Long lasting EPI friendly chews

[Danica]

Hello!
I recently adopted a 3 year old German shepherd with EPI dx. I’ve had her for about 3 months and she is in great health and we have a great routine with her meals and enzymes. But I was hoping to learn about any long lasting chews I can do a trial run with. I’ve attempted: dehydrated sweet potato pieces, dehydrated green tripe, beef bone (raw, no meat, no marrow, stuffed with sweet potato). She can handle these very well, but they do not last her long as she is a STRONG chewer. I’ve also just attempted giving her antlers, but she quickly gets bored with these. I am hesitant to do too many trial runs with new treats, because I fear giving her a flare up when she has come a long way to get this healthy. My goal is to ease her chewing anxiety. Any other recommendations is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Olesia711]

hi Dani,

i used to give my dogs big heavy soup bones that i got from a butcher.... and 9 years later, i still have those bones!! BUT..... with a super aggressive chewer, i am not sure if this would be the answer or not

SOOOOOOooooo i am wondering.... if maybe ... instead of looking at something "edible" i wonder if something toy like with a chewy/squishy texture might be an option. for example.... instead of tennis balls, then now have those rubber balls for a chucker...so you think something along these lines satiate your dog???

Or maybe something like this?

[Danica]

Thank you for this.

Yes you are right about the chew toys, they do help. But again.. she either gets bored and attempts to find something new or she tears it to shreds (she also swallows plastic and stuffing if I am not supervising closely enough)

I have considered getting a number of enrichment toys like the one you suggested! So you validated that idea for me, I just worry about their toughness. I know this is all trial and error, so I will definitely look into that one.

[jilbert57]

Have you tried Himalayan yak chews? These last longest for our jack russells who are teriffic chewers. Next I get Red Barn collagen chews and No odor bully sticks. I have two holders for the sticks so they can't swallow the last bit. You may need to give after an enzymed meal.

Jill

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Eddie, make sure the bones are long enough, so they can't get stuck on the bottom jaw. I was at urgent care once, when a screaming dog was brought in to have one removed. After that, I threw all mine away & asked for the butcher to cut them longer...but, the marrow in the middle seemed to get yucky.

Danica, I hear you, about that GSD chewing. I ended up getting XL flavored Nylabones. Not everyone wants their dog to chew them, but besides the long leg bones, they were the only thing that wasn't devoured in 15 minutes.---Pam

[Kimjohnson]

I also have an aggressive chewer. My 1 yr old cardigan corgi loves chewing. In the past with my other corgis, I've given them real bones but they have resulted in slab fractures of the back molars so I'm worried about that. He's chewing a hybrid nylabone made with wood but is going through them fast and I'm worried it's adding to his loose poop issues.
He is not interested in the soft rubbery chew toys at all, preferring hard chews. If I considered the Yak chews or bones, do I have to treat them with enzymes first?

[jilbert57]

Not sure how you would treat a yak bone with enzymes. Maybe give after an enzymed meal.
How about starting a new thread and introducing us to your Epi pup Jasper?

Jill