After the excitement of the Eco Pet range arriving and it going down very well with all the hounds, an unplanned phase two started soon after.
We have gotten great feedback from all that have ordered and received their toys. The one thing still requested - safe chew toys. The Eco Pet range is fantastic but in our opinion have to be given to your hounds with our supervision or they simply won't last all that long. If you have a heavy chewer - they get through it in minutes. So phase two - find a safe chew toy.
I got sent a Nylabone from my supplier with the last order of toys, I was sent the following note shortly after:
"Did you find the Nylabone freebie we sent you? This is a great product to keep any dog busy when there is no supervision. It lasts ages and helps with dental care. Please let me know what your kids think of this?"
I was of course immediately skeptical as those of you who read the blog post "To Treat or not to Treat" can imagine. I found quite a lot online about the nylabone being a choking hazard as well as causing obstructions in the pets' digestive system to the extent of surgery. I wrote the following e-mail to the supplier expressing my concern with regards to the safety of this chew toy:
"I am going to be completely honest with you that a few months ago I thre EVERYTHING synthetic for the dogs to chew and play. Finding your Eco Toys was because I had a mission to find something safe for the hounds.
These are the blog posts if you're interested:
http://beaglebedandbreakfast.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/to-treat-or-not-to-treat.html
http://beaglebedandbreakfast.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/toying-around.html
I did alot of research after so many people and VET's shared stories with me about dogs choking on toys and chews and so forth. Nylabone was one of the big one's that came up in forums for causing obstructions. Perhaps the people did not read the size guidelines properly, it may just be bad luck in every case but it has made me rather nervous of the Nylabone.
That said, even from the pictures in your electronic brochure I was tempted to buy one to just see what it is like (you must have read my mind!). So once I scrounge up the courage and have the time to properly sit down with whoever I give it to (so I have to wait until there aren't QUITE so many dogs around) I am going to give it a go and give you an honest opinion. I'll try it with a few dogs, big chewers and not so big chewers.
If you have any other/more information on the Nylabone that you think could be important for owners to know before they buy the product or guidelines as how to choose the best Nylabone product/size for ones pet that would be so fantastic. These Beagles like chewing and I have yet to find a product with which you can safely leave them without concern for choking or obstruction. I have owners asking me constantly to recommend something so I am certainly open to suggestions :-)"
I am glad to say I was quite satisfied with the response I received:
"I definitely agree with getting rid of all synthetics, as the quality of products one gets these days are shoddy!
We investigated this issue before we took on the range, and in many instances the incorrect products were given to the dogs and in other cases, the owners did not use the products ‘responsibly’. There are 3 different products in the range basically;
Puppy Chews – only meant for puppy teeth
Flexi Chew – for moderate chewers (basically the same ‘softness’ as puppy chews.
Dura Chew – for heavy chewers.
Then, as you mentioned – choosing the correct size for your dog is vital. There are weight indications on the packaging to assist with this. But I always recommend that owners rather take one too big than too small. As you know, client ‘compliance’ is where the problem also sometimes comes in. the owner chooses the incorrect size/chew and then the products is the ‘problem’ or they neglect to inspect toys regularly and remove if needs be.
In many cases, people buy Flexi Chews instead of Dura Chews, and this is where pieces are swallowed. The Nylon used in Nylabone is non toxic, in normal situation small pieces (size of a grain of rice) do break off, and these pass through without any problems. These are also safer than chewing on real bones (can’t believe people still feed bones).
If you want more info, in the packaging there is a loose pamphlet with all the info. I must admit, reading that is not very nice, as this states worst cases, but can understand that they would put it there to make sure owners do take it seriously and become responsible.
I really do believe in this range, especially as I have seen how they love it and most importantly – how durable it is. I am a very concerned owner and a huge ‘snob’ when it comes to buying products for our kids, and I feel comfortable with them chewing on these. I must be honest, they LOVE the Flexi Chews, but I watch them like a hawk when they chew these, as they are very soft and big pieces do break off, which I make sure they don’t swallow. I leave them alone with Dura Chew bones all the time without thinking about twice.
SA Guide Dogs also uses Nylabone for all their digs, as this is the only product that they cant seem to destroy. The average ‘lifespan’ of the bones they use (depending on the dog) is between 1 & 2 years.
The best would be is to see for yourself.
Let me know if I can help with more info!"
So now the Nylabone is being tested. I will keep you all updated as to how it goes so keep checking in, we'll also share pictures on our facebook group page.
Until next time!
We have gotten great feedback from all that have ordered and received their toys. The one thing still requested - safe chew toys. The Eco Pet range is fantastic but in our opinion have to be given to your hounds with our supervision or they simply won't last all that long. If you have a heavy chewer - they get through it in minutes. So phase two - find a safe chew toy.
I got sent a Nylabone from my supplier with the last order of toys, I was sent the following note shortly after:
"Did you find the Nylabone freebie we sent you? This is a great product to keep any dog busy when there is no supervision. It lasts ages and helps with dental care. Please let me know what your kids think of this?"
I was of course immediately skeptical as those of you who read the blog post "To Treat or not to Treat" can imagine. I found quite a lot online about the nylabone being a choking hazard as well as causing obstructions in the pets' digestive system to the extent of surgery. I wrote the following e-mail to the supplier expressing my concern with regards to the safety of this chew toy:
"I am going to be completely honest with you that a few months ago I thre EVERYTHING synthetic for the dogs to chew and play. Finding your Eco Toys was because I had a mission to find something safe for the hounds.
These are the blog posts if you're interested:
http://beaglebedandbreakfast.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/to-treat-or-not-to-treat.html
http://beaglebedandbreakfast.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/toying-around.html
I did alot of research after so many people and VET's shared stories with me about dogs choking on toys and chews and so forth. Nylabone was one of the big one's that came up in forums for causing obstructions. Perhaps the people did not read the size guidelines properly, it may just be bad luck in every case but it has made me rather nervous of the Nylabone.
That said, even from the pictures in your electronic brochure I was tempted to buy one to just see what it is like (you must have read my mind!). So once I scrounge up the courage and have the time to properly sit down with whoever I give it to (so I have to wait until there aren't QUITE so many dogs around) I am going to give it a go and give you an honest opinion. I'll try it with a few dogs, big chewers and not so big chewers.
If you have any other/more information on the Nylabone that you think could be important for owners to know before they buy the product or guidelines as how to choose the best Nylabone product/size for ones pet that would be so fantastic. These Beagles like chewing and I have yet to find a product with which you can safely leave them without concern for choking or obstruction. I have owners asking me constantly to recommend something so I am certainly open to suggestions :-)"
I am glad to say I was quite satisfied with the response I received:
"I definitely agree with getting rid of all synthetics, as the quality of products one gets these days are shoddy!
We investigated this issue before we took on the range, and in many instances the incorrect products were given to the dogs and in other cases, the owners did not use the products ‘responsibly’. There are 3 different products in the range basically;
Puppy Chews – only meant for puppy teeth
Flexi Chew – for moderate chewers (basically the same ‘softness’ as puppy chews.
Dura Chew – for heavy chewers.
Then, as you mentioned – choosing the correct size for your dog is vital. There are weight indications on the packaging to assist with this. But I always recommend that owners rather take one too big than too small. As you know, client ‘compliance’ is where the problem also sometimes comes in. the owner chooses the incorrect size/chew and then the products is the ‘problem’ or they neglect to inspect toys regularly and remove if needs be.
In many cases, people buy Flexi Chews instead of Dura Chews, and this is where pieces are swallowed. The Nylon used in Nylabone is non toxic, in normal situation small pieces (size of a grain of rice) do break off, and these pass through without any problems. These are also safer than chewing on real bones (can’t believe people still feed bones).
If you want more info, in the packaging there is a loose pamphlet with all the info. I must admit, reading that is not very nice, as this states worst cases, but can understand that they would put it there to make sure owners do take it seriously and become responsible.
I really do believe in this range, especially as I have seen how they love it and most importantly – how durable it is. I am a very concerned owner and a huge ‘snob’ when it comes to buying products for our kids, and I feel comfortable with them chewing on these. I must be honest, they LOVE the Flexi Chews, but I watch them like a hawk when they chew these, as they are very soft and big pieces do break off, which I make sure they don’t swallow. I leave them alone with Dura Chew bones all the time without thinking about twice.
SA Guide Dogs also uses Nylabone for all their digs, as this is the only product that they cant seem to destroy. The average ‘lifespan’ of the bones they use (depending on the dog) is between 1 & 2 years.
The best would be is to see for yourself.
Let me know if I can help with more info!"
So now the Nylabone is being tested. I will keep you all updated as to how it goes so keep checking in, we'll also share pictures on our facebook group page.
Until next time!
RSS Feed