It’s important for our pups to keep their pearly whites clean and sparkling, but which chew do we choose to help maintain doggy dental health? When it comes to chews there are two main kinds; rawhide and nylon.
Rawhides are typically made from the inner layer of cow hides and satisfy your pet’s natural instinct to chow down. They are usually so appealing and tasty that dogs will happily chew on these for 30 minutes to an hour without interruption (the more compressed a rawhide chew is, the longer it takes a dog to get through). However, the rawhide can cause some digestive irritation in sensitive dogs, tend to be high in calories, and can sometimes also cause other allergic reactions due to chemical treatments. They also don’t last much longer than a day and are prone to messiness. Ever picked up a partially chewed rawhide before? It’s not the greatest feeling in the world.
Nylon bones on the other hand are designed to last for months (or longer!) They come in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes, are infused with flavour to entice chewing sessions and have zero calories (perfect for the pooch who is on a diet). However, they don’t have any nutritional value and unfortunately many dogs fail to take an interest in them or routinely engage.
Of course, every dog has different tastes and will inevitably have their own preference when it comes to which type of chew they will react to. Rory has two of Nylabone‘s nylon bones and never tires of playing with them; although she does also enjoy the occasional rawhide from time to time too.
If you had to pick between these two types of chew, which would you treat your dog to?
