Su Saou Wen wrote 06/28/2007 09:47 AM dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' #146430 - 06/28/2007 09:47 AM
Su Saou Wen Webboard User Reg: 11-07-2006 Posts: 47 Loc: Taiwan Offline	Hi all, I recently bought some dehydrated sweet potatoes as an alternative to recreational bones. I have only used them twice, and they are certainly very popular - but no growling, unlike with real bones. I give these after dinner, before bed, and hope it will help keep the teeth clean, because just raw chicken wings are not doing a good job on the back teeth. My question, does anyone have a strong opinion on this? They are about the size of a 5 year old's fist, and last about 15 minutes of furious crunching and chewing, they are NOT soft, so my concern is that they could be as damaging as a real recreational bone. Thanks
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Jan Williamson wrote 06/28/2007 10:00 AM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Su Saou Wen ] #146433 - 06/28/2007 10:00 AM
Jan Williamson Webboard User Reg: 08-10-2005 Posts: 483 Loc: NE Pennsylvania Offline	My only experience with dehydrated sweet potatoes are that they ARE soft and chewy and my dogs love them. They are supposedly "all natural" so I don't feel bad about giving them as a treat every so often. However, the store that carried them said they can no longer order them, so I will be looking elsewhere. Regarding your question, are you giving the sweet potatoes in place of regular food? "I give these after dinner, before bed, and hope it will help keep the teeth clean, because just raw chicken wings are not doing a good job on the back teeth." IMO, I would only use them sparingly as treats. If you are not happy with your chicken wings, go with something a little harder such as turkey necks, wings, or even chicken drumsticks. I would not like to see you replace rmbs with a chewy potato, even though you said it was crunchy. As you think, so shall you be.
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Su Saou Wen wrote 06/28/2007 05:59 PM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Jan Williamson ] #146497 - 06/28/2007 05:59 PM
Su Saou Wen Webboard User Reg: 11-07-2006 Posts: 47 Loc: Taiwan Offline	Thanks for the reply. I am not replacing RMB with the dehydrated sweet potatoes. My pup is still on her 2 meals a day (honest kitchen Preference with ground up skinless chicken breast or lean mince, in the morning, and whole chicken wings in the evening). The sweet potato comes out at night, after dinner and after her last training session. They are definitely not chewy, real chunky and hard, but not as hard as a recreational bone. I am limited with what I can get here, so turkey is not an option. I have tried chicken thighs but my Shiba pup can't manage those, I hope that will change when she gets a bit bigger (she is 10 month old now). I am using 'Snook's Sweet Potato Dog Chews'
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Connie Sutherland wrote 06/28/2007 06:35 PM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Su Saou Wen ] #146503 - 06/28/2007 06:35 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Aside from the vitamins and fiber, sweet potatoes also contain quite a bit of sugar. The fiber in them helps to prevent that sugar "rush" that causes blood spikes, but: This is still something that "feeds" canine cancers, I think, and it's also something that might add to dental plaque (I think). Maybe not if they don't turn soft enough to "coat" the teeth..... I guess I would keep them to a minimum too. Can you get that squirty rinse that you aim along the gumline to help dissolve plaque? That might help the RMBs along. Also, brushing can help a lot. It's the outside surface (facing the cheeks as opposed to facing the tongue) that collects plaque most easily, I've read, so the easiest surface to brush and/or squirt is also the surface that needs it most. Trying to think of another chewy .... I don't suppose you can get those "steer straps"? They are long-baked pieces of twisty muscle, I believe, that are hard enough to last quite a while. Then they turn kinda leathery before they get eaten up. They aren't rawhide.
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Su Saou Wen wrote 06/28/2007 11:46 PM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #146545 - 06/28/2007 11:46 PM
Su Saou Wen Webboard User Reg: 11-07-2006 Posts: 47 Loc: Taiwan Offline	Thanks for the replies, I did not consider the sugar issue in the sweet potatoes. How disappointing, they seemed like a great sub for recreational bones. As for what I can get here, well, importing meat products is a big problem, I tried to order the turkey based Honest kitchen product and it got blocked by customs. Anything else I use for my pup is bought on-line from the USA, that includes: HK preference, salmon oil, Ester C, enzymes, probiotics, glucosamine and the sweet potatoes. I do brush her teeth every night, I have two different products, one is an enzyme toothpaste, and the other is a natural liquid. I was simply hoping to provide harder chewable products to help things along. I am in the process of looking for a dehydrator (for my pup only), that way I could try to make my own natural chewables from meat. I wonder if there are any other vegetables that could be dehydrated into a suitable chewing and crunching toy. I suppose carrots are also too sweet, what about normal potatoes or yams?
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Jennifer Coulter wrote 06/29/2007 08:21 AM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Su Saou Wen ] #146558 - 06/29/2007 08:21 AM
Jennifer Coulter Webboard User Reg: 04-02-2007 Posts: 749 Loc: Canada Offline	Quote: I was simply hoping to provide harder chewable products to help things along. Wondering if you can get chicken feet in a market somewhere? My raw food provider has them, claws and all. She also happens to be a Shiba breeder and I know she gives them to her pups and dogs as a treat. Cheers,
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Su Saou Wen wrote 06/29/2007 09:34 AM Re: dehydrated sweet potatoes as 'chew toys' [Re: Jennifer Coulter ] #146568 - 06/29/2007 09:34 AM
Su Saou Wen Webboard User Reg: 11-07-2006 Posts: 47 Loc: Taiwan Offline	Chicken feet, heck yes! I'm in Taiwan, they are sold in every supermarket - they're a local delicacy. I'll try some on her.
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