Is it ok to feed my pup cheese, pig ears?

I have a 14-week old Golden Retriever. I was just wondering if it's ok to feed her cheese, pig ears, treats?
We take her to a dog school and the trainer suggested giving treats so she will sit, lie down, etc., etc. However, we give her treats when she goes in her crate, when she comes, when she gets the ball. She seems healthy and happy, but she lost a tooth yesterday.

Thanks!

 

I'd be careful with the pig ears. My daughter's dog when it was a pup almost choked on one. Seems like pups like to devour them more so than chew. Once her dog got a little older, he seem to be able to handle them better.

 

I have a rule in my house (If I put it in your bowl you dam well better eat it)

Having said that as far as cheese go's its as good for them as it is for us. A hunk of cheese also makes a good training treat.

 

Hi there...I heard that pig ears are bad for dogs cause they can be easily choked on. The cow hooves are also bad. I always give my girls the compressed rawhide bones or the compressed rawhide sticks. I found that they absolutly love BullySticks! They love them so much I always keep those around. They kind of smell but if you keep them in the crate with her it won't be bad.

 

I give my dogs pig ears regularly. I think that you probably know your dog better than anyone. If you watch your dog closely and see that he swallows big pieces, chokes it back up, etc., maybe you should find something else he likes to chew on, but is safer for him. All dogs are different. Some have no problem with pig ears. Just use common sense. Cheese is fine as a treat - just don't get carried away because you could end up with a surprise pile of diarrhea! LOL Some dogs are more tolerant of lots of treats than others. That is, as far as the intestines go!

 

I have heard some tales of pigs ears being not too good for dogs tummy's and cutting them up.

Cheese, if given too much can cause a dog to become constipated. (I use cheese with Harley if she has diahrea to help)

I used boiled chicken with Harley and it worked like magic. Just boil on breast, cut it into pea or dime sized pieces and treat with that. its a pretty healthy snack and much better than training with dog biscuits. Also, with dogs its not the quantity of snack but the Quality. So you may only give your dog 1 or 2 little pieces for each command, but she'll listen just the same as if you give her more.

Good luck!

 

My husband and I feed our dogs cheese all the time. They usually get some when we are eating dinner as their treat during dinner time. As for pig ears, I would be careful, once in a while isn't bad but make sure you are there to keep your eye on them during the chewing process.

 

I would go careful with the cheese. It's okay in moderation, but dairy is not a regular item on a dog's diet and some of them don't digest it well. Get to know your dog, and use it only as a treat.

I seem to recall that pig ears are not good for dogs. I know rawhide is not so I have never bought it. Much the shame, since we REALLY need something for Nala to chew on. Jumbo bullysticks are great, but she goes through them in about 15 minutes and they are too expensive to buy all the time. Edible Nylabones I guess aren't too bad, but again they are too expensive to buy all the time.

If you do buy rawhide, make sure it was made in America. Does anyone know if the compressed stuff is less dangerous than the regular stuff?

Here is one article about rawhide: http://nmnm.essortment.com/rawhidechew_rbzt.htm

And another (which mentions pig ears): http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm

 

Pig ears should only be fed either raw or smoked. The kinds you buy in grocery stores are fried and therefore brittle. They can splinter off and damage your dogs insides!!!

As for cheese I agree it should only be fed as a treat and not a "snak"or part of their daily dietary needs.

 

reply to rawhides

8) basically it's up to you and you knowing your dog on what rawhide you give-him/or her. Every dog is different specially when it comes to chewing- so you can't really say what rawhide is good or bad because it depends on how aggressive chewer the dog is will depend on what rawhide you'll give him-or her. I personally don't see anything wrong with pig ears or the other ones never had a problem with them. My 10-week Aussy chews on pig ears and has no problems!!
thank you aussylover

 

I found this info:

I guess they found salmonella in some of the pig ears. While this is a problem for humans, it should not be a problem for most dogs, so I would take that whole thing with a grain of salt. Raw pig ears would be my choice if I were going to give this as a treat.

This site also said bones are dangerous, though. They did not differentiate between raw or cooked. Since raw bones are safe, I'm not sure I trust the accuracy of the rest of the information. Especially since the only bone the site said was "safe" is actually the least safe, LOL.

 

I was talking to my vet on Monday (we had to take Anna in) and we were discussing bones... cooked, raw and smoked... she told me not to give dogs "any" bones at all...that they all could splinter. :shock: She has also told me in the past that cheese is not good for dogs as it causes problems with the dogs pancrease <<(spelled that wrong i am sure) So no more cheese or bones in our house. We will just stick to the nylabones that they love anyway. :y_the_best:

 

Most vets will tell you "no bones." They are wrong. It's paranoia and miseducation. COOKED bones will splinter - do not feed those. Raw bones are fine. What do you think dogs eat in the wild??

 

I feel it is better safe then sorry... the nylabone does almost the same thing as the regular bone... with no possible chance of splinters. 8)

 

The nylabone does not provide nutrition. My dogs are fed exclusively on raw meaty bones, so without bones they would be extremely unhealthy. Whatever you feel is best for your dogs and your situation, though, is what you should do.

I also cannot afford to feed a nylabone every day. Those things are expensive!!

 

I have only ever bought three nyla-bones.. one for each of the dogs... Our gsd still has his and he is 15 years old! So 7 or 8 bucks for a lifetime of pleasure I don't feel it is a bad investment. They come in a variety of flavors now. We just got them all ham flavored so all would be the same. lol I like them because if they start getting a little yucky you can boil them to sterilize and clean. Then they are like new!

I just would rather be safe then sorry and broke after a surgery... :wink:

 

Jamiya: Aren't nylabones plasitic? I don't think dogs are suppose to eat them.

Personally, I've never had one dog that liked them. I bought them for the dogs and they just ignore them. They preferred bones, rawhide, pig ears.

Also I never really cared about dogs chewing on a rubberized piece of plastic. If the dog managed to chew one apart, I'd think it would be hard to digest.

 

actually they are made from a nylon product.. designed to (after lots of chewing) have little nubs that look like a tooth brush. as they chew more the nubs clean thier teeth. the only part that could possible break off is a small nub that would not tear the insides of the dog... but pass with no problem. Ours love theirs. I do boil them once in a while to keep them fresh and tasty.

I understand you point though too Jamiya. I think if we all do what we think or what our situation calls for then we should all have healthy happy furbabies!!

 

Hmmm. I have never met a bone that my dogs didn't destroy in a day. I only feed the "healthy" (LOL) edible Nylabones now and that is very rare. The knobby ones I have tried are those cornstarch ones (velvet bones, I think?) - are those the ones you mean? Nala was breaking peices off and eating it, so I took it away. She also had one of those hard rubbery ones - again, pieces off and being eaten so that was taken away as well. And she's not even a very big dog! She's just a very destructive chewer.

We have yet to find anything durable and safe for the dogs to chew on. Bonnie would be okay with some of the Nylabone products probably, but there's no way to give them to her since Nala would just take them away and eat them.

 

My pup loves Greenies. But, she is pretty small, and it takes her a lONG time to get rid of an entire one. (she gets the petite ones).

I also found out she doesn't do well with dairy. I read on some other boards about stuffing kongs with peanut butter or cream cheese and freezing them.
She loved both, but the cream cheese upset her stomach, and made her throw up :0024: so...no more cream cheese kongs for her!