Busy Bones Not a Treat for Toy Dogs
Not a Good Treat for Toy Dogs
According to the Busy Bones package it said "Give your dog a unique chew that really is a treat! Busy Bone® brand Chewbone Treat keeps your dog busy to the bone, and he'll work at it eagerly because Busy Bone® also scores high on the taste charts. It has a fun twisted bone shape that will keep your dog both entertained and enthused. Busy Bone® is the ideal alternative to rawhide chews". I couldn't stay in the store reading all day so I bought a package of Busy Bones. I figured I could research them when I got home.
I like to give my dogs treats as rewards, as a way to clean plaque off their teeth and just as something to keep them busy and happy. One of my dogs was food trained, the other just is a foodie and will work for treats. He'll also check your hands for something before he'll respond. Very annoying but funny. "Hmmm", he seems to be thinking, "Shall I obey? Is she making it worth my while? How long should I make her wait?"
Busy Bone dental treat(large small and medium dogs)
Busy Bone chew bone treat (large, small and medium dogs)
Busy Bone ultimate chew treat(large and medium dogs only)
The busy bone is a 5" long twisted bone shape with a marrow like center called the meaty middle. It's a bit over an inch wide. The package says it's now even longer lasting. I like long lasting in a treat. It's suggested you feed on an easy to clean surface. That was worrisome. I have tile floors everywhere but they like to get in bed with their treats. My one guy will carry his treats around for days hiding them here and there. Usually in plain sight unfortunately. He "covers" his treat with imaginary stuff by pushing the stuff he thinks he sees, his imaginary covering material, up and over the bone. It's pretty funny to watch. The other, bigger dog is usually one of the watchers and moments later he goes and snags the treat.
Directions:Feed one Busy Bone Dental to your dog as a treat daily.
Warnings:
This chew snack is not suitable for puppies or toy breeds.
Busy Bone is a treat or snack and is not intended to replace your pet's main meal.
Provide fresh water for your dog daily.
Feed on an easy to clean surface.
For your pet's health, see your vet regularly
Ingredients:
Rice, glycerin, water, wheat flour, gelatin, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, calcium phosphate, added color (Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Blue 2 and other color), Ascorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) 8.0%
Crude Fat (Min) 1.0%
Crude Fiber (Max) 2.0%
Moisture (Max) 18.0%
Calcium (Ca) (Min) 0.25%
natural and artificial smoke flavors, BHA (a preservative), BHT (a preservative), citric acid, calcium carbonate.
The more I read about Busy Bones the less I felt I should give this to the boys. They are 5 and 8 lb Chihuahuas. The next thing I read was that these are not suitable for puppies or toy dogs. Well, that's what these guys are. So, bye bye chew bone treat, back to the store it went. Between the possibility of staining things, the not for toy dogs warning and the poulty by products I was completely turned off.
When I got home I went to the Purina site and to the Epinions site and validated my decision. It was not recommended in any of the articles. I oculdn't find out why it was not recommended for toy dogs. Perhaps its the size, perhaps small dogs have more sensitive digestive systems. Nothing I looked up explained that. .
The company also makes:
Chew eez (raw hide)
T Bone
Beggin Strips
Published by Susan Antonelli
I'm a NANA to 5, artist, and Wildlife Rescue Person View profile
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19 Comments
Post a CommentI think the reason why these are not recommended for toy breeds is because really small dogs have such small caloric needs that a treat like this would be way too much for them. For example, my 3 1/2 lb chihuahua has a caloric need of about 150ish calories PER DAY. The Busy Bone Minis contain 300 calories PER TREAT... so 300 calories is like 2 DAYS worth of calories for him... and he would totally consume one of those bones in a day or 2. (when he gets a treat he likes he will work on it constantly until it's gone) Anyway, that is just a guess, but it makes sense to me...
Here is a link for calculating your dog's caloric needs: http://mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm
And here is a link for the calorie content of dog treats: http://hulenhills.com.s96387.gridserver.com/treats-can-add-pounds-to-pets/
I just sent an email to purina. We gave our dog, an 80 lb chocolate lab a busy bone. She had severe vomiting and diarrhea for two days. We watch her diet carefully, though she does not have a sensitive digestive system. I can only remember her vomiting and having diarrhea one other time in her 6 years of life and that too was after giving her a coated chew stick for a treat. I can't imagine what they put in these products to cause such a reaction. These adverse reactions are not just for the little ones but for the larger dogs also. Would love to know what is causing this so we can check the ingredients before purchasing products or better yet...they quit using them.
Well, this is disappointing to hear. I use Purina dog food usually and was thinking of getting these to use along with some bully sticks. I was wondering why http://bullysticksfordogs.com/ doesn't sell these Busy Bones. Anyways, thanks for the article!
My dogs enjoy busy bones without any problems. As with any product that's fed to a large group of individuals, some may have problems (diarrhea, vomiting) if that's the case then stop feeding it to your dog, but that's no reason to bad mouth the product that a majority of people will not have such issues with. I especially love the ultimate busy bone as I have a rough-chewer who usually tears through treats/toys in 5 minutes, but the ultimate lasts for several hours! :-D
My dog loves Busy Bones. She devours them and has never had a problem with them. Love the instant coupons on the large bags.
Thanks for posting this! I always want to know if treats are great for my babies or more harmful than helpful.
My dog threw up 3 times yesterday and the only thing different in his diet was the busy bone. I took it away and he hasn't been sick since.
It was probably my complaint you read on Epinions...I'm blogging about this wherever I can! My dog ate one Busy Bone dental dog treat and had diarrhea for 3 days. There were no other changes to his diet, so i know this was to blame. After that, I Googled the product and found many other owners whose dogs also got sick from eating this 'treat.' Some with vomiting, even seizures. Filed a formal complaint with Purina, but they pretty much dismissed it as an 'allergy.' As of 5/12/09, there is a federal case pending with the FDA.
The more I read about Busy Bones the less I felt I should give this to the boys. They are 5 and 8 lb Chihuahuas. The next thing I read was that these are not suitable for puppies or toy dogs. Well, that's what these guys are. So, bye bye chew bone treat, back to the store it went. Between the possibility of staining things, the not for toy dogs warning and the poulty by products I was completely turned off.
When I got home I went to the Purina site and to the Epinions site and validated my decision. It was not recommended in any of the articles. I oculdn't find out why it was not recommended for toy dogs. Perhaps its the size, perhaps small dogs have more sensitive digestive systems. Nothing I looked up explained that.
So I did read up on the product , this is taken verbatim from my article. I didn't have time to read the fine print in the store. .
I love these products and so does my dog, but my dog is almost 90 lbs. I think there are many many products out there not good for toy breeds. If you have that small of a dog you really need to read more. I have a horse so I need to buy the biggest, toughest product out there and Purina makes dog treats that are both affordable (lots of coupons out also) and that my dog loves!