Nylabone Bones are a regular feature in many Dog owners homes. Looking after Dogs is often a busy and hectic life and often we like to have some quiet time.
Giving the Dogs something to chew on is a great way to have peace for a while. I am a firm believer in Raw Meaty Bones for the Dogs. They get a good few bones every week and there are always a few hanging around outside for them to chew on. Raw Meaty Bones keep them quiet for hours and is also a great form of teeth cleaning for Dogs. I do not, however like having Bones in the house.
The other day I came across a Nylabone that had been hanging around outside for quite some time. There was hardly a mark on it. It has mostly been ignored as the Bone Munchers will take the real thing over a nylabone bone any day.
I decided to bring it in the house to see if it would keep any of them interested. It was an immediate success. They were all playing with it, throwing it around, and generally having a great time. After a while the older two Dogs got bored and Jet the youngest one settled down for a bit of a “chew fest”. This did raise some concerns immediately. Are Nylabones safe for Puppies? Are Nylabones for Dogs a good idea. What should a Nylabone bone look like when you should throw it away?
Not good. I am unsure about just how safe a Nylabone is.
Dangers Of Nylabone Bones
Are Nylabone Bones Good For Dogs?
Within minutes the top of Nylabone was starting to be all chewed up. I checked on the Nylabone website and it says that small rough bits on the end is normal. It is only if they chew larger pieces that it is dangerous. They also state, however, that there is no such thing as an indestructible Dog Toy.
Their site seems to be very honest and they tell you to regularly inspect the Toy to ensure the Dog is not able to chew large pieces off. It also seems to state that it is safe for the Dogs to chew off tiny pieces and that they will pass through them with no problem.
Jet seemed to be making pretty good progress in chewing up the end of the Nylabone Bone. There were small bits of it sticking up and, to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if it was safe or not. I don’t really like the idea of her ingesting small pieces of it. I also worried that she may bite or chew off a larger piece and this just gets me paranoid.
Has anyone had any problems with Nylabone Bones?
Do you use them? Do you think they are safe? Or are they just best suited to small Dogs with less strength in their Jaws?
Lets hear about your experiences. To be honest, I threw our Nylabone bone in the bin. My paranoia got the better of me and I was worried for their safety.
Try an Indestructible Dog Toy
May the Doggie Force be with you all.
We regularly use nylabones, as do my inlaws. I don’t care to give our dogs real bones often, so they mostly have nylabones. They are great for their teeth as well as safe. (used by beagles, weims, cocker, and large mutts)
I will not give my dogs nylabones any more. One of my dog club members had a strong chewer (Samoyed) that ingested a piece about the size of a dime. The dog owners had no idea who/if someone had ingested it as they had five Sammys at the time. Several months later, one of the dogs appeared to be in total agony and was coughing up blood. An x-ray showed the piece had lodged into the stomach lining. In spite of surgery, the dog died. My Sammy got into many shenanigans and was known to eat socks, underwear and just about everything, but we had good success with ‘puzzle toys’ containing treats lodged in them and also cotton dog ropes soaked in broth for flavor. I’m not crazy about bleached rawhide, but I do give them occasionally as they are fully indigestible and do not smell. In general, I do not give those sorts of chewables unless I am able to keep an eye on them. My advice for a larger piece of ingested nylabone would be to induce vomiting immediately.
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Mary Jo and Tc, thanks for your comments. As you can see, this is exactly what I was concerned about.
There are two opposite opinions on the matter. I know it is exactly the same in the case of Raw Bones. Some like it and others don’t. I guess you hear horror stories about nearly all the possible things we can give to the Dogs.
At the end of the day I suppose we have to go with what we feel comfortable with.
Dennis gnaws on Nylabones but never gets large chunks off them. If they start to look cracked or damaged (or I hit them with the lawnmower) we throw them away. But I think I’ll show this post to my wife and see if it changes her mind about letting the dogs have this particular chew toy …
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We buy our spaniels Hi-Craft dog bones – see http://www.hi-pet.com/acatalog/hi-craft-toyboy-chews-pulls.html
These seem to be very hard wearing, even though one dog grinds them with his back teeth. I’ve never seen a big piece come off.
My feeling is that dogs ought to chew something and that whether they chew real bones or manufactured ones there will always be an element of risk. I believe the health benefits are substantial – it keeps their teeth clean which is very important.
I would be concerned if I ever saw large pieces break off.
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Dennis, it is difficult to know what to do for the best sometimes. I may just be being paranoid but I think I will stick to real bones outside for the Dogs.
RobZ, I agree entirely. The benefits of Dogs chewing on something hard are enormous. You are also right that there is an element of risk for everything. We need to just use what we feel most comfortable with.
I got Nylabones for my dogs several years ago.
“Mmmm, plastic bones. Isn’t this special?”
They went in all different directions. It was years before those things turned up, carefully salted away and I don’t think it was because they liked them.
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No nylabones, they have cut my dogs gums before. The only thing worse is raw-hide.
Jan, you can’t beat the real thing!
Dog Breed CD, I have never used raw-hide. I think it is more of an American thing.
I guess, as the OP said, that no dog toy / chew is indestructible and nothing is ever going to be 100% safe. I think it just amatter of being, what all pet owners should be, and that is responsible, and keep and eye out for things that have or are starting to become a bit worn and tattered.
best thing is to just chuck them away and treat the dog to a shiny new toy.
Dozer and Star have Galileo Bones, which are made by Nylabone but consist of a much more solid substance. It’s hard as rock and basically impossible for the dogs to actually chew a chunk off. For hard core chewers, I think this is the best “bone” option.
I’ve used Nylabones (the regular crunchy ones) for puppies or for non-chewers that aren’t going to take chunks off.
I can’t give my dogs regular bones because they eat the bones very quickly and then throw up. Blargh!
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Dog Toys, you are right . We need to always be vigilant.
Jennifer, shame they don’t get along with regular bones but at least they have something that will help keep their teeth clean, which is very important.
I have only bought two Nylabones, one with each puppy. I often toss it in the crate during the day for them to gnaw on. When number one got older and was out of the crate, I threw it out. When #2 is out in another couple months, I’ll do the same thing, though this time around I’m using the Kong toys more with the “goop” filling. Mostly because this puppy is quite the chewer and is doing a lot of damage to the Nyla.
I’m getting ready to post about synthetic bones vs. real bones. I was performing a Google search to get more information and happened by your site. I have a Rottweiler and a Golden Retriever and both have had synthetic and real bones. When I buy real bones, I supervise them to make sure they are not chewing them to bits. I don’t supervise on the synthetic bones but throw them away once I see the small bits coming off.
I’ve had the best luck with Galileo bones and will purchase those when not buying the real thing.
The only bone I do not support are rawhides, as they get gooey, chewy, and run the risk of getting hung up in the dogs intestine.
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Nylabones caused permanent gum recession on my dog, she had teeth extracted as a result. Vet wrote a letter to the company but they still wouldnt pay for her surgery or reimburse me for the nylabones or offer anything else. Satisfaction guaranteed? Not likely!!
My 4 yr old Lab loves his galileo dog bone & I love it too because it entertains him for hours!! Recently, he had major stomach issues, vomiting and bad stool w/ white pieces in some. We were treating for possible stomach ulcer but after discovering more information regarding the possible dangers of the nyla/galileo bones, seems this could be the problem?
Just for the record I have two Blue Pit Bull Terriers, Bukurosh & Zemra they is 6 months old. I was told by multiple people including the breeder that NYLABONES are the best safest chew bone for them as puppies and as adults. Well my male, Bukurosh just went in today for emergency surgery after a long drawn out process of tests to determind why my puppy went from 45lbs to 60lbs in less then two weeks. come to find out Bukurosh had a NYLABONE bone lodged in his stomach. It wouldn’t pass on its own and it was making him vomit all day everyday. This was an extremely horrific happening to my family and I. My family and I are thanking our lucky stars because Bukurosh finally made it out of surgery! He came home….I can’t wait for that monsterous appetite to return…I never thought I’d miss it….lol! However, for the sakes of all the beautiful puppies and doggies in the world DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABIES NYLABONES EVER….I mean it! Take it from someone who learned it the hard way!!! Sincerly, Chaunee (Franklin, Wisconsin)
Chaunee, thanks for commenting. So glad he is OK, that sounds horrific. I really don’t like them and now I certainly won’t be using them. Ours have been having much more fun with real bones and I just let them have a rope toy in the house. So glad that he came through the surgery, that was a very dangerous thing to have happened.
About a week ago, my mother’s bulldog vomited, then lost his appetite and playfulness for several days. She took him to the emergency vet, where they took an x-ray. They saw a shadow- not an actual object (because nylabones can’t be detected by x-rays)- and suggested surgery for him. They extracted what turned out to be a chunk of nylabone from his intestine, and told her that his intestine was very inflamed, and that they might have to operate again if it did not heal. That was a few days ago. So far he’s doing well. I’ve since been researching and finding that this is not a unique incident. Nylabone can be a very dangerous, and oftentimes fatal product. I’ve read personal accounts from 5 people on just one other website whose dogs died from nylabone (it tears up their intestines) and many more whose dogs needed surgery. I will urge any dog lover/owner to avoid nylabones.
Jenny
Thanks for letting me know. I no longer let ours have a nylabone. It is the real thing only now or a rope toy for them to play with. I hope your Mum’s Dog is still doing fine.
My 1 yr old poodle/cairn mix was just chewing on a nylabone and started choking; only lasted seconds but prompted me to check investigate on the net….very interesting…..think I will get rid of the nylabone….she loves to chew and we have found that deer antlers are one of the best things…they do not sliver nor chip and make great chewers….bought one in the pet store – rather expensive; we subsequently came across some antlers at a flea market – works great!!!
Was worried about Nylabones as well, since our 1 yr old poodle/cairn mix started choking on tiny pieces…..what we have found to be great as a ‘chewer’ are deer antlers….they are available in some pet stores, rather pricey….we found some at a flea market as well (alot less expensive); they do not splinter nor chip and she really enjoys them
I am having trouble finding something non-dangerous for my dog to chew- does anyone have any idea where to get ox bones?
They used to be great for my lab
I just found this site b/c I googled Nylabone b/c my 5 month old Goldendoodle just completely destroyed it. I am shocked!
My Pittie Zeus has two Nylabones at the moment. The first one I bought for him was one of the original bone shaped style.
The other one is called Pro Action Advanced Canine Dental Device, it’s a relatively new model I think, but for all intents and purposes, it’s in the same condition as when I bought it three months ago. Very durable, remember I have a pit bull!
I feel more comfortable with the safety of the PAACDD over the original style, but Zeus really only chews on it when he’s bored. As for teeth cleaning, my dogs get all the teeth cleaning benefits that come from eating a raw meaty bones diet. =}
I just bought a non-editable Nylabone and my shepherd/lab puppy and she had it for about 2 or 3 minutes when she started to bite little tiny pieces off of it. I have taken it away from her and plan to return it. According to the Nylabone website you can return it to them as well.
I am awaiting the arrival of my black lab pup in four weeks and had just bought him a pkg. of NylaBones. I happened across your site. I have given my golden and (now deceased) husky/collie X both real bones and rawhide. Let’s see; with the husky/collieX, I had to pull a large chunk of rawhide out of her throat when she swallowed it and it became lodged. I realized what was happening when I heard an odd whistle as she tried to take a breath. With the golden, she was off for a $700 tooth extraction after it cracked in half while she was chewing on a real bone. I’m not sure what the answer is other than to avoid all three and stick with Kongs. With all toys, we must be diligent.
My best little buddy Smudge died on Saturday night from a Nylabone. We took him to the vet on Friday he had been vomiting and not acting right. They took x-rays blood tests and didn’t see anything told us to take him home and keep an eye on him. The next morning he was very sick so we took him to a 24/7 emergency pet care center where he died minutes after we arrived, they had no time to do surgery. They asked for permission to do something like an autopsy but they called it something else and found a piece of plastic stuck in his small intestine. It couldn’t be seen in an x-ray, all he chewed on were Nylabones!! If your dog is chewing on these killer Nylabones take them away and never use them again. I don’t recall ever being this heartbroken about any animal. I felt it was necessary to tell my story so other dog owners don’t have to go through what my family and I are going through.
Mark
That is awful. So sorry to hear about this. Thanks for letting others know though, it is very kind of you to do so.
All the best and sorry about Smudge
I have learned the hard way that those bones are not good for your dog. I just got a phone call from my vet that they had to do surgery on my english bulldog because she had pieces of the nylabone stuck in her stomach.I will never buy another nylabone again.
I am so glad i decided to have a look to see if Nyla bones are safe, as our newest Alaskan Malamute was biting big chunks off and chewing and swallowing them. That is when i thought mmm i wonder if this is can cause harm? thanks everyone for posting and hopefully saving me a sad outcome for my fur buddy.
My experience is there are different versions of the dinasaur nylabones, natural colored and white. The natural are harder and seem to last forever, even to my hard chewing labs. The white ones don’t last 1/20th the time and recently I found a large (dime sized) chunk in my dog’s mouth. We threw the white ones away and if we cannot find the normal ones nylabones will be off our list of acceptable chew toys.
I related this episode to Nylabone at their website and asked where to buy the natural version but they have not responded.
Wow, I’ve been giving my pit bull nylabones for years. She loves them and will chew for hours. She’s been throwing up lately, and I thought maybe the nylabones had something to do with it (yesterday she threw up while chewing on it, and this morning, I woke up to find throw up right next to the bone). I’m so glad I found this site. I’m so sorry about those who have lost their dogs, but I really appreciate you all sharing your stories to save other doggies. I just threw away her nylabone, and I’ll never buy another. Thanks again!
A few evenings ago our blue heeler was enjoying her nylabone durable when we heard a loud pop. She had broken a tooth chewing on the bone. It cost $300 dollars to have the tooth extracted and all the nylabones are now safely in the trash. The vet suggested greenies as an alternative but I’ve heard they can lead to digestive issues as well . . .
NYLA_BONES have cost me 5000 dollars and harm to my four legged child.i strongly sugjest to NEVER…i say NEVER give these to your precious dog,pup or any animal period..i don’t even let them have them but somehow i have had to have major surery on my dog twice in a year.somehow they he has gotten ahold of a NYLA-BONE and has got lodged in his colon..this has taken precious years off my best friends life…if you love your four legged friend or any dog …PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THEM NYLA_BONES>….that company should be made liable just like companies are that give harmful stuff to humans…
well my vet said that giving my puppy the nylabone is okay because they are digestible.. raw bones and other bones from like meats or stores are not digestible.. even the raw hides he said if he gets a big chunk and cannot poop they have to do surgery but the nylabones he said he recommended.. i go by what my vet said.
Do not use nylabones. My lab just underwent a five hour surgery to repair teeth damaged/ruined from nylabone use. If you have allowed your dogs to use nylabones, get him or her examined for tooth damage ASAP as they may have cracked teeth. Untreated, damaged teeth can be a serious health issue for dogs.
Please – anyone that has nylabones for their dogs – THROW THEM OUT!!! I took my dog in for a routine check-up and mentioned that her breath had become atrocious in the past few weeks so they checked her mouth. Turns out one of her molars was cracked in half and barely hanging on which caused another problem. So I had to leave her at the vet today to have her tooth extracted. 🙁 I KNOW it was the nylabones that broke her tooth. She didn’t have any of those until my daughter moved in a month ago with her 2 dogs and they have them. NOT ANYMORE!!! I’m just sick thinking this could have been avoided and now my lil 9-yr. old Tippy has to be put asleep to have a molar pulled. And a few days of pain to follow.
PLUS my daughter’s dog had a serious, scary issue a few weeks ago. He started bleeding from his bum and throwing up. It was scary. He’s ok now but after reading some of the other responses I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t because of a stupid nylabone. My gut told me those weren’t safe. Now my dog and pocketbook have to suffer. 3Dog Blogger – you listened to your gut and did the right thing by throwing the nylabone out. Thank goodness.
Wow!! We were watching tv last night to the grinding sounds of Marty (Lab-Rot) and Lola (Shephard-Chow) chewing on Nylabones. I just was struck with the notion, were these things really safe for the dogs? I have read all of the responses and happenings of Nylabones and am taking them away from my dogs.I am sorry for all of the misfortunate events that struck some of your dogs and am thankful to get rid of the Nylabones before something happens to our dogs. I don’t know exactly which direction to go in. I do know they need something to chew on besides items in the house.
Thank you to all you caring dog lovers for your information.
My dog loved her Nylabone. I bought the hard white one with the minty rubber gripper center. She would take it everywhere just to keep it with her and not chew on it. She went threw three or four before I found blood on the last one and decided Nylabone wasn’t for her anymore. The rough end of the bone was cutting her gums and making her bleed so I decided not to let her chew them anymore even though the end wasn’t so rough it needed replacing yet.
My Greater Swiss Mountain dog cracked two molars on nylabones. Both had to be surgically removed at a cost of about $1,000. I did not realize that the nylabone was the culprit with the first tooth, but witnessed and heard the crack the second time. I purposely always looked for a “safe” chew toy for my dog, and now my dog has 2 missing molars because of nylabone. Do not use!
My puppy, Coal, a Morkie-poo, is already recovering from a broken leg (a horrible ordeal). Now, today, he vomited fragments of a new Nylabone that I bought him two days ago. Someone told me how safe these are – how on earth could they be safe with all of these stories? He immediately started ripping into that bone, but I was going by the company’s statement that small pieces are okay and will not harm dogs. I don’t believe it one bit. They will all go in the trash today (I have several), and I pray my poor Coal will not have any further complications from them. I would advise any dog owners to steer clear of these.
I use nylabones. The work for my puppy. I found to purchase the dura chew and also a step up for the size nylabone for the puppy. My puppy doesn’t go through them as fast. They nylabones have prevented our furniture and wood work from being destroyed. Honsetly, When he has knawed alot of on two ends I throw it away and purchase another one. I would recommend the nylabones for moderate chewers, for powerful chewers us Kong toys.
I have two labs. They love the Nylabone durachew. Keeps them busy. It keeps the teeth clean and helps with breath. They have swallowed some small pieces and the pieces passed through them without difficulty. The con to this Nylabone is the price. I would have to say it’s worth it though, because it is effective and with two labs they last.
I purchased the souper size bacon flavor bone for our 17 week old Golden Retriever puppy. (I didn’t want to get too small for fear of him breaking off a piece or swallowing it whole.) He has been doing what all puppies do, chewing constantly. These bones were recommended, because the vet did not want us to use real bones or any rawhide materials, and his chewy toys (stuffed KONG and etc.) don’t keep his interest. He had the bone for less than 5 minutes, when we heard him struggling. Thankfully, we were with him in the same room. He was choking, digging at his mouth, and the end of the bone was gone. Both my husband and I are Paramedics and we have taken and taught pet resuscitation classes. We started doing the Heimlich procedure without results. Although, they tell people not to reach in mouths to remove foreign bodies, that is what we had to do. Thankfully, we were able to get the bone out and our baby did not die. The bone fragment was soggy and that is why it did not come out with the Heimlich. These bones ARE NOT EDIBLE and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! I figured Dug would scrape off shavings and the bone would be eaten over weeks, not in less than 5 minutes. Obviously, their quality control measures needs some work. I am never using their products again!
I gave my puppy nylabones and we are now in recovery from surgery. a piece was lodged in his intestine. I would not recommend nylabones to anyone. I wish the shelter I got my puppy at didn’t advise me in getting nylabones. my 9 month old just went through surgery. Please refrain from nylabones as a chew toy – you don’t want to end up in emergency surgery with your 4 legged friend. Thanks.
My dog is a hard chewer. One vet recommended nylabones……2 years later I had to spend $1300 on doggy dental work because of them. My new vet told me the damage was due to nylabones and she does not recommend them. No more nylabones and I believe he has another tooth problem they missed the last time around, I am sure it will bring the total in the 2000’s. Do not give your dog nylabones
thank you all for your input and so sorry for all your losses and surgeries. this has helped me tremendously in deciding on what i should give my dogs for treats. american made treats that you would give for training will be my only option. one of my dogs got severely sick last month by chewing on a raw bone. she ate the whole joint off the end and some bone. diaharrea with blood, vomiting, no eating. was getting ready to bring her in to the vet and decided to give her some canned dog food. this released the bone that was lodged within a couple of days. she was eating like crazy afterwards. my roomates daughter gave another dog a nylabone and have small bits missing. i threw it away immediatly and looked for info. i came to this website and learned a ton of information, so thank you all again for saving my dogs and their teeth.
ive just paid out £1200 in vets bills for a stomach opp for my pup! He swollowed 2 chunks and nearly dies! Nylabone ‘s response was to offer a replacement! I’m fuming!
WOW….I am so glad I read all of this. I have had a nylabone that my two terriers love. They have not broken any pieces off…but they have gnawed it down to a pretty small piece. So I just took it away now. They shared it and took turns chewing on it. The reason i don’t get real bones it that for some reason, the nylabone did not inspire fighting but the real stuff causes really bad fights over it!! I don’t know what to give them and they do need to chew!!
I’ve taken several of my dogs to a veterinary dental specialist and the ONLY thing he recommends for dogs to chew are the CET brand of rawhide products. He says if dogs chew things that are hard, they WILL crack and break teeth. Most people would be shocked if they took their dog to a certified doggy dentist to find the damage a regular vet doesn’t have the equipment or expertise to detect. Mine even found mouth cancer in my dog.
They are NOT safe! I was lucky enough to get my English mastiff to a good vet in time to save her life but it cost me $2900 to have a piece of the Nylabone removed from her intestine
Where to start with Nylabones. The word nightmare comes to mind! I rescued a young 9 month old Rottie that quickly stole my heart. One day a neighbor gave her a Nylabone. She enjoyed gnawing on it and it was one of the few toys that she couldn’t destroy. Cool! What harm could possibly come of this I thought? Well after a year of gnawing on Nylabones, she started having problems having a bowel movement. After numerous vet visits for enemas, surgery (her intestines were blocked with waste), biopsies (not to mention $6000 and 3 months of pure hell), it cost my dog her life. Those little white shards/shavings of Nylabone on the carpet that poked my feet through my socks, were also ingested and showed up in her feces. Apparently, they nicked her intestinal tract as they passed through. The end result was atrophy and scarring of her intestines (per the biopsy). Which resulted in a diagnosis of “Mega Colon”. Basically her intestinal muscles were so scarred, they could no longer push/contract to remove waste. The Vet and I tried everything from steroids to expensive compound prescriptions that promote intestinal function in humans. She would eat for 3 or 4 days, trying everyday to pass it. She couldn’t.So back to the Vet where they would knock her out and perform “aggressive enemas”. After two months with no improvement, my beautiful, playful, awesome 2yr old baby girl had to be put down. My advice to you, stay far far away from Nylabones.
I have a yellow lab and she loves the nylabone, she had four or five of them , I would clip off the rough pieces on the ends because they got sharp, and I would see blood from her mouth .. Well my husband said to me do you think they are safe? So I went on the research mode and discovered how many dogs had to have surgery and some even died from a piece of the nylabone getting stuck in their intestines ., not to mention how expensive the surgery was ,thousands and thousands of dollars , not to mention the stress the owners went through . I have taken all the nylabones away from her and trashed them . I would die if anything would happen to her , especially if I was the one to give her it, so no more nylabones for her. I do not give her real bones either , my brother had to have his dog operated on because the bone got stuck coming out her butt , so no real bones for my dog.. My husband wants to give her a deer horn , I just don’t know. What is safe for her to chew …?
We have a 5 month old lab his name is wrigley. We bought him a Nylabone because he had been loosing his puppy teeth. I am so glad I found this site. We woke up to him vomiting lastnight and it was small pieces of that stupid bone..i threw it in the trash and will never buy another one again. We learned our lesson not to just buy something without doing our research. We will stick to antlers..
I have a puppy who’s 100 lbs now (Bernese mountain dog) and she uses the Nyla bone once in a while, we give it to her in small intervals because it’s hard to tell whether or not she is chewing through it as we’ve tried many bones in the past which end up destroyed. So like I said, in small intervals it seems to work okay as long as you have the right size and check it often. I find it to help with her need to chew, but much rather prefer deer antlers. They don’t splinter, and although she is an XL dog, she is unable to chew off any piece of it. They do a number on hard wood floors if dropped though. But I would highly recommend antlers over anything!!
I tried them and back to raw meaty femur bones for my 18 mo old collie. These I can discard when he is done with them.
His first and only nylabone ended up with particles swallowed, and me cleaning up vomit for two nights as his body tried
to eject this material.
Try deer/elk antlers…they are AWESOME!!! It’s normal for a deer/elk shed their antlers and they are WONDERFUL for removing tartar from the dogs teeth and GREAT for their gums 🙂 All natural too 🙂
A few weeks ago my dog, Sampson, spent a few days in the ICU after chewing off and ingesting a large (almost the size of my thumb) piece of Nylabone. I had been giving them to him for years because they seemed to be the only thing he couldn’t destroy in 5 minutes. The piece had become obstructed in his duodenum. Emergency surgery, complications after surgery (persistent heart arrhythmia and hypothermia), and $7000 later he is doing ok. I took away all the Nylabones and will never purchase another again. Dogs spent thousands of years chewing on real bones. I’ll stick to those from now on.
My dog Chuy recently passed from ingesting a Nylabone healthy edible bone end that got lodged way down in the back of his throat. Do not ever give your dog nylabones. It is simply not worth the risk. My life long friend gone in a matter of minutes. Find other ways to reward your fur baby.?
I just bought a nyla bone for my new 6th old blue pit bull today & she really likes it. After reading these stories I am terrified to let her chew it ever again. Do you think I should return it to the store or just throw it out ?
You may as well return it if you can, but the store might not let you.
Nylabone dura chew almost killed my French bulldog. The bone was appropriate for his size and moderate style of chewing however it came apart in large chunks which he quickly swallowed. They stuck in his intestine and he had to have a small intestine resection and surgery on his stomach too. It cost me almost $10,000! I will never buy another Nylabone product again. Something this dangerous should never go near a dog’s mouth. I can’t believe the company still gets away with selling these.
Hi! My name is Katie, and I’m the blessed mom of 2 great dogs! Hunter is a 3 year old English Setter, and Bronx is an almost 6 year old English Springer Spaniel. Bronx LOVES soft toys and sucks on stuffed animals. Hunter is every other setter and loves to chew play fetch [and he likes to pretend he’s a kitty]. I like nylabones because they aren’t rawhides [dangerous blockage issues] and because they aren’t hard enough to break teeth. The problem with raw meaty bones is not giving weight bearing ones of larger mammals because they are too hard and the dogs could break teeth I stick to rabbit and chicken if they get bones in their diet [we feed a raw prey model diet here]. The key to nylabones is to get an appropriate one for your dog. The great thing about them is they know not every dog is the same and they make a variety of sizes and they even have flexible ones for seniors.
Kong rubber toys can suction cup to the dogs tongue and seriously maim or injur a dog.. choosing the right toys for your dogs can be hard they are like kids you have to do your research. We stick to tennis balls, puzzlet toys, soft toys, and tug ropes. Hunter needs to chew so I keep squeaker toys around [I really like the squeaker snakes and so does hunter we just replace them when they become tattered]. Always toss a toy out when it becomes too worn, I don’t always follow this rule with the stuffed animals I just make sure there is nothing to ingest. He’s had the same nylabone bone since the week we brought him home and it’s still going strong and I don’t worry about him with it. Never leave your dog’s unattended with a toy as well in case the toy breaks or your fur kids get in a fight over it. My husband and I keep a toy basket full of a variety of toys and they play with them whenever they are loose in the main part of the house.
Someone posted that her vet recommended Greenies instead of Nylabones. Yikes! My dog had a $2,500 surgery to remove a piece of Greenie that had lodged in his intestine. He very nearly died. The vet told me that wasn’t the first time she’d seen Greenies cause intestinal blockages. Google Greenies and you’ll find loads of information about what a danger they pose to dogs. Please steer clear of them! Our dog loves his Nylabones, but we’re switching to antlers after reading these posts. Thanks, everyone!
I am so sorry for everyones misfortunes. Several posts have stated to use Kong toys. Well let me tell you my experience. We bought our English Bulldog Kong toys because we were assured he would be safe. I was sitting at my desk doing work only to hear my baby choking. I reached in his mouth to pull out what he was choking on only for him to swallow it. I looked around for what he could have possibly swallowed only to see a half of a new Kong toy laying next to him! I panicked! I immediatly took him to the vet and 5 hours of surgery later, my baby is ok now. So PLEASE be careful and watch your babies with ALL toys and chews. I nearly lost my baby to a “indestructible” Kong toy.
Hey there…
We’ve had two different dogs…
Our dogs both were pretty aggressive chewers and would wear down the split antlers within one day!
One was a Boston Terrier/Aussie Cattle Dog cross (rescue). I had initially tried real bones (the round femur with the marrow in the middle) however there was an unfortunate incident where he broke almost all his front teeth. Not sure how he managed to do it! That was when we switched to the antlers with much success!
We then got our French Bulldog (rescued). She loved the antlers, too! For the longest time she didn’t have any issues. However somehow she more recently developed really awful digestive issues. The carotene in antlers is like finger nails… We figured out that she had such sensitive guts that after a while even the antlers were causing intense diarrhea.
The thing is, no matter what they are chewing, we’d be supervising. We’ve stopped our dogs from swallowing chunks of antler, for example.
So now we’ve come full circle! lol We are thinking of getting Nylabones, which was recommended to us by our vet. I do think we have to consider Sasha is a pretty aggressive chewer so we’d probably not get her the soft/moderate ones, we’d get the harder ones. Also, we’ll keep an eye on her and on the Nylabones to make sure they’re in good shape. She usually sits right beside us on the couch, chewing contentedly on her antler…
So there you go: raw bones can break teeth. Bits of the antlers can fall off or wear down to very small size, so if not thrown out in time, can become a choking hazard. From what I see, if the Nylabones aren’t the correct hardness, or if they are chewed and not inspected/thrown out when they look compromised, or if the dogs aren’t supervised while chewing them they can break off and be swallowed. It seems to come down to watching your dog and inspecting what they are chewing.
Think of a dog as a three-year-old. You wouldn’t let a three-year-old child chew on something without being present. You wouldn’t leave a child unattended while playing (because small toys can be swallowed). I know a dog isn’t a human being, but they do need supervision like a child (in my humblest of opinions). Sometimes, as with small children, you have to dog-proof the house by putting out of reach any household poisons, or objects that are tempting to be experimented on…
Thank you, everyone, for all your posts! It did help me make an informed decision! 🙂
I just bought my pup who is 14 weeks one. SHe LOVED it and ate the end by the end of the night. HOWEVER late in the early morning her tummy was gurgling and she threw up 6 times. It was clear mucosy vomit but in it when I cleaned it up it had small chewed pieces of the bone. She never threw up ever before that so I know It was the bone!~
I will never buy another product from them nor will I ever recommend one.
Hope this helps!
I use the hard plastic nylabones for my dobermann and he grinds it in his back teeth and nothing ever comes off. All these people saying there dogs are getting large pieces off aren’t using the right size or aren’t supervising properly. Your dog shouldn’t be chewing anything unsupervised and if the toy is all torn up its time for a new one. The same problems would happen woth a real bone if a dog got a piece off and didn’t chew it up.
The only thing I can say is the ones for aggressive chewers are a bad idea. They are very hard, and if your dog is an aggressive chewer, damage. I have had 3 slab fractures to molars on 3 different dogs.. 2 I had the teeth removed, 1 I did the surgery to repair (she’s a working dog) – it was ridiculously expensive. The dental specialist vet said he calls both them and antlers his ‘silent’ partner because of the number of teeth they break. Never again, tossed them as soon as we got home from her surgery. His recommendation was rib bones, but most people buy soup/knuckle bones, which are weight bearing bones. Was told to stay away from weight bearing bones and only use ribs/spine and ALWAYS supervise.
I have given Nylabones to all my dogs for more than 20 years with no issues. I buy only the hardest types for very aggressive chewers. Nothing has ever broke off, just the tiny shavings and they pass. I throw away the bones when they start to wear but they are good for over a year or longer. The tiny points help clean their teeth and that is how they were designed. I have Pitts and other large breed dogs so I buy the large Nylabones and as I said only the very hardest kind. No dog has a stronger bite than a Pitt and I doubt when following the recommendations of the manufacturer, your dog will ever have any issues either. Buy the correct kind for your type of chewer. I can highly recommend them. I never give my dogs natural animal bones because they do splinter and break off pieces. Other than Nylabones, I give Milkbones and other teeth cleaning treats, usually an all natural variety by reputable companies.