A cautionary tale about Pig's Ears/Rawhides/etc., plus an alternative

Back when we first got Miles (I believe I mentioned it in one of my first blog posts), I tried giving him a pig's ear. I actually gave him two, and then I gave him a cow's ear. I made two mistakes in doing this:

1. I didn't do my research on things like pig's ears and rawhides, and
2. I gave them to him unsupervised.

I will say that I have since learned, and NEVER give him anything unsupervised that can break apart, and I also no longer give him pig's ears, cow ears, rawhides (dried cow skin) or cow hooves (I had one left but threw it away when I learned the danger of them). The dangers are as follows (source found here):

1. They are a big choking hazard.
2. They are a big intestinal blockage hazard.
3. They are processed with products that are harmful to dogs, such as lime.
4. When used in adult dogs, they can damage their teeth.

Alas, once I found out the danger of all of these things, I had to find a suitable alternative. He chews pretty much constantly - on shoes, his food/water bowls, my knitting, his bandana (his current favorite), the pedals to the stationary bike, his leash, the ottoman, the underside of the bed, his countless chew toys (kong included)....need I go on? But, he's a teething puppy, so we try not to be too hard on him, all the while trying to teach him "LEAVE IT!". It's starting to work, but it doesn't alleviate his need to chew.





Enter the Bully Stick.

It's kind of gross - a dried bull p-e-n-i-s, but he LOVES it. Seriously, in the above picture, he had been chewing on it for over an hour. He chews it so much that it makes him tired! It doesn't break off into little pieces, and it gives him something to work on that he enjoys. He has already lost three baby teeth, so he's going to be teething on the bigger ones sooner than later. This seems to be perfect for him!

Also, he had his first vet appointment yesterday. She said that he is in perfect health, gave him two shots, and gave me the rundown of what his growth is going to look like. He's currently 20.4 pounds (yes, he has absolutely more than doubled in size since we brought him home), and he's just great. The vet thinks so too. :)

As far as the progression with the cats is concerned, it's coming along. They're now curious while he's sleeping. A neat thing has happened though - Ella is filling out a little bit and her coat is healthier than I've ever seen it. Pretty much, I feel like she's at peak health right now. She's still full of piss and vinegar, make no mistake, but she's physically healthier than she's ever been. Bernie has lost a little weight, but that may just be my imagination from carrying a dog around and then picking him up...he feels much, much lighter than he used to. :) His coat is also very, very healthy, and he's generally also in very good health. I was really worried about the stress that it would cause them, but they seem to be faring just fine. PHEW!

Anywho, here's another cute picture of him, probably one of my favorites. :)