It’s almost 2023, so it’s time to up your dog’s treat game and get rid of any treats, chews and bones that are high-risk choking hazards for your dog.
There are some tell-tale signs that can let you know if the treats, chews and bones you are giving your dog are safe or not. Ensure you’re not exposing your dog to a potentially life-threatening situation by keeping the following points in mind before giving your dog a treat.
1) Shape Makes the Difference
Bones that have a rod or tubular shape can get caught in the throat and result in choking or blockages. A way to mitigate choking and blockages is to find a treat that is wide and flat so that the treat is much less likely to lodge in your dog’s throat.
2) Size
When it comes to dog treats, size matters. It’s important to keep in mind the size of the treat and the size of your dog. The larger the dog, the larger the treat should be. If you give your Great Dane a small dog treat, the risk of choking is higher. This is because they can gulp the treat down fast or swallow it whole, which can get the treat lodged in your dog’s throat leading to choking. It’s frightening and traumatic for both you and your dog.
It’s recommended to not give your dog a treat that’s smaller than an inch, so your dog actually chews the treat properly, which can lower the risk of choking. Also, it’s wiser to give a treat that’s wider than your dog’s throat opening.
3) Splinter-ability
Dog treats that easily splinter is, unsurprisingly, more likely to cause choking and airway obstruction. When your dog chews on rawhide bones, for example, the rawhide can splinter and dogs can easily swallow the splintered chunks whole, which poses a greater risk of choking.
As a rule of thumb, avoid giving your dog bones in general because they are notorious for causing intestinal and esophageal blockages, as well as being high-risk choking hazards. Chicken bones are an example of a bone that can splinter easily.
4) Eating Speed
Do you have a dog that wolfs down its food? Dogs that eat fast are more likely to not chew their food properly and this can pose a greater risk for choking and blockages. That’s why taking into consideration how fast your dog eats can help you differentiate between what’s going to be a safe treat for your dog. Dogs from large litters can become gulpers.
Finding a treat that your dog can’t eat fast and that forces them to take their time is ideal.
5) Oral Health
Before giving your dog a treat, take into consideration their oral health. If your dog doesn’t have the best oral health and is missing a lot of teeth, you won’t want to give them a treat that is too hard or involves a lot of chewing. Dogs with loose or sensitive teeth or inflamed gums will have a hard time properly chewing the treat, which can cause them to choke.
Yummy Combs®: The Safe Treat
Replenish your dog’s treat drawer with a treat that you know is the safest! Yummy Combs® dental dog treats have three advanced safety patents that deter gulping — inadequate chewing can lead to choking. Yummy Combs® are wide and flat to help overcome this issue. And Yummy Combs® have thin walls and a proprietary ingredient to hasten dissolving — an average of 12X faster than other treats tested.
Yummy Combs® has a unique honeycomb-like design that slows dogs chewing down when they are chewing, which deters dogs from wolfing their favorite treat down too fast. This revolutionary dog treat also uses a rapidly dissolving formula, which lowers the chances of your dog having to go to the emergency vet with intestinal or esophageal blockages.
Yummy Combs® is also the only treat to come in 5 different sizes based on your dog’s throat size and weight, which means it deters your dog from swallowing these treats whole when you purchase the right size for your dog! There’s no other dog treat that has put your dog’s safety and health at the forefront like Yummy Combs®!
It is safe to give your dog a Yummy Combs® treat designed for a larger dog than recommended but it is generally not safe to give your dog a treat smaller than recommended.
Discover the amazing benefits Yummy Combs® can bring to your dog like outstanding ORAL CARE, high-quality NUTRITION, great taste and ENJOYMENT and, of course, its 3 levels of ADVANCED SAFETY. Get Yummy Combs® for your dog today!
Source: Animal Wellness Magazine