Is it okay for my dog to chew cow hooves? Are they bad for teeth?

I myself, am not a fan. I do see these often cause teeth to break in dogs/puppies. I would advise not to give this to your pet. It is better to get easily digestible dog dental chews (once he is a bit bigger >10 months old) or you can get kong toys that are a bit safer for him to chew on. Best wishes with your puppy Bailey going forward. Take care!

No, I would not recommend this - cooked bones of any kind are brittle and can splinter into sharp pieces when chewed. Large weight-bearing bones (such as from a calf) are also too hard for chewing, and can fracture teeth. Bully sticks, large rawhide chews, or cow or pig ears would all be safer options for chewing.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I don't know about the various chews that you are describing but I will tell you what veterinary dentists tell their clients. Never give a dog or puppy anything to chew that is extremely hard and doesn't soften when they chew it. Deer antlers are too hard and they don't soften up. So you want to look for things that are hard at first but soften with chewing such as rawhides and other chew treats. Extremely hard chews can damage and cause fractures of the teeth and roots. Good luck

Great question! I personally do not recommend these for dogs. These can easily break teeth, and dogs can choke on them if they swallow too big of a piece of them at a time. Breaking teeth will lead to a potentially costly dental surgery, and choking would mean an emergency visit to the vet. Now if you do want to allow Joey to have it, monitor him closely the entire time, keep him from breaking it down with his molars, and take it away when he has piece that's small enough for him to try to swallow. Good luck, I hope this helps and thanks for contacting Pet Coach :-)

Hello, and thank you for your question. These dried yak's milk treats are typically very hard, and can definitely damage her teeth over time. What happens is the chewing causes tiny microfractures in the teeth which can eventually result in a big slab fracture of the chewing teeth, requiring emergency dental surgery. I'd also be worried about the sharp shards, as I am not aware of any studies demonstrating the fragments dissolve in the stomach before passing through into the intestines. When you are looking for a chewing treat, try the "fingernail test" - if you can't make an indent in the treat with your fingernail, then it is too hard for your dog's teeth. I'd also suggest checking this website for veterinary-approved, safe dental treats for your dog: www.vohc.org. I hope this helps, and that Emmy stays happy and healthy!

Yes, however, anything that is hard has the potential to break a dog's teeth. You want to make sure it's large enough to be a rounded surface, rather than a flat one that your dog is chewing on (based on their mouth size). It's also important to limit calories from treats to less than 10% of total daily calorie intake.

Personally I have seen many dogs get sick from chewing on these. They can contain bacteria and some dogs chew them up too much and can get a stomach upset and diarrhea. I would give only dog biscuits or treats made in America in addition to his regular food. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cooper.