# Milk bones



## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

Bought some at Target. Are these okay to give?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

m&m mom said:


> Bought some at Target. Are these okay to give?


If your dog doesn't have a wheat allergy, they probably won't hurt him. But they have absolutely NO nutritional value. Why would you want to feed your dog something like that, even as a "treat". He'd be better off if you used his own kibble or baby carrots from the grocery store for treats.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> He'd be better off if you used his own kibble or baby carrots from the grocery store for treats.


When you give them a baby carrot, do you ever get worried they could choke on it? I was peeling carrots for a stew I was making last night and I gave Javi one of the peeled carrots but then started to worry when he took a big bite of it and choke on a piece.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

civano said:


> When you give them a baby carrot, do you ever get worried they could choke on it? I was peeling carrots for a stew I was making last night and I gave Javi one of the peeled carrots but then started to worry when he took a big bite of it and choke on a piece.


If you are concerned, you could always cut it length-wise, in thin slices. But honestly, I've never HEARD of it happening.


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

krandall said:


> If your dog doesn't have a wheat allergy, they probably won't hurt him. But they have absolutely NO nutritional value. Why would you want to feed your dog something like that, even as a "treat". He'd be better off if you used his own kibble or baby carrots from the grocery store for treats.


Well I feel terrible. :-(


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

civano said:


> When you give them a baby carrot, do you ever get worried they could choke on it?


My Momi ALWAYS steams my carrots (zanahorias) for me so they are a little bit soft. I will do a cartwheel for a steamed carrot treat!

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

m&m mom said:


> Well I feel terrible. :-(


:hug: Don't feel too bad. I was told that treats at the vet aren't good and I thought I've been feeding them to my Papillon for quite some time thinking I was doing a good thing. He loves them and so does Javi.

This thread was posted recently and seems to have some nice ideas for treats.  I've ordered some to see how they are.

http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=88082&highlight=treat


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

m&m mom said:


> Well I feel terrible. :-(


Well, you don't have to feel terrible! First, you didn't know, second, as I said, they are unlikely to hurt him, and third, you asked! So now you know better for the next time!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> My Momi ALWAYS steams my carrots (zanahorias) for me so they are a little bit soft. I will do a cartwheel for a steamed carrot treat!
> 
> besos, Ricky Ricardo


Kodi likes his veggies anyway he can get them! In fact, one of his FAVORITES is frozen chunks of broccoli! Yum! :laugh:


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Milk Bones have chemicals in them, which aren't what I'd feed my dog. There are much better options that are a lot healthier.


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

I will throw them away. I was looking for something fun for her and to occupy a little time so I can catch a break every now and then. She is semi-interested in her bully sticks and I made some pumpkin/peanut butter treats for her so I guess we will stick with that. Otherwise she gets cheese and had 1/4 of a hotdog cut up real tiny the other night at puppy class. I tried carrots tonight in the bottom of her kibble dish to entice her to eat her dinner but no luck. I steamed them and still no luck. She is really not interested in eating.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh! And Kodi and I just found another great, soft training treat that is great nutrition too! 

Narture's Variety makes a bunch of different types of frozen raw food that come in tiny little balls. I got a small bag, thinking they might make good training treats. He liked them, and they worked well as long as they were a bit frosty, but became mushy as they thawed in my pocket. A friend suggested trying to microwave cook them for a bit to firm them up. Worked like a charm! Enough for an hour class can be microwaved in1 1/2 minutes into soft but solid, bite-sized treats that have NOTHING but good food in them!

And although this is a relatively expensive food as a whole diet, it is WAY cheaper per pound than almost any quality commercial training treats!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

m&m mom said:


> I will throw them away. I was looking for something fun for her and to occupy a little time so I can catch a break every now and then. She is semi-interested in her bully sticks and I made some pumpkin/peanut butter treats for her so I guess we will stick with that. Otherwise she gets cheese and had 1/4 of a hotdog cut up real tiny the other night at puppy class. I tried carrots tonight in the bottom of her kibble dish to entice her to eat her dinner but no luck. I steamed them and still no luck. She is really not interested in eating.


Very young puppies are sometimes off and on again about their food. As long as they are gaining weight, offer them their food at meal times, and pick it up if they haven't eaten in 10 minutes. Then don't offer it again until the next meal time. (except that you can use part of it for training if they are interested in eating it that way&#8230; some eat BETTER that way!)

Often a stuffed kong can keep them busy for a long time. Have you tried that? It didn't work with Kodi, because he was "Jaws" (chewed apart even the tough black Kongs!!!) But VERY few Havanese puppies chew like that, and a Kong works for MANY people.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

m&m mom said:


> I will throw them away. I was looking for something fun for her and to occupy a little time so I can catch a break every now and then. She is semi-interested in her bully sticks and I made some pumpkin/peanut butter treats for her so I guess we will stick with that. Otherwise she gets cheese and had 1/4 of a hotdog cut up real tiny the other night at puppy class. I tried carrots tonight in the bottom of her kibble dish to entice her to eat her dinner but no luck. I steamed them and still no luck. She is really not interested in eating.


Does she like Deer/Elk/Moose Antlers? Javi sometimes chews on that and it gives me a break every now and then and occupy a little time. Mine is more interested in a bully stick...he just loves one if I will give it to him to work on. I also just got a Himalayan Dog Chew to try out to see how those go over.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

The Himalayan Dog Chews are made from Yak Milk and is a hard cheese snack. Some people on this forum rave about them and I think they are suppose to last awhile but i haven't given Javi any yet so I don't know how long or if like Bully Sticks you need to take them away when they get really short.

http://www.himalayandogchew.com/products/list/15

Edited to add I was going to order it on Amazon but I found it locally at a Chow Hound.


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

civano said:


> Does she like Deer/Elk/Moose Antlers? Javi sometimes chews on that and it gives me a break every now and then and occupy a little time. Mine is more interested in a bully stick...he just loves one if I will give it to him to work on. I also just got a Himalayan Dog Chew to try out to see how those go over.


Not sure where to find those antlers and to be honest - would never have known if I should buy them had I stumbled on them in a store. Anyone live in Milwaukee that wants to help me? I swear this is harder than an infant.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

m&m mom said:


> Not sure where to find those antlers and to be honest - would never have known if I should buy them had I stumbled on them in a store. Anyone live in Milwaukee that wants to help me? I swear this is harder than an infant.


I think I saw in a thread here where Karen orders some from this place:

http://acadiaantlers.com/

I just ordered a peanut butter flavored one and a sampler of extra small tynes and splits and an antler slice to see which my puppy likes better. He started chewing antlers at his breeder's though so he seems to enjoy it already. However, it definitely is the kind of thing he does when he is just in the mood for chewing and doesn't stay glued to it like a bully stick. That thing he becomes obsessed with. I'm hoping the Himalayan Yak Chew will be the same. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Karen, if I'm wrong...please correct me!


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

civano said:


> The Himalayan Dog Chews are made from Yak Milk and is a hard cheese snack. Some people on this forum rave about them and I think they are suppose to last awhile but i haven't given Javi any yet so I don't know how long or if like Bully Sticks you need to take them away when they get really short.
> 
> http://www.himalayandogchew.com/products/list/15
> 
> Edited to add I was going to order it on Amazon but I found it locally at a Chow Hound.


I will look for these tomorrow, thanks! Any other ideas or links would be sooo appreciated!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Often a stuffed kong can keep them busy for a long time. It didn't work with Kodi, because he was "Jaws" (chewed apart even the tough black Kongs!!!)


Kodi, amigo, I have a red Kong. No matter what it is stuffed with, I can empty that sucker, clean as a whistle, in 5 to 10 minutes!

This afternoon, my Momi left the pantry cabinet door open. I climbed vertically up two shelves to reach the UNOPENED package of chicken/sweet potato training treats. The fun ended when Momi came shrieking into the kitchen and took the package away from me!  Like chill out Momi, YOU WERE LATE with my Honest Kitchen chicken supper!

su amigo, Ricky Ricardo


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

civano said:


> Mine is more interested in a bully stick...he just loves one if I will give it to him to work on.


Javi y Oreo, amigos, I LOVE bully sticks. How far does your Momi let you chew down on it? My Popi takes mine away from me when my bully stick gets down to about one or two inches left. He says I might choke on that last little bit. I guess he has never tried one and doesn't know the best, most delicious flavor is in that last inch! Ja, ja, ja. :biggrin1:

su amigo, Ricky Ricardo


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Kodi, amigo, I have a red Kong. No matter what it is stuffed with, I can empty that sucker, clean as a whistle, in 5 to 10 minutes!
> 
> This afternoon, my Momi left the pantry cabinet door open. I climbed vertically up two shelves to reach the UNOPENED package of chicken/sweet potato training treats. The fun ended when Momi came shrieking into the kitchen and took the package away from me!  Like chill out Momi, YOU WERE LATE with my Honest Kitchen chicken supper!


ound: Oh my goodness, I can just picture this. You are hilarious Ricky!



Ricky Ricardo said:


> Javi y Oreo, amigos, I LOVE bully sticks. How far does your Momi let you chew down on it? My Popi takes mine away from me when my bully stick gets down to about one or two inches left. He says I might choke on that last little bit. I guess he has never tried one and doesn't know the best, most delicious flavor is in that last inch! Ja, ja, ja. :biggrin1:


I actually hardly ever took away Oreo's and he's never had a problem but since I've gotten my ravenous little eating machine Javi, I take them away at about the same amount...one to two inches. And since I've seen other people talk about taking them away due to them being a choking hazard. :redface:

It makes me wonder why on earth they are sold in 6 inch sizes if you are suppose to take them away.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

m&m mom said:


> I will look for these tomorrow, thanks! Any other ideas or links would be sooo appreciated!


If you go to this site on this page, you can look up where to find them in your city and state. 

http://www.himalayandogchew.com/searchnew

And I read that you are suppose to take it away when it gets small and microwave it for so many seconds to make it a crispy puff they can eat.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

civano said:


> I think I saw in a thread here where Karen orders some from this place:
> 
> http://acadiaantlers.com/
> 
> ...


Yup. You've got it right! Kodi sez, "Acadia Antlerz are the BEST!!!"


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Kodi, amigo, I have a red Kong. No matter what it is stuffed with, I can empty that sucker, clean as a whistle, in 5 to 10 minutes!
> 
> This afternoon, my Momi left the pantry cabinet door open. I climbed vertically up two shelves to reach the UNOPENED package of chicken/sweet potato training treats. The fun ended when Momi came shrieking into the kitchen and took the package away from me!  Like chill out Momi, YOU WERE LATE with my Honest Kitchen chicken supper!
> 
> su amigo, Ricky Ricardo


Ricky! You'd better be a good boy!!! Tell your Momi to stuf your Kong with kibble or other treats, plug the small end with a bit of peanut butter or cheese, then fill the whole thing with water. Put it in the freezer until it's frozen solid. see if you can get through THAT in 10 minutes!!!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Scout and Truffles love steamed carrots and brussel sprouts. They both like dehydrated chicken treats like Pure Bites. I always looks at the ingredients on the package. If there are any additives I don't buy it.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> I climbed vertically up two shelves to reach the UNOPENED package of chicken/sweet potato training treats.





civano said:


> ound: Oh my goodness, I can just picture this.


This is Ricky's Momi, I had to wrestle the keyboard away from him. I can verify this happened. I'm not sure how he got up on the second shelf. He could have jumped up there because he is very athletic but there is too much stuff on those shelves. He must have climbed up there. When I discovered what was happening, I gave him the "drop it" command. So what does he do? He jumps off the top shelf with the bag in his mouth and he ran to hide under the sofa with his loot. I guess we have to work some more on our training! Yes, I was a bit late with his supper. :frusty:



krandall said:


> Ricky! Tell your Momi to stuf your Kong with kibble or other treats, plug the small end with a bit of peanut butter or cheese, then fill the whole thing with water. Put it in the freezer until it's frozen solid. see if you can get through THAT in 10 minutes!!!


Thank you, thank you Karen. We'll try it. This little guy is nothing but an eating machine..........but oh so lovable! We have fresh brussels sprouts right now. We'll give that a try too.


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

krandall said:


> Ricky! You'd better be a good boy!!! Tell your Momi to stuf your Kong with kibble or other treats, plug the small end with a bit of peanut butter or cheese, then fill the whole thing with water. Put it in the freezer until it's frozen solid. see if you can get through THAT in 10 minutes!!!


Whoa! Where do you come up with these ideas? Great!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

m&m mom said:


> Whoa! Where do you come up with these ideas? Great!!


From lots and LOTS of dog friends!!!


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

Okay everyone, here's what I found today:

Natural Balance L.I.T. (Limited Ingredient Treats) potato & duck biscuits (grain free, no corn, soy, wheat or artificial flavors/colors)

Louisiana Alligator biscuits with blueberries (wheat free, corn free, soy free, no artificial anything) 

Himalayan Dog Chews

2 brand new bully sticks

How am I doing??


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

m&m mom said:


> Okay everyone, here's what I found today:
> 
> Natural Balance L.I.T. (Limited Ingredient Treats) potato & duck biscuits (grain free, no corn, soy, wheat or artificial flavors/colors)
> 
> ...


I don't know about your little doggie, but you are speaking my language! :biggrin1: Buen Provecho (Bon Appetit)

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## Naturelover (Nov 30, 2013)

m&m mom said:


> I will throw them away. I was looking for something fun for her and to occupy a little time so I can catch a break every now and then. She is semi-interested in her bully sticks and I made some pumpkin/peanut butter treats for her so I guess we will stick with that. Otherwise she gets cheese and had 1/4 of a hotdog cut up real tiny the other night at puppy class. I tried carrots tonight in the bottom of her kibble dish to entice her to eat her dinner but no luck. I steamed them and still no luck. She is really not interested in eating.


There are lots of great ideas on this thread, but I don't think you need to feel so terrible about Milkbones that you throw them away. If you're looking for something to occupy your dog, Kongs and the like are a better choice- I would recommend using tasty treats like milkbones just for training. You could break them up in little pieces and just give some occasionally.

Is it the best treat you could get for your dog? Nope. Is it actively going to harm your dog? If your dog isn't allergic and tolerates them, a few milkbones bits now and again are probably not going to cause a problem.

Believe me, I get obsessed over my dog's nutrition and I spend a lot on high quality, meat-based treats. But I think it is ok to allow a little "junk food" on the scene as long as you're aware that's what it is. Personal opinion.


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

My last dog before Whimsy, was a cockapoo mix from a shelter that we got as a puppy back in 1984. She grew up on milkbones, and she lived to be the ripe old age of 15. Just sayin'. Dog food and treats have come a long way since back then.!!The choices you have just boggle the mind when you walk through the stores! Milkbones have been around since the beginning of time though .LOL


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

I agree with Evelyn. All my dogs over the years where given Milkbones as treats with no ill effects. My Afghan Hound lived until 12, when he was euthanized, due to the loss of use of his back legs. My puppy mill rescue Bichon, until 17. My first Havanese, until 15, due to a heart related issue and Tyler, who is 17 1/2, is still with us, however, he now eats nutritious treats. As Evelyn mentioned, Milkbones have been around forever, so don't beat yourself up.


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

Thanks everyone.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

If you are looking for a nice bite size crunchy treat Molly loves Pecks. They are made by Honest Kitchen and contain buffalo and blueberries.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

One that Tyler r-e-a-l-l-y likes is Toy Temptations Organic Wild Blueberry Parmesan treats by dogchewzNYC. They are tiny little bone shaped treats with a bit of a crunch. He got a package as a birthday present from his "buddies" at his former rehab facility and absolutely loves them, plus they are good for his sensitive tummy. I couldn't find a store that carries them, so contacted the company and was told that Amazon now carries them. They come in many flavors and are just the right size for puppies. I even break them up. Give them a try.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

m&m mom said:


> Okay everyone, here's what I found today:
> 
> Natural Balance L.I.T. (Limited Ingredient Treats) potato & duck biscuits (grain free, no corn, soy, wheat or artificial flavors/colors)
> 
> ...


Sound like great choices!


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## m&m mom (Sep 27, 2014)

Thanks Karen!


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