Soft, healthy chews for an aging dog

February 9, 2016 9:28 PM

Can anyone recommend some somewhat healthy, soft-ish chews for a maltipoo? She's had some dental extractions so she can't chew things like rawhide, bones, kong toys, etc. If it's on Amazon, that would be great. I've looked at things like pup-peroni but there are reviews on there that said it killed their dog. I know she would definitely love a beefy sort of treat and can be kind of picky. Thanks!
posted by madonna of the unloved to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

I don't know if this is quite soft enough (it has the consistency of a Slim Jim-- it snaps), but my dogs go crazy for Plato Thinkers. They're like higher-quality Pup-peroni and come in duck, salmon, and chicken varieties. More of a treat than a chew.
posted by thetortoise at 11:22 PM on February 9, 2016

I was a volunteer at a local Humane Society and I found dogs loved Wellness Pure treats. They are very soft.
posted by chairface at 4:05 AM on February 10, 2016

It's time to explore the world of dead animal parts.

Dried fish skin
Dried bits of things like beef tendons and tracheas
"Steer pizzle"
Pig ears and snouts

They have a nice, crisp bite but get softer the more they're worked on. It's absolutely the direction you need to go.

My dog's personal favorites are the cow penises (notthatthere'sanythingwrongwiththat) and tendons and we have a smaller, older dog friend (dog of a mefite actually!) who just goes to town on tracheas and fish skin.
posted by phunniemee at 4:59 AM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

You can get a dehydrator and make yam, sweet potato etc chews for pennies.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:11 AM on February 10, 2016

Salmon skin, fried or grilled to crispness . Very healthy for your dog and, if it's anything like mine, the dog will love it. And, if you develop the right relationship with your local fresh fish place, you may be able to get it free/cheap (often customers want the skin removed before they buy salmon).
posted by HuronBob at 5:14 AM on February 10, 2016

Sweet potato chews (I've seen them as french fry shapes and slabs, both would be good). There's also a whole bunch of different jerkies for dogs, and things like dried chicken strips. Fwiw, I have a younger dog that's had 6 or 7 teeth pulled and she does smaller rawhides just fine, so it might be worth a try if you haven't already.
posted by Fig at 5:47 AM on February 10, 2016

Puppy kong (they have softer rubber) filed with Peanut Butter or tinned dog food.
posted by wwax at 6:37 AM on February 10, 2016

Sweet potatoes. No foolin' -- our dogs looooove them. You can make them yourself in a dehydrator: Peel & cut in 1/4" thick slices. Dehydrate on high about 24 hours for crunchy, or 6-8 hours-ish for chewy; just keep checking on them till they're the texture you want. You can do it in the oven too.
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 7:23 AM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

These should do the trick, um, as long as you don't leave the bag open for extended periods of time, so they dehydrate.
posted by sarajane at 8:54 AM on February 10, 2016

Another vote for sweet potatoes. We don't dehydrate them, we steam them, slice them, and then roll them in finely ground peanut flour. It'd be great to have a dehydrator to take a bit of the wetness out of these (so they'd be easier to store or transport), but the pup loves them.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:32 AM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]