In consensus about Vets not knowing everything. Saffron and cardamom in pets food helps and also chewy bones available in shops to control bad breath of pets. Neutering is not reqd in my opinion.

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What do you think dogs eat in the wild? Squirrels and rabbits dont't come boneless in the wild. Only cooked bones splinter, and yes bones can and do get lodged in dog throats but that is when they are given inappropriate bones. Like femur bones from large animals. I may be wrong but it is my opinion that most vets only believe in bad foods, like Science Diet and Iams, which to me are glorified crap. Those are the company's that do a lot for the veterinary schools so that the vets will use these products when they are in private practice. Vets are not god and do not know everything. My vet wanted me to neuter my Swissy at 6 months of age which would have done him a huge disservice, he needed the testosterone to grow the muscle mass needed to support his large bones. Most vets are of that same opinion on the age to neuter. I guess what I am saying is vets do not and possibly cannot know everything. It is amazing all they do know. Just my opinion:)

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Regarding dogs eating bones - I work for a vet. NEVER ever give your dogs bones, cooked or raw. Any bone can splinter and sharp edges can perforate the intestines causing a need for surgery and can even kill your dog. Small bones can become lodged in the dog's throat causing him to choke to death.

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Alice's post from 5/07 is right on! Just like people, doggie tarter is bacteria that has gotten hard on their teeth and needs to be removed--usually by your vet because the live bacteria is under the gum tissue which is why they bleed and smell nasty. Since I work for a periodontist, I clean my lab's teeth at home, even though he is on a raw diet, tarter still builds up. My malty eats the same foods in smaller quantities of course, but has no tarter. It is the chemical makeup of their mouth that leads to this problem. My boys love carrots & apples but I like the idea of the above breath remedy. Thanks

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Our dogs love chicken necks, I dont! My husband gives them to the dogs, holds them in his fingers and lets them chew them up like that, they just crunch through them. He gives them to the dogs from frozen. Both are large dogs, we dont like giving them bones - just incase they splinter, Ive heard too many scary stories...Thank you for the breath freshener tip, I need to do something about Champs breath it knocks my socks off sometimes and he wont let me brush his teeth so perhaps the drops are the answer. I will try it.

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I've never see a dog cooking its bones before eating! They chew them up raw. So you should stick to the natural habits concerning your dog. Cooked bones harden out during the process of cooking and evencould brake any of your dog's teeth - raw bones are more "soft". And don't feed the hollow bones of fowl since that ones are upt to splinter and cause damage to the intestine tract of your dog (punctuation and worse) and than you would have a problem ... (your dog of couse as well).
Chicken neck wouldn't be a problem at all.
If you are not sure in certain situation whether that would benefit your dog or would harm it, all you have to do, think: what would my dog do in a normal (natural) situation/environment? Basic rule you can trust: see things with your dogs eyes and normally you would know what or what not to do.

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Yes my puppy licks alot too, so good breath is critical. Otherwise, "Yuck!"

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I've got a puppy, and while she loves to give lots of doggy kisses, she's already beginning to get a bit of "doggy breath". So this may be exactly what we need to keep those kisses sweet! thanks!

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for small dogs find small prey animals. small birds, rabbit,etc. Sophie is about 49 lbs. now. But she started out with chicken necks and because i was worried about blockages I took hammer and mashed them good but she still had to chew them. Now she gets whole rabbit not just part, chicken quarters no necks. lamb necks, ribs with meat. Rabbit bones i would think would probably be ok for small dogs. Our last dog died of insulinoma cancer, I believe due to proccesed pet foods. Her teeth were showing tarter, her coat was dull and dry skin. With in a week of raw meaty bones diet her coat got soft, less dry, teeth had less tarter. By 2 weeks all tarter was gone. Breath was no longer an issue either. small dogs can eat rodents, think size and what is available. Our dogs get no veggies or fruits regularly because they dont need them at all. They get a bite here and there because they like it as a treat like we like ice cream as a treat. News target.com has a lot of cancer articles even on pets. Good thing to read up on. Cancer is on the rise and we can turn that around if we dont let vetrinarins scare us to death. They are taught by the pet food people about nutrition and that is a limited amount of time and sources. Pet food companies have become like the big pharma companies. It is all about money and brain washing.

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I disagree, raw bones do not splinter, cooked bones can and do. Weight bearing bones may be too hard and hurt teeth but bones in small animals like chickens should not hurt a dog of medium size and up. I am not sure about small dogs. It seems we all have our opinions though, and just because I believe in raw, I totally respect that others may think just the opposite. The important thing is to never hurt your pet and if in doubt don't do it, it isn't worth the price you have to pay if you are wrong or if you take someones advice that may not be right.

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