[Woody Taylor]

I had bought Annie plain hooves for the longest time and used them like Kongs (fill them up with treat for her to mess with in her crate). She never really showed interest in the hoof itself except for some periodic chewing.

Got smoked hooves a few weeks ago, I guess she's had a few around her (who knows what lurks in the corner of her crate? ), but the last few days she has really dug into them. They smell like burnt death, too, the whole kitchen takes on this bad jerky smell.

In any case...she's also had loose stools on and off the last few days. Watery. Has not lost control, but still way different from even a few days ago.

I know she's done some "baby chair scavenging" for crap my kids might throw off their plates that I initially miss on pick-up...and snagged some mac and cheese off the counter last night... :evil:...but:

1. Does the fact that a hoof is "smoked" change its composition for the worse, like a cooked bone?

2. Does the nutrional content of a hoof itself actually make an impact on diet? I guess I thought those were like fingernails and hair...pretty nutrition-less. Dead cells.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

.......
1. Does the fact that a hoof is "smoked" change its composition for the worse, like a cooked bone?

2. Does the nutrional content of a hoof itself actually make an impact on diet? I guess I thought those were like fingernails and hair...pretty nutrition-less. Dead cells.......

1. Well, I've read two sides to this: that smoked are less stinky, but also that both are potentially dangerous:
http://www.dog.com/vet/holidays/04.asp

2. I think there's still some "filling" in the hoof.

Also, I have read the ingredients of some smoked dog products that evidently are marinated first, and there's sugar and salt and other stuff in that.

Some don't have those "extras."

I've been getting some "beef straps," which are tough back muscle, lightly smoked with no coating.

Mike S. gave me a link to a site with some good products. I can't find it right this minute, but that was where I got the "back straps."

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

This is the site I gave Connie, my dogs both LOVE the "Beef Straps"

http://www.whitedogbone.com/

Good pricing too. I also bought a "Sarge" bone for Cujo that he loved, n hes not big on bones.

 

[Bob Scott]

I've heard stories (no actual proof) of dogs chewing on hooves causing cracked and broken teeth.
Ofcourse getting kicked by one would pretty much guarantee cracked or broken teeth. :wink:

 

[David Frost]

I gave my Lab a hoof once. It bound him up so bad the vet had to give in an enema. I've not done it since. I've never had that problem with him with anything else.

DFrost

 

[Kristen Cabe]

My two get filled hooves (the kind with the 'crunchy filling, not the gel kind) all the time. They devour the entire things, too; even the black ones that are supposed to be harder than the white ones. The hooves I give aren't smoked, but they've never caused any bowel problems in either of my dogs.

They do smell awful when the dogs are chewing them; like burnt hair with bacon grease or something. yuck!

 

[Woody Taylor]

I gave my Lab a hoof once. It bound him up so bad the vet had to give in an enema. I've not done it since. I've never had that problem with him with anything else.

DFrost

Weird, I'll back off of them. Thanks everyone for your comments. I guess I haven't noticed it till now, when she actually got interested in chewing them down instead of the frozen banana in them.

Too bad...a hoof for $1 that lasts a few days is much more appealing than a bully stick for $6 that lasts for a few hours!!!

 

[Connie Sutherland]

You could put stuff in a Kong. Mine work really hard at the Kongs....even the little end when they've reached all they can at the big end.

I use plain unsalted peanut butter or Neufchatel, usually, and I spread it all over the inside instead of filling it (because they prefer to eat heartily, so I watch their weight).

Then I freeze them.