CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: suki1964 on October 22, 2004, 09:02:14 PM
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I was reading a thread the other day about pigs ears and seeing some today whilst out I got a couple.
Well Alfie is in puppy heaven now - hes been chewing away for the past hour or so, stopping long enough only to scoff his dinner :D
So how often can he have these? he seems to be sick to the back teeth with rawhide (teething) but Im worrying about how healthy (unhealthy) they are
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Hi Caroline
I would see how he goes with them - when I gave Molo his first one, I limited it to an hour, but he still got a bit of a runny poo's the next day.
I waited until he was a bit older and he is fine with them now - I confess I leave one down for him during the day (although I give him the slightly less smelly Good Boy packaged ones ;) ) and replace them every couple of days. He never chews bits off, just chews it like gum, dangling out of ther side of his mouth!
I assume that they are mainly dried skin, so probaby no worse than raw-hide I would imagine - anyway, once hes through the teething stage he will have them rationed again.
Molo loves the ears, as rawhide is too hard for him at the moment, the ears go soggy and are easier to chew! :rolleyes:
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Hi Caroline
My two boys favourite thing in the whole world (apart from gravy bones :rolleyes: ) are pigs ears but I only give them one every now and again as a special treat. I read somewhere that they are actually fried so therefore full of fat. I don't leave them down when I'm out as I had a choking episode with Morgan when he was about 6 months old and had I not been here I dread to think what would have happened - not with a pigs ear but once they get the hang of it you'd be surprised how quickly they can chew one of these down to a size small enough to swallowand. All they get when I'm out is a well-stuffed kong :)
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Hello
I give all my dogs one pigs ear a day (& they love them!) Never had any runny poo's to worry about.
I think it's good practice to supervise a dog when he/she has something to chew, as you never know if they will choke on it. Mine have them when I'm in the kitchen with them. The dogs all sit in a line and wait their turn, then they ever so gently take the ear from me and then rush off someone "private" to eat it in case one of the others finishes first and comes looking for theirs!
Chrissy
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I read somewhere that they are actually fried so therefore full of fat.
I have e-mailed Armitage, who make Good Boy products, to ask them; as I thought that they were dried, not fried, and will be looking for something else if they are loaded with fat :(
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Thanks for all the replies. Well he chewed and chewed and never stopped till it was gone so any ideas of rationing it tonight are well out of the window, looks like I could be on poo duty all night :(
I never leave Alfie alone with chews, if I need to leave him on his own in his crate its a smackeroo or chew stick broken into pieces and hidden around under the blanket and tucked between the toys.
Rachel, let us know what they say about them. These ones Im sure are dried as they leave no grease on the fingers. Dont know which brand they were as they are Wilkinsons cheapos
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I can't get pre packed ones and get them loose from a big bin in the local pet shop :P - they are greasy, so maybe they are prepared differently <_<
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I need to leave him on his own in his crate its a smackeroo or chew stick broken into pieces and hidden around under the blanket and tucked between the toys.
Don't want to worry you, but I'd be careful even leaving broken chew sticks as these also have the potential to lodge in the throat or jam themselves across the narrowest part of the roof of the mouth.
If I leave my dogs unattended and with something to nibble on I tend to get a new and large rawhide bone (something that can’t disintegrate) which I know from experience will take X amount of time to be reduced to a potentially dangerous size and make sure I’m back with the dog well in advance of this time.
Chrissy
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have had a wee search and most of the ones sold online say that they are smoked rather than fried so I'll maybe send for some of these as the one's I get have a definate greasiness about them. I can give then to the boys more often then :D Mind you, if you want to sample deep fried pig's ears yourself then just visit this restaurant :
New watering hole, The Pig’s Ear, is a rather refined addition to the Chelsea drinking scene, with art-deco light-fittings and zinc bar-tops creating a somewhat quirky setting. If browsing the wine list works up an appetite, eat in the informal dining area, where true to the bar’s name you can sample deep-fried pig’s ears. The first-floor dining room is set to open in September. 35 Old Church Street SW3. Tel: 7352 2908.
:P
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Chrissy Posted on Oct 22 2004, 11:22 PM
Don't want to worry you, but I'd be careful even leaving broken chew sticks as these also have the potential to lodge in the throat or jam themselves across the narrowest part of the roof of the mouth.
Oh lordy I never thought of that :( They are the cheepo chews - I call them mdf rolls as they seem to resemble compressed sawdust, easily snapped in to tiny pieces to use as bribes when out and about. I shall stick to the smackeroos whilst out.
Thanks for the warning, dont suppose you can ever be too safe
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I gave Bella a pigs ear the other day as she is chewing everything in sight and her breeder recomended them. She said they were smoked/dried.
Bella is not fussed about many chews, but the pigs ear was a HUGE hit. She ran round with it for hours just sucking the edges I'm sure to make it last. Even when it was dinner she ran to her bowl and then took 5 minutes to realise she had to put it down to eat her dinner. This worried me as I thought she might get nasty she was being so possesive, but when I took it off her she just looked at me with a hurt "how could you" look on her face and then wriggled orgasmically when I gave her it back :D :D
It lasted 3 days (I took it off her when she was alone) In the end I binned it. She sulked for about an hour :blink:
The only thing I hate about them is the horrid bacon breath they get with them.
She also loves smoked bones with the meaty bits all over them. Again only under supervision.
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Do they smell?
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I used to give Goldie pigs ears very regularly. Then I read somewhere that they were very fattening, so I stopped buying them as she got older.
Today, though, I was in a pet store and decided to treat both Goldie and Lottie and I bought some piggie ears. Lottie has never tried one yet but I bet she loves them.
I decided that I would give them both small rations at tea time and then the pig ears as treats during the evening.
I would like to know just how fattening they are though if anyone knows.....they certainly feel fatty.
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You must be buying the same ones I buy Sheila - they do feel greasy. From what I can tell from most online petshops, they are smoked and not fried so should be okay <_<
Amanda, they really stink!!! :P :lol:
P.S. Sheila, I've had my Bailey fix - any recent pics of Lottie?? ;)
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Shirley......yes, I looked online and noticed they said they were dried, maybe the fatty feeling is just the natural oils in the skin then.
I have got some piccies of Lottie.....I'll post some.......can't have you getting withdrawal symptoms :rolleyes: :D
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I have got some piccies of Lottie.....I'll post some.......can't have you getting withdrawal symptoms :rolleyes: :D
Thanks Sheila - another adorable black and tan cocker to show Eric - he's bound to buckle under the pressure soon!! :lol:
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Thanks Sheila - another adorable black and tan cocker to show Eric - he's bound to buckle under the pressure soon!! :lol:
Knew you couldn't stop at 2 ;) :P
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Think I might be fighting a losing battle, though ;) . It's gonna be another few years before I'm allowed another one! That's terrible isn't it! 28 years old and I have to ask permission <_< :angry: :lol: I'm not easily put off though, he'll have me harping on, and shoving photos of black and tancockers in his face for the next 3 years if that's what it takes :D .
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I'm not easily put off though, he'll have me harping on, and shoving photos of black and tancockers in his face for the next 3 years if that's what it takes :D .
:lol: :lol:
Shirley, you're doing well if it only takes three years...it took me five years, moving house and me changing jobs to convince him I was not going to take no for an answer
:lol: :lol:
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our local range shop sells pig ear strips in a bag. These are great for smaller dogs or for a 'quick treat'.
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Pigs ears in our house don't last more then 5 minutes... I spent ages looking for them the first time, thinking they couldn't possibly have finished them yet!!! They don't get them that often because they just don't hang around long enough, it would cost a fortune to keep them supplied.
I started Jovi on the small strips of pigs ear too!
I tried raw chicken wings the other day, my heart was in my mouth the entire time, but they made short work of them too! Jovi licked the rug for a good hour after too :)
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Gave my two a pigs ear each last night.
Goldie, as normal, demolished hers in a couple of minutes!!!
It took Lottie a little longer, but hers was all gone in half an hour.
Obviously a great hit.
I have noticed a big difference in prices though, I found some in a local farm shop which sells pet products and they were half the price of the ones I had bought in pets at home. They were also about twice the size and didnt feel as greasy...so I'll be going back there in the future.
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And the differences in size - the one Ive just given Alfie is as big as his head!! Id hate to have met the pig that it came from :lol:
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Actually, other parts of another animals anatomy, but it fits nicely here!
I went to get some pigs ears from a pet shop I don't visit very often - and believe it or not they had buffalo shanks :blink:
At 90p I bought one, but thought I'd ask before I gave it to Molo; has anyone any experience of these? They look like pigs trotters; but are longer and thicker, obviously :rolleyes:
I know that Buffalo meat is low in fat, so the little that there is on the bone should be OK, but I was wondering if anyone elses cocker has tried these?
I appreciate that not everyone likes giving their dogs cooked/roast bones; but I think that the raw marrow-bone that Molo had last week was partly responsible for his sickiness a day or two later, so won't give him one too often. I want to give him an assortment of things to chew while his teeth are giving him so much trouble, and he has not had a problem with the Roast beef bones from Jolleys.
Any thoughts? I also picked up a parma ham bone, which looks yummy too - well it would if I was a dog :D
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Hi Rachel
Haven't tried Morgan or Cooper with either of these animal parts but noticed that you said Molos teeth are bothering him. When Morgan's teeth were coming out he liked chewing on an old t-shirt which I had tied in knots, soaked with water and frozen. Don't give it too him straight from the freezer as his tongue will stick to it :unsure: :D - just leave it to thaw a little first. Morgan didn't like really hard things to chew on when his gums were sore - but this has a bit of give and the cold will numb the pain :D
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Oh, someone, please remind me .. was it Colin ???
His pup used to cart around the same pig until it was all sucky and fluffy, and one day he was queueing in the shop for a paper and a rude lady pushed in front of him, so he slipped his pig into her handbag .. what a great find for later on .. !!
I reckon pigs are greasy, because we have previously bought them by the box of 50 from our local grocer (who is ace for dog stuff and is willing to barter !!). The bottom of the box was all soaked (despite them being in a plastic bag) and the stench when you opened the top was something that only a dog could appreciate !!
Despite all that, they do seem to fill a hole that nothing else can - they are loads more attractive than a hide-chew - last longer than a mealy-chew- smell more disgusting than almost everything except tripe sticks and bulls' penises (yes!) and apart from the fact that the dog can swallow the last large lump if pushed and choke, they are relatively safe, I think. Basically, use sparingly, like every other treat !!!
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really glad i read this thread,i was looking at the pigs ears the other day,thinking,mmm bet they would luv them,then thought better of it,worried incase they were bad for them,,so cheers for that,,pigs ears on the menu as an occasional treat it is then ;) :D
ziggy jasper and mabe,s xx :D