Safe gnawing with your dog: what should you look out for?
A chew snack can be a delightful activity for your dog. However, no matter how well a product seems to suit your dog, chewing is never entirely without risk.
A snack changes during chewing. It becomes smaller, can soften, pieces can break off, and the way your dog handles it can change. Additionally, dogs vary greatly in size, teeth, chewing power, and chewing behavior.
That's why at FurFun, we believe it's important not only to sell dog snacks but also to clearly explain what you should pay attention to during chewing.
This page contains general safety information and our own practical experience. The information is not intended as veterinary or nutritional advice. If you have any doubts about your dog's teeth, health, or specific needs, we recommend contacting your veterinarian.
The Golden Rules
Collapsible content
Never leave your pet unattended with a chew snack
This is the most important rule for us:
Never give your dog a chew treat unsupervised.
Stay nearby and observe how your dog handles the treat. A product that is large and sturdy at the beginning can change during chewing. Pieces may break off or the remaining part may become small enough to be swallowed whole.
Supervision doesn't prevent something from happening. It does ensure that you are present when the situation changes and can intervene when necessary.
Choose a suitable format
It's not just the hardness of a chew that matters. Size and shape also play a role.
Choose a size that suits your dog and its chewing style. Avoid choosing a snack that your dog can easily try to swallow whole.
Don't just look at breed or weight. Some dogs calmly nibble small pieces off a snack, while another dog tries to tear off large pieces as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, you know your own dog's chewing behavior best. Take this into account when both choosing and giving a snack.
Pay extra close attention to the last part
Chew treats gradually get smaller as your dog chews on them. This means that a product which initially was a suitable size can eventually reach a size where your dog might try to swallow the remaining piece whole.
The texture can also change. For example, some dried treats become softer due to saliva and chewing.
Therefore, remove a treat when, in your estimation, the remaining portion becomes too small for your dog to safely continue chewing on it.
There is no universal size that is safe for every dog and every treat. Size, shape, texture, and especially the dog's behavior all play a role.
Provide fresh drinking water and sufficient rest
Always ensure your dog has access to fresh drinking water.
It is best to give larger chew treats during a quiet time and avoid intense exercise immediately before or after eating. This is particularly advised as a precautionary measure by veterinary sources for dogs with an increased risk of gastric torsion.
Gastric torsion, also known as GDV, is an acute and life-threatening condition in which the stomach distends significantly and can twist. The exact cause of GDV is unknown, and various factors can play a role. Large dogs with deep chests are among the groups with an increased risk.
If you have a dog with an increased risk of GDV or are unsure about feeding times around intense exercise, discuss this with your veterinarian.
Why we are so clear about this
This advice is not just theoretical for us.
During Christmas dinner, Chase was given a beef ear. Towards the end of the chewing, the remaining part had softened and got stuck in his mouth. He couldn't get it out himself.
Because we were present, we immediately noticed that something was wrong and were able to intervene and remove the piece.
We are deliberately sharing the video below. Not because a beef ear is inherently dangerous, but because our own experience perfectly illustrates why we advise never to give a dog a chew snack unsupervised and why the last part, in particular, requires extra attention.
Please note: some viewers may find these images disturbing.
Continuation
Collapsible content
Supervise a chew treat during use
Check a snack not only before you give it, but also while your dog is chewing on it.
This is especially important with natural dog snacks. They are natural products, and therefore their size, thickness, shape, and structure can vary per item.
Regularly check the condition of the product while your dog is chewing. Are sharp pieces forming, are large chunks coming off, or is the product changing in a way you don't trust? Then remove the snack.
When in doubt, it is better to stop giving the snack.
Harder isn't automatically better
A dog with strong chewing power does not automatically need the hardest possible chew treat.
With our ChewScore, we rate the hardness of a treat on a scale of 1 to 5. This score is intended to make it easier to compare different products.
A higher ChewScore does not mean that a product is better or more suitable for your dog.
Extra caution is advisable with very hard chew products. Chewing on hard objects and materials can cause dental damage, including broken teeth. Veterinary sources specifically warn against very hard chewing materials such as bones and hooves due to this risk.
If you are unsure whether a hard chew product is suitable for your dog's teeth, consult your veterinarian.
What about bone and hoof?
Some natural chew products contain bone, hoof, or other very hard parts. An example is a lamb's foot.
These products require extra attention and are not automatically suitable for every dog. Very hard materials can damage teeth.
Check such products extra carefully while your dog is chewing and stop if sharp parts emerge, undesirably large pieces break off, or you don't trust how your dog is handling the product.
Here too, supervision does not eliminate risk. The fact that you are present does not automatically make a product safe for your dog.
If you have doubts about your dog's teeth or health, ask your vet if a certain type of chew product is suitable.
Every dog chews differently
There is no chew snack that is automatically the right choice for every dog.
Even two dogs of the same breed, size, and age can approach the same snack completely differently. One dog might gently gnaw off small pieces. Another dog will sink its teeth firmly into the product to break off larger chunks. Some dogs eventually try to swallow the last part whole.
Therefore, always observe your dog and the product that is currently in front of them.
A snack that your dog has eaten without problems before is no guarantee that the next one will go exactly the same way.
When do you take a chew away?
Remove a chew snack if you notice your dog trying to swallow large pieces, if the remaining part becomes too small, if sharp or unwanted parts appear, if the product unexpectedly breaks, or if for any other reason you don't trust how your dog is handling it.
And, of course, if you can no longer supervise.
Done watching means done chewing.
How long should a dog chew?
There is no fixed maximum chewing time that applies to every dog and every chew snack. How long a dog can safely chew depends, among other things, on the type of snack, its hardness, its size, and how the dog handles it.
A dog also doesn't always have to finish a chew snack in one go. Continuing to chew for a long time is not automatically better. If you notice that your dog continues to chew very enthusiastically, becomes tired, or changes the way it handles the snack, you can end the chewing session and, if suitable, offer a remaining piece again later.
Supervise the entire chewing session. If you cannot or do not want to pay attention any longer, the chewing session is over.
Safe chewing starts with staying vigilant
At FurFun, we can provide as much information as possible about our products, share our experiences, and use the ChewScore to help compare the hardness of different snacks. However, no system can predict how every individual dog will interact with every individual snack.
Therefore, our most important advice remains simple:
Choose consciously, stay with your dog, check the snack while they are chewing, and remove it if you don't trust the situation.
For questions about products from our range, we are happy to assist based on our own product knowledge and experience. For individual veterinary, dental, or nutritional advice, we refer you to your veterinarian.