I give my three dogs Iam's Proactive Health Adult Small Biscuits. They love their "cookies" and get two or three in the morning as a reward for getting in their crates and two or three at night before bed. Chase is especially good at letting me know when she wants a cookie. She'll get my attention by running around my feet or jumping up and down then running into her crate. If she's already had dinner, it's cookie time. If she hasn't eaten dinner, that's a subtle hint to get off my butt and feed her. I also alternate the Iam's biscuits with bully sticks. One month I get a case of bully sticks and one month it's a box of biscuits. The bully sticks are expensive and there are only 50 in the case. The biscuits are much cheaper and are 20 pounds. So a box of biscuits will actually last two months. That's why I started alternating with the bully sticks.
Max and Ivy both really love knotted ropes. (
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LW3XBIA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) They love to chew on those and untie them. Max is particularly good at untying them so I had to buy the HUGE knot. Chewing on the rope keeps them occupied, out of trouble, and keeps their teeth clean. It's like floss for dogs. I just have to be careful that they don't try eating the string once the rope is untied (that's more of a Max issue, not an Ivy issue). Max's teeth are much cleaner and his breath is much nicer than the other two because he is constantly chewing on ropes and Kong toys and other things. So, personally, I don't think it's really about the edible treats as much as it is about occupying their minds and getting them to chew and play. Max is a heavy chewer, so his teeth are much cleaner than Chase's, who only chews on food. Ivy's teeth are cleaner than Chase's, but no where near as sparkly as Max's. Max will chew on tree limbs. I've tried to clear the limbs and branches whenever they fall, but there are too many. Max likes them. I checked with his vet and she said they're better for him than antlers. So, who am I to argue?
I have just discovered the miracle of bone broth. The thing I like about it is, the bones are decalcified and become extremely soft and will not splinter. I made the bone broth because Chase hasn't been eating well (leaving food in her dish) and I thought adding it to her kibble would help, it has. But the extra benefit was the bones became so soft that I was able to give femurs as treats without worrying about broken teeth and smaller bones without worrying about splintering. They're firm enough to give them a work out and cleaning, but the bones crush (much like a wet Rolaid or Tums being pulverized with a mortar and pestle). I'm hooked on it now. I can give them cooked bones with out worrying about splintering. I've given them raw bones in the past, but they are messy and pretty disgusting. I'm going to use my Thanksgiving turkey carcasses for the next batch.
It's very easy and you can use a crock pot or the stovetop to do it. If you've never done it, just cover the bones with cold water about two inches, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar (depends on how many bones you've got), and put the crock pot on warm for 24 hrs. If you do the stovetop method, you'd have to put it on the lowest setting you have. You may have to add more water and/or vinegar. The next time the pet store has smoked bones on sale, I'm going to try to make bone broth for the dogs using those. The broth will make Chase eat her food better and the bones will be softer. I'll feel better about letting them have bones to chew on.
From what I've been reading, people are substituting their morning coffee with bone broth for a jolt of energy and increased nutrition. There's actually a café in NYC that does bone broth instead of coffee. I might try some of the turkey broth, but I'm definitely making it for the dogs and not me. I'll probably freeze some of it in ice cube trays the next time and use that as treats.
Well, this is way longer than I ever intended. Sorry!
ETA: I added a link for the rope toys. That knotted ball in the photo is tiny compared to the one Max has. His is about the size of a soccer ball.
