried dog treats that are safe and healthy. For long lasting chews we use antlers.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Purbites Chicken are great treats too. Only one ingredient- Chicken


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

We love purebites freeze dried treats, as well as Fromm treats and we also use bullysticks for chews!


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## NHchi (May 4, 2014)

Thanks for replies.
I'm throwing out the Exer-Hide knuckle bone.Can't stand the smell of it myself anyhow.
Stella- what is a sprat? Is a bully stick a bull penis?? Where to get these and what brand is safe?
There are no butcher shops up North here- Only stores that even carry dog stuff except
Wally world/ Shaws for a supermarket and Tractor Supply. Tractor Supply is the only store that carries the better brands of dog food. Shaws does occ. have tripe. There is a Petco and Petsmart down in Concord and I think one place in No.Conway that carries the
Primal so maybe they have the better treats.
Christie and Meoshia- Will look-up the Purbites that sounds like a good training treat.
Guess I could bake the beef liver and use that- used to do that years ago for conformation and Obedience training for my Mals. But training this lil guy is a whole different ballgame. Don't want to overdue the liver thing -imagine if he got loose stools he would dehydrate easily.
Thanks again


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

I personally wouldn't let my dog touch the knuckle bone or the nylabones. The Wellness Wellbites are fine, no need to fear grains.

For training treats I like Orijen freeze dried treats the best. They are easy to break up and are a very high value reward to my Chi. I don't touch bully sticks. They're just disgusting to me and I've read too many issues with those. Not to mention the high calorie amount in them. If you're comfortable feeding them bestbullysticks.com has a ton. I personally use The Honest Kitchen Beams for chew treats, just dehydrated fish skin.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

A sprat is a tiny fish. We get dried whole ones to feed as a treat. (They have fresh frozen sprats too)
Yes a bully stick is a bulls penis that has been dried. Also known as pizzle here in the UK.
The best place to look for these types of treats would be online.
Make sure that the country of origin is clear, avoid any treats made in China.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

NHchi said:


> Thanks for replies.
> I'm throwing out the Exer-Hide knuckle bone.Can't stand the smell of it myself anyhow.
> Stella- what is a sprat? Is a bully stick a bull penis?? Where to get these and what brand is safe?
> There are no butcher shops up North here- Only stores that even carry dog stuff except
> ...


Petco- Carries the PureBites Chicken

Also look online. I order most of my bones etc from Pet Treats | Pet Toys | Pet Food | Deals and Specials | PetFlow.com as they have lots of sales


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