Chewing is a common favorite pastime among dogs and is important for them to be allowed to do. While of course I’m not recommending that you let your dog chew up your favorite shoes or your furniture, finding an appropriate, safe, and tasty chew is a great way to keep your dog happy (and save your house from being shredded!).
However, because there are so many chew options available in pet stores these days, it’s hard to know which chew is the best for our fur babies.
When buying a chew for my dog I always try to find her the safest, healthiest, and of course, tastiest options. This isn’t always easy — it seems the rules are always changing one way or the other!
The chews that were recommended as safe in the past can suddenly become the most dangerous ones in no time at all, so it’s hard for a dog lover to keep up sometimes. For example, bully sticks, antlers, cow hooves, and pig ears are all getting a bad rap these days, when it seems like just yesterday, they were perfectly acceptable!
This is understandable as veterinary medicine is always advancing, just as human medicine is. Of course, we want the safest option that will help our four-legged family members stay healthy and out of harm’s way, so it’s a good idea to keep up with veterinary advice — even if it is changing all the time!
But what about esophagus chews? Are they good for our dogs? The short answer is yes, in many ways esophagus chews can be a great option for dogs to work out their chewing muscles — with a couple conditions to consider. The long answer is explained below, so keep reading to find out the reasons why esophagus chews are a great choice for your dog:
Why do Dogs Need to Chew in the First Place?
Many dog owners wonder what it is about chewing that their dogs love so much. Let’s start by explaining this a little. Here are the main reasons chewing is important for your dog:
Relieves Teething Irritation
For puppies that are teething, chewing helps with the irritation that they feel as their baby teeth are falling out and adult teeth are growing in. It’s basically the same concept as a baby teether — just as chewing or sucking on something can relieve a human baby’s teething pain, the same is true for dogs.
This is one of the reasons puppies often chew on shoes or furniture until they’re trained to chew on more appropriate things: they’re just trying to soothe the itching, pain and irritation that their teething is causing. Providing them with appropriate chews will save you both some pain and suffering!
Mental Stimulation
It’s not a puzzle toy and seems like quite a simple activity, but chewing is actually great mental stimulation for dogs. While it’s important for them to get enough physical exercise, many dogs don’t get the mental exercise they need, and as a result become bored and destructive when they have nowhere to use their mental energy.
Dogs are intelligent animals, and just like any other muscle, their brains need to be worked out to stay sharp. Chewing on something yummy makes a dog think and problem solve, as well as activating the pleasure center in his brain — helping him to feel relaxed and happy.
Doggie Toothbrush
While many dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth (I’m ashamed to say I’m not one of them), chewing is also a great way for your dog to care for his own canines. Dogs have 42 teeth in total, which means more cleaning is needed to keep their pearly whites free of damaging plaque and tartar build up.
Chewing on something relatively hard allows your pup to do this for herself, essentially scraping away any build up on her teeth through the chewing process. Don’t stop brushing her teeth if you do that already, though! You’re helping your pup avoid the development of tooth decay, so keep at it!
Relieves Stress
My dog often runs to her chew when she’s particularly excited or anxious as a way to self-soothe, and many other dogs do this very same thing. Providing your dog with a healthy, safe chew will allow him to calm himself in times of stress, which is something we all need to do from time to time!
Focusing on his chew will allow his body and brain to relax from whatever is overstimulating him, bringing him back to the balanced, content pup you know and love. It’s quite smart if you think about it: our dogs’ instincts know exactly what to do to help themselves!
Keeps Them Busy
We’ve all been there: we’re busy doing something and the dog just won’t leave us alone. Whether they’re angling for a walk or play time, or just want your attention when you can’t give it to them, it’s nice to be able to give them something to do for a while until you have time for them.
Chews are an awesome example of this: giving your pup something yummy and safe to chew on will help to get him out of your face for a while. He’ll likely take it to his bed or other favorite spot (or hide somewhere with it like my dog does) and will be quite content until you’re ready to hang out with him again.
Why Esophagus Chews are a Great Option for Your Dog
So, now that we’ve established why chewing is so important, why are esophagus chews a good choice for your dog? Keep reading to find out!
Less Risk of Injury/Obstruction
One of the reasons esophagus chews are good for your dog is that they’re more easily digested than many other types of dog chew. Many other chews are dangerous because they break apart or splinter easily, risking obstruction or perforation of the intestinal tract.
Esophagus chews break down more easily in the digestive tract and are less likely to cause an obstruction than a bone, rawhide, or antler might.
While esophagus chews are generally safer than many other chew options, it’s still important to supervise your dog when she’s chewing on them.
Make sure that she’s not swallowing big chunks and consider taking it away when it gets small enough that she can’t really chew it anymore — to stop her from swallowing it. Also, make sure to have fresh water available at all times. Chewing is thirsty work!
High in Nutrients
Another reason esophagus chews get my vote is that they’re high in dog-friendly nutrients: they’re chock-full of protein for starters, which we all know dogs need plenty of.
They’re also great sources of glucosamine and chondroitin, which are important nutrients for keeping your pup’s joints healthy — especially important in large breed dogs or breeds that are prone to arthritis or hip dysplasia.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are also beneficial in the treatment of spinal disc injury, and recovery from joint surgery. In addition it can help treat Osteoarthritis which is basically dog arthritis, that can lead to pain and decreased mobility
Esophagus chews provide important Omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for not only skin and coat health, but they’re great for your pup’s brain health as well!
They’re also low in fat, so they won’t contribute to weight gain — which can wreak havoc on a dog’s heath — if used properly. It’s important to remember, though, that these are special treats and not to be given too often (or as your dog’s daily meal).
In addition esophagus chews are high in protein. Protein is crucial for maintaining the health of your dog’s hair, skin and muscles and tissues, to name a few things.
Dogs Love Them!
After considering the safety and nutrition factors, the most important reason that esophagus chews are good for dogs is also the simplest: dogs absolutely love them!
Maybe it’s the beefy, meaty flavor that entices their tastebuds, or the crunchy, satisfying texture they provide. Either way, most dogs would be over the moon if their human brought one of these home for them to chew!
Ultimately, we want to make our doggy family members happy while keeping them safe and contributing to their overall health. Esophagus chews are a great way to do this, provided you exercise the cautions I listed earlier.
Whether your dog has a passion for chewing your favorite stuff or you’re just looking for a safer alternative for him to chew, it’s very likely that an esophagus chew will make his day!
Free From Benefits
High quality Esophagus chews are free from any artificial chemicals or preservatives, Sugar, and fillers.. When choosing high quality esophagus chew go for grass fed beef and lamb from ethical production methods.
For example, take Amazing dog treats esophagus chews below. A huge benefit is the zero steroids, artificial chemicals and additives and high quality protein sources.
You can be sure you’re giving your dog something beneficial to their health.
Good for Teeth
Esophagus chews are great for keeping your dog’s teeth clean, strong and healthy. As mentioned dogs love to chew, and chewing can actually act as a doggie toothbrush.
Most high quality esophagus chews are designed in a way that is great for cleaning. They can actually help remove tartar and plaque that has built up.
So not only do you get the nutrient benefit but the oral benefit of keeping your dog’s teeth in mint condition. If your poor doggo has no teeth try out these amazing toys.
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