Teething!
Yes Chester is right in the mist of it, difficult doesn't cover it. However much it pains us to see him chewing anything insight, its a horrible time for him and judging by how many cuddles he's asking for, his pain is 10/10 :(
So I thought I would do a blog of how we're coping and hope it inspires you
Snuffle Mat!
The snuffle mat keeps him occupied and seems to distract from the pain, while also keeping him away from furniture. It's great for putting hard biscuits/kibble in but can be stinky depending on the biscuits!
This was a custom mat bought from Pet Sniffle Mats East Midlands (Link takes you to their facebook page!)
We also use it for his evening meal as he is an incredibly fast eater!
Kong
Kong are durable toys that range in sizes for puppies all the way up to giant dogs. They also come in a variety of shapes. Chester has the medium sized Kong. They are fillable toys - meaning that you can put lots of yummy treats inside. Chesters particular favourite is a mix of Banana, Strawberry, Yoghurt and his Hill Science puppy kibble. One of the biggest pros of doing this is thats its 100% natural.
Step 1: Measure out the ingredients. Chester loves yoghurt, bananas & strawberries and of course some of his kibble
Step 2: Mix all the ingredients, then fill the kong to the brim!
Step 3: Place in a plastic bag then into the freezer for around 2 to 3 hours so that its really firm! I used pre frozen bananas and strawberries.
Frozen Strawberries
Another miracle that soothes teething pups are whole frozen strawberries, however this should be exercised with caution as they turn to mush quite quickly, and should be kept away from any soft furnishings!
Chester has communicated to me that these are especially great as he can put it exactly where it hurts as the Kong is too big to fit entirely inside his mouth. This is his personal favourite of the list! See his instagram for the strawberry video!
Deer Antlers
Antlers are a tough subject, many vets don't endorse them as they can be the cause of tooth fractures.
However before buying one ourselves I asked, Are they actually safe? Deer antlers are often used for fighting so I always imagined they be very tough. Unfortunately right now there is very little evidence to say they aren't safe as much to say they are.
We decided to get one for Chester on the basis, one, he isn't a aggressive chewer, two, we would only allow him to use it for teething, and to calm down in the evening (very effective if you have a pup that just wont go to sleep!) and three, he currently only has his baby teeth and consulting with a vet, even if he fractured those his adult teeth would remain unharmed.
Chester however loves them and i don't see why we shouldn't continue letting him use them. He mostly asks me to hold it for him anyway which is a great way to monitor him.
As i'm writing this every item on this list has gone out of the window, as he is chewing a Eukanuba plastic tub that we got from his breeder!
Thanks for reading :)
I really hope this helps another pup in crisis!
Sarah & Chester x